Solvent Retention Research Articles

Quality and noodle-making performance of wheat flour with varied gluten strengths altered by addition of various arabinoxylans.

This study examined the effects of adding different types of arabinoxylans (AXs) to wheat flour with varying gluten strengths on flour quality and noodle-making performance, with the aim of utilizing AXs as health-enhanced ingredients. Three flours (Goso, Hojoong, and Joongmo) with low, medium, and high gluten strengths were used, along with two water-extractable AXs (E1 and E2) and one water-unextractable AX (U) with diverse molecular weights and viscosities. The addition of 2% AXs increased the water and sucrose solvent retention capacity values and decreased the gluten performance index values for all flours, with a notable effect on Goso flour by U. The dough development time was prolonged in all flours, necessitating more water for development. The sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation volume increased with the addition of AXs, especially with E2 and U. Pasting properties remained unaffected, suggesting a minimal impact on starch-related properties. However, noodles made with E2 and U showed deteriorated quality in terms of fresh noodle texture, weight gain, cooking water turbidity, and cooked noodle texture, in contrast to noodles made with E1 alone. Additionally, adjusting the water amount when adding U altered the textural properties, approaching that of noodles without added AXs. Overall, the impact of AXs on flour and noodle quality varied depending on their molecular weights, viscosities, and the gluten strength of the flour. Additionally, AXs could be successfully utilized by adjusting the water amount for the production of health-enhancing noodles. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Arabinoxylans, as health-promoting ingredients, can be utilized in noodle production by optimizing the water amount and mixing time.

Assessing the Impact of Arabinoxylans on Dough Mixing Properties and Noodle-Making Performance through Xylanase Treatment.

This study examined the impact of xylanases, focusing on the hydrolysis of water-extractable (WE-AX) and water-unextractable arabinoxylans (WU-AX) and on the quality and noodle-making performance of flours with varying gluten strengths. Flours categorized as strong (S), medium (M), and weak (W) were treated with two xylanases (WE and WU) at concentrations ranging from 0.01% to 0.2%. Parameters such as solvent retention capacity (SRC), SDS sedimentation volume, dough mixing properties, and noodle characteristics were measured. The SRC revealed that flour S had the highest water-holding capacity, gluten strength, and arabinoxylan content. Xylanase treatment reduced water SRC values in flour S and increased the SDS sedimentation volume, with a greater effect from xylanase WU, indicating the potential enhancement of gluten strength. The impact of xylanases was pronounced at higher enzyme concentrations, with differences in dough mixing properties, resistance, and extensibility of fresh noodles, producing softer and stretchable noodles. Cooked noodles made from flours treated with xylanase were softer and had decreased firmness and chewiness, especially those made from flours S and M. This study concludes that WE-AX and WU-AX influence noodle texture; therefore, controlling their degradation with xylanases can produce noodles with varied textures, depending on the gluten strength of the flour.

Characterization and functional properties of muskmelon seed meal and oil

Muskmelon seeds, often discarded as waste, are rich sources of protein and healthy oil, making them excellent alternate sources of fat and protein. Muskmelon seeds of hybrid cultivars were assessed for their physico-chemical and functional properties. Fat and protein content of endosperm varied from 38.77–42.74 % and 22.6–35.17 %, respectively. Muskmelon seed oil showed desired characteristics as per WHO norms with high saponification value of 190.28–197.65. Linoleic acid (60.5–65.6 %) and palmitic acid (8.3–9.5 %) were the major constituent of melon seed oil. Defatted muskmelon seed meals (DSMs) contained 36.45–48.12 % proteins and minerals like potassium, phosphorous, magnesium and calcium. The total polyphenol content of the various DSMs ranged from 11.94 to 15.503 mg GAE/g, and the antioxidant activity quantified as IC50 value, ranged from 24.75–32.97 mg/ml. Chloroform and methanol extract of seeds showed anti-proliferative activity, with IC 50 value varied from 75.07–141.3 µg/ml. Solvent retention capacity of defatted seed meals ranged from 60.94 to 104.5 % (water), 86.87–137.39 % (sodium carbonate), 95.09–123.11 % (lactic acid) and 89.27–138 % (sucrose). WAC and OAC varied from 1.64–2.35 g/g and 1.97–2.13 g/g respectively. Solubility of DSMs varied from 20–35 %, maximal at alkaline pH. Likewise, emulsion activity and solubility also followed classic U-shaped curve and were highest at alkaline pH. The study concluded that muskmelon seeds being rich in protein and oil can be unconventional, sustainable, environmentally friendly and vegan sources of high quality protein and PUFA rich oil.

