Journal of Cereal Science最新文献

In this review, I would like to summarize some recent innovations in the analysis of wheat quality, illustrated with a few examples. After a brief history of the main targets that have driven selection up to the present day, grain yield, protein content and protein quality, I will explain why studies relating wheat grain characteristics to quality (which appears to be a compromise of many different properties: technological, sanitary, nutritional, sensory, economic) are complex and how the entire production chain may impact the characteristics of the final product. I will then illustrate recent developments that focus on the relationships between grain characteristics and flour properties, notably through non-destructive methods, molecular probes, and “omic” studies, as well as the miniaturization of characterization and processing tools, multi-scale studies and data management. Finally, I will identify possible future directions to better understand, improve, or predict wheat product quality.

This study explored the natural allelic variation of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS), puroindolines, and wheat bread making (WBM) gene in Mediterranean bread wheat landraces.

Within the GLU-1 loci, a rich polymorphism was detected with thirty-five different subunits identified, four at GLU-A1 locus, twenty-one at GLU-B1 locus and ten in GLU-D1 locus, being the predominant subunits combinations 2*, 20x+20y, and 2 + 12, respectively. Null alleles were detected in GLU-B1-1, GLU-B1-2 and GLU-D1-2 genes and rare combinations were observed at low frequencies. The influence of HMW-GS on quality traits was confirmed. Seven different purindoline genotypes were identified in the collection, including two novel mutations at the PINB-D1 gene. The relationship between genotype and grain hardness was not readily apparent, revealing the intricate and multifaceted nature of this trait. The Screening for WBM gene (GWseqVar3 sequence variant) showed presence in few landraces and was correlated with higher loaf volumes (LV) and gluten strength (W).

The characterization presented in this work, provides promising targets for further research and breeding efforts to develop wheat varieties with improved end-use quality and adaptability to Mediterranean environments.

Although wheat bran has health benefits, its coarse texture can adversely affect the sensory and textural attributes of relevant foods, limiting its utilization. This study investigated the impact of bran treated with a morphological modification technique on the physical properties of dough and quality attributes of steamed buns for the first time. Conventionally pulverized bran (CPB) with a comparable particle size was used as a control, along with washed bran, enzyme-treated bran and bran substitutes. Morphologically modified bran (MMB) was significantly rounder and had smoother edges compared with CPB. At the 15% or 30% bran-addition level, MMB showed less protein network strength decline than CPB during dough mixing and heating, as indicated by a lower Mixolab C₁-C₂. Moreover, wheat flour containing 15% MMB had higher fractal dimension and lower lacunarity, forming a more complex and regular gluten network than CPB, and producing steamed buns with larger specific volume and lower hardness/chewiness. Furthermore, MMB exhibited significantly higher levels of water-extractable polysaccharides and ferulic acid. The results confirmed the effectiveness of morphological modification of bran in enhancing the quality of both bran-added dough and wheat-based products. These findings could facilitate innovative bran product production and healthy grain-based food diversification.

The effects of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the cooking quality and volatile aroma components of proso millet were studied. The EBI doses of 2, 4, and 6 KGy were used to treat proso millet. The results showed that the hardness and chewiness of irradiated millet samples decreased, whereas the soluble solid content increased, making them more suitable ingredients in soft and sticky congee. The L* and a* values of the millet decreased and increased, respectively. The starch content, pasting characteristics, pH, and color values were slightly affected at dose of 2 kGy. Volatile compounds were less negatively affected in samples treated with 2 kGy irradiation than those treated with other irradiation doses. The irradiation dose of 2 KGy was favorable for retaining cooking quality, eating quality, and volatile compounds, making it a suitable irradiation dose for proso millet.

Rice high in resistant starch (RS) showed great benefits in preventing diabetes. Red mold rice (RMR) is a traditionally functional food in China, preparing RMR with high-RS rice might produce a novel RMR with better nutrients and promote the utilization of high-RS rice in the food industry. R4 with the highest RS content was the most prone to be fermented by Monascus. After fermentation, the total starch and protein contents were significantly decreased, while the RS, lipid, free glucan, total free amino acids (FAAs), and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) contents were remarkably increased. Concurrently, the phenolic content and antioxidation activity were enhanced greatly. The individual phenolic acids such as ferulic acid showed significantly positive correlations with the antioxidant activity. Besides the abundant lipids, FAAs, GABA, and strong antioxidant capacity, fermented R4 had the highest ferulic acid content. This study provided alternatives for producing novel RMR and widened applications of high-RS rice in innovative functional foods.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by the ingestion of gluten proteins and manifested in the small intestine. Celiac patients must keep a strict gluten-free diet. Although pure oats technically fulfil the criteria set for gluten-free products, the safety of oats in general or of distinct cultivars has been questioned. In this study we investigated 23 oat cultivars and lines that are commercially relevant, or have been suggested to induce adverse activity, or both. The oat seeds were investigated systematically for celiac epitope gene expression by RNA sequencing, peptide detection and quantification by mass spectrometry, and patient-derived T-cell activation to increase the knowledge on their risks. The RNA expression data showed three known avenin-specific T-cell epitopes to be expressed in low abundance in all cultivars with some degree of variation. Two of the three epitopes were also detectable in comparable amounts at the protein level in all cultivars, but their amounts were quite low, together averaging 2.6 mg/kg. Avenin preparations did not induce comprehensive IFN-γ secretion in celiac patients' peripheral blood cells. Any particularly ‘toxic’ cultivar and all commercial oat cultivars presented generally very low abundances of celiac epitopes on both gene and protein levels and are considered safe for consumption.

This study aimed to explore the structural characteristics of wheat gluten enzymatic hydrolysates (WGEHs) with different hydrolysis degrees, and their effect on the texturization degree of high-moisture plant-protein extrudates. With the increasing hydrolysis time from 0 min to 80 min, the degree of hydrolysis of wheat gluten increased from 0% to 14.39%. Protease broke the network structure of wheat gluten, resulting in the conversion of disulfide bonds to free sulfhydryl groups, and the reduction of orderly α-helix and β-sheet structures. Protease decreased the aggregation degree of wheat gluten and produced more low molecular weight protein, which led to the increase of protein extractability from 38.85% to 55.92%. The surface hydrophobicity and viscoelasticity of wheat gluten were weakened. WGEHs were applied in the production of high-moisture plant-protein extrudates. The texturization degree from 1.70 to 1.05 of the extrudates was decreased with the increase of hydrolysis degree. Moderate enzymatic pretreatment of wheat gluten had a negative correlation with the texturization degree of the extrudates.

The influence of airflow impact milling (AFIM) on the particle size, physicochemical properties, microstructure, and flavor of defatted rice bran was investigated. With the decrease of feed speed and the increase of milling times, AFIM reduced the average particle size of defatted rice bran to a maximum of about 6.04 μm. At this time, its whiteness and soluble dietary fiber content increased by 17% and 36.6%, respectively, and the insoluble dietary fiber content decreased by 16.4%. AFIM increased the cation exchange capacity, water solubility index, and swelling capacity of defatted rice bran, but decreased the water and oil holding capacities. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy results showed that AFIM changed the microstructure of defatted rice bran to provide the ultrafine powders with good uniformity. A total of 37 volatile substances in defatted rice bran were identified by GC-IMS. The release of aromatic odors such as fruit, nutty, and sweet aromas from defatted rice bran after AFIM increased, improving its flavor quality.

Water activation as a way to improve the quality of bakery products has been used recently. In this study, we investigated the effect of dough mixing with plasma-activated water (PAW) for 1, 2, and 3 min on the rheological characteristics of dough and the pan bread's quality and stability during storage at room temperature (25±2 °C). The PAW pH was decreased (from 6.2 to 3.5), and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) increased (from 223.7 to 564.4 mV). Results showed that the addition of PAW to the dough caused an increase in dough stability, elasticity, and extensibility, as well as a decrease in dough development, arrival time, and degree of softness compared with control.

Using PAW in pan bread preparation increased its specific volume, porosity, and crumb and crust colour parameters. Using PAW in pan bread preparation reduced hardness, gumminess, cohesiveness, and chewiness, while springiness increased. Also, the results of the storage experiment showed that PAW addition enhanced pan bread freshness and shelf life, as well as reducing its fungal count. Generally, using PAW in pan bread preparation enhances the dough's rheological characteristics as well as its quality and stability during storage. In addition, water activated for 3 min was the most effective.

The effect of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) on the microbial load, metabolite profile, antioxidant, and growth of germinated buckwheat was investigated. All the SAEW solutions exhibited antimicrobial activity with no adverse impact on buckwheat sprouts' growth. The SAEW 30 ppm (pH = 5.0)-treated sprouts displayed highest 84.10 mg/g total phenolic content on the 5th day. Similarly, a notable increase in rutin content occurred from 4th day, and by the 5th day, it was highest at 43.73 mg/g. Moreover, using SAEW (pH = 5.0 and 6.5) increased the concentration of quercetin to 5.61 and 5.42 mg/g, respectively. UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS identified numerous compounds, predominantly amino, acids, fatty acids, polyphenols, and organic acid; the levels of which were strongly improved by SAEW (pH = 5.0). It was consistently observed that buckwheat sprouts treated with SAEW (pH = 5.0) exhibited the highest DPPH-reducing capability compared to all other treatment groups, especially on the 5th day. Similarly, SAEW (pH = 5.0)-germinated sprouts demonstrated the highest ABTS scavenging activity at 94.38%, followed by SAEW at 6.5 (87.22%), for germinated seeds on the 5th day. Therefore, buckwheat sprouts elicited with SAEW and harvested on the 5th day could demonstrate an enhanced bioactive profile and health-promoting benefits.