A HPLC-UV Method for the Quantification of Phenolic Acids in Cereals

Cereals are a good source of phenolic acids, most of which are present in bound form. The aim of this study was to develop a method for quantifying total phenolic acids in cereals that includes a robust step for hydrolysis of bound forms. Different hydrolysis procedures were evaluated. Acid hydrolysis, even with subsequent use of enzymes, proved unsuitable for releasing bound phenolic acids from the cereal matrix. Base hydrolysis (3 M, 90 min) resulted in the highest extractability, with average recoveries of 88–108% for cereal phenolic acids. The phenolic acid content in cereals (two cultivars each of rye, barley, and oats, and eight cultivars of wheat) varied up to 2-fold between cereal genotypes and 1.5-fold within genotypes. The highest content was found in rye, followed by wheat, barley, and oats. Ferulic acid dominated in all cereals, amounting to 48–72% of total phenolic acid content.