Ancient Wheat Species Research Articles

Cereal-based gluten-free food: how to reconcile nutritional and technological properties of wheat proteins with safety for celiac disease patients.

The gluten-free diet is, to date, the only efficacious treatment for patients with Celiac Disease. In recent years, the impressive rise of Celiac Disease incidence, dramatically prompted changes in the dietary habit of an increasingly large population, with a rise in demand of gluten-free products. The formulation of gluten-free bakery products presents a formidable challenge to cereal technologists. As wheat gluten contributes to the formation of a strong protein network, that confers visco-elasticity to the dough and allows the wheat flour to be processed into a wide range of products, the preparation of cereal-based gluten-free products is a somehow difficult process. This review focuses on nutritional and technological quality of products made with gluten-free cereals available on the market. The possibility of using flour from naturally low toxic ancient wheat species or detoxified wheat for the diet of celiacs is also discussed.

Impact of Host Plant Resistance on the Tritrophic Interactions Between Wheat Genotypes,Schizaphis graminum(Homoptera: Aphididae), andCoccinella septempunctata(Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Using Molecular Methods

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of wheat resistance on digestibility of Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) in the Coccinella septempunctata L. gut. Four wheat genotypes including an ancient wheat species (Einkorn) and three Iranian wheat genotypes (Azadi, Ommid, and Moghan2) were used. Einkorn was found to be a highly resistant species, while Azadi, Ommid, and Moghan2 were characterized as resistant, semiresistant, and susceptible genotypes, respectively, based on some biological parameters of S. graminum on these plants. Adult C. septempunctata starved for 24 h were fed one S. graminum reared on the selected wheat genotypes. A semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction technique using specific primers for the gene cytochrome oxidase II (COII) of S. graminum showed a significant effect of plant resistance on S. graminum DNA disappearance time. The DNA half-lives of S. graminum fed on Einkorn, Azadi, Ommid, and Moghan2 in C. septempunctata gut was 3.3, 3.6, 4.8, and 6.7 h, respectively. The findings suggest that digestibility of S. graminum fed on resistant plant genotypes is higher than those fed on susceptible plants because of the lighter weights and smaller sizes of the first. This phenomenon could result in faster ingestion of S. graminum by C. septempunctata on these resistant plants. It is also possible that some metabolites found differentially in Einkorn and Azadi genotypes may have affected S. graminum quality as a food for C. septempunctata.

Sensory profiles of cooked grains from wheat species and varieties

To assess differentiation in the flavour and odour properties of cooked wheat grain by sensory evaluation, 24 wheat samples representing different species, landraces and cultivars of wheat were served to a trained sensory panel. Descriptors were established by trained panellists to describe odour, flavour, appearance and texture attributes. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in 7 out of 11 odour descriptors, in 7 out of 10 flavour descriptors, in 3 out of 3 appearance descriptors and in 4 out of 4 texture descriptors. A post-hoc, Bonferroni t-test revealed that many wheat varieties are significantly different from each other in odour and flavour profiles. Using Principal Component analysis, a distribution trend of the wheat samples was observed with ancient wheat species, landraces and older cultivars of bread wheat where dominated by descriptors of oat porridge and bulgur, while more recent cultivars were described by descriptors of wild rice, cooked malt, bitter, cocoa, vanilla, sweet and the Danish speciality “øllebrød”. Correlations between sensory descriptors showed that grain darkness and hardness were positively correlated with descriptors for cocoa, cooked malt and øllebrød; meanwhile, bulgur correlated negatively. Bitter flavour positively correlated to dark appearance. These results may be useful to future plant breeding efforts.

Life Table and Population Parameters ofSchizaphis graminum(Rondani) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on Six Wheat Genotypes

ABSTRACT: Biological parameters of Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) reared on an ancient wheat species (Einkorn) from England and five Iranian wheat genotypes (Azadi, Ommid, Marvdasht, Pishtaz and Moghan 2) were studied under controlled conditions at 22 ± 1°C, 65 ± 5% RH, 16:8 (L:D) h. The lowest rm value (0.261± 0.002 females/female/day) and net reproductive rate (R0) (28.747± 0.369) were recorded on Einkorn. The highest and the lowest finite rates of increase (λ) were on Moghan 2 and Einkorn, respectively. Also, the longest mean generation time (T) and doubling time (DT) with the lowest percentages of nymphal survival (79.5%) and fecundity over developmental time (35.739± 0.378 nymphs/female/day) were obtained on Einkorn. Adult longevity varied from 10.72± 0.123 days on Einkorn to 18.04± 0.212 days on Moghan 2. Therefore, our results showed that Einkorn, exerting a high level of antibiosis compared to other tested genotypes, may decrease the population density of the greenbug.

Are ‘ancient wheat species’ more adapted to hostile environments than modern bread wheat?

This preliminary study investigated whether three ‘ancient wheat species’, spelt (Triticum spelta L.), emmer (Triticum dicoccum) and einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.) are more adapted to hostile environments than modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) based on their physiological characteristics and comparative water use efficiencies. Spelt was found to have higher radiation use efficiency (RUE) than the other species and produced a similar amount of above ground biomass. However, bread wheat produced the highest yield, mainly due to a superior harvest index. Emmer had the lowest carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) which is expected to translate to the highest water use efficiency (WUE).

