Standard Wheat Research Articles

Effects of nut and legume powder substitution in crackers prepared with wheat flour on postprandial plasma glucose response among healthy Thai adults

Introduction: Crackers, one of the most consumed baked products, primarily contain refined wheat flour and have a moderate glycaemic index (GI). Nut and legume powders are used in baked goods to help regulate postprandial glycaemia; however, their glycaemic responses remain controversial. Our study aimed to compare the postprandial glycaemic responses between crackers with 30% wheat flour substitution by white kidney beans, cashew nuts, and almonds versus standard wheat crackers. Methods: Twelve adults were recruited for a five-session randomised controlled crossover study. In each session, they were randomly assigned to receive 50g carbohydrates from either a glucose solution or one of the four crackers. Plasma glucose levels were measured at baseline and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after consumption. Satiety and hunger were evaluated using 100mm visual analogue scales at baseline and every 30 minutes until 120 minutes. Results: Mean incremental area under the curve (IAUC) for plasma glucose did not differ between the alternatives and wheat crackers, but was lowest for almond crackers. Compared with GI value of glucose solution, that of wheat, cashew nut, white kidney bean, and almond crackers were 39.97±23.13, 37.66±24.66, 35.85±10.86, and 28.09±17.92, respectively. Almond cracker consumption resulted in the highest mean IAUC for satiety and lowest for hunger, though non-significant. Conclusion: Crackers with 30% wheat flour substitution by nut and legume powders tended to improve postprandial glycaemia more than the standard crackers; however, acute responses on insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 require further examination.

Quality Assessment and Evaluation of Amino Acid Profile of Black Wheat Supplemented Noodles

Background: Functional foods are a topic of ongoing industrial use and research. Currently, coloured grain is being prioritized more in research since it is a source of neutraceutical chemicals. Black colored wheat is known for its anthocyanin content. Black wheat therefore has the potential to offer extra health advantages over those that standard wheat cultivars typically offer. Noodles are most popular products widely consumed throughout the world and represents second in global consumption to bread. The present study was undertaken to evaluate effect of processing on loss of amino acids content in black wheat supplemented noodles and control white noodles. Methods: In the present study, High performance liquid chromatography was used for the quantification of amino acids in Black and Netravati white colored wheat flour and prepared black wheat supplemented noodles and control white noodles samples prepared by extrusion. Result: Black wheat flour and Black wheat supplemented noodles samples had higher total amino acid content, Essential amino acid content and per cent essential amino acid score in comparison Netravati white flour and control noodles samples prepared from whole Netravati white wheat flour, while content of lysine was more in Netravati white wheat flour and control noodles samples. The noodles samples prepared exhibited average percent reduction in amino acid content in black and Netravati white wheat were 1.06 and 2.63%, respectively. Black wheat flour and black wheat supplemented noodles were rich in anthocyanins also rich in amino acids in comparison to Netravati white wheat flour. Minimum losses in amino acid content were observed in Black wheat supplemented noodles, while maximum losses were observed in Netravati white wheat control noodles samples.

In vitro fermentation of substrates from Saccharina latissima by broiler chicken’s caecal microbiota

