Assessment of Microelements Content in Organic Soft Albanian Wheat Genotypes

The increase of micro-element content in wheat seed to reduce human malnutrition is a challenge for all agronomists during plant breeding. The objective of the current study was to assess the micro-element content as Cu, Fe, Mn, Cd, Zn and Cr in 20 accessions and 10 lines of soft wheat grown under organic farming system in Albanian region. The Cu, Fe and Zn contents were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and the Mn, Cd and Cr contents were determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The obtained results showed significant variations in micro-element contents in different wheat grains genotypes. Higher levels of Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn (6.79; 46.42; 66.78 and 34.87 mg/kg, respectively in wheat lines) were observed in the present study. These values were higher compared to data reported in previous studies which are performed in the conventional farming system. The concentrations of Cd as a potential toxic element were below the EU limits in all the analyzed samples. The present study showed that the analyzed wheat samples could be considered as a valuable source of micro-elements in human diet.