Conventional Wheat Research Articles

Tillage, green manure and residue management accelerate soil carbon pools and hydrolytic enzymatic activities for conservation agriculture based rice-wheat systems

ABSTRACT We studied the effects of tillage, crop residues, and green manure on soil carbon pools and hydrolytic enzyme activity in a sandy loam after five cycles of the rice-wheat system (RWS). Four main plot treatments in rice were combinations of wheat straw and Sesbania green manure (GM) management: (1) puddled transplanted rice (PTR) with no wheat straw, (2) PTR with 25% wheat stubbles (12–15 cm long) retained, (3) PTR with no wheat straw plus GM, and (4) PTR with 25% wheat stubbles plus GM. Three subplots treatments in subsequent wheat were (1) conventional tillage with rice straw removed, (2) zero tillage (ZT) with rice straw removed, and (3) ZT with 100% rice straw retained as a surface mulch. The results showed that PTR with wheat stubbles retained plus GM and ZT wheat with rice straw retained (ZTWRS100) significantly (p< 0.05) increased all the carbon pools and hydrolytic enzymes except phenol oxidase and peroxidase activities. The carbon management index under ZTWRS100 retained was significantly higher than zero-till or conventional till wheat without residue. The principal component analysis identified active carbon, less labile carbon pools; xylanase and dehydrogenase hydrolytic enzymes as the most reliable sensitive indicators for assessing soil quality for conservation agriculture (CA) – based practices in RWS. The study showed that adoption of PTR with 25%-anchored wheat stubbles retained plus GM in rice followed by ZTWRS100 in wheat was the best crop production strategy for enhanced carbon pools, hydrolytic enzymatic activities and gives an idea of its overall fitness for carrying out ecosystem functions.

Zero till in wheat from the gender perspective in Nepal

Different tillage practices such as zero-till direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR), zero-till maize (ZTM), and zero-till wheat (ZTW) were implemented in the farmer's field of Sunsari district were evaluated. However, the focus was on ZTW because of high its competitiveness with cheaper wheat from abroad. Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Famers households keeping records, field monitoring, key informant interviews were the primary source of data whereas literature and desktop review were done for secondary data. Zero till wheat operation scale out of the machine use had been increased, by 61.25% out of 109.63ha land in Bhokraha and 66.49 % out of 55.3ha of land in Kaptangunj. Whereas, a new node Chitaha was established with the initiation of non-respondent farmer's where the area occupied 26ha in the year of 2019 respectively as compared to the base year that of 2014. Yield advantage was not much higher with ZTW, the additional benefit of almost 34% over conventional till wheat (CTW) was sufficient enough for the farmers to decide to adopt zero tillage technology. Farmers perceived about 17% saving in seed requirement, 13% saving in irrigation amount and time, and 44% saving in total labor cost with ZTW to make it more profitable as compared to CTW. Among different methods of extension, farmers’ field day with 63% and field trial with 48% with women's participation shows the most effective method to create awareness. Although the percentage of the working hour for the female worker is higher the number of the total hour has been decreased for both the man and women and the total 303.64hr/ha has been saved.

Development of multigrain cookies by incorporating wheatgrass powder

Wheatgrass at young green stage is a powerhouse of nutrients and phytochemicals. With an aim to develop wheatgrass enriched health foods. Ayurveda describes it as immunomodulator, antioxidant, astringent, laxative, diuretic and antibacterial. Wheatgrass is used for the treatment of acidity, colitis, kidney malfunction, swelling wounds and vitiated conditions. Wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) belongs to the family of Poaceae, which has many medicinal values and health benefits. They are excellent source of vitamin, minerals, antioxidant, amino acids, protein, chlorophyll and active enzymes. In the present study wheat was processed and grown as grass. This grass was dried in shade and powdered to obtain wheatgrass powder. Dried powder of wheatgrass was incorporated in cookies. In India cookies are widely consumed and most popular bakery products compared to conventional wheat flour cookies. The present investigation is undertaken on the utilization of wheat flour, ragi flour, bajra flour, Bengal gram flour, barley flour, oat flour, along with wheat grass powder for the preparation of protein rich and iron rich cookies. A product development with wheat grass and nutrient analysis is an attempt to find out the nutrient composition of wheat grass powder even under processing of baking at the temperature of 100 to 150 oC cookies were prepared in various percentages at 5%, 10%, 20% and 30% to the changing food needs and socio economic pattern cookies which offer a good nutrition and better taste. The functional properties, sensory properties of cookies were studied. Cookies with 5% wheat grass powder have shown greater acceptability in the sense of color and taste. The overall acceptability score in sensory evolution. We are found to be maximum for cookies prepared with incorporation of 5% wheat grass powder. There is high nutritional value for these cookies when compared with control sample cookies which were accepted by semi panelists. There is a protein, carbohydrate, fat, ash and moisture values are 12.77%, 65.690%, 18.09%, 0.26% and 3.176% respectively were developed by incorporation of wheat grass powder. In Cost Analysis of cookies, it was noted that the cost of raw materials remains highest i.e. 83.30% of the total production cost, and processing cost remains at second place i.e. 12.474% of the total production cost of cookies.

