Journal of Cereal Science最新文献

Rapid off-flavor development and bitterness is a major concern during storage of grains and cereal flours, especially millet flour due to the occurrence of rancidity. The pre-treatment of grains before milling ensures the better retention of quality of the grains and flour, thus enhancing their utility in various products. The flour obtained from untreated, soak-boil and soak-steam treated foxtail millet grains was stored at ambient and under refrigerated conditions for 90 days. The % FFA content of untreated, soak-boil and soak-steam was 0.49, 0.22 and 0.21 %, respectively which increased significantly to 0.68, 0.28 and 0.26 % oleic acid after 90 days at storage at ambient conditions. The last phase of storage depicted a significant increase in the peroxide value and FFA of untreated samples. Under refrigerated conditions the flour obtained from soak-steamed grain had a better storage stability, functional characteristics than soak-boiled grains, and those stored at ambient temperature. The moisture, carbohydrates, FFA, peroxide levels increased, whereas antioxidant activity, pasting properties, decreased significantly during 90 days of storage. The current investigation reveals that the hydrothermal treatments by soak-boil and soak-steam methods could be effectively used to prolong the storage period of millet grain and milling fractions for better utilization.

Arabinoxylan (AX) is a significant component of dietary fiber (DF) present in both whole meal and refined flour of wheat. Identifying genetic loci associated with AX content and developing molecular markers can facilitate the breeding of wheat cultivars with increased AX levels through marker-assisted selection (MAS). In our study, we analyzed the AX profiles of 262 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from Zhongmai 578/Jimai 22, along with a natural population consisting of 161 representative wheat varieties in China. Our investigation revealed that Taishan 1 and Shan 715 exhibit WE-AX content comparable to or even superior to Yumai 34, a current benchmark cultivar for high WE-AX content. Additionally, we discovered a novel quantitative trait locus (QTL) in the RIL population, explaining 6.9–19.6% of the phenotypic variance of water-extractable AX (WE-AX) and 7.3–10.2% of the phenotypic variance of total AX (TOT-AX). Notably, a high-throughput competitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) marker was developed and validated in the natural population, expanding our understanding of germplasm with high AX content and providing molecular markers that can be utilized in marker-assisted selection for high AX wheat.

Nitrogen (N) topdressing often leads to a decline in cooking and eating quality due to alterations in grain chemical composition. Investigation into the response of N compounds in grains, such as protein-bound amino acids (PAA), free amino acids (FAA), and other residue N compounds (N_residue), would be beneficial for understanding the impact of N on rice quality. The present study selected five japonica rice cultivars and conducted a two-year field experiment employing two N fertilization treatments: the CK treatment, where all N fertilizer was applied as basal fertilizer, and the topdressing treatment, where 50% of the total N was applied as topdressing at the panicle initiation stage. Averaging across years and cultivars, N topdressing resulted in a 16.3% increase in PAA and an 8.65% decrease in FAA, with no significant impact on N_residue. N topdressing resulted in a decrease in the proportion of essential amino acids found in prolamins, as well as a reduction in the proportion of amino acids belonging to the aspartate family and arginine. Significant genotypic variations were observed in the response of nitrogen components to topdressing. Furthermore, elite cultivars with premium quality exhibited greater stability in amylose content compared to protein content.

Organic farming contributes to sustain healthy ecosystems, but challenges such as lower crop yields and supply of the nitrogen needs of crops remain. Wheat is the most important organic arable crop in Europe and grain protein content is the main quality trait also for grading organic wheat despite that high baking quality can be also realized at lower protein contents. Hence, breeding of organic wheat varieties that realize a stable high grain protein content even at lower nitrogen availability is of utmost importance to guarantee income of organic wheat growers. A major QTL for high grain protein content was identified in wild emmer and transferred into bread wheat. We tested six different wheat genetic backgrounds varying for the presence/absence of the functional Gpc-B1 allele in multi-location trials in Central Europe for their performance under organic growing. The increase in grain protein content caused by the functional Gpc-B1 allele was present in almost all genetic backgrounds, however, was not consistent across all tested quality traits. None the less, the functional Gpc-B1 allele may play a major role to increase the stability of organic wheat to reach minimum requirements by traders and processors with respect to grain protein content.

Bran layer moderate removal during rice milling is a crucial process for reducing rice broken rate and nutrient loss. The bran layer structural-cracking behavior is analyzed using a self-developed in-situ observation tensile tester with high-speed image acquisition. The rice bran tissue microstructure, chemical composition, cracking morphology are in-depth investigated. The results show that rice bran pericarp cells are of reticulate network, cell shape with rectangular or elliptical.significant differences in cell distribution and density across rice varieties, with Japonica rice (NJ5055) with a denser and more uniform structure, exhibiting higher ductility and tensile strength. The rice bran exhibited linear elastic rheological behavior. The bran tensile property is different under tensing directions, the tensile strength shows longitudinal (Y) > radial (X). Cracking along the cell long axis is Y direction, showing orderly line cracking path. Cracking along cell short axis is X direction, showing zigzag cracking path. Pericarp cells geometrical structure determines the mechanical strength and cracking-removal resistance ability of rice bran. The pericarp layer significantly enhances the ductility of the bran layer, allowing it to stretch and deform under stress, thereby improving overall mechanical performance. Rice bran structural-mechanical properties are affected by micro-structure and components.

The microstructure of manufactured foods largely governs palatability qualities such as crunchiness, crispness, mouthfeel and texture. While enriching cereal flour with leguminous flour increases its nutritional value, it should not compromise the palatability of the end products. This study investigated the flour blend properties as well as the physical and microstructural characteristics of durum wheat semolina pasta enriched with 50% chickpea flour obtained from single-stage (Ferkar) and multi-stage (roller) mills. Results of the flour blend analysis indicated the influence of milling on the protein, ash and particle size distribution of pasta. High protein chickpea blend showed minimal impact on the microstructure of the pasta. Also, the textural analysis of the pasta samples showed that the hardness and firmness of pasta made with roller-milled flours, specifically reduction and straight-grade flours, were not statistically significantly different (p < 0.05). However, correlating the texture and total porosity indicated that flour from roller mill reduction rolls resulted in pasta with a firmer texture along with a more compact internal and external microstructure. The findings of this study provide useful insight into the quality attributes of chickpea-enriched wheat semolina pasta as influenced by the mill type and stream blend of the chickpea flour.