Properties and characteristics of steam-exploded donkey bone powder and corresponding whole wheat cookies

Steam explosion was found to be the most effective preparation method for donkey bone powder, compared with non-treatment, autoclave and steam processing. And the effect of steam-exploded donkey bone powder (SEDBP) on the quality characteristics of whole wheat cookies was evaluated. Compared with untreated powder, particle size of SEDBP was reduced by 55.60 %, while oil- and water-holding capacity, water solubility and ABTS radical-scavenging rate significantly increased by 13.94 %, 26.86 %, 298.26 % and 91.47 %, respectively. Steam explosion enhanced protein digestibility from 32.17 % to 71.43 %, increased the Ca2+ release rate from 37.47 % to 47.82 %, and increased the release of 11 amino acids during digestion. SEDBP reduced the solvent retention capacity of flour blends and improved the color, hardness and spread ratio of whole wheat cookies. Cookies with 30 % SEDBP addition had better flavor, texture and scored the highest on overall acceptability. The results will help expand animal bone applications and develop nutrition-fortified foods.

Elucidation of the genetic architecture of water absorption capacity in hard winter wheat through genome wide association study.

Water absorption capacity (WAC) influences various aspects of bread making, such as loaf volume, bread yield, and shelf life. Despite its importance in the baking process and end-product quality, its genetic determinants are less explored. To address this limitation, a genome-wide association study was conducted on 337 hard wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes evaluated over 5 years in multi-environmental trials. Phenotyping was done using the solvent retention capacity (SRC) test with water (SRC-water), sucrose (SRC-sucrose), lactic acid (SRC-lactic acid), and sodium carbonate (SRC-carbonate) as solvents. Individuals were genotyped using genotyping-by-sequencing to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms across the wheat genome. To detect the genomic regions that underline the SRCs and gluten performance index (GPI), a genome-wide association study was performed using six multi-locus models using the mrMLM package in R. Adjusted means for SRC-water ranged from 54.1% to 66.5%, while SRC-carbonate exhibited a narrow range from 84.9% to 93.9%. Moderate to high genomic heritability values were observed for SRCs and GPI, ranging from h2=0.61 to 0.88. The genome-wide association study identified a total of 42 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs), of which five explained over 10% of the phenotypic variation (R2 ≥ 10%). Most of the QTNs were detected on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 3B, and 5B. Few QTNs, such as S1A_5190318, S1B_3282665, S4D_472908721, and S7A_37433960, were located near gliadin, glutenin starch synthesis, and galactosyltransferase genes. Overall, these results show WAC to be under polygenic genetic control, with genes involved in the synthesis of key flour components influencing overall water absorption.

Unlocking hidden potential of rice bran: Enzymatic treatment for enhancing techno-functional properties

Rice bran (RB) is a by-product with limited application due to technological constraints. Enhancing its technological functionality as potential food ingredient will improve the sustainability of rice production. The aim was to study the impact of enzymatic and thermal treatments on defatted rice bran using six distinct commercial enzymes (carbohydrases and proteases) and dry heating by evaluating its technological, nutritional and functional properties. Enzymatic treatment increased up to 208% the soluble dietary fiber content (8.19 g/100 g) of defatted RB. Moreover, the solvent retention capacity, including water, oil, sodium carbonate, and sucrose, exhibited a noteworthy increase across all treatments (p < 0.05). Bran color changed after treatments, increasing its luminosity (L*) and decreasing the value of a* in all cases, but b* decreased when treated with protein-acting enzymes while increased with carbohydrate-acting enzymes. Proteases played a pivotal role in reducing particle size and forming gels requiring minimal force for application. Microscopic analysis revealed that carbohydrases-treated samples exhibited prominent cell wall breakage, while protease-treated ones showed a gel-like surface with less distinct protein bodies and layered walls. These comprehensive study sheds new transformations brought about by these enzymatic interventions, offering valuable insights into the optimization of rice bran functionality.

