Cereal Content Research Articles

Carotenoids in cereals: an ancient resource with present and future applications

Cereals are considered to be a major source of carbohydrates and proteins as well as minor micronutrients such as minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, including carotenoids. Carotenoids are natural lipophilic pigments biosynthesized mainly by plants, and certain bacteria and fungi. Cereals, although having a low carotenoid content when compared with the majority of fruits and vegetables, may have an important impact in the nutritional status of consumers. The daily consumption of cereals, and products derived from them, by a large part of the population, especially in under-developed and developing countries, makes cereals a contributor of carotenoids which should not be overlooked and must be taken into consideration in biofortification strategies. In the present manuscript, we revise the existing information about the composition and distribution of carotenoids in cereals, highlighting factors which alter their profile, such as domestication of wild varieties, genotype, storage, milling and processing techniques. Strategies for stimulating the carotenoid content in cereals, either by means of traditional breeding methods or by genetic manipulation, are also discussed.

The Relationship between Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic Content in Cereals and Legumes

The antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of 4 cereals (buckwheat, barley, wheat and oat) and 4 legume seeds (faba bean, azuki bean, soybean and mung bean) were determined. The total phenolic content (TPC), determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method, for cereal samples varied from 15.4 to 52.5 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract, while for legume samples varied from 19.1 to 23.8 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract. Antioxidant activities were comparatively assessed by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity, ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. The tested plant extracts showed promising antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity, thus justifying their traditional use. Among examined cereals all the applied methods, except TBA method, have shown that buckwheat have the highest antioxidant activity, while among examined legumes results varied depending on the method used.

Up to 92 % increase of cancer-preventing lunasin in organic spring barley

Lunasin is a plant peptide that has health benefits such as cancer-preventing, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cholesterol-lowering effects. However, there is actually no information on the influence of cropping on the lunasin content of cereals. Therefore, we studied lunasin in 22 spring barley genotypes grown both organically and conventionally during two seasons. We found that lunasin content of barley grain averaged 44.8 μg/g, ranging from 5.0 to 189.0 μg/g. Organic farming increased average lunasin content by 47–92 %. Ten out of 22 genotypes produced significantly more lunasin under organic farming in both years. Our findings evidence positive effects of organic farming on lunasin content in barley.

A Review on the Applications of Portable Near-Infrared Spectrometers in the Agro-Food Industry

Industry has created the need for a cost-effective and nondestructive quality-control analysis system. This requirement has increased interest in near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, leading to the development and marketing of handheld devices that enable new applications that can be implemented in situ. Portable NIR spectrometers are powerful instruments offering several advantages for nondestructive, online, or in situ analysis: small size, low cost, robustness, simplicity of analysis, sample user interface, portability, and ergonomic design. Several studies of on-site NIR applications are presented: characterization of internal and external parameters of fruits and vegetables; conservation state and fat content of meat and fish; distinguishing among and quality evaluation of beverages and dairy products; protein content of cereals; evaluation of grape ripeness in vineyards; and soil analysis. Chemometrics is an essential part of NIR spectroscopy manipulation because wavelength-dependent scattering effects, instrumental noise, ambient effects, and other sources of variability may complicate the spectra. As a consequence, it is difficult to assign specific absorption bands to specific functional groups. To achieve useful and meaningful results, multivariate statistical techniques (essentially involving regression techniques coupled with spectral preprocessing) are therefore required to extract the information hidden in the spectra. This work reviews the evolution of the use of portable near-infrared spectrometers in the agro-food industry.

Heavy Metal Content of Foods and Health Risk Assessment in the Study Population of Vadodara

Indiscriminate disposal of waste water by industries and use of effluent from the effluent channel for irrigation purpose in the peri-urban areas poses a major threat to food safety. The key objective of this study was therefore to estimate the heavy metal content of foods grown around the city of Vadodara and assess the health risk in the study population. A total of 40 foods and 17 water samples were assayed for heavy metal content using the AAS. The results indicated that the mean Arsenic content of cereals (4ppm), pulses (2.5ppm), other vegetables (1.95ppm), green leafy vegetables (5ppm) and roots and tubers (2.5ppm) exceeded the critical values. Cereals (1.65ppm), fruits (1.98ppm) and curd (2.8ppm) exceeded the critical limits for Cadmium. Mean Arsenic (3.79ppm) and Lead (0.17ppm) content in drinking water was higher than the limits. Health risk assessed using Total Daily Intake (TDI), Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake (PTDI), Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI), provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI), Daily Intake of Metals(DIM), Health Risk Index (HRI) and Total hazard Quotient (THQ) for Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic indicated that the study population was at risk of heavy metal toxicity.

