Alkylresorcinols trap malondialdehyde in whole grain crackers

To study the alkylresorcinols ability to trap lipid oxidation products in foods, crackers were prepared with either whole grain rye, wheat, spelt, or oat flour, and either sunflower or linseed oil, and were stored for up to 36 days at room temperature. During storage, polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains degraded, malondialdehyde was produced, and alkylresorcinol content decreased. At the end of the storage, alkylresorcinol content in crackers was reduced by 61-78 % and a part of disappeared alkyresorcinols (3-8 %) appeared as malondialdehyde/alkylresorcinol adducts. Formed adducts were unambiguously identified by using synthesized and characterized (NMR, MS) labelled and unlabelled standards, and determined by LC-MS/MS. This ability of alkylresorcinols to trap malondialdehyde, and most likely other lipid oxidation products, might be playing a role in both the reduction of hazardous reactive carbonyls in whole grain foodstuffs and the observed flavor differences between whole and refined grain food products.