A universal solvent-replacement strategy to convert alginate hydrogels into mechanically strong and transparent alginate eutectogels for sensitive strain sensors

Eutectogels based on natural polymers have attracted significant attention as an alternative to easily dehydrated hydrogels and expensive ionogels in the development of flexible strain sensors. The feasibility of employing eutectogels derived from pure natural polymers could be greatly enhanced if their mechanical properties satisfy the requirements of applications. Herein, alginate eutectogels (AEs) with high mechanical properties (tensile strain 217 % and strength 2.26 MPa at fracture), and excellent transparency (over 90 %) are acquired via CaCl2 inducing ionic crosslinking and subsequent deep eutectic solvents (DESs, composed of glycerol and choline chloride) initiating physical crosslinking with a universal solvent- replacement strategy. Among them, sodium alginate, a natural polysaccharide polymer, is selected as representative supporting scaffolds and forms water-insoluble alginate hydrogels (AHs) in CaCl2 coagulation bath. The exchange of DESs with water of AHs not only restrengthens the polymer network by physical crosslinking, but also endows the obtained AEs with long-term solvent retention and high temperature resistance. In addition, the AEs not only have high reliability but also exhibit better linear sensitivity in a wide strain range (0–200 %). In particular, the AEs display multiple sensitivity to stretching, bending, and human motions, demonstrating feasibility as sensitive strain sensors.

Predicting wheat flour quality for making Japanese sponge cake using flour pasting properties as measured by the Rapid Visco Analyzer

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to evaluate a series of Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) methods for their ability to produce results that were predictive of Japanese sponge cake (JSC) quality. Two solvents (water and 50% [w/w] sucrose in water) and two temperature profiles [Standard 1 (STD 1) and an internal cake temperature profile] were selected to run across a diverse set of flour samples from two crop years that possessed variable bake performance. The results were analyzed for predictive outcomes for JSC prepared using a mechanical fold method.FindingsThe solvent retention capacity (SRC) results did not show any significant trends with JSC quality. The RVA results from both profiles using water as the solvent did not show a significant correlation with JSC quality while the 50% (w/w) sucrose solvent was significantly correlated (p ≤ .01). The STD 1 and internal cake temperature profile batter pasting viscosity (BPV) using the sucrose solvent showed significant (p ≤ .01) correlations with mechanical folded JSC volume (r = .97), firmness (r = −.88), and overall score (r = .85).ConclusionsThe RVA BPV results showed that a 50% sucrose solvent could more accurately be used to predict and screen for JSC quality outcomes. Both RVA profiles could be used with a sucrose solvent to predict JSC quality. JSC volume and overall score showed significant positive correlations with BPV while firmness had a significant negative correlation.Significance and NoveltyThis research identified two RVA profiles that when paired with a 50% (w/w) sucrose solvent could be used to screen for JSC quality using less flour and taking less time than a bake test. This test could potentially assist breeders and millers in quicky screening flours for efficient decision making. This is the first time an RVA temperature profile that mimics the internal rise in temperature for a JSC during baking has been used to predict JSC quality. In addition, the STD 1 profile using the 50% (w/w) sucrose solvent has not been previously used to predict JSC quality.

Tuning Optical Properties of Plasmonic Aerosols through Ligand-Solvent Interactions.