Investigating the impact of Zero Tillage on small farmer’s wheat production and Income: A case of District Sialkot, Pakistan

Zero tillage (ZT) implies the practice of planting a new crop in the soil left unprepared after the harvesting of the previous crop. The most dominant benefit of no-tillage is an improvement in soil biological fertility, making soils more resilient. Zero-tillage also reduces the cost of production and saves time for sowing of wheat by 10-15 days as compared to conventional tillage. District Sialkot was selected as the study areas of this study based on its diversity in agriculture and the probability of zero tillage practices in this area. Two groups of respondents were selected with almost similar socioeconomics characteristics practicing their farming operations under similar biophysical conditions. The first group comprises small farmers who were practicing conventional tillage technology and the second group include small farmers who were practicing zero tillage technology. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of zero tillage on small farmers’ wheat production and to assess the impact of zero tillage on small farmers’ income arising from the wheat crop. We collected primary data from 150 farmers through a structured questionnaire in district Sialkot of Punjab Province of Pakistan. The study identified that zero tillage wheat growing farmers used more quantity of seed than conventional wheat growing farmers in the study area. While a number of irrigations is also used more in conventional wheat as compared to Zero Tillage wheat. The results reflected that conventional farmers spend more on fertilizer, irrigation, chemical application than the zero tillage farmers. Variable cost is also higher for the conventional technique (Rs. 13698.02) than the zero tillage technique (Rs. 9723.9). Conventional wheat farmers have to spend more not only for irrigation but have to take extra care to look after in form of labor for their wheat crop, because of heavy investment made in conventional tillage wheat crop.

Evaluation of an Ileorectostomised Rat Model for Resistant Starch Determination.

The human ileostomy model, widely considered the benchmark for determining in vivo starch digestibility, has disadvantages. The ileorectostomised rat model (IRM) is a possible surrogate but evidence as to its validity is scant. In this preliminary study, the resistant starch (RS) content of test breads made from refined low (LAW-R) and high amylose wheat (HAW-R) flours was established in a randomised cross-over trial involving six human ileostomy participants. Starch digestibility of refined breads and diets made from these flours was then evaluated in ileorectostomised rats using a similar experimental format. Physical performance measures and other data were also collected for the rat model. The amount of RS in the low- and high-amylose breads as measured using the human model was 0.8 ± 0.1 and 6.5 ± 0.3 g/100 g, respectively. The RS level of HAW-R bread determined using ileorectostomised rats was 5.5 ± 0.8 g/100 g, about 15% less than that recorded in the human study, whereas for conventional wheat breads the models produced similar RS values. While offering promise, further validation using a wide variety of starchy food products is needed before the IRM can be considered an acceptable alternative for RS determination.

