Distribution of bioactive compounds in pearled fractions of tritordeum

•The wholemeal flour of tritordeum has a higher content of lutein than durum wheat.•The wholemeal flour of tritordeum has a β-glucan content 5-fold lower than barley.•The phenolic acid profile of tritordeum is closer to durum wheat than to barley.•The innermost fraction of tritordeum shows high concentrations of antioxidants.•Wholemeal and refined flour of tritordeum can be used as health-valued ingredients. Hexaploid tritordeum is the amphidiploid cereal derived from the cross between wild barley and durum wheat. The present study compares two cultivars of tritordeum with other cereals grown in the same experimental area to weigh up its potential use as ingredient for health-valued foods. Tritordeum shows 2.5-fold higher concentration of lutein than common wheat and barley, and 1.2-fold higher than durum wheat, while the concentration of β-glucans is 5 folds lower than the one observed for barley. Based on the distribution of bioactive compounds in pearled fractions, the use of whole-grain flours seems the best way to exploit the antioxidant potential of tritordeum. Nevertheless, the internal layers of the kernel of this cereal are characterized on average by high concentrations of antioxidants (32.0 mg/kg and 518 mg/kg soluble and cell wall-bound phenolic acids, respectively), making tritordeum interesting also for the production of refined flours rich in bioactive compounds.