Cereal Grains Research Articles (Page 1)

Improving sustainability of agricultural production has been at the forefront of research in recent years due to external factors, such as drought and urbanization. Producers are interested in exploring new practices to remain viable. One practice being researched is vertical farming systems (VFS) to produce feed. These VFS control temperature, water, light, and sprout cereal grains that can be fed whole to livestock, but to date, little research has been completed on feeding sprouted grains to livestock. This study utilized growing Angus steers (N = 60) that were stratified by weight (385 kg ± 10.3) into two different diet groups, control (CON, n = 30) or sprouted barley (SB, n = 30). The CON diet was a traditional finishing ration for the region (rolled barley, corn silage, and alfalfa), while SB was fed a ration with 20% dry matter (DM) sprouted barley. All animals were fed out of Vytelle® units to assess individual intake. At harvest, one loin from each animal was obtained for meat quality analysis. Meat quality was assessed using PROC MIXED in SAS, with day as a repeated measure to evaluate main effects of diet on color. Sensory data were analyzed using a paired two-way t-test. Welch's t-test was employed for meat metabolome analysis, while feed metabolome data was evaluated using an ANOVA. Color (L*, a*, and b*) nor three meat quality markers (cooking loss, drip loss, Warner-Bratzler Shear Force) were impacted by diet (P ≥ 0.19). Deoxymyoglobin (DMb) content was not affected by diet (P = 0.18), but metmyoglobin (MMb) was (P = 0.05) and oxymyoglobin (OMb) tended (P = 0.08) to be different. MMb increased over time for both diets, but CON generally had increased MMb compared to SB. Changes in OMb are explained by both CON and SB decreasing over the seven-day period with SB generally having more OMb compared to CON throughout. A consumer acceptance panel revealed SB and CON to not be different (P ≥ 0.11) in terms of liking for overall acceptance, aroma, flavor, tenderness, nor juiciness. Despite 71 out of 85 phytochemical metabolites being different in the feeds (P < 0.05) with 28 being elevated in the SB feed at 20% DM, only two out of 23 phytochemical metabolites differed (P < 0.05) in meat samples. The inclusion of sprouted barley at 20% DM in the diets of finishing Angus steers had no significant impact on meat quality, nor many aspects of sensory analysis.

Currently, there is a growing public demand for whole grains, driven by increasing awareness of their health benefits. Scientific evidence has demonstrated that whole grains possess superior nutritional value compared to highly processed cereal products. Disruptions in gastrointestinal water balance, elevated blood cholesterol levels, and the accumulation of toxins and heavy metals have detrimental effects on the human body and contribute to the onset of various diseases. In contrast, regular consumption of whole grains has been shown to improve blood circulation, support cardiovascular function, and help maintain a balanced intestinal microbiota, thereby promoting overall health.Among various cereal grains, millet and oats stand out as particularly suitable for daily gluten-free diets. These grains are especially rich in B-group vitamins and dietary fiber, making them valuable components of a balanced nutritional regimen. In this context, the present study investigates the potential use of whole millet and oat grains as functional ingredients in the formulation of fermented beverages, with particular emphasis on their bioactive compounds and enhanced nutritional profile.Despite their known health benefits, whole grains also contain phytic acid, which can inhibit the absorption of essential macro- and micronutrients. To mitigate this effect, the grains were soaked in water for six hours – a process shown to effectively reduce phytic acid levels.Following this treatment, two drying methods were applied: convective drying at 38°C using a Sedona dehydrator, and pan-toasting in a WOK at heat levels 6 to 8. The processed raw materials were subsequently analyzed for their sensory attributes, B-vitamin content, dietary fiber levels, and concentrations of water-soluble antioxidants. The results indicated that the overall nutritional quality of both millet and oat grains was maintained under both drying conditions, with the exception of vitamin B3, which showed a decline in oats subjected to pan-toasting.

Interactive effects of arabinoxylan and β-glucan on inhibiting starch gelatinization and retrogradation via mimicking cereal endosperm structures.