Cereal protein analysis via Dumas method: Standardization of a micro-method using the EuroVector Elemental Analyser

The Dumas method (DM) of protein analysis in foods was standardized using two cereal references in order to identify the main sources of error during analysis; specifically, the study sought to establish which of the apparent critical factors (ACFs) were really significant influencing factors (IF) for the application of the DM to protein analysis in cereals.Using a non-geometric Plackett-Burman experimental design augmented to resolution IV via fold-over by increasing to twenty-four runs, the following eleven ACFs were investigated: sample weight (WS), capsule sealing process (CW), carrier gas flow (PC), purge gas flow (FHe), oxygen volume (O2), oxygen pressure (ΔO2), sample delay time (SD), sample run time (SR), front furnace temperature (FFT), rear furnace temperature (RFT), and GC oven temperatures (GCT).Two IFs were identified for each of the factors RFT and GCT, so an optimization process was carried out, based on a central composite design.Optimized conditions, ensuring enhanced accuracy and repeatability when determining protein content in cereals using the DM, are reported.

Zinc Fertilization of Cereals for Increased Production and Alleviation of Zinc Malnutrition in India

Zinc deficiency has emerged as the fourth important micronutrient deficiency in humans. Zn deficiency is responsible for diarrhoea in infants, dwarfism in adolescents and loss of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) in adults. The loss of DALYs in India is estimated at 2.8 million. Since cereals are staple food in India and other Asian countries, fortification of their grains with Zn is a simple way to overcome Zn deficiency in humans in these areas. Efforts are underway to breed cereal cultivars with grains higher in zinc, but this requires considerable time. Fertilization of cereals with Zn is a faster, quicker and certain way to increase zinc content in cereals and this practice needs to be put in place without any delay.

Lignan Content in Cereals, Buckwheat and Derived Foods.

Cereal foods are a fundamental part of a balanced diet and several studies have assigned to wholemeal cereal products a protective role in human health, due to their content of bioactive compounds. Within the phytochemicals, lignans are of increasing interest for their potential anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities. The aim of this work is to contribute to the updating of food lignan databases by providing the profile and the amount of lignans in cereals, buckwheat and several cereal based foods commonly consumed in human diets. Values were taken from published papers. Items were divided in different groups, namely grains, brans and flours, bread, cereal staple foods, breakfast cereals and other cereal products, and values for secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, pinoresinol, lariciresinol are given. For example, the total average values for the mentioned lignans in grains ranged between 23 μg/100 g and 401 μg/100 g dry weight. The contribution of each single lignan molecule to the total value of lignans appears to be different for every cereal species. Lignan content and typology in processed foods depends on the raw materials used, their degree of refinement and on processing conditions.

Variability in the contents of pork meat nutrients and how it may affect food composition databases

Pork meat is generally recognised as a food with relevant nutritional properties because of its content in high biological value proteins, group B vitamins, minerals especially heme iron, trace elements and other bioactive compounds. But pork meat also contributes to the intake of fat, saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, and other substances that, in inappropriate amounts, may result in negative physiologically effects. However, there are relevant factors affecting the content of many of these substances and somehow such variability should be taken into consideration. So, genetics, age and even type of muscle have a relevant influence on the amount of fat and the contents in heme iron. Also the composition in fatty acids of triacylglycerols is very sensitive to the contents of cereals in the feed; for instance, polyunsaturated fatty acids may range from 10% to 22% in pork meat. The content of other nutrients, like vitamins E and A, are also depending on the type of feed. Some bioactive substances like coenzyme Q10, taurine, glutamine, creatine, creatinine, carnosine and anserine show a large dependence on the type of muscle. This manuscript describes the main factors affecting the composition of pork meat nutrients and how these changes may affect the general food composition databases.