Just wheat transitions?: working toward constructive structural changes in wheat production

ABSTRACT How do we make agricultural practice more sustainable? One way to examine the drivers and barriers to change within agriculture is through the sustainability transitions framework. However, this approach has been criticised for not adequately engaging with the lessons of food justice. To correct this deficiency, we suggest the concept, “just transitions.” Our argument deploys a structural-constructivist perspective to hone in on the lived experiences of organic and conventional wheat farmers, especially their challenges and opportunities in transitioning to organic wheat production. The findings reflect tensions, contradictions, and opportunities in environmental ethics, policies, infrastructure, and socio-economic perspectives and positions. Examining structural level proposals, such as the Green New Deal and the Good Food Purchasing Program, our findings suggest more work needs to be done to adequately include rural farmer perspectives, particularly when it comes to the construction of what “good” farming looks and feels like. Specifically, by not including the lived experiences of farmers into these transitions, policymakers and other advocates may struggle to integrate plans that adequately reflect 1) varying regional biophysical characteristics, farmer practices, and sustainability goals; 2) interactions that contribute to tradeoffs within and between both policies and advocacy; 3) the infrastructural path-dependency of farm operations; 4) and the economic and social beliefs, norms, and values which shape what “good” farming looks and feels like. Until this accomplished, it will be hard to envision a transition considered “just” by all stakeholders.

Characteristics of Technological Properties of Grain and Flour from Ancient Varieties of Wheat (Einkorn, Emmer and Spelt)

Abstract The study presents assessment of commodity characteristics of grains from ancient varieties of wheat (einkorn, emmer and spelt) in comparison to grains of the conventional wheat cultivar Arkadia. The findings related to the grain of einkorn and emmer were very similar, and far worse than those related to spelt grain; the latter were found with better ratings, sometimes even in comparison to the conventional wheat grain (e.g. the highest mass-weight density). Similar relationships were observed between the flours produced by milling the grains. Analysis of the indirect baking quality indicators showed that flours from einkorn and emmer can effectively be used for baking purposes, however they present low technological value. The flour from emmer wheat was found to be the poorest, which was confirmed e.g. by the low gluten number, gluten index, Zeleny’s index, and high gluten spreadability. Spelt flour was found to present moderate technological value. Based on the results it can be concluded that by using adequate modification in the process of dough kneading and fermentation it will be possible to produce high quality baked goods from ancient wheat grains.

Influence of Crop Establishment Techniques, Fertilization and Microbial Consortia on Potassium Nutrition of Wheat

A field experiment was conducted for 2 years (2013-14 and 2014-15) during winter (Rabi) season at Research Farm of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India with an objective to study the significance of two microbial consortia inoculations, zinc (Zn) fertilization (5 kg Zn ha-1 through ZnSO4∙7H2O soil application in each crop at sowing) and three rates of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization on potassium (K) concentration, uptake and as well as ammonium acetate (NH4OAC)-extractable K content in soil at different growth stages in wheat. The microbial consortia used were Anabaena sp. (CR1) + Providencia sp. (PR3) and Anabaena-Pseudomonas biofilmed bio-fertilizer; while rate of fertilization were 0, 75% and 100% of recommended rate of nutrients (RDN) (120 kg N ha-1 and 25.8 kg P ha-1). The concentration and uptake of K was significantly higher in zero tillage wheat (ZTW) than conventional drill-sown wheat (CDW) and system of wheat intensification (SWI) at all observations except at 30 days after sowing. The application of 100% RDN and Zn fertilization have significant and positive effect on K uptake. The microbial consortia increase K concentration and uptake by 0.09-0.12 mg kg-1 and 9.9-12.7 kg ha-1 in straw and 0.08-0.11 mg kg-1 and 3.8-5.6 kg ha-1 in grain. The soil ammonium acetate (NH4OAC)-extractable K decreased by 87-108 kg ha-1 and 19-44 kg ha-1 in first and second year, respectively over initial soil K even after application of recommended rate of K (49.8 kg ha-1). Our study concludes the significant increase in K uptake due to ZTW and use of microbial consortia and there is the need for redeciding K fertilization in wheat for sustained productivity.

Can extended phenology in wheat cultivar mixtures mitigate post-anthesis water stress?

Wheat cultivar mixtures have a well-explored potential for improving crop diversity, yield stability, and agronomic features. However, it is unclear whether heterogeneity of phenological traits in such mixtures may help to cope with increasing environmental stresses and uncertainties. To investigate the option of using wheat cultivar mixtures with different ripening patterns for mitigating the adverse effects of post-anthesis water stress, a two-year field experiment was conducted during 2014−15 and 2015−16 growing seasons at the research field of School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Iran. The factorial experiment was a Randomized Complete Block Design with 3 replicates, in which 15 mixture treatments including monocultures and every 11 possible mixtures of four early- to middle-ripening wheat cultivars were grown under two normal and post-anthesis deficit-irrigation conditions. The results indicated that under the stressful conditions, heterogeneity in the ripening pattern of mixtures was diminished. Consequently, dissimilarities in grain yields as well as various agronomic characteristics of mixture treatments were also lessened. Although cultivar mixtures showed some casual beneficial effects, such advantages were not consistent across all conditions. Besides, cultivar mixtures could not mitigate the post-anthesis water stress significantly. However, only when the total averaged values of Susceptibility Index across the two seasons were assessed, a tendency for decreasing SI (up to 5.9 %) was observed in response to the extended phenology, which may suggest further studies for investigating the cultivar mixtures in long-term cropping systems. Despite the general expectation for beneficial ecological services from cultivar mixtures, in many cases there were disadvantageous blends, which led to a considerable reduction in grain yield and water productivity in single growing seasons. Therefore, it is suggested that unless the performance, and preferably the involved mechanisms of cultivar mixtures are fully understood, use of blends as an alternative for conventional high-input wheat cropping systems may lead to adverse results.

Grain Yield and Beef Cow–Calf Growth Performance in Dual-Purpose and Conventional Grain Wheat Production Systems and Stockpiled Tall Fescue Pasturing

Dualpurpose wheat (Triticum aestivum L) can be used for cattle grazing while producing grain from the same crop. In a two-year study, wheat forage production, grain yield, and growth performance of beef cow–calf pairs grazed on wheat pasture for 2–3 weeks in spring was compared with the conventional wheat grain production system and stockpiled tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea (L.) Schreb) pasturing. Grazing wheat resulted in grain yield (4.1 vs. 4.6 t ha−1) and test weight (65.9 vs. 66.7 kg hL−1) similar to the conventional grain production system. Wheat accumulated significantly lower forage dry matter yield (0.9 vs. 1.9 t ha−1) in spring with higher crude protein (190.2–290.2 vs. 122.0–151.0 g kg−1) and low fiber contents compared to the stockpiled tall fescue pasture. Wheat pasture presented risk for the development of grass tetany with regard to N, K, Na, and Mg contents. Calves grazed on wheat gained 1143–1370 gd−1 body weight compared to the 826–879 gd−1 in the stockpiled tall fescue pasturing. Cows had inconsistent and mixed body weight change response. With warmer temperatures and adequate precipitation controlled grazing of wheat in spring by beef cow–calves offered weight gain benefits exceeding the stockpiled tall fescue pasturing and grain production similar to the conventional wheat grain system.

Effects of simulated drought on biological soil quality, microbial diversity and yields under long-term conventional and organic agriculture.

ABSTRACTDrought and agricultural management influence soil microorganisms with unknown consequences for the functioning of agroecosystems. We simulated drought periods in organic (biodynamic) and conventional wheat fields and monitored effects on soil water content, microorganisms and crops. Above the wilting point, water content and microbial respiration were higher under biodynamic than conventional farming. Highest bacterial and fungal abundances were found in biodynamically managed soils, and distinct microbial communities characterised the farming systems. Most biological soil quality parameters and crop yields were only marginally affected by the experimental drought, except for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which increased in abundance under the experimental drought in both farming systems. AMF were further strongly promoted by biodynamic farming resulting in almost three times higher AMF abundance under experimental drought in the biodynamic compared with the conventional farming system. Our data suggest an improved water storage capacity under biodynamic farming and confirms positive effects of biodynamic farming on biological soil quality. The interactive effects of the farming system and drought may further be investigated under more substantial droughts. Given the importance of AMF for the plant's water supply, more in-depth studies on AMF may help to clarify their role for yields under conditions predicted by future climate scenarios.

Metabolomics and gene expression analysis reveal the accumulation patterns of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids in different colored-grain wheats (Triticum aestivum L.)