The grass leaf plays a critical role in global food security, generating the carbon stores in cereal grains, which provide > 50% of global calories. As the global population grows, there is an urgent need to increase food production using fewer resources and to develop more resilient agricultural systems to withstand variable climate conditions and rising socio-economic and environmental costs. Precision engineering of cereal crops, tailored to diverse environmental conditions and agronomic practices, is a vital strategy for achieving food security. Given the fundamental importance of the leaf in driving cereal productivity, it is an ideal engineering target. Leaf development occurs over large temporal and spatial scales and is environmentally regulated, posing significant challenges for predictive engineering approaches and limiting the feasibility of a one-size-fits-all approach. In this review, we synthesise current understanding of cereal leaf development and identify critical developmental biology questions that must be resolved to facilitate the truly programmable plants of the future.

The article presents the materials of a comprehensive study of the accumulation of carbonized rye grains, discovered in 2022 during excavations of part of the territory of the German courtyard — the compound of Hanseatic merchants in Veliky Novgorod. Grains of other cereals are also present in the accumulation in small quantities. The bulk grain was located entirely within the log house, and its volume was about 500 liters. Dendrochronological studies of the nearby pavement make it possible to date the complex to the middle of the 14th century. A large proportion of grains that began to germinate, as well as some weed species in the cluster, may indirectly indicate that rye was in the process of malting before combustion. A comprehensive analysis of written sources, archaeological, and archeobotanical data cautiously suggests that this cluster might be evidence of brewing in the German courtyard.

SeMet attenuates zearalenone-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial autophagy in rabbit kidney through activation of Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway.

To evaluate the effects of glucoamylase on ruminal in situ and in vitro dry matter degradability (DMD), in vitro starch degradability (IVSD), volatile fatty acids (VFA), gas production and methane production using cereal grains as substrates in beef cattle. Six substrates (4 mm; 0.70 g per F57 bag) including sorghum (micronized and whole), barley (whole and steam-flaked), and corn (dry-rolled and steam-flaked); were incubated with exogenous glucoamylase (from Trichoderma reesei; 0.25 mg/g substrate DM) and buffered rumen fluid in six replicates per run in 3 independent runs. In vitro dry matter degradability (IVDMD), In vitro starch degradability (IVSD), In situ DMD (ISDMD), VFA, and methane production was measured after 7, and 12 h of incubation. In situ ruminal DMD (ISDMD) was measured after 0, 1, 3, 7, and 12 h of ruminal incubation in beef cattle fed high grain diets. Exogenous glucoamylase increased IVDMD and gas production for all substrates except whole sorghum and barley while ISDMD was increased for all substrates except whole barley. Glucoamylase increased IVSD for steam flaked barley and corn. Glucoamylase supplementation increased molar proportion of propionate and decreased acetate-to-propionate ratio, regardless of substrates used. Similarly, glucoamylase supplementation increased methane production with steam-flaked corn. Glucoamylase supplementation can potentially improve DM and starch degradability in cereal grains commonly used as ingredients in beef cattle diets.

In 2020 an excavation at Borstahusen, Scania, southern Sweden, revealed rich archaeological remains from prehistoric wetland activities. The wetland had been visited during many different periods, from the Mesolithic onwards, but particularly during the Bronze Age, 1200–800 BC. A large part of the wetland was investigated with a multidisciplinary approach, which provided a complex picture of human activities in and close by the wetland. The preservation of bones and plant remains was relatively good, and there was a rich find material of flint, stone, and ceramics. Numerous cooking pits, together with animal bones, charred cereal grain and other plant macrofossils, indicate cooking activities by the edge of the wetland. Both microwear on flint tools and cutmarks on bones show that butchering and consumption, particularly of cattle, took place on the site. Microwear also indicates that the flint tools were used for working hides and for producing craft items of bone/antler. In addition to domestic animals, bones of wild game, seals and fish indicate hunting, sealing and fishing. Some depositions in the wetland and particularly in the cooking pits indicate ritual practices, but the overall impression is that most of the remains originate from domestic, practical activities, possibly associated with social gatherings and feasting. This conclusion deviates from several earlier studies of the Bronze Age, where wetlands are pictured first and foremost as environments for offerings and other rituals.