This study investigated seasonal variations in the composition of the kelp species Saccharina latissima cultivated on the Swedish west coast and, using an in vitro fermentation system, evaluated the effect of fermented whole S. latissima biomass or biomass components on the gut microbiota of broiler chickens. Caecal contents of six Ross 308 broilers fed a standard wheat and soy-based diet were retrieved on two different occasions, with three birds sampled per occasion. Two in vitro fermentation batches (A, B) were established using caecal contents as inoculum, and whole S. latissima, ethanol-washed S. latissima, laminarin extract or inulin (control) as substrate. Total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content, gas production, pH and changes in microbiota composition were studied after 6, 12 and 24 h of fermentation. Analysis of seasonal variations revealed that S. latissima harvested in June had the highest laminarin content and lowest ash and crude protein content. Broiler microbiota, SCFA profile, gas production and pH mainly varied depending on fermentation inoculum, but there were also some variations depending on substrate. For instance, uncultured bacterium from Clostridiales_vadinBB60_group showed higher relative abundance (RA) in batch A, while Faecalibacterium showed higher RA in batch B. Whole and ethanol-washed S. latissima resulted in highest RA of unclassified Ruminococcaceae and Tyzzerella for both batches, while ethanol-washed S. latissima and laminarin gave highest RA of Erysipelatoclostridium. Inulin resulted in highest RA for the genus Subdoligranulum. Acetic, n-butyric and propionic acid were the main fermentation products and total SCFA level was higher in batch B. Within batch B, inulin and laminarin generated higher levels of acetic and butyric acid. When using inulin and laminarin, gas production was lower in batch B compared with batch A. In summary, this study showed that S. latissima is a good source of laminarin, especially when harvested in summer. Within the in vitro system, the microbiota was affected by different substrates, but inoculum source was identified as an important contributor to microbial community development during fermentation.

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Properties and Sensory Aspects of Sponge Cakes Supplemented with Edible Insect Flours.

The chemical composition, antioxidant properties, and sensory aspects of sponge cakes with the addition of flours from edible insects (buffalo worm, cricket, and mealworm) were evaluated. The addition of edible-insect flours increased the protein, fat, and dietary fiber content in all cases. The utilization of edible insects demonstrated a notable augmentation in the phenolic compounds (especially protocatechuic acid and protocatechuic aldehyde, and syringic, ferulic, and sinapic acids). This resulted in an increase in the antioxidant activity measured against the ABTS radical cation, the DPPH radical, and ferric ions. The antioxidant potential, assessed by four different methods, unequivocally confirmed that the aforementioned polyphenolic compounds found in edible insects provide significant radical-scavenging and antioxidant activity in sponge cakes containing them. The polyunsaturated fatty acid contents were significantly lower in cakes with insect flour compared to the standard wheat cakes. Products and raw materials exhibited high values of the n - 6/n - 3 ratio, which may be associated with negative health effects, with a high oleic acid content. The amino acid score (AAS) for the essential amino acids exceeded 100% for all obtained products. The sponge cakes were accepted by consumers and the taste was the most important predictor for overall acceptability, whereas the structure and appearance had less impact.

Effect of the incorporation of pregelatinized cassava starch on the physicochemical, textural, and acoustic characteristics of baked snacks.

Almost all the dehydrated cassava puree is pregelatinized cassava starch (PCS). Its potential application in food would add variety. But food characteristics vary depending on the raw materials used. We examined how the structure of snacks changed when PCS was used instead of flour in terms of porosity, instrumental textural parameters, and acoustic parameters and compare them to commercial crackers. The volume of air was unaffected by the substitution. However, substitution did reduce thickness and alter the number, size, and wall firmness of pores, as well as their distribution and shape, which raise the values of firmness, fracturability, hardness, and fragility, though not linearly. The partial substitutions and the control did not exhibit any appreciable differences in the acoustic parameters. The total replacement sample was noisier and maintained a wide variety of sounds. The PCS vitreous state is primarily responsible for structure changes, but other elements, such as processing conditions, contribute to differences in comparison to the commercial samples. The porosity of commercial samples was lower than that of the elaborated samples. Texturally, it led to lower fracturability and greater fragility (less mm until fracture and fewer force peaks). The elaborated samples were all louder than the commercials. Although sensory analysis is required to classify a food as crunchy, the physicochemical changes caused by the substitution and their impact on the structure's behavior were established. Each textural parameter cannot determine whether the food is crunchy, crispy, or friable on its own; an analysis that incorporates all the characteristics is required. Supplement Material. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study demonstrates that pregelatinized cassava flour can be used to partially or completely replace wheat flour in baked snacks. Although textural differences were noted, these alterations were acceptable for products with a similar market niche. These findings might be used in the food business, notably by companies aiming to offer baked snack choices that are not made with standard wheat flour.

