Wheat Bioactive Compounds and Human Health: A Review of Nutraceutical Potential, Molecular Mechanisms and AI-Assisted Functional Food Innovation
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Biotechnology, College of Sciences, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan-si 38541, Republic of Korea
- 2School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- 3National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-Gun 55365, Republic of Korea
- 4Department of Biological Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is among the most widely consumed cereal grains worldwide and is essential for global food security. This review critically examines current evidence on wheat bioactive compounds, nutritional composition, and health-promoting properties. Wheat contains diverse nutritional and bioactive compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, alkylresorcinols, phytosterols, and bioactive peptides. This review systematically evaluates evidence across multiple levels, from chemical characterization and cell-based studies to animal models and human clinical trials, with explicit differentiation of evidence quality. Wheat-derived compounds demonstrate antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, and gut microbiota-modulating activities in preclinical models. Identified molecular mechanisms converge on Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defense, NF-κB inflammatory pathway inhibition, AMPK metabolic regulation, and PI3K/AKT insulin signaling. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning provide new tools for identifying wheat bioactive molecules, predicting biological targets, and assessing flour quality through hyperspectral imaging. AI-integrated multi-omics approaches offer potential for personalized wheat-based nutrition strategies by matching individual genetic, metabolic, and microbiome profiles to specific wheat varieties or bioactive extracts. This review concludes that wheat-derived bioactive compounds show significant nutraceutical potential; however, clinical translation requires rigorous human studies, and safety considerations for gluten-sensitive populations must be addressed.
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BibTeX
@article{vinayagam2026wheat,
title = {{Wheat Bioactive Compounds and Human Health: A Review of Nutraceutical Potential, Molecular Mechanisms and AI-Assisted Functional Food Innovation}},
author = {Ramachandran Vinayagam and Kumar Ganesan and Hwang Bae Sohn and Myoung-Goo Choi and Youn-Il Park and Awdhesh Kumar Mishra and Kwang-Hyun Baek},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27188290},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/18/8290},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Wheat Bioactive Compounds and Human Health: A Review of Nutraceutical Potential, Molecular Mechanisms and AI-Assisted Functional Food Innovation
AU - Ramachandran Vinayagam
AU - Kumar Ganesan
AU - Hwang Bae Sohn
AU - Myoung-Goo Choi
AU - Youn-Il Park
AU - Awdhesh Kumar Mishra
AU - Kwang-Hyun Baek
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27188290
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/18/8290
AB - Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is among the most widely consumed cereal grains worldwide and is essential for global food security. This review critically examines current evidence on wheat bioactive compounds, nutritional composition, and health-promoting properties. Wheat contains diverse nutritional and bioactive compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, alkylresorcinols, phytosterols, and bioactive peptides. This review systematically evaluates evidence across multiple levels, from chemical characterization and cell-based studies to animal models and human clinical trials, with explicit differentiation of evidence quality. Wheat-derived compounds demonstrate antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, and gut microbiota-modulating activities in preclinical models. Identified molecular mechanisms converge on Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defense, NF-κB inflammatory pathway inhibition, AMPK metabolic regulation, and PI3K/AKT insulin signaling. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning provide new tools for identifying wheat bioactive molecules, predicting biological targets, and assessing flour quality through hyperspectral imaging. AI-integrated multi-omics approaches offer potential for personalized wheat-based nutrition strategies by matching individual genetic, metabolic, and microbiome profiles to specific wheat varieties or bioactive extracts. This review concludes that wheat-derived bioactive compounds show significant nutraceutical potential; however, clinical translation requires rigorous human studies, and safety considerations for gluten-sensitive populations must be addressed.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -