Bran Flakes Research Articles

Maggots cannot live on meat meal alone: production parameters for mass rearing of the ovoviviparous blowfly, Calliphora dubia (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

This study determined a cost-effective larval diet for rearing Calliphora dubia Macquart for use as a potential managed pollinator in Australia. This fly has potential as a pollination species to support honey bees (Apis mellifera). Larvae of C. dubia were reared mostly in meat meals with varying amounts of either whole egg powder, whole eggs (+ shell), bran flakes, skimmed milk powder, brewer's yeast, or poultry oil. This was done from an economic and production perspective to support commercial rearing. Several laboratory-based studies determined the growth and output from various ingredient combinations. Larvae fed 90% meat meal and 10% whole egg powder developed rapidly through to pupation with a high pupation rate, adult size, and percent adult emergence. Given the high cost and difficulty in sourcing whole egg powder, media comprising mostly meat meals with the addition of bran flakes and whole eggs also supported rapid larval development, pupation rate, and adult emergence. The ideal amount of media/larvae was 0.5 g/larvae to support high pupation rates and adult emergence. Adult eclosion occurred over 4-5 days, even when larvae were laid and fed within 1 h on ample media. Commercial mass rearing would then require daily cohorts of larvae to ensure peak adult fly emergence over 1-2 days for release into a crop. Mass-rearing C. dubia should use meat meal as the base ingredient with bran flakes and whole eggs added and fed at 0.5 g of media/larvae. Based on the current media ingredient costs, rearing 1-m adult C. dubia would cost just over $500 (US$342).

Manipulating larval rearing media to optimise mass production of the blow fly Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

AbstractThe oviparous blow fly Calliphora vicina has shown potential as a managed pollinator to support honeybee (Apis mellifera) usage in Australian horticulture. A series of three laboratory‐based studies reared newly hatched larvae of C. vicina on meatmeal with varying amounts of either whole egg powder, whole eggs (including shells), bran flakes, brewer's yeast, fish paste or milk powder. The objective was to determine the best larval media for quick and efficient production of adult flies in a mass‐rearing environment. Pure meatmeal or meatmeal with only brewer's yeast added were the least productive media. Larvae fed meatmeal with either 10% or 20% whole dried egg powder had the fastest development to pupae, the highest pupation rate, the heaviest pupae and the highest subsequent adult eclosion. Larval media containing fish paste had the highest survival through to adult emergence (>85%) of all the media treatments, which suggests that this ingredient is of value when mass rearing C. vicina. In addition, newly hatched larvae (n = 50) were reared on varying amounts of media (i.e., 4, 2, 1, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 g per larvae) to determine the minimum amount of media required to produce adults. Reductions in media per larvae resulted in smaller pupae and adults that emerged with no subsequent reduction in adult eclosion, indicating the adaptability of this fly to food deprivation. Replacing whole egg powder with whole eggs reduces the costs of rearing C. vicina larvae significantly. In order to rear 1 million adult C. vicina, these studies showed that 0.5 g of media per larvae is sufficient to produce high numbers of pupae with >95% adult eclosion. Although larval development and pupation are optimal on media containing whole egg powder, its recent rapid rise in costs makes it far less economical compared with the use of discarded whole eggs from egg producers. Sourcing of seafood waste could also reduce media costs and improve production of C. vicina. The costs of each media required to realise 1 million adult C. vicina are between $540 and $1900 depending on the media ingredients.

Daya Terima Flakes Tepung Bekatul dan Tepung Jagung Sebagai Makanan Selingan Tinggi Serat

Background: Flakes are a form of ready-to-eat cereal product. In general, flakes are made from wheat flour or from starch such as tapioca flour. However, at this time innovation has been developed in the processing of flakes. Flakes with the addition of bran flour and corn flour which are rich in fiber are also very suitable for consumption as a diet food or an alternative snack for overweight teenagers.
 Objective: To determine the acceptability of bran flour and corn flour flakes as high fiber snacks.
 Method: Experimental method with non-factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Using the Organoleptic Test with 25 panelists. Determination of nutritional value and fiber using proximate analysis and fiber analysis.
 Results: The selected flakes formulation of bran flour and corn flour was F2 (30 grams of rice bran flour and 70 grams of corn flour) with an energy content of 403.61 Kcal, 8.5% protein, 6.91% fat, 76.84% carbohydrates. , 3.79% moisture content, 3.94% ash content, and 7.19% fiber in 100 g of flakes. Based on the Friedman test, there was no significant effect between the acceptance of bran flakes and corn flour on color (p = 0.251), taste (p = 0.006), aroma (p = 0.821), and texture (p = 0.553).
 Conclusion: Flakes with the addition of rice bran flour and corn flour can be used as an alternative snack that is high in fiber.

Development of recipes and qualitative characteristics of cereals-based food products

Currently, considerable attention is drawn to oats for its high content of dietary fiber, phytochemicals and nutritional value. The consumption of oats is believed to have various health benefits such as cholesterol-lowering and anti-cancer properties. Recently, oats have also been considered suitable in the diet of celiac patients. Due to their high nutritional value, oat-based food products such as bread, biscuits, probiotic drinks, breakfast cereals, flakes and baby food are gaining more and more popularity. Research and development of oats and oat products can be useful in the fight against various diseases known to mankind. The aim of the work is to obtain functional products with improved properties through the use of oat bran and whole oat flakes. This research focused on the development of oat-based food products with oat bran and whole oatmeal. For this purpose, breakfasts have been developed by replacing wheat flour with various levels of oat bran (30%; 50%; 80%) while oatmeal has been included at various levels (10%; 15%; 20%) in the recipe. The approximate composition of raw materials and products from oats (moisture, ash, fat, fiber, protein, carbohydrates) was analyzed in the work. The enrichment of oat bran and oatmeal increased the fiber and mineral content of both developed products. The addition of oat products did not affect the organoleptic characteristics of the product.

Influence of wheat conditioning duration on the technological qualities of flour

Wheat is amongst the most consumed cereals in the world. Triticum aestivum is the most produced and consumed species of wheat in the form of refined flours, a result of grinding and sifting the grain. To obtain a lighter form of flour with fewer bran flakes, water is added to the wheat grains. The added water conditions the wheat grains by adjusting humidity, thus making the endosperm more friable and the bran more malleable. This study aimed to analyze the influence of the duration of wheat conditioning on the resulting flour’s technological characteristics, using time periods of 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21 hours. The extraction rates, color, ash, humidity, gluten, falling number, and alveography of each flour sample were analyzed. The acquired results exhibit an insignificant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in flours with different conditioning times for gluten, falling number, color (L*), ash content, and humidity. However, there was a significant difference (p ≤0.05) in extraction rate, gluten strength (W), as well as in tenacity and the extensibility ratio (P/L). Thus, 17 hours was discovered as the best conditioning durations, although a 13-hour conditioning could be used by companies who believe that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Efficient removal of azo-dye Orange II by fungal biomass absorption and laccase enzymatic treatment.

In this study, the exact contribution of T. versicolor fungal biomass and laccase in the removal of the Orange II dye from liquid culture was determined. Biomass and laccase were produced with three different carbon sources [bran flakes (BF), wheat bran (WB) and wheat flour (WF)]. The contribution of the biomass and the laccase enzyme in the removal of the Orange II dye was assessed as follows: (A) in vivo treatment with fungal biomass; in vivo treatment with fungal biomass and inhibited laccase (using 0.6mM sodium azide); and (B) in vitro treatment with crude laccase. The results of fungal biomass production were similar for all the carbon sources evaluated, while laccase volumetric activities were different. The highest enzyme production was obtained with WB, followed by BF and WF. In the in vivo treatment with fungal biomass-laccase, dye removal was over 84% for all the carbon sources. Dye adsorption by fungal biomass varied from 1.5-2%, presenting enzymatic activities ranging from 62 to 163UL-1. In the in vivo treatment with fungal biomass-inhibited laccase, the removal of the dye varied from 30 to 72%. In this case, the percentage of dye adsorption by fungal biomass was significantly increased and ranged from 18 to 53%. In the in vitro treatment with laccase, the removal ranged from 80 to 84%. The best treatment for dye removal involved the use of both fungal biomass and laccase. The carbon source for biomass and laccase production had an impact on dye removal.

Towards simple tools to assess functional effects of contaminants on natural microbial and invertebrate sediment communities.

Surface sediments can accumulate contaminants that affect microorganisms and invertebrates and disturb benthic ecological functions. However, effects of contaminants on ecological functions supported by sediment communities are understudied. Here, we tested the relevance of two simple tools to assess the ecotoxicological effects of metal contamination on natural sediment communities using particulate organic matter breakdown and decomposition as a functional descriptor. To this aim, we performed a 21-day laboratory microcosm experiment to assess the individual and combined effects of Cu and As (nominal concentration of 40mgkg-1 dw each) using the bait-lamina method (cellulose, bran flakes, and active coal in PVC strips) as well as artificial tablets (cellulose, bran flakes and active coal embedded in an agar matrix). Sediment toxicity was also evaluated using the standardized ostracod toxicity test. Both the bait-lamina and artificial tablet methods showed low effects of As on organic matter breakdown and decomposition but strong effects of Cu on this important ecological function. Both also showed that the presence of Cu and As in mixture in the sediment induced total inhibition of organic matter breakdown and decomposition. The ostracod toxicity test also showed high toxicity of Cu-spiked and Cu-plus-As-spiked sediments and low toxicity of As-spiked sediments. Besides confirming that artificial organic matter substrates are relevant and useful for assessing the functional effects of contaminants on sediment micro- and macro-organism communities, these results suggest that the proposed methods offer promising perspectives for developing tools for use in assessing functional ecotoxicology in the sediment compartment.

Wheat Bran Cereal, Human Gut Bacteria and Subjective Wellbeing

Research has shown that consumption of high fiber breakfast cereal is associated with improved subjective well-being, especially increased energy. One possible explanation of these results is through metabolism by gut bacteria and concomitant production of metabolites that influence psychological and gastrointestinal (GI) welfare. This was examined in the present study to determine whether consumption of wheat bran could modulate the composition of the GI microbiota. This human volunteer study (20 volunteers) involved the comparison of three breakfast cereals, All-Bran, Bran Flakes and Cornflakes (60 g/d). The study involved a 14-day baseline phase (no breakfast cereals) and an eight-week experimental phase. Each cereal was consumed for 14 days. A seven-day washout period (no cereals) was carried out between each successive cereal condition. Faecal samples were collected every seven days. Enumeration of predominant faecal bacterial populations (bacteroides, bifidobacteria, clostridia, lactobacilli and eubacteria) was carried out using the culture independent fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) technique. Faecal short chain fatty acid content was also determined. The volunteers completed a battery of questionnaires to assess fatigue/energy, subjective mood, physical and mental health, bowel function and fiber intake. The results showed that in general there was no overall significant effect of breakfast cereal type on the faecal bacterial populations studied. There was also no major effect of breakfast type on short chain fatty acid content. The high-fiber conditions (All-Bran and Bran Flakes) were associated with less fatigue, a significant reduction in cognitive difficulties, looser stools, more motions and feeling more energised.

Effect of high fiber breakfast cereal consumption at suhur on satiety and digestive symptoms during the month of Ramadan

Introduction: Fasting during Ramadan involves large changes in daily eating patterns which strongly impacts the daily biorhythm, and challenges the regular function of the digestive tract. In the UAE, more than seven out of ten children and adolescents consume less fiber than recommended. A common problem reported during Ramadan is poor digestion health accompanied by an increase in the occurrence of constipation. Objective: To assess satiety, bowel habits, body composition, blood glycaemia, and blood lipidemia after the consumption of high fiber All Bran cereal at Suhur meal. Methodology: This research study is a controlled, randomized, parallel-design study. Subjects (n= 45) consumed either 90g of All Bran Raisins (11g/100g fiber) or 90g All Bran Flakes (15g/100g) at Suhur for 20 consecutive days compared with control group (n= 36). Results: After 20 days, significant differences were found for the intervention group for appetite, digestive symptoms and lipid outcomes. Fifteen minutes after Suhur, 100% of the high fiber intervention group (n=45) and 32% of the control group (n=36) experienced satisfaction after the meal. Eight hours later, 53% of the control group and 23% of the intervention group felt hungry. Bloating symptoms were significantly improved for intervention group compared to the control group and had improved bowel functioning (60.5%, 48.6%; P < 0.001, respectively). The high fiber group had significant higher fiber intakes: the control group stayed at 18.5g fiber per day while in the intervention group fiber intake increased from 18 to 25.5g fiber/day. There were no significant changes in body weight, % body fat, and BMI after 20 days for both groups. Moreover, cholesterol and LDL levels have increased significantly in the control group but were maintained in intervention group. Finally, there was no significant increase in blood glucose and triglycerides for the control group. Conclusions: There is a clear positive effect of consuming high fiber breakfast cereal on health and wellbeing during Ramadan with better satiety, improved bowel functions, and blood lipids. Increasing the intake of dietary fiber/day in Ramadan would have many health benefits for the people in the Arab Gulf countries. This research was funded and supported by Kellogg EMEA.

Effect of twelve week training program in blood pressure and heart rate at rest in older hypertensive and normotensive women

Introduction: Fasting during Ramadan involves large changes in daily eating patterns which strongly impacts the daily biorhythm and challenges the regular function of the digestive tract. In the UAE more than seven out of ten children and adolescents consume less fiber than recommended. A common problem reported during Ramadan is poor digestion health accompanied by an increase in the occurrence of constipation. Objective: To assess satiety bowel habits body composition blood glycaemia and blood lipidemia after the consumption of high fiber All Bran cereal at Suhur meal. Methodology: This research study is a controlled randomized parallel-design study. Subjects (n= 45) consumed either 90g of All Bran Raisins (11g/100g fiber) or 90g All Bran Flakes (15g/100g) at Suhur for 20 consecutive days compared with control group (n= 36). RESULTS: After 20 days significant differences were found for the intervention group for appetite digestive symptoms and lipid outcomes. Fifteen minutes after Suhur 100% of the high fiber intervention group (n=45) and 32% of the control group (n=36) experienced satisfaction after the meal. Eight hours later 53% of the control group and 23% of the intervention group felt hungry. Bloating symptoms were significantly improved for intervention group compared to the control group and had improved bowel functioning (60.5% 48.6%; P < 0.001 respectively). The high fiber group had significant higher fiber intakes: the control group stayed at 18.5g fiber per day while in the intervention group fiber intake increased from 18 to 25.5g fiber/day. There were no significant changes in body weight % body fat and BMI after 20 days for both groups. Moreover cholesterol and LDL levels have increased significantly in the control group but were maintained in intervention group. Finally, there was no significant increase in blood glucose and triglycerides for the control group. Conclusions: There is a clear positive effect of consuming high fiber breakfast cereal on health and wellbeing during Ramadan with better satiety improved bowel functions and blood lipids. Increasing the intake of dietary fiber/day in Ramadan would have many health benefits for the people in the Arab Gulf countries. This research was funded and supported by Kellogg EMEA.

High resolution visualization and exo-proteomics reveal the physiological role of XlnR and AraR in plant biomass colonization and degradation by Aspergillus niger.

In A. niger, two transcription factors, AraR and XlnR, regulate the production of enzymes involved in degradation of arabinoxylan and catabolism of the released l-arabinose and d-xylose. Deletion of both araR and xlnR in leads to reduced production of (hemi)cellulolytic enzymes and reduced growth on arabinan, arabinogalactan and xylan. In this study, we investigated the colonization and degradation of wheat bran by the A. niger reference strain CBS 137562 and araR/xlnR regulatory mutants using high-resolution microscopy and exo-proteomics. We discovered that wheat bran flakes have a 'rough' and 'smooth' surface with substantially different affinity towards fungal hyphae. While colonization of the rough side was possible for all strains, the xlnR mutants struggled to survive on the smooth side of the wheat bran particles after 20 and 40 h post inoculation. Impaired colonization ability of the smooth surface of wheat bran was linked to reduced potential of ΔxlnR to secrete arabinoxylan and cellulose-degrading enzymes and indicates that XlnR is the major regulator that drives colonization of wheat bran in A. niger.

Estimating Serving Sizes for Healthier and Unhealthier Versions of Food According to Canada's Food Guide.

Canada's Food Guide (CFG) defines food serving sizes and recommends a specific number of servings from each of the 4 food groups. However, there is no differentiation in serving sizes for different versions of foods that may differ in nutritional value. Participants (n = 20) estimated serving sizes of "healthier" and "unhealthier" versions of milk, bread, cereal, potatoes, chicken, fish, and juice and reported the amount normally consumed in 1 sitting. Participants estimated unhealthier servings of cereal and juice to be smaller than healthier servings, but estimated unhealthier servings of chicken to be larger than healthier versions (P < 0.05). There were no differences for bread, milk, potatoes, and fish. Accordingly, estimated servings of juice (P < 0.01) had more calories than the unhealthier orange drink. There were no caloric differences for cereal (P = 0.12), but an estimated serving of bran flakes had more fat and fibre than frosted flakes cereal. In contrast with CFG, which does not account for different versions of food, certain unhealthier foods were estimated to be smaller or larger than the healthier versions. However, both healthy and unhealthy serving sizes still tended to be larger than what is prescribed in CFG. Thus, better education or revision of serving sizes in future editions of CFG may warrant consideration.

Effect of Grape Products on Oral Health- a Review

Oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontal disease, and tooth loss, affect the majority of the population and can affect a person's overall health. Raisins contain polyphenols, flavonoids, and high levels of iron that may benefit human health. However, their oral health benefits are less well understood. We hypothesized that raisins contain antimicrobial phytochemicals capable of suppressing oral pathogens associated with caries or periodontal diseases and thus benefit oral health. Compared with commercial bran flakes or raisin bran cereal, a lower plaque pH drop was noted in children who consumed a raisin and bran flake mixture when no sugar was added (P < 0.05). Grape seed extract, high in proanthocyanidins, positively affected the in vitro demineralization and/or remineralization processes of artificial root caries lesions, suggesting its potential as a promising natural agent for noninvasive root caries therapy.

Comparison of Analytical Nutrient Values to Food Label Values in Select Breakfast Cereals

USDA determines nutrient values for selected foods in the U.S. diet to update the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Label data are sometimes used for breakfast cereals when analytical data are unavailable. According to labeling regulation 21CFR 101.9(g), Table 1. FDA Label Regulations [2] Class I. Added in fortified or fabricated foods Rule: Analytical > label 21CFR 172.5 General provisions for direct food additives – “The quantity of the substance added to food does not exceed the amount reasonably required to accomplish its intended physical, nutritive, or other Table 4. Class IIb intrinsic nutrients to limit: analytical results as percent of label values Bran Flakes With Raisins Crisp Toasted Rice Frosted Corn Flakes Multigrain Flakes With Oat Clusters Oat Rings Toasted Oat Shapes With Marshmallows FDA Rule analytical values for fortification must be at least equal to label values, while naturally occurring nutrient values must be at least 80% of label values for “beneficial” (e.g., protein, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium) or no more than 120% of label values for “nutrients to limit” (e.g., total fat, sugar, sodium). Manufacturers typically add overages to fortified foods to ensure that their products meet the FDA regulations. Six types of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, selected based on consumption data and other factors, were analyzed as part of Figure 1. Percent difference between analytical and label values for iron technical effect in food.” Thus, the amount of allowed overage is not specified. Class II. Naturally occurring a) Beneficial (vitamins, minerals, protein, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat) Rule: Analytical > 80% of label b) Nutrients to limit (calories, sugar, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium) Rule: Analytical 120% of label values for three of the l b t di d lt ll b l 120% i d RESULTS & DISCUSSION Fortification nutrients: The RTE cereals studied were all fortified with vitamins A, D, B6, B12, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. Cereal manufacturers typically add amounts greater than the labeled amount in order to account for losses during processing and storage. These overages are demonstrated in this study’s results, shown in Table 2. Th j it f f tifi t l l t th th l b l l (105 228%) of L ab el