Plasmonic nanoparticles are highly tunable light-harvesting materials with a wide array of applications in photonics and catalysis. More recently, there has been interest in using aerosolized plasmonic nanoparticles for cloud formation, airborne photocatalysts, and molecular sensors, all of which take advantage of the large scattering cross sections and the ability of these particles to support intense local field enhancement ("hot spots"). While extensive research has investigated properties of plasmonic particles in the solution phase, surfaces, and films, aerosolized plasmonics are relatively unexplored. Here, we demonstrate how the capping ligand, suspension solvent, and atomization conditions used for aerosol generation control the steady-state optical properties of aerosolized Silica@Au plasmonic nanoshells. Our experimental results, supported with spectral simulations, illustrate that ligand coverage and atomization conditions control the degree of solvent retention and thus the spectral characteristics and potential access to surfaces for catalysis in the aerosol phase, opening a new regime for tunable applications of plasmonic metamaterials.

Registration of ‘FL16045‐25’: An early‐maturing, high‐yielding, disease‐resistant soft red facultative wheat cultivar for the southern United States

Abstract‘FL16045‐25’ (Reg. no. CV‐1207, PI 704484), a soft red, facultative doubled‐haploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar, was developed and tested as FL16045DH‐25 by the University of Florida and released in October 2022. FL16045‐25 was derived from the cross MD07W478‐14‐5/GA06112‐13EE16. It is well adapted from Texas to Virginia and provides producers with an early‐season, facultative (Vrn‐A1_short), medium‐height, awned, semi‐dwarf (Rht2) cultivar that has high yield potential, good straw strength, good grain volume weight, and good end‐use quality. It expresses moderate‐to‐high levels of resistance to most diseases prevalent in the southern United States. Molecular marker analysis confirms the presence of Sbm1, Yr17/Lr37/Sr38, Lr18, Sr36/Pm6, Pm54, and Pm1a‐linked disease‐resistant genes. The yield average of FL16045‐25 from 41 environments during 2020–2022 ranged from 4211 to 5782 kg ha−1, which is competitive with check cultivars that are widely used in the southern part of the United States. The grain volume weight of FL16045‐25 ranged from 749 to 785 kg m−3 (32 environments), which was higher than most of the checks. FL16045‐25 has soft grain texture with softness equivalence varying from 51.3% to 59.3% and sodium carbonate solvent retention capacity (SRC) ranging from 66.8% to 68.5%. Flour yields on a Quadrumat Senior milling system varied from 68.7% to 69.5%. Flour protein content varied from 8.9% to 9.1%. Cookie spread diameter varied from 19.4 to 19.5 cm. The presence of TaSus2‐2B, Sucrose Synthase2 gene on 2B or 2G:2B, was confirmed by marker analysis.

Effect of Intermittent Low-Pressure Radiofrequency Helium Cold Plasma Treatments on Rice Gelatinization, Fatty Acid, and Hygroscopicity.

To establish the safe and reproducible effects of cold plasma (CP) technology on food products, this study evaluated the gelatinization parameters, fatty acid profile, and hygroscopic properties of rice grains repeatedly treated with low-pressure radiofrequency (RF) helium CP (13.56 MHz, 140 Pa, 120 W-20s, 0-4 times, and 300 g sample). Compared with the untreated (zero times) sample, with an increase in CP treatment times from one to four on rice, the water contact angle and cooking time decreased, while the water absorption rate and freshness index increased, and the pH value remained unchanged. CP repeating treatments essentially had no effect on the gelatinization enthalpy, but significantly increased the peak temperature of gelatinization. From the pasting profile of rice that has been repeatedly CP treated, the peak, breakdown, and setback viscosities in flour paste decreased. CP repeating treatments on rice did not change the short-range molecular order of starch. Compared with the untreated sample, the first helium CP treatment maintained the content of C18:1n9c, C18:2n6c, and C18:3n3, but the second to fourth CP treatment significantly decreased contents of these fatty acids (FAs) as the C18:0 content increased. The first three CP treatments can increase the water and sucrose solvent retention capacity in rice flours. CP repeatedly treated rice first exhibits the similar monolayer water content and solid surface area of water sorption. Principal component analysis shows that contact angle, pasting parameters, and fatty acid profile in milled rice are quite sensitive to CP treatment. Results support that the effect of low-pressure RF 120W helium CP treatment 20 s on rice grains is perdurable, and the improvement of CP intermittent treatments on rice cooking and pasting properties is an added benefit, and the hygroscopic properties of rice was kept.