Colored-grain wheats have received increasing attention owing to their high nutritional values. In this study, we compared the metabolomes of four pigmented wheat cultivars with conventional yellow wheat using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS)-based metabolomics approach. A total of 711 metabolites were identified, and considerable differences were observed in the flavonoid and phenylpropanoid metabolites among five samples by orthogonal signal correction and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) analysis. These differential metabolites were significantly enriched in the “anthocyanin biosynthesis”, “flavones and flavonols biosynthesis”, and “flavonoids biosynthesis” pathways. Furthermore, the expression of 9 structural genes and 2 regulatory genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results suggested that blue, red, purple, and black wheat cultivars showed higher transcription levels of structural and regulatory genes in the flavonoid pathway than that of conventional yellow wheat, possibly accounting for the abundant anthocyanin accumulation in the grains of these four cultivars. This study laid a foundation for understanding the accumulation of flavonoids and coloration mechanisms in colored-grain wheats, and provides a theoretical basis for their sufficient utilization.

Yield-related agronomic traits evaluation for hybrid wheat and relations of ethylene and polyamines biosynthesis to filling at the mid-grain filling stage

Because of the yield increase of 3.5–15% compared to conventional wheat, hybrid wheat is considered to be one of the main ways to greatly improve the wheat yield in the future. In this study, we performed a principal component analysis (PCA) on two-line hybrids wheat and their parents using the grain weight (GW), the length of spike (LS), the kernel number of spike (KSN), and spike number (SPN) as variables. The results showed that the variables could be classified into three main factors, the weight factor (factor 1), the quantity factor 1 (factor 2) and the quantity factor 2 (factor 3), which accounted for 37.1, 22.6 and 18.5%, respectively of the total variance in different agronomic variables, suggesting that the GW is an important indicator for evaluating hybrid combinations, and the grain weight of restorer line (RGW) could be used as a reference for parents selection. The hybrid combination with a higher score in factor 1 direction and larger mid-parent heterosis (MPH) of the GW and its parents were used to carry out the analysis of grain filling, 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylicacid (ACC) and polyamine synthesis related genes. The results suggested that the GW of superior grain was significantly higher than that of inferior grains in BS1453×JS1 (H) and its parents. Both grain types showed a weight of H between BS1453 (M) and JS1(R), and a larger MPH, which may be caused by their differences in the active filling stage and the grain filling rate. The ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), granule bound starch synthase I (GBSSI), starch synthase III (SSS), and starch branching enzyme-I (SBE-I) expression levels of H were intermediated between M and R, which might be closely related to MPH formation of the GW. Compared with R and H, the GW of M at maturity was the lowest. The expression levels of spermidine synthase 2 (Spd2), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) had significantly positive correlations with the grain filling rate (r=0.77*, 0.51*, 0.59*), suggesting their major roles in the grain filling and heterosis formation. These provide a theoretical basis for improving the GW of photo-thermo-sensitive male sterile lines (PTSMSL) by changing the endogenous polyamine synthesis in commercial applications.

Waxy wheat extrusion: Impacts of twin‐screw extrusion on hard red waxy wheat flour

AbstractBackground and objectivesTwo varieties of hard red spring waxy wheat were extruded with varying barrel temperatures, screw speeds, feed moistures, and screw profiles to determine their extrusion processing characteristics. A nonwaxy control wheat was also extruded to examine differences that occur in the extrusion of waxy wheat.FindingsIt was found that radial expansion ratios of waxy wheat were approximately 4.5 with specific conditions and were similar to expansion ratios obtained from nonwaxy wheat. However, specific mechanical energy requirements for nonwaxy wheat far exceeded both of the waxy wheat varieties to produce this expansion. In doing so, the nonwaxy wheat also produced extrusion pressures that were nearly double that of pressures generated from waxy wheat.ConclusionsThe results demonstrated that hard red waxy wheat may offer a low‐energy extrusion alternative to conventional wheat flour extrusion.Significance and noveltyThis study highlights the differences in the processing energy consumption between hard red waxy wheat and nonwaxy wheat. The results demonstrate that waxy wheat may offer lower operational costs for extrusion and presents excellent potential in the development of new consumer food products.

