Şahin, YunusKarakas, Fatma Pehlivan2024-09-252024-09-252022978-303107285-7978-303107284-0https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07285-7_6https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12491/13058Wheat, which has been cultivated for centuries, is one of the indispensable crops because of its high adaptability to various environmental conditions and its high nutritious content. With the hybridization of diploid relatives and, thus, emergence of tetraploid and hexaploid species, humankind has acquired good starch and protein variability. However, wild relatives and modern wheat have been undervalued regarding phytochemical or bioactive compounds and mineral contents. Ancient wheats – particularly einkorn, emmer, and spelt – as well as their relatives have been mostly evaluated for their bioactive compound contents so far. Their phenol, vitamin E, and carotenoid content (bioactive compounds) are said to have adverse positive effects on chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Various studies have been investigated to compare phenolic, vitamin E, and carotenoid content of ancient wheat species in the chapter. Great variability has been observed among ancient wheat species, based on the studies; moreover, their mineral, dietary fiber, and starch/protein content have showed differences. These good quality characters of ancient wheat may present an opportunity for the breeder to improve the precious health content of modern wheat varieties. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessAncient wheatBioactiveChronic diseasesEinkornEmmerMineralsPhytochemicalsSpeltBook Chapter10.1007/978-3-031-07285-7_61191452-s2.0-85153668073N/A