Prior roasting of wheat impacts on the functionality of flour prepared from it: Part 1. Wheat flour viscosifying properties

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesDry thermal treatment of wheat modifies the properties of wheat and of flour prepared from it. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of wheat roasting on microstructural properties of wheat grains using confocal laser scanning, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The impact of roasting on the damaged starch contents, the solvent retention capacity profiles, and the pasting properties of the resulting flour prepared from roasted wheat were also studied.FindingsResponse surface models predicted wheat roasting at 115°C and 65 Hz (165 s) to enhance flour viscosifying properties. Roasting before milling resulted in grain puffing, slight damage to the starch granule surface, and destruction of the protein matrix, as observed using SEM. XRD analysis revealed that amylose–lipid complexation had occurred. As a result of roasting, the peak, hot paste, and final viscosities of flour from roasted wheat were significantly (p ≤ .05) higher than those of flour produced from control wheat.ConclusionsRoasting induces structural changes in wheat. Flour produced from roasted wheat can be used to produce gel structures with increased viscosities.Significance and NoveltyDry thermal treatment improves the viscosifying properties of flour milled from roasted wheat.

Prior roasting of wheat impacts on the functionality of flour prepared from it: Part 2. Wheat protein functionality

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesIn the accompanying paper (Part 1), it was reported that forced convection roasting of wheat before milling can be directed to tailor the viscosifying properties of flour. The objective of the present work was to examine the effect of prior wheat roasting on flour proteins.FindingsEffective control of wheat roasting conditions proved to be essential to avoid the irreversible loss of flour functionality as deduced from the flour ethanol and lactic acid solvent retention capacity and mixography data. Response surface models predicted roasting at 108°C and 80 Hz (135 s) to maintain protein integrity. The microstructure of flour and isolated starch as well as X‐ray diffraction patterns revealed starch to be relatively unaffected by this heat treatment.ConclusionsFlour produced from roasted wheat can still be used for products that require the formation of a gluten network.Significance and NoveltyProtein is more sensitive to roasting conditions than starch.

Solvent retention capacity as a useful tool for quality evaluation of flours produced from Slovak bred wheat varieties

Abstract Wheat varieties (IS Danubius and MS Luneta) bred in Slovakia were assessed for their bakery potential. It was found that flour produced from IS Danubius was characterised by significantly higher level of wet and dry gluten content (30.91 and 20.53 %, respectively) and exhibited higher gluten swelling capacity (29.3 %) in comparison to commercial wheat flour that is usually available in Slovak markets. Solvent retention capacity (solvation in specific solvents) of the tested flours was also determined. The measurements showed that these parameters significantly differ from those determined for commercially available flour, whereas the flour produced from IS Danubius wheat variety had the highest lactic acid retention capacity (124.15 %). Correlation analysis indicated strong positive correlations between solvent retention capacity values and gluten characteristics. Furthermore, it was found that baked rolls prepared from IS Danubius flour showed significantly higher loaf volume compared to commercial wheat flour. This study proves lactic acid retention capacity and sucrose retention capacity as parameters enabling the prediction of gluten network quality in dough and of qualitative parameters of baked goods. From the sensory evaluation resulted that the highest score for overall acceptance was observed in IS Danubius baked rolls, which significantly differs from both MS Luneta and commercial wheat flour.

Headspace volatiles profiles of different spring varieties and a wild relative of wheat flour.