Penitrem A, an indole–diterpenoid neurotoxin, is produced by several species of Penicillium on cereal grains, meat, dairy products, and fruits. Penicillium crustosum is a well-known penitrem A producer, but much is unknown about physiological characteristics of P. crustosum. In this study, we isolated penitrem A-producing P. crustosum OM1 from pears, and investigated the influence of temperature, pH, and relative humidity [RH] on its growth and penitrem A production. The fungal species exhibited the highest growth at 25 °C and pH 4.5 on mYES4 under RH 98%, whereas it produced the highest level of penitrem A at 22 °C and pH 6.5 on the same media under RH 98%. Furthermore, RT-qPCR analysis of six penitrem A biosynthetic genes (ptmB, ptmJ, ptmK, ptmO, ptmS, and ptmT) expression in P. crustosum OM1 showed that the four penitrem A biosynthetic genes (ptmJ, ptmK, ptmO, and ptmS) were up-regulated in mYES4 (penitrem A conducive medium), whereas they were not in mMEB (penitrem A non-conducive medium). Our results demonstrated that the three key environmental factors significantly affected the growth of P. crustosum OM1 and its penitrem A production. These findings could help find efficient methods to prevent penitrem A contamination from fresh fruits including pears.

As one of the most important cereal crops, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production and grain quality are essential to many nations in the world. Early developmental phases such as seed germination and seedling establishment are key to wheat's growth and development as they impact directly on crop's early performance and yield potential. Hence, it is critical to develop varieties with favourable early growth characteristics under various growing conditions. Here, we present SeedGerm-VIG, an automated and comprehensive pipeline developed for assessing seed vigour in wheat and other cereal crops. Building on the SeedGerm system, we integrated multiple deep learning models (i.e. YOLOv8x-Germ and optimised U-Net) and computer vision algorithms into the automated seed-level analysis pipeline to identify key germination phases and measure seed-, root-, and seedling-level phenotypic traits. Then, by using time series directed graph, not only did we track root tips to measure root emergence during the germination procedure (seed-lot R2 = 84.1%), but we also established a new approach to examine speed and uniformity of germination. These resulted in the establishment of a vigour scoring matrix, through which 21 commercial genotypes' (i.e. 494 randomly sampled seeds, with over 29,500 seed-level images) vigour scores were summarised and evaluated at key phases such as protrusion, radicle emergence, and chloroplast biogenesis, which largely matched with manual assessment based on the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) guidelines. Finally, we also demonstrated that the SeedGerm-VIG pipeline could be used to assess seed vigour for other cereal crops such as rice (n = 120 seeds) and barley (n = 240 seeds), reliably. In conclusion, we believe that our work demonstrates a valuable step forward to enable the broader plant and crop research community to examine seed vigour and vigour-related features in an automated manner, facilitating effective and reproducible plant selection and relevant seed science research for crop improvement.

Cereal grains make up a significant part of both human and animal diets; therefore, they should meet pesticide residue standards and be characterized by the lowest possible concentrations of these residues. Known for its strong oxidizing properties, ozone is gaining popularity as a natural agent for eliminating chemical contaminants at the stages of production, processing, and storage of raw materials of plant origin. The present study is the first to assess the effect of ozonation on the behavior of 12 (seven systemic and five non-systemic) compounds. The procedure was conducted in two time variants (30 and 60 min) for three cereal types: barley, wheat, and rye. Treatment efficiency was confirmed through instrumental determination conducted using the LC–MS/MS technique based on the QuEChERS protocol. The level of systemic compounds was reduced by 37–82%, and of non-systemic ones by approximately 72–95%. The reduction in difenoconazole amounted to only 39%, whereas the highest decrease of 95% was recorded for deltamethrin. The rate of pesticide degradation occurred in the following sequence: rye > wheat > barley. The results show that ozonation of cereal grains may successfully support assurance of food and feed safety.