Nutritional quality of Australian breakfast cereals. Are they improving?

The nutritional quality of Australian breakfast cereals is not systematically monitored despite the importance of breakfast for general health. We examined whether the nutritional quality of Australian breakfast cereals has improved between 2004 and 2010, and whether any change could be detected after the introduction of Daily Intake Guide (DIG) front-of-pack labelling. Supermarket surveys were conducted in 2004 and 2010 using the same methodology to collect information from the nutrition information panels of Australian breakfast cereals and the nutrient content of cereals was compared by year. Breakfast cereals with and without DIG labelling in 2010 were also compared. Nutritional quality was assessed using UK Traffic Light criteria. No significant difference was detected in nutritional composition of breakfast cereals between 2004 and 2010. There was no notable improvement in nutritional composition of breakfast cereals marketed as the same product in both years. Overall there has been little improvement in the nutritional quality of Australian breakfast cereals in the 6year period. A large proportion of Australian breakfast cereals were considered high sugar. In conclusion, the introduction of DIG labelling does not appear to have promoted product reformulation, and breakfast cereals carrying DIG labels were not consistently healthier.

Application of edible coatings to partially dehydrated pineapple for use in fruit–cereal products

The present work analyzes the application method and the effectiveness of edible coatings based on caseinates or chitosan in partially dehydrated pineapple for its use in dry fruit–cereal products. Commercial breakfast cereals and partially dehydrated pineapples prepared by osmotic dehydration and vacuum impregnation were used for the experiments. Four coating application techniques, working at atmospheric pressure or applying vacuum impregnation, were used for coating the pineapple samples. Coated and uncoated samples were stored, at 20°C with breakfast cereals and were subsequently analyzed weekly during 6months. Critical water activity and critical water content for the glass transition of the cereals at 20°C were estimated as 0.60 and 9.1g water/100g of product, respectively. Results show that the application of coatings by vacuum impregnation and sample air drying after coating, considerably extends the shelf-life of the pineapple–cereal system when caseinate based coatings are used. Chitosan based coatings are less effective to limit water vapor transfer and the critical moisture content of cereals are reached during the storage period.

Evaluation and identification of wheat-Aegilopsaddition lines controlling high grain iron and zinc concentration and mugineic acid production

Iron and zinc deficiency affects more than half of the world population due to low inherent micronutrient content of cereals and other staple foods. The micronutrient deficiency is further aggravated by poor availability of these minerals in calcareous soils and their uptake by crop plants. Series of available wheat-Aegilops addition lines were evaluated for identification of alien chromosomes carrying genes for high grain iron and zinc concentrations and release of mugineic acid(s) facilitating micronutrient uptake under their deficient conditions. Addition lines of chromosome 2Sv, 2Uv and 7Uv of Ae. peregrina, 2Sl and 7Sl of Ae. longissima and 2U of Ae. umbellulata were found to carry genes for high grain iron whereas the group 7 chromosomes had genes for higher grain zinc. Higher release of mugineic acid (MA) under iron deficient condition was observed in addition lines of chromosome 2Sv, 2Uv, 4Uv and 7Sv of Ae. peregrina, 2Sl and 6Sl of Ae. longissima and 2U and 5U of Ae. umbellulata. Higher grain and...

Enhancement of the folate content in Egyptian pita bread

IntroductionEgypt has a high incidence of neural tube defects related to folate deficiency. One major food source for folate is pita (baladi) bread, which is consumed daily. Bioprocessing (e.g. germination) has been reported to increase the folate content in cereals. The aim was to produce pita bread with increased folate content using germinated wheat flour (GWF).MethodsPrior to milling the effects of germination and drying conditions on folate content in wheat grains were studied. Pita bread was baked from wheat flour substituted with different levels of GWF. The folate content in dough and bread and rheological properties of dough were determined.ResultsGermination of wheat grains resulted in, depending on temperature, 3- to 4-fold higher folate content with a maximum of 61 µg/100 g DM (dry matter). The folate content in both flour and bread increased 1.5 to 4-fold depending on the level of flour replacement with GWF. Pita bread baked with 50% sieved GWF was acceptable with respect to colour and layer separation, and had a folate content of 50 µg/100 g DM compared with 30 µg/100 g DM in conventional pita bread (0% GWF).ConclusionUsing 50% GWF, pita bread with increased folate content, acceptable for the Egyptian consumer, was produced. Consumption of this bread would increase the average daily folate intake by 75 µg.

고초균을 이용한 볶은 콩과 곡류 혼합 발효물의 물성 및 기능성 평가

본 연구에서는 콩 비린내가 감소되고 고소한 풍미가 증진된 볶은 콩에 다양한 볶은 곡류 분말을 혼합하여 Bacillus subtilis HA 고초균을 이용한 고체발효를 행하였다. 발효 원료의 수분함량 및 발효 시간에 따른 결과 볶은 콩 분말 대비 수분 1배 첨가된 초기 수분함량 52.6%에서 24시간 발효 후에 protease 활성이 42.6 unit/g으로 높았으며, 점질물 함량 역시 10.60%로 높았다. 발효 48시간째 tyrosine 함량과 protease 활성이 24시간째보다 높게 나타났으나, 발효취가 강하게 생성되어 발효 24시간이 가장 적합한 것으로 나타났다. 곡류 분말(보리, 현미) 종류에 따른 발효조건 최적화를 위해 실시한 결과 현미 첨가 시 점질물 함량이 유의적으로 증가되었고 특히 80% 첨가 시 24.55%로 대조구에 비해 약 2배 향상되었고, 보리는 60% 첨가 시 혈전용해효소 활성이 11.8 unit/g으로 대조구에 비해 약 2배 증진된 것을 확인하였다. 혈전용해효소 활성이 가장 우수했던 볶은 콩 대비 보리 60% 첨가 발효물에 청국장에서 분리한 균주 4가지를 접종하여 혈전용해효소 활성 및 비타민 K2 함량을 각각 알아 본 결과 B. subtilis HA가 11.8 unit/g, 2.36 ㎍/g으로 가장 효과적이었다.

Effect of food processing on the resistant starch content of cereals and cereal products – a review

SummaryDepending on the conditions, processing of cereal grains may cause an increase or a decrease in the resistant starch (RS) content. This review discusses the impact of some of the processing techniques (cooking, tempering and extrusion) on the RS contents of cereals and cereal products. In addition to processing, the review briefly summarises the effects of lipids, dietary fibre and sugars, which may be present within the food matrix, on starch digestibility. The review also provides definitions for the four types of RS (RS type 1, 2, 3 and 4) and brief information about the beneficial effects of RS on human health.

Risk effects of the spread route of mycotoxins

In Hungary the mycotoxin is a great problem, because there are many natural toxins in wheat and maize. These cereals can be found onconsiderable proportion of the country’s sowing area, and they are deterministic food for the population. The direct human and animalutilization of the contaminated cereals mean a serious risk in the food chain. In Hungary’s climate the soil is contaminated with pathogenmoulds, particularly Fusarium species, which increase by respective temperature and moisture content in cereals. The Fusarium candecrease the quality of the wheat in different ways: decrease the germination capability and cause visible discoloration and appearance ofmould, reduces the dry material and nutrient content of the grain. From the toxins produced by the Fusarium genus, the trichotecene (T-2,HT-2, deoxinivalenol, nivalenol, diacetoxyscxirpenol, Fusarenon-X) and the estrogenic zearalenon (F-2) are the most common in Hungary.The fumonisins (FB1, FB2, FB3) first identified in 1988, relatively newly discovered, are also important. Major proportion of mycotoxins in ahealthy organization is metabolized by the enzyme system of liver and intestinal bacteria. The toxicity is reduced or even leaves off.However, more toxic and biologically active compounds can be formed. For the reduction of mycotoxin-contamination several possibilitiesare available in the case of storage, processing and feeding.

Lowering of phytic acid content by enhancement of phytase and acid phosphatase activities during sunflower germination

The objective of this work was to investigate the germination of hybrid sunflowers BRS191 and C11 as a means of lowering phytic acid (PA) content by enhancing the activity of endogenous phytase and acid phosphatase. The concentration of PA in hybrid sunflower achenes varied from 2.16 to 2.83g/100g of sample (p < 0.05). The phytase and acid phosphatase activities of sunflowers BRS191 and C11 were the highest on the 4th and 5th days of germination, respectively, with the release of the phosphorus. These results indicated that hybrid sunflower PA reduced and enhance phytase activity at distinct germination periods, which could open up the possibility of applying these enzymes in the control of PA content in cereals, thus improving their nutritional value.

Rapid method for determination of protein content in cereals and oilseeds: validation, measurement uncertainty and comparison with the Kjeldahl method

The objective of this research was to test suitability of the Dumas combustion method to completely substitute the Kjeldahl method in routine laboratory determination of crude protein content in cereals and oilseeds. The validation of the method demonstrated that it is able to determine crude protein content in cereals and oilseeds in an efficient and accurate manner, with a detection limit w(N) = 0.006%, quantification limit w(N) = 0.019%, repeatability precision RSD r = 0.41%, intra-laboratory reproducibility precision RSD R = 0.74%, trueness, expressed in terms of bias b = 0.43%, and linear response between (2.36–19.2) mg N. Measurement uncertainty, expressed as relative expanded uncertainty (coverage factor k = 2, confidence level 95%), was calculated from validation data (U rel = 2.24%). In order to examine the relationship between two methods, 15 cereal grain and oilseed samples were analyzed using Dumas and Kjeldahl procedure. The Kjeldahl procedure gave slightly lower w(N) values than the Dumas procedure: w K(N) = 0.9905 w D(N) = 0.0376 (R 2 = 0.9996). Relative standard deviations and results of homogeneity test obtained during analysis of complex cereal products (cereal breakfast and muesli bars) show that the Dumas combustion method may be less suitable for analysis of such samples compared to Kjeldahl method.

Hydration behaviour of food grains and modelling their moisture pick up as per Peleg’s equation: Part I. Cereals

Cereals and millets generally hydrate at a moderate rate and their hydration behaviour differs in native and in processed state. The study was on the hydration of paddy, milled rice, parboiled rice, wheat, millets and equilibrium moisture content (EMC) on soaking at room temperature. Paddy hydrated very slowly, hydration rate was slow in brown rice but fast in milled rice and highest in waxy rice. In most of the rice varieties, maximum absorption occurred at the end of 30 min. In wheat hydration rate was slow and its EMC was highest (43%). Maize grits of big size hydrated slowly compared to small grits. In coarse cereals EMC varied from 28 to 38%. Foxtail millet hydration was slow whereas that of finger millet was fast. The data were tested on the Peleg's equation, which gave a reasonable fit to experimental data. Peleg's constants k1 and k2 were calculated for the above grains and their hydration behaviour has been predicted. The model fitted very well to milled rice hydration data where the coefficient of variance ranged from 0.9982 to 0.9995. With exception in some millet the hydration data fitted well with the Peleg's equation. Generalized equations have been formulated for prediction of moisture content of cereals and millets.

Review article: Quality protein maize (QPM): Genetic manipulation for the nutritional fortification of maize

Cereals are the only source of nutrition for one-third of the world’s population especially in developing and underdeveloped nations of Sub-Saharan Africa and South-east Asia. The three major cereals, rice, wheat and maize constitute about 85% of total global cereals production amounting to about 200 million tonnes of protein harvest annually at an average of 10% protein content, out of which a sizeable proportion goes into human consumption (Shewry, 2007). A major concern in case of developing nations is that in most cases, a single cereals crop is the major food staple and as such the nutritional profile of cereal crops assumes great significance. Grain protein content of cereals has a very narrow range with rice (5.8-7.7%), maize (9-11%), barley (8-15%) and wheat (7-22%) as reported by various workers. In many developing countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia, maize is the major staple food and often the only source of protein. At global level, maize accounts for 15% of proteins and 20% of calories in world food diet. But unfortunately, the nutritional profile of maize is poor as it is deficient in essential amino acids such as lysine, tryptophan and methionine due to a relatively higher proportion of prolamines in maize storage proteins which are essentially devoid of lysine and tryptophan. The reason concerning this is that lysine, tryptophan and threonine are the limiting amino acids in human beings and non-ruminants. Maize is also an important component of livestock feed especially in developed nations where 78% of total maize production goes into livestock feed. Therefore, breeding strategies aimed at improving the protein profile of maize will go a long way in reducing prevalence and persistence of malnutrition in developing world.