Productivity, profitability and input-use efficiency of direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa) under conservation agriculture

A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2016-17 at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to assess the long term impact of conservation agriculture (CA) on productivity, profitability and input-use efficiency of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under a rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS). Pooled results revealed that rice grain yield under the CA-based zero till direct seeded rice (ZTDSR) + mungbean residue (MR) – zero till wheat (ZTW) + rice residue (RR) – zero tilled summer mungbean (ZTM) + wheat residue (WR) both with 100% N (4.9 t/ha) and 75% N (4.8 t/ha) was statistically comparable to the conventional practice, i.e. transplanted puddled rice (TPR) – conventional till wheat (CTW) (5.2 t/ha) and TPR – ZTW (5.4 t/ha). Although rice grain yield under ZTDSR+MR–ZTW+RR– ZTM+WR [100% N] was ~5.7% lower compared to farmers’ practice TPR–CTW, net returns of rice (₹ 41.1×103 / ha) was 119.5% higher compared to TPR-CTW, chiefly due to the lower cost of cultivation of ZT-DSR (₹ 47.5×103 / ha) as compared to CT-TPR (₹ 74.8×103 /ha). Partial factor productivity of NPK was highest under the CA treatment ZTDSR+MR–ZTW+RR–ZTM+WR [75% N] (32 kg grain/kg NPK) while ZTDSR+MR–ZTW+RR–ZTM+WR [75% N] [100% N] observed the highest irrigation water use efficiency (0.57 kg/m3). Thus, the novel CA practice ZTDSR+MR–ZTW+RR–ZTM+WR can provide comparable rice yields with higher net returns and nutrient (75% N) and irrigation use efficiencies compared to conventional farmers practice TPR–CTW and hence its adoption may be recommended.

Development and standardization of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) incorporated multigrain cookies

The present investigation was undertaken on the utilization of finger millet, pearl millet, sorghum and flax seed for preparation of multigrain cookies when compared to conventional wheat flour cookies. The gluten content and calorific value are less when compared to control cookies made by wheat flour. The glycemic index of stevia is zero, which is useful for diabetic people when compared to sugar (high glycemic index). On the basis of the scores in organoleptic evaluation conducted using 9-point hedonic scale, T2 cookies prepared using wheat (12.5%), finger millet (24%), pearl millet (25%), sorghum (26%), flax seed (12.5%) to which 6g of stevia added was standardized. The proximate composition of standardized cookies showed a mean percentage of moisture as 3.20±0.85, ash 2.24±0.12, fat 19.5±1.7, protein 12.5±0.85, crude-fiber 3.3±0.84 and carbohydrates 59.17±3.66 g/100g.

Clinical Characteristics and Proposed Wheat-Cofactor Challenge Protocol with a High Diagnostic Yield in Adult-Onset IgE-Mediated Wheat Allergy.

BackgroundIgE-mediated wheat allergy in adults can be childhood or adulthood onset. Adult-onset wheat allergy has been reported, but data on clinical characteristics and practical food challenge protocols are scarce.ObjectiveWe aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of adult-onset wheat allergy, laboratory results, and outcomes of a modified 3-day challenge protocol using a combination of aspirin, wheat, and exercise.Patients and MethodsPatients with histories compatible with adult-onset wheat allergy were recruited from Siriraj Hospital, Thailand. Clinical history, skin prick tests (SPTs), and specific IgE (sIgE) levels were ascertained. Patients with no food challenge contraindications were asked to volunteer for wheat challenge. A modified 3-day protocol using 300 mg of acetylsalicylic acid, 60–75 g of wheat flour, and exercise was used for confirmatory diagnosis of conventional wheat allergy (WA) and wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA).ResultsThirty-three patients were recruited. The mean age of onset was 29.7 years (SD 10.5). SPTs yielded positivity rates of 9.1%, 84.8%, and 81.8% in commercial wheat, in-house gliadin, and in-house glutenin extracts, respectively. sIgE yielded a positivity rate of 61% and 88% in wheat and ω5-gliadin, respectively. Eighteen patients underwent oral wheat challenges. Of these, 17 patients (94.4%) had positive challenges leading to definite diagnoses of WA (35%), and WDEIA (65%). One WDEIA patient developed hypotensive anaphylaxis in the protocol.ConclusionWDEIA was the most common phenotype. Our modified 3-day protocol could differentiate WA and WDEIA and yielded a high positivity rate (94.4%). It should be used cautiously as severe reactions can occur.