The aleurone in cereal grains is an outer cell layer enriched with multiple nutrients important for human health. Enhancing the thickness of the aleurone layer through breeding could improve the nutritional value of rice. In this study, we characterized OsABCB24, a member of the ABCB transporter subfamily gene in rice, and its role in regulating aleurone development. Expression profiling revealed that OsABCB24 is predominantly expressed in seedling leaves and developing caryopsis, particularly in aleurone layer cells during grain filling. Subcellular localization analyses via protoplast transfection and immunogold labeling demonstrated that OsABCB24 is localized to the chloroplast. Knockout of OsABCB24 significantly increased thickness of the aleurone cells and elevated the concentrations of minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, zinc, magnesium, and copper in brown rice. Knockout of OsABCB24 also decreased the concentrations of free and conjugated indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in developing caryopsis and increased the leaf angle by influencing cell proliferation and elongation on the adaxial side of the lamina joint at seedling stage. Leaf angle was less sensitive to exogenous IAA in osabcb24 mutants than in wild type. Taken together, these findings suggest that OsABCB24 is a negative regulator of aleurone cell expansion possibly by modulating auxin homeostasis. OsABCB24 is a promising genetic target for breeding rice with increased aleurone thickness and nutrient concentrations without yield penalty.

In the United States, like in other countries, the agrifood supply chain faces challenges from a growing population and less predictable weather conditions. Extreme weather events such as droughts decrease agricultural yield and harvested areas, impact the domestic trade of agricultural products and, in turn, food manufacturing. We investigate this relationship at the state level by estimating the food manufacturing production function in a two-stage instrumental variable estimation process. We first assess how drought affects trade in animals and fish, cereal grains, and all other crop products. Next, we estimate a nested production function for processed food. Our findings indicate that the impact of a drought is far from being confined to the area where it happens. At the national level, we find that a 1% increase in drought in the states producing agricultural commodities reduces their exports to other states by 0.5% to 0.7% which, in turn, reduces food manufacturing production by an average of 0.04%. The capacity to shift the origin of import flows, adjust their volume, and substitute agricultural inputs supports the resilience of the food manufacturing sector. We further estimate the 48 × 48 pairwise dependence across states and by commodity group. While cereal grain production is more spatially concentrated than other crops, the agrifood supply chain can enhance its resilience by sourcing from geographically diverse counties within key supplier states and improving multistate coordination. These findings provide important insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders willing to reduce the food system vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Abstract Abstracts: The drive to increase product output per animal in some sectors of ruminant livestock production and the expansion of monogastric livestock production has led to greater use of feeds such as cereal grains and soyabean meal that are potentially human edible. This trend has caused concern with livestock competing directly with the human population for a limited global area of cultivatable land on which to produce grain and legume crops. Monogastric livestock require similar nutrient provision as humans with high digestibility and quality, especially in relation to bioavailable protein and essential nutrients (fats, minerals and vitamins). Reasons for using potentially human-edible feeds in ruminant diets, as there are not the same direct nutrient requirements as with monogastrics, include increased total daily energy intake, greater supply of essential amino acids and improved ruminal balance between fermentable energy and degradable protein in high producing systems (e.g. intensive dairy and beef finishing). Soyabean meal, produced on land that has been in arable cultivation for many years can fulfill a useful role as a supplier of undegraded dietary protein in diets for high-yielding dairy cows and is the major protein source for pigs and poultry. However, in the context of sustaining the production of high-quality foods from livestock to meet the demands of a growing human population, the use of potentially human-edible feed resources should be reduced and restricted to scenarios where the crop has no discernable use as human food and then it should be used to strategically support livestock with the highest daily nutrient requirements (i.e. meeting requirements for energy and protein and rectifying imbalances in nutrient supply from human inedible basal feeds). There is therefore a need to optimize human inedible feeds for both monogastric, to supply the required level of high-quality digestible nutrients, and ruminant livestock, as currently forage-only systems can be associated with relatively low output per head and low nitrogen use efficiency compared to systems with greater reliance on human-edible feeds. Profitability on farm is driven by control of input costs as well as product value and examples are given of low-cost bovine milk and meat production with little or no reliance on potentially human-edible feeds. The potential of all-forage diets should be demonstrated for a wide range of ruminant milk and meat production systems. The development of human in-edible plant by-products, food waste, insect meal and processed animal protein for different livestock species is critically needed. The challenge for the future development of sustainable circular livestock systems will rely on the reduction of environmental pollutants and the optimization of human-inedible by-products to form the basal diet of monogastric livestock and are used to complement pastures and forage crops strategically rather than replace them in ruminant livestock.