High-quality DNA isolation protocol for detection of Khapra beetle (Dermestidae: Trogoderma granarium Everts, 1898) in standard wheat germ trap.

Khapra beetle (Dermestidae: Trogoderma granarium Everts, 1898) is an internationally significant pest of grain crops and stored grain products. Wheat germ traps, routinely used in surveillance sampling of Khapra beetle provide feed-substrates used by the pest throughout its life cycle. However, Khapra beetle larvae, eggs and other traces of the pest, such as larval frass and exuviae, in wheat germ traps are difficult to sort and taxonomically identify. Additionally, high levels of polysaccharides in wheat germ can inhibit PCR based molecular detection of this pest captured in the traps. We have developed a sensitive and low-cost protocol for extracting trace levels of Khapra beetle DNA from an entire wheat germ trap. Overnight digestion of entire trap contents in 6 mL of ATL buffer, followed by a 40min lysis step was optimal for DNA extraction. Paired with reported qPCR assays, this protocol allows the detection of a few hairs of T. granarium in a typical 2-gram wheat germ trap. This DNA extraction protocol makes it possible to perform a more rapid identification of the pest following wheat germ sample collection. The protocol has potential to improve international efforts for Khapra beetle surveillance.

Can Enzyme‐Resistant Starch Snack Prevent Blood Glucose Fluctuations? A Pilot Trial in Patients with Insulin‐Treated Type 2 Diabetes

AbstractThis study aims to compare the effect of enzyme‐resistant starch flour (ERSF) and standard wheat flour (SWF) bagels given as a mid‐afternoon snack on blood glucose (BG) levels in patients with insulin‐treated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). First, bagels containing 15 g of carbohydrates are prepared using ERSF or SWF. Then, the effect of bagels prepared using SWF or ERSF on BG levels is examined through clinical research. A continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) device is placed and then, the patients are given three packages of bagels that are visually similar and are asked to consume the red package (SWF bagel) on the first day and blue packages (ERSF bagels) on the second and third days as a mid‐afternoon snack, without consuming anything else. The increase in BG from ERSF is less than that caused by SWF bagel consumption, and SWF is found to have higher BG averages than ERSF (ERSF: 150 mg dL−1, SWF: 170 mg dL−1). Patients stated that they like the taste and do not feel any discomfort while consuming ERSF bagels. ERSF bagels have higher fiber content and cause more even fluctuations in BG levels than SWF bagels. Food fortification using ERSF foods can be recommended for patients with T2DM.

Zinc-induced enhancement in growth, ionic contents and yield of bio-fortified and standard wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties

Zinc as a micronutrient is highly essential for animals and plants to attain optimum growth and development. Zinc-deficient soils result in stunted and abnormal growth of plants. Three wheat varieties, i.e., Zincol-2016 (biofortified), Galaxy-2013, and Punjab-2011 (both non-biofortified), were sown in pots containing fertile soil in a completely randomized design with four replicas. The seedlings were sprayed with four zinc solutions (Control, 0.03%, 0.06%, and 0.09% of Zn as ZnSO4.7H2O) 40 days after sowing. It was observed that the impact of 0.06% zinc spray was more pronounced on wheat plants as compared to that of 0.03% and 0.09%. More pronounced improvement in growth, chlorophyll content, total soluble proteins, and sugars was observed in cv. Zincol-2016 as compared to that in the other two varieties, Galaxy-2013 and Punjab-2011. Similarly, Zn foliar spray significantly enhanced root, straw, and grain K+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Fe2+ contents in all three cultivars. In contrast, grain phytate contents were reduced with increased supplementation of Zn. Data revealed that grain yield was improved significantly by exogenous application of zinc, especially at 0.06% in all three wheat varieties, but being more promising in Zincol-2016. Furthermore, Zincol-2016 accumulated higher zinc contents in grains as compared to that in Galaxy-2013 and Punjab-2011. Foliar application of zinc resulted in higher uptake and accumulation of this element from soil to seeds, thereby resulting in improved vegetative growth.

Strain-dependent assessment of dough's polymer structure and functionