Carbohydrate composition of wheat, wheat bran, sorghum and bajra with good chapati/roti (Indian flat bread) making quality

Varieties of wheat, sorghum and bajra having good chapati/roti making quality were studied for carbohydrate profile. Polysaccharide fractions (water-soluble, barium hydroxide-soluble, alkali-soluble and insoluble) were isolated from these cereals and wheat bran and their carbohydrate profiles were studied. Arabinoxylans were the major polysaccharides, other than starch and cellulose. The ratio of arabinose to xylose in whole-wheat flour and wheat bran was nearly 1.25:1 but the hemicellulose A in wheat flour was mainly xylan-type. Among the pentosans in barium hydroxide extract of sorghum, the hemicellulose A had more arabinose than xylose, but the hemicellulose B contained nearly equal amounts of arabinose and xylose. Bajra had arabinose and xylose in nearly equal amounts in both the barium hydroxide extract and alkali-soluble fractions. The alkali-insoluble residues were complexes of pentosans with cellulose and were strongly bound. Contents of dietary fibre varied between the cereals. Wheat bran had the highest among the four.