Utilização de farinhas alternativas em produtos de panificação: uma revisão literária

Objetivou-se no presente estudo identificar e descrever artigos científicos encontrados na literatura sobre utilização de farinhas alternativas em produtos de panificação, com identificação dos ingredientes mais utilizados nestas substituições. Pesquisou-se artigos científicos disponíveis em bases de dados como SciELO, Lilacs, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Science Direct e Google Acadêmico. Utilizando-se apenas de estudos que foram publicados nos idiomas inglês e português. No processo de busca foram utilizados termos representativos do projeto de pesquisa, sendo eles: farinhas alternativas, panificação e pão. Foram utilizados 42 artigos publicados entre 2003 e 2020. As farinhas de arroz, banana, cevada, ervilha e chia proporcionaram aos produtos de panificação potencialização das características sensoriais, tecno-funcionais e nutricionais, sem comprometer a qualidade final dos produtos de panificação e por muitas vezes trazendo benefícios à saúde do consumidor. É de comum acordo entre os pesquisadores que existe uma alternativa na utilização destas farinhas não convencionais na indústria de panificação, pois dependendo do tipo de processamento, características das farinhas e porcentagem de substituição, que pode ser total ou parcial, proporcionaria às massas funcionalidades que muitas vezes são superiores aos de produtos que utilizam a farinha de trigo convencional.

Enhancing phosphorus and iron nutrition of wheat through crop establishment techniques and microbial inoculations in conjunction with fertilization

ABSTRACT Feld experiments were undertaken at the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in the winter seasons of 2013–14 and 2014–15. The objective of the study was to evaluate the significance of three crop establishment methods viz., conventional drill sown wheat, the system of wheat intensification, and zero tillage wheat and rates of nitrogen, phosphorus (P), and zinc (Zn) fertilization in conjunction with use of microbial consortia for P and iron (Fe) nutrition of wheat. The variations in P and Fe concentration and uptake in the wheat plant as well as soil NaHCO3-extractable P at different growth stages and alkaline phosphatase activity were selected to deduce the contribution of variables in the nutrition of wheat. The concentration and uptake of P and Fe were found significantly higher in zero tillage wheat with 1.3–1.4 kg ha–1 and 195–203 g ha–1 higher total P and Fe uptake, than conventional drill-sown wheat and system of wheat intensification. Application of 100% recommended dose of nutrients (RDN) (25.8 kg P ha–1 and 120 kg N ha–1) led to significantly higher P concentration and uptake than 75% RDN and absolute control. The application of Anabaena sp. (CR1) + Providencia sp (PR3) consortium and Anabaena–Pseudomonas (An-Ps) biofilmed formulation significantly increased P concentration in grain and straw, with an enhancement in total P uptake by 0.9–1.9 kg ha–1 and significantly higher alkaline phosphatase activity. A positive balance (0.2–2.4 kg ha–1) of soil NaHCO3-extractable P was recorded with the application of microbial consortia. Our study signifies the promise of microbial inoculation, along with recommended N and P fertilization and zero tillage for enhancing P and Fe nutrition of wheat.

Characterization and selection of functional yeast strains during sourdough fermentation of different cereal wholegrain flours

The increasing demand for healthy baked goods boosted studies on sourdough microbiota with beneficial metabolic traits, to be used as potential functional starters. Here, 139 yeasts isolated from cereal-based fermented foods were in vitro characterized for their phytase and antioxidant activities. The molecular characterization at strain level of the best 39 performing isolates showed that they did not derive from cross contamination by baker’s yeast. Afterwards, the 39 isolates were in vivo analyzed for their leavening ability, phytase activity and polyphenols content using five different wholegrain flours, obtained from conventional and pigmented common wheat, emmer and hull-less barley. Combining these findings, through multivariate permutation analysis, we identified the 2 best performing strains, which resulted diverse for each flour. Doughs singly inoculated with the selected strains were further analyzed for their antioxidant capacity, phenolic acids, xanthophylls and anthocyanins content. All the selected yeasts significantly increased the total antioxidant activity, the soluble, free and conjugated, forms of phenolic acids and anthocyanins of fermented doughs. This study revealed the importance of a specific selection of yeast strains for wholegrain flours obtained from different cereals or cultivars, in order to enhance the pro-technological, nutritional and nutraceutical traits of fermented doughs.