Dr Darina Naydenova

Abstract

This report presents information regarding a grain crop that is very little known but certainly of interest in the era of biologically clean foods. Einkorn is an ancient variety of wheat with a list of advantages over hybrid varieties. It is distinguished for its higher content of biologically active substances and low concentration of gluten. There is evidence that patients suffering from coeliac disease have a higher tolerance to bread made of einkorn rather than other grains, with gluten present in their composition. Einkorn has a natural protection against agricultural pests, which allows its cultivation without the use of pesticides. These advantages make einkorn an appropriate alternative to other grain crops when it comes to healthy, preventive and therapeutic nutrition.

Key words: einkorn, grains, gluten, coeliac disease

Introduction

Grains are one of the most ancient crops cultivated by man for food. In most societies they supply 50-80% of the necessary calories and almost 1/3 of the proteins (2.3). In almost all cultures cereals are at the base of the food chain. People have been eating bread and other grains for more than 10 thousand years without becoming disinterested in them. One of the reasons is that these foods are delicious and they bring pleasure. The traditional and most favourite grain crop for Bulgarians is wheat. Many rituals in our national culture have to do with worship of the grains and bread. Data (1) indicates that primal bread on the territory of present-day Bulgaria was made of a wild wheat variety called einkorn.

Objective

The aim of this work is to summarize information regarding the advantages of einkorn over ‘bread wheat’ in healthy, preventive and therapeutic nutrition.

Results and discussion

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum) is a variety of hulled wheat (7) that has been cultivated for centuries by many different nations. It is being called “bread of the Thracians”, “the wheat of pharaohs “, „the last food of Jesus”. Einkorn is one of the earliest cultivated types of wheat. Grains of einkorn have been discovered at excavation sights, dating back to the Paleolithic age. Today einkorn might also be seen around Bulgaria – mostly as a weed, rarely cultivated. There are fields sown with einkorn in Morocco, Turkey, former Yugoslavian countries and some mountain regions of France, however its cultivation in Bulgaria is limited. This is chiefly due to economic reasons: significantly lower yield compared to conventional wheat regardless of treatment with fertilizers, additional costs for the hulling of the grains from their husks before they are ready for consumption. Einkorn differentiates from conventional wheat both in appearance (smaller grains, covered in a hard shell), and composition. There is also a difference in the genotype: einkorn consists of only 14 chromosomes versus 28 in the hybrid red hard wheat, and 42 in the conventional soft wheat (7). Einkorn samples from Bulgarian production are studied by an accredited SGS laboratory – Bulgaria, and results about its composition are received. It is a very good source of B-group vitamins, which aid the full functioning of the psyche and intellect. It delivers significant quantities of vitamin E, which takes part in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders, as well as the slowdown of the aging process (2). The grains are also a wonderful source of magnesium (1440 mg/kg), shortages of which cause pain and weakness in the muscles. The whole grain contains carbohydrates (74%), fiber (2.23%), proteins (12%) and some fats (1.39%). The protein of this hulled wheat variety differentiates from that of conventional wheat in quantity and quality. An important characteristic of einkorn is its very low gluten content. This complex protein defines the great baking qualities of hybrid wheat. However, it is also the reason for the inflammation of intestinal mucosa in coeliac disease. At the base of the treatment for this disease is a gluten free diet for life (3). In practice this means elimination of almost all grain crops from the menu and that is often difficult to achieve. Conventional wheat has the highest gluten content, followed by barley, rye, oats. Patients suffering from coeliac disease cannot consume wheat and rye bread, which creates serious problems for them – nutritional, financial, hedonistic, etc.