Volatile profiling was conducted on four wheat varieties Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring (CS), Highbury (High), Paragon (Para), Pavon76 (Pav76), and one wild relative Triticum timopheevii (P95). Headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to explore differences in flavor formation mechanisms in different flours before and after starch gelatinization. Solvent retention capacity (SRC) analysis revealed subtle differences in water absorption, gluten strength, and starch characteristics across wheat flour types. Rapid Visco Analysis (RVA) of whole wheat flour demonstrated significant variations in pasting properties among wheat varieties, with P95 exhibiting higher viscosities compared to CS and High potentially influenced by starch gelatinization, protein-starch interactions, and lipid content. Aroma contributions of P95 clustered positively in PCA plots, contrasting with the four main varieties, indicative of species-level differentiation. Furthermore, the study highlighted the roles of viscosity, protein structure, lipid content, and fatty acid composition in modulating the release and perception of volatile aroma compounds during heating. This study sheds light on how the distinct characteristics of wheat flour influence aroma profiles, revealing species-level differences and the pivotal role of physiochemical properties in shaping flavor development mechanisms.

Effects of cottonseed flour and enzyme addition on the wheat flour dough characteristics and snack cracker quality

In order to increase the protein content of snack cracker, different levels of cottonseed flour (CSF: 0, 10, 20, 30 g/100 g) and enzyme (Crackerase: 0, 0.02, 0.05 g/100 g) were added to cracker formula. The analysis of solvent retention capacity (SRC) found the lactic acid-SRC value of flours decreased, while water, sucrose, Na2CO3-SRC values increased with the increasing level of CSF. Alveograph results indicated CSF addition increased the tenacity and decreased the extensibility of dough. Enzyme addition decreased the tenacity and extensibility of dough. Mixolab analysis found that CSF addition increased the development time and mixing stability of dough, but resulted in lower peak viscosity and retrogradation degree of starch. At the same time, all the Mixolab parameters decreased after enzyme addition. Baking performance results indicated that CSF addition decreased the cracker breaking force and stack height, while enzyme addition increased the cracker stack height and decreased its breaking force. Sensory evaluation showed that high acceptability crackers could be produced at 20, 30 g/100 g CSF and 0.05 g/100 g enzyme addition levels. The results obtained in present study can give scientific and useful knowledge for food industry to produce nutritional crackers with high protein content.

Comprehensive Characterization of Micronized Wholemeal Flours: Investigating Technological Properties across Various Grains.

With a suitable milling system, it is achievable to produce wholegrain flours that match the granulation and technological properties of refined flours while maintaining a complete nutritional profile. This process also minimizes the generation of additional industrial waste. This study aimed to characterize wholemeal flours with a fine granulation size of less than 160 µm: wheat (MWF), rye (MRF), spelt (MSF), barley (MBF), buckwheat (MBWF), and sorghum (MSGF). For comparison, the plain wheat flour type 530 (T530) was analyzed. The flours were assessed in terms of their chemical compositions and alpha amylase activities (the Falling Number assay), pasting properties (amylograph and a Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA)), water absorption using a farinograph, and technological quality based on their water (WRC) and sodium carbonate solvent retention capacity (SRC) profiles. Among the micronized wholemeal flours, wheat flour (MWF) exhibited the highest nutritional value, greatest water absorption, and highest final gelatinization temperature, but had the lowest energy value, carbohydrate content, water SRC, and sodium carbonate SRC. Wholemeal rye flour (MRF) displayed the lowest nutrient content and the highest amylolytic activity, water absorption, and sodium carbonate SRC. The plain wheat flour type 530 (T530) had the lowest water absorption. Special buckwheat flour (MBWF) showed the highest energy value due to its elevated carbohydrate content, along with the lowest sugar and TDF contents, amylolytic activity, and pasting temperature.

The Effect of High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunit Encoded by Glu-B1k Allele on Bread-Making Quality of Near-Isogenic Lines of Bread Wheat