Granule‐bound starch synthase (GBSS) diversity of ancient wheat and related species

AbstractGranule‐bound starch synthase of ancient wheat and related species was examined by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel. A total of 13 different alleles were revealed in a collection of three accessions of diploid wheat, six accessions of tetraploid wheat, 49 accessions of spelt wheat, nine accessions of Sitopsis and two accessions of Aegilops tauschii. A new allele named Wx‐A1a′ appeared in four spelt wheat accessions. The tetraploid wheat accessions evaluated did not show any polymorphism; nevertheless the tetraploid accessions of Sitopsis section revealed three novel alleles. The novel allele Wx‐Ddn1g was found in two accessions of A. ventricosa and the Wx‐Ddcm1h and Wx‐Ddcm1i in two accessions of A. crassa. A novel allele named Wx‐Au1g was found in Triticum urartu, which is different from the also new Wx‐Am1h allele of T. monococcum. The diploid‐related species accessions revealed two novel alleles named Wx‐Bsl1h and Wx‐Bs1g found, respectively, in A. longissima and A. speltoides. The amylose content was measured for the different alleles found in all evaluated species and no significant effects of the allele composition on the amylose content were detected.

Mapping of gluten T-cell epitopes in the bread wheat ancestors: Implications for celiac disease

Celiac disease is a prevalent disorder characterized by a chronic intestinal inflammation driven by HLA-DQ2 or -DQ8-restricted T cells specific for ingested wheat gluten peptides. The dominant T-cell responses are to epitopes that cluster within a stable 33mer fragment formed by physiologic digestion of distinct alpha-gliadins. Celiac disease is treated by excluding all gluten proteins from the diet. Conceivably, a diet based on baking-quality gluten from a wheat species that expresses no or few T-cell stimulatory gluten peptides should be equally well tolerated by the celiac patients and, importantly, also be beneficial for disease prevention. To identify baking quality, harmless wheat, we followed the evolution of the wheat back to the species that most likely have contributed the AA, BB, and DD genomes to the bread wheat. Gluten were extracted from a large collection of these ancient wheat species and screened for T-cell stimulatory gluten peptides. Distinct differences in the intestinal T-cell responses to the diploid species were identified. Interestingly, we found that the fragments identical or equivalent to the immunodominant 33mer fragment are encoded by alpha-gliadin genes on the wheat chromosome 6D and thus absent from gluten of diploid einkorn (AA) and even certain cultivars of the tetraploid (AABB) pasta wheat. These findings have implications for celiac disease because they raise the prospect of identifying or producing by breeding wheat species with low or absent levels of harmful gluten proteins.

Comparison of the Cu, Zn, Fe, Ca and Mg contents of the grains of wild, ancient and cultivated wheat species

Cereals — especially common wheat — are the most important staple food; however, their grains often contain very low amounts of available iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn). The aim of the present research was to study the existing variability in the seed inorganic nutrient composition of various Triticum L. and Aegilops L. species, and to investigate the hypothesized correlation between the ploidy level and the seed mineral nutrient concentrations. The results showed that generally higher copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) contents were observed in the caryopsis of Aegilops L. species, while higher iron (Fe) concentration was found in the grains of Triticum L. accessions. The results do not confirm the hypothesis that the grains of the ancient wheat species — einkorn, emmer and spelt — generally have higher mineral nutrient contents than the recently cultivated varieties, except for iron (Fe), which is contained in a higher amount in the seeds of diploid wheat species. No correlation was found between the ploidy level and genome types (A, AB, AG, ABD, S, D, UM, DMS) and the mineral nutrient content of the grains. Similar results were found using hierarchical cluster analysis. As the 1000-kernel weight of wild species is generally smaller than that of cultivated species, the correlation between seed weight and mineral nutrient concentrations was also studied. The results showed that the increase in seed weights correlated significantly with the decrease in Ca and Mg concentrations. The results showed that to improve the human nutritional quality of wheat varieties, the best sources of higher Cu, Zn, Ca and Mg content could be found in the Aegilops L. genus, while genotypes with higher Fe content could be found in the Triticum L. genus.

ADAPTIVE CAPACITY OF EINKORN HUSKLESS IN THE SECOND, THIRD AND SEVENTH RUSSIAN FEDERATION REGIONS

Biochemical, immunological and physico-chemical properties of an ancient wheat grain – hulless spelt cultivar Gremme are investigated. Biochemical analysis of grain revealed a high content of protein, fiber, macro-and microelements, a rich composition of essential amino acids, which is characteristic of ancient wheat species. Evaluated milling and baking properties of spelt flour.
 Physical and chemical parameters of spelt grain met the requirements for soft wheat grain class 1: the mass fraction of gluten-38.7 %, the nature of the grain-795 g / l, the number of drops-416 C, the total vitreousness-70 %. However, gluten had an increased stickiness, which is obviously due to the increased content of fiber and gliadin fraction. Grinding of spelt grain was carried out on the aggregate mill installation "Miller 100 Lux" to obtain baking flour of various cultivars.
 The overall yield of flour of the first grinding was 59.7 %. The highest volume yield (359 cm3) and the best organoleptic properties (total baking score – 3.6 points) were observed in a sample of bread baked from spelt flour that meets the requirements for wheat baking flour of the first grade.
 Studies have confirmed the possibility of using flour produced from the spelt grain of the Gremme variety for the production of bakery products of increased biological, therapeutic and prophylactic, nutritional value and with a high organoleptic rating. Cereals and flour are very rich in trace elements-manganese, selenium, zinc, potassium, iron, phosphorus, vitamins from group B and B, essential amino acids (biochemical analysis was carried out by the Cherkizovo Center). The cultivar is resistant to drought, heat, excessive moisture. Proved immunological properties to several diseases in the field and laboratory conditions-resistant to enzyme-mycotic seed depletion (EMIS), various types of rust, powdery mildew.