Gastrointestinal Release of β‐Glucan and Pectin Using an In Vitro Method

ABSTRACTThe release of soluble dietary fiber is a prerequisite for viscous effects and hence beneficial health properties. A simple in vitro method was adapted to follow the release during gastrointestinal digestion, and the percentage of solubilized fiber was measured over time. β‐Glucan from oat bran was mainly released during gastric digestion while the release of pectin from sugar beet fiber continued in the small intestine. Unmilled fractions of sugar beet fiber released more soluble fiber than oat bran flakes, probably due to the porous structure of sugar beet fiber as a result of manufacturing processes, but also due to differences in source. Milling to smaller fiber particles significantly improved releasability (from 20 to 55% released β‐glucan and from 50 to 70% released pectin, respectively, after digestion). When milled fibers were included in individual food matrices, the release was reduced by protein and starch matrices (5% β‐glucan and 35% pectin released, respectively) and slowed by fat (45% β‐glucan and 60% pectin released). This may result in a too low or too late release in the upper small intestine to be able to interfere with macronutrient uptake. The method may be suitable for predicting the gastrointestinal release of soluble dietary fibers from food matrices in the development of healthy food products.

Morphology and laccase production of white-rot fungi grown on wheat bran flakes under semi-solid-state fermentation conditions

In this paper, we studied the laccase production and the growth morphology of different white-rot fungi, i.e. Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes pubescens, Cerrena unicolor and Trametes versicolor, cultured under semi-solid-state fermentation conditions using wheat bran flakes as a natural low-cost support substrate. Trametes versicolor exhibited the highest laccase activity per gram of total dry matter, followed by P. ostreatus (63.5 and 58.2Ug(-1) , respectively). In addition, they showed a time profile of laccase production that was quite similar. Growth morphology was studied using environmental microscopic images and analyzed by discrete Fourier transformation-based software to determine the mean diameter of the hyphae, the number of hypha layers and the global micromorphology. The four strains exhibited different micromorphologies of growth. Pleurotus ostreatus presented narrow hyphae, which formed many thick clumps, T. pubescens and T. versicolor showed clumps of different sizes and C. unicolor showed thick hyphae that formed larger clumps, but in less amounts.

Occurrence of free and conjugated Fusarium mycotoxins in cereal-based food

A collection of 84 cereal-based food products in 25 composites, including beer, was screened for the presence of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and their respective metabolites deoxynivalenol-3-glucopyranoside, 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol, zearalenol-4-glucopyranoside, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalenol-4-glucopyranoside, β-zearalenol-4-glucopyranoside, and zearalenone-4-sulfate. The most abundant analyte was zearalenone-4-sulfate, which was found in 13 composites, albeit in low concentrations. Furthermore, deoxynivalenol was detected in eight, zearalenone in seven, and deoxynivalenol-3-glucopyranoside in two composites. None of the remaining six analytes was found in any matrices, which suggests that, if at all present, the concentrations of these latter metabolites are very low and, hence, do not impose any danger to consumers. The highest mycotoxin content was found in bran flakes with 254 ng g−1 deoxynivalenol, 6 ng g−1 zearalenone-4-sulfate, and 44 ng g−1 zearalenone.

Isolation and characterization of folate-producing bacteria from oat bran and rye flakes