Data from the trial protocol in SGS laboratory shows that the result of the ‘wet gluten’ indicator is ‘does not wash away’. This is also the reason for the inability to identify a gluten index for einkorn. A number of authors state the substantial difference in the gluten content of einkorn when compared to hybrid wheat varieties. In the study of D. Pizzuti and Vincentini (4, 6) research is focused on the effect of einkorn’s gliadin on intestinal mucosa in an in vitro model of distal small bowel biopsies of patients with coeliac disease and а control group of healthy people. The tissue cultures are exposed to the same concentration of gliadin from einkorn and conventional wheat. An immunohistochemical detection is done to intraepithelial lymphocytes (CD3) and HLA-DR, as well as enzyme immunoadsorption of IFN-y (secreted cytokine y) which are a typical morphological find with coeliac patients, when exposed to gluten from bread. Results show a lack of such changes in the biopsies, exposed to T. Monococcum. This leads to the conclusion that the tolerance to einkorn in vivo would probably also be better than to hybrid wheat. 

In comparative studies (5, 6) of einkorn and conventional wheat some differences in composition are established: einkorn has a higher protein content, carotenoids, B-group vitamins, more fiber and consequently a lower glycemic index, which makes it an appropriate alternative for patients with diabetes, dyslipidemias, constipation, etc.

A great advantage of wild wheat is that it is not polluted with fertilizers and pesticides. Russian and Romanian scientists did research on plants in an area of 200 km around the Chernobyl disaster. Einkorn proved to be the least affected by the drastically increased radioactivity (1, 5). Results from laboratory testing show that in the samples of Bulgarian einkorn the most current and hazardous pollutants (pesticide residues, mycotoxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, furans (PCBs, PCDDs, PSDFs) are below the limits of quantification of the corresponding method. This fact can be explained by einkorn’s lack of need for artificial fertilization or pesticide treatment. Fertilization of the crops does not increase yields, but does the opposite: when fertilized wheat ears thrive too much, they break and that makes harvesting impossible. The natural defense against rodents, vermin and fungus is the hard shell that encloses each grain. This feature of einkorn makes the treatment with pesticides and fungicides unnecessary. 

Conclusion

The absence of pollutants and the contents of einkorn make it the best choice amongst wheat varieties. One of the most delicious ways to consume einkorn is in the form of bread. Some of the minerals present in the composition of einkorn remain “locked” into insoluble phytates (2). However, during the fermentation process, when making the so called ‘sour bread’, the phytates are destroyed, the valuable minerals are released and become easy to digest (3). The slow fermentation of sour bread is the reason why the otherwise insoluble minerals of the grain become bioavailable. Fiber and proteins in einkorn bread contribute to maintaining a feeling of satiety, better appetite control and a healthier body. This grain culture can be consumed in the form of sprouts, as well as boiled – as a substitute of rice in a number of dishes. Einkorn is a source of energy, health and lastly satisfaction from food.

Bibliography

1.       Emil Elmazov, Primal Bread – einkorn, the wild wheat of antiquity, 2009, Heliopol

2.       Lyubka Georgieva, Balkan Healthy Eating, 2009, Agricultural Academy, Institute for Cryobiology and Technology of Food

3.       Tasho Tashev, Nutrition and Dietetics, 1988, Medicine and Physical Training, Sofia

4.       Daniela Pizzuti, Andrea Buda, Anna D’Odorico, Renata D’Incà, Silvia Chiarelli, Andrea Curioni, and Diego Martines, Lack of intestinal mucosal toxicity of Triticum Monococcum in celiac disease patients, Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2006; 41: 1305-1311

5.       Hussain A, Larsson H, Kuktaite R, Johansson E, Healthy food from organic wheat: choice of genotypes for production and breeding, J Sci Food Agric 2012 Apr; 7(2): 123-127

6.       Vincentini O, Maialetti F, Gazza L, Silano M, Dessi M, De Vincenzi M, Pogna NE Environmental factors of celiac disease: cytotoxicity of hulled wheat species Triticum monococcum, T. turgidum ssp. Dicoccum and T. aestivum ssp. Spelta, J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007 Nov; 22(11): 1816-22

7.       http://bg.wikipedia.org 

Contact dary_nay@mail.bg; Department of Hygiene, 55 M.Drinov street, Varna