: In this study, the effect of the 22 glutenin subunit encoded by the Glu-B1k allele on the chromosome B on the quality of wheat was investigated. Nevzatbey and a genotype of Triticum aestivum L. subsp. sphaerococcum were used as parents and produced the near-isogenic lines (NILs) in the generation of BC4F3. Plant morphological traits and protein content, sedimentation volume, lactic acid solvent retention capacity (SRC), and glutenin swelling index (GSI) of the NILs were determined. The mean protein content of the NILs carrying 22 glutenin subunit was higher than that of the NILs carrying the 7+9 glutenin subunit (20.4% and 16.2%, respectively). In contrast, the NILs with 22 glutenin subunit had a lower sedimentation volume than those of the NILs with 7+9 glutenin subunits. The 22 glutenin subunit decreased the sedimentation volume from 19.47 to 13.49 mL. The average GSI value of the NILs carrying 7+9 glutenin subunits was higher than that of the NILs carrying 22 glutenin subunit (3.05 and 2.92). In conclusion, in this study we were able to detect a quality difference between NILs with 22 and 7+9 glutenin subunits in a small amount of samples. These findings suggest that glutenin subunit 22 may be associated with low gluten strength.

Hybrid Solvent Retention Capacity (SRC) to predict Australian soft wheat cookie quality

The Solvent Retention Capacity (SRC) method has been widely used in evaluating soft wheat quality elsewhere but not in Australia. This paper studies the potential of applying SRC to predict the Australian soft wheat quality in sugar snap cookies, which the Indonesian mills value. The cost-effective hybrid SRC method improves efficiency and repeatability in general by replacing the manual shaking mechanism with a programable multitube vortex shaker. The hybrid SRC method helps to reduce work health and safety risks by eliminating manual tube shaking steps. The collaborative laboratory study is conducted with two Indonesian mills and compared against SRC measured by the hybrid and automatic SRC methods. All SRC values measured using the hybrid SRC method are significantly correlated with those measured with manual and automatic SRC methods: SRC water (r = 0.8–1.0, p < 0.0001); sucrose (r = 0.9, p < 0.0001); sodium carbonate (r = 0.9, p < 0.0001); and lactic acid (r = 0.7–0.8, p < 0.01). Among the four SRC solvents, considering the SRC water is highly effective in discriminating hard and soft wheat, the high correlations between different laboratories, the relatively smaller standard deviation across laboratories and storage time and temperature at 22 °C and the significant correlation with cookie spread, it could be the best predictor of Australian soft wheat quality. Overall, the hybrid SRC method could be helpful in the Australian soft wheat breeding program, especially in the early-stage selection of soft wheat cultivars. The cookie spread negatively correlates with Rapid Viscosity Analyser peak viscosity (r = −0.8, p < 0.01), suggesting Australian soft wheat targets a lower pasting property for a better cookie performance. The SRC values of flour samples from four different soft wheat cultivars are affected by storage temperature at 22 °C and 32 °C over 12 months with inconsistent trends. The flour samples stored at various temperatures across 0, 1, 3, 6 and 12 moths, particularly those kept at a higher temperature, have more variability in their SRC values and higher uncertainty, which must be accounted for when comparing results between different laboratories. A standard SRC range will be established in collaboration with the Indonesian mills to categorise the Australian soft wheat quality suitable for the Indonesian market.

Facile ultrasound assisted assembly of urea linked organogelator for phase selective recovery of chlorinated solvents

Due to rapid industrialization, there is an increased consumption of organic solvents especially chlorinated solvents and their accidental leakage is difficult to circumvent. Although several amide and imine linked organogelators have been developed, very few are suitable for efficient gelation of harmful chlorinated solvents. Herein, for the first time, we propose the synthesis of urea linked supramolecular Low Molecular Weight Organogelators (OG) for efficient phase selective recovery of aromatic chlorinated solvents. The gelation was induced rapidly by sonication, unlike the prolonged conventional heating cooling cycle. Gelator was characterised using CP-MAS, FTIR, TGA, FESEM and DSC. Under optimal conditions an effective self-assembling was observed in the presence of a variety of chlorinated solvents. CHCl3, CCl4, aromatic chlorinated solvents like chlorobenzene, 2-chlorotoluene, 3-chlorotoluene and chlorotoluene in preference to other organic solvents. The role of chlorinated solvent in self-assembling was proposed. Further, practical application for the recovery of the solvents is demonstrated by phase selective gelation studies. With high solvent recovery and retention rate of > 95 %. This work signifies the role of urea based supramolecular gelators in the potential recovery of leaked chlorinated solvents from water.