The aim of this research was to identify endogenous bacteria in commercial oat bran and rye flake products in order to study their folate production capability while maintaining the soluble dietary fibre components in physiologically active, unhydrolyzed form. Fourty-two bacteria were isolated from three different oat bran products and 26 bacteria from one rye flake consumer product. The bacteria were tentatively identified by sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA genes. The identification results revealed up to 18 distinct bacterial species belonging to 13 genera in oat bran, and 11 species belonging to 10 genera in rye flakes. The most common bacterial genus in oat bran was Pantoea, followed by Acinetobacter, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus. Pantoea species dominated also in rye flakes. The extracellular enzymatic activities of the isolates were studied by substrate hydrolysis plate assays. Nearly 80% of the isolates hydrolyzed carboxymethylcellulose, whereas starch-degrading activities were surprisingly rare (10%). Beta-glucan was hydrolyzed by 19% of the isolates. Protease, lipase or xylanase activity was expressed by 24%, 29%, and 16%, respectively, of the isolates. Representatives of the genera Bacillus, Curtobacterium, Pedobacter, and Sanguibacter showed the highest diversity of enzymatic activities, whereas members of Janthinobacterium and Staphylococcus possessed no hydrolytic activities for the substrates studied. Production capability for total folates was analyzed from aerobic cell cultures at the stationary growth phase. The amount of folates was determined separately for the cell mass and the supernatant by microbiological assay. For comparison, folate production was also examined in a number of common lactic acid bacteria. The best producers in oat bran belonged to the genera Bacillus, Janthinobacterium, Pantoea, and Pseudomonas, and those in rye flakes to Chryseobacterium, Erwinia, Plantibacter, and Pseudomonas. Supernatant folate contents were high for Bacillus, Erwinia, Janthinobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Sanguibacter. Compared to the endogenous bacteria, lactic acid bacteria were poor folate producers. The results of this work provide the first insight into the potential role of endogenous microflora in modulating the nutrient levels of oat and rye based cereal products, and pave way to future innovations of nutritionally improved cereal foods.

Grape Products and Oral Health1–3

Oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontal disease, and tooth loss, affect the majority of the population and can affect a person’s overall health. Raisins contain polyphenols, flavonoids, and high levels of iron that may benefit human health. However, their oral health benefits are less well understood. We hypothesized that raisins contain antimicrobial phytochemicals capable of suppressing oral pathogens associated with caries or periodontal diseases and thus benefit oral health. Through antimicrobial assay-guided fractionation and purification, compounds identified with growth inhibition against oral pathogens were oleanolic acid, oleanolic aldehyde, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, betulin, betulinic acid, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural, rutin, β-sitosterol, and β-sitosterol glucoside. Oleanolic acid suppressed in vitro adherence of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans biofilm. When the effect of raisins and raisin-containing bran cereal on in vivo plaque acidogenicity was examined in 7- to 11-y-old children, it was found that raisins did not reduce the plaque pH decline below pH 6 over the 30-min test period. Compared with commercial bran flakes or raisin bran cereal, a lower plaque pH drop was noted in children who consumed a raisin and bran flake mixture when no sugar was added (P < 0.05). Grape seed extract, high in proanthocyanidins, positively affected the in vitro demineralization and/or remineralization processes of artificial root caries lesions, suggesting its potential as a promising natural agent for noninvasive root caries therapy. Raisins represent a healthy alternative to the commonly consumed sugary snack foods.

Dose response of whole-grain biomarkers: alkylresorcinols in human plasma and their metabolites in urine in relation to intake

BackgroundAlkylresorcinols (ARs), phenolic lipids almost exclusively present in the outer parts of wheat and rye grains in commonly consumed foods, have been proposed as specific dietary biomarkers of whole-grain wheat and rye intakes. ObjectiveThe objective was to assess the dose response of plasma ARs and the excretion of 2 recently discovered AR metabolites in 24-h urine samples in relation to AR intake and to establish a pharmacokinetic model for predicting plasma AR concentration. DesignSixteen subjects were given rye bran flakes containing 11, 22, or 44 mg total ARs 3 times daily during week-long intervention periods separated by 1-wk washout periods in a nonblinded randomized crossover design. Blood samples were collected at baseline, after the 1-wk run-in period, and after each treatment and washout period. Two 24-h urine samples were collected at baseline and after each treatment period. ResultsPlasma AR concentrations and daily excretion of 2 urinary AR metabolites increased with increasing AR dose (P < 0.001). Recovery of urinary metabolites in 24-h samples decreased with increasing doses from ≈90% to ≈45% in the range tested. A one-compartment model with 2 absorption compartments with different lag times and absorption rate constants adequately predicted plasma AR concentrations at the end of each intervention period. ConclusionBoth plasma AR concentrations and urinary metabolites in 24-h samples showed a dose-response relation to increased AR intake, which strongly supports the hypothesis that ARs and their metabolites may be useful as biomarkers of whole-grain wheat and rye intakes.