Quantification of trace elements Fe, Zn, Mn, Se in hull-less barley grain

Aim. To explore the content of trace elements (TE), most valuable for human health – iron, zinc, manganese and selenium – in cultivars and breeding lines of hull-less barley, and to check the impact of abiotic environ- mental factors on TE accumulation in the grain of Achilles cultivar. Methods. Trace elements content was measured using ICP-MS Agilent 7700x. Results. The content of vital TE was determined in 26 samples of hull-less barley grain. The increased concentration of TE was observed in the samples with brown, blue and black caryopsis. The absence of dependence between abiotic environmental factors and TE accumulation was demonstrated using Achilles cultivar, presented by six different repeats. The correlation between the content of protein and that of iron in grain was established. Conclusions. White grain barley cultivars and lines are infe- rior in the content of Fe, Zn, Mn, and Se comparing to genotypes with brown, blue or black grain. The presence or absence of a fi lm on a hull-less barley grain has almost no impact on the amount of TE, which, as expected, are located in the aleurone layer and the germ of caryopsis. It was proven that the content of Fe, Zn, Mn in the Achilles grain almost did not change regardless of abiotic environmental factors. A high correlation, r = 0.87, Р > 0.05−0.001, was found between the content of protein and Fe in grain.