Mineral composition in hulled wheat grains: a comparison between emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) and spelt (T.spelta L.) accessions.

Grains of ten emmer and ten spelt accessions were evaluated for their mineral composition and compared to common (cvs Autonomia and Manital) and durum (cvs Norba, Simeto and Venusia) wheats grown in the same experimental field in Southern Italy. Calcium, copper, lithium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sulfur and zinc contents of whole flour were determined. All tested minerals varied broadly within both hulled wheat species. K, Mg, P and S were the major mineral components. No significant correlations were found among the tested minerals in both species. Emmer and spelt accessions mainly differed from wheat cultivars for higher contents of Li, Mg, P, Se and Zn. The highest levels for all tested minerals were detected in spelt accessions, which suggests a different uptake in grains between the hulled what species.