Characterisation of Several Rye Cultivars with Respect to Arabinoxylans and Extract Viscosity

Arabinoxylans are considered as the major limiting factor for use of rye in animal feeding. In this study, four selected winter rye cultivars were grown at nine locations and tested for arabinoxylans including total (TAX), soluble (SAX) and insoluble fractions (IAX), extract viscosity, falling numbers and crude protein contents. Amounts of TAX ranged on average between 89 and 103 g/kg wholemeal flour, and the extract viscosity between 2.6 and 5.1 cSt. The extract viscosity was significantly correlated with falling numbers and all three arabinoxylan fractions. Arabinoxylan contents and extract viscosity were influenced by the rye genotype. The anthocyanin free hybrid cultivar Helltop combined reduced TAX, SAX and IAX levels with low extract viscosity and high crude protein contents and seems to be more suitable for use in animal feeding than the other three cultivars tested in this respect.