Abstract Cereal grains are the main source of energy in finishing feedlot diets. Sorghum is a more water-efficient alternative to corn, but sorghum starch is less ruminally digestible. Processing methods can increase grain digestibility, improving animal efficiency. The objective was to determine the effects of grain type and processing methods on in-situ dry matter (DM) degradability (DMD). Five ruminally cannulated Angus crossbred steers (body weight [BW] = 730 ± 119 kg) were pen-fed a starter ration twice daily at 2% of BW during the experiment. Fresh steam-flaked corn (SFC) and steam-flaked sorghum (SFS) samples were collected, air equilibrated for 240 minutes, then densities were measured (410 g/L SFC and 494 g/L SFS). Fresh cracked corn (CC) samples were collected after the roller mill process (4 to 6 pieces per kernel). High-moisture rolled sorghum (HMRS) was harvested at physiological maturity with 28% humidity, processed through a roller mill bagger and stored for 300 d. After opening, samples of HMRS were collected from 3 different areas of the silo. Nylon bags (10 × 20 cm, 50-µm pores) were filled with 20.5g (± 0.5g) of each grain and incubated in duplicate in the ventral sac of the rumen of each steer for 0, 3, 5, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96h. The 0h bags were incubated for 10 seconds and then retrieved. Bags were immersed in cold water, rinsed 5 times using a washing machine, and dried to evaluate in-situ DMD. The kinetics of rumen degradability including soluble fraction [a], potentially degradable fraction [b], and degradation rate of the b fraction (c; %/hour) were estimated by a first-order asymptotic model using the NLIM procedure of SAS. The effective degradability (isRD) was determined considering a 6%/hour ruminal passage rate. Data was analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS, using steer as experimental unit and the random effect of steer (treatment). Differences were set at P ≤ 0.05 using Tukey test. Fraction a was greater for SFC than SFS, that was greater than HMDRS, that was greater than CC (P ≤ 0.01). Fraction b was greater for CC compared to HMDRS (P &amp;lt; 0.001), with no differences between HMDRS and SFS (P = 0.12), and both HMRS and SFS greater than SFC (P ≤ 0.001). Fraction c was greater for SFC compared to CC (P &amp;lt; 0.001), which was greater than SFS (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Fraction c of SFS and HMDRS were similar (P = 0.23). The isRD of SFC was greater than SFS (P &amp;lt; 0.001). No differences in isRD between SFS and CC were detected (P = 0.96), but isRD of SFS and CC were greater than HMDRS (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Steam flaking appears to improve DMD rates relative to other processing methods.

Abstract Dietary fiber is an anti-nutritive factor that reduces nutrient digestibility, profitability and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions in swine production. Exogenous fiber enzymes have been used in the swine industry for over two decades, but their efficacy in modulating growth performance and nutrient digestibility in weanling pigs remains inconsistent. We hypothesized no significant differences in the in vivo efficacy endpoints in responses to exogenous fiber enzyme supplementation. This study conducted a meta-analysis of 35 studies (2003–2024) to examine the effects of exogenous fiber enzyme supplementation on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in weanling pigs fed commercial diets containing oil meals, cereal grains, by-products and co-products. Results showed no differences (P &amp;gt;0.05) between non-enzyme and enzyme-supplemented groups in initial body weight (7.91±0.35 vs. 7.68±0.28 kg) and dietary contents (as-fed) of net energy (2463±63 vs. 2462±63 kcal/kg), crude fat (7.98±2.72 vs. 8.12±2.73%), neutral-detergent fiber (NDF) (12.16±0.77 vs. 13.14±0.85%) and lignin (0.82±0.23 vs. 0.84±0.28%). Supplementation of exogenous fiber enzymes of cellulases and hemi-cellulases in single and/or in combination had no effects (P &amp;gt;0.05) on growth performance indicators of average daily gain, feed intake, and gain-to-feed ratio. Apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter (82.8±0.8 vs. 83.3±0.9%), NDF (53.5±2.3 vs. 55.6±2.5%) and crude fat (69.2±8.8 vs. 70.3±9.3%) remained unchanged (P &amp;gt;0.05). Our meta-analysis results suggest that currently available commercial exogenous fiber enzymes have limited efficacy for improving growth performances and nutrient digestibility in weanling pigs. More efficacious exogenous fiber enzymes or their modifications need to be further developed to improve profitability and sustainability in swine production.

Abstract The role of animal-sourced foods (ASF) in healthy human diets is increasingly scrutinized. The objective of this study was to explore how diets varying in protein content and protein source (ASF vs substitutes) varied in their ability to support balanced dietary nutrient profiles. Data on nutritional composition of foods were obtained from USDA FoodData Central. Foods were categorized as meats and meat substitutes (types included: Lamb, veal, and game products; finfish and shellfish products; pork products; legumes and legume products; nuts and seed products; beef products) or other dietary components (types included: vegetables and vegetable products; fruits and fruit juices; cereal grains and pasta; dairy and egg products). A total of 3,855 foods were considered. From these foods, 500,000 dietary scenarios were generated. Adapted from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans serving recommendations, each scenario consisted of 3 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of fruits, 2 servings of meats or meat substitutes, 2 servings of grains, and 2 servings of dairy/eggs. The specific food items to meet these serving targets were randomly selected in each scenario from the full set of foods within each respective category. In each scenario, the expected food intake and dietary composition of energy and nutrients was calculated and evaluated relative to the nutrient requirements of an adult human. Data were analyzed using Bayesian networks trained for each nutrient of interest based on the simulated scenario results. Nodes included binary categorical variables reflecting the inclusion of different meat or meat substitute types, continuous variables reflecting the amount of food consumed, the protein as a percent of energy intake, and a binary response variable reflecting the adequacy of diet for the nutrient of interest. For each network, the conditional probabilities of the diet being adequate given use of each meat or meat substitute type and low (protein &amp;lt; 18.5% of energy intake), moderate (protein 18.5 to 26.6% of energy intake) or high (protein &amp;gt;26.6% of energy intake) protein levels were calculated. The inclusion of meats in the diet increased the probability of adequate intake of essential amino acids, iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and B6, particularly in diets with low protein as a percent of energy. The inclusion of meat substitutes supported adequate intake of fiber, linoleic acid, magnesium, potassium, and folate, showing high complementarity with meats. These data reinforce the nutritional complementarity of meat and meat substitutes, and suggest that protein source is less impactful on nutrient adequacy when diets are high in protein.

"Exploring Locally Sourced Cereal Grains As Alternative Media For Fungal Growth: A Comparative Study With Potato Dextrose Agar"

Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) is a perennial cereal grain with positive environmental impact. Its composition is consistent with use in sourdough fermentation; however, this utilization has not yet been explored. The objective of this study was to determine the performance of two cultivars of IWG in a spontaneous fermentation process, compared to whole wheat (WW) flour, followed by functionality of the sourdoughs as a bread ingredient. The milled whole grain flours had comparable particle morphologies; however, IWG flours had higher protein (20.84, 18.63, and 13.28g/100g in IWG cultivars and WW, respectively), fiber (16.1, 18.0, and, 11.4g/100g in the same order as above), and mineral concentration (notably, 2-fold the calcium). IWG flours promoted higher lactic acid accumulation over the 11-day backslopping period. Breads made with the different sourdoughs had no significant difference in loaf volume or firmness but differed in terms of crumb pH and total titratable acidity (pH 4.978 and 5.058mL NaOH 0.1N for the most acidic IWG cultivar, versus pH 5.212 and 4.174mL NaOH 0.1N for WW). The results underscore the potential of IWG as a novel substrate in sourdough fermentation. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Pin milling of IWG and wheat produced whole grain flours of similar morphology but with compositional differences. Spontaneously fermented whole grain IWG flours accumulated more lactic acid than whole wheat. IWG sourdough included in a wheat-based bread at a 20% flour basis was found to have no negative effects on volume and firmness versus whole wheat sourdough inclusion.

The effect of temperature and microwave radiation on the behavior of pesticides during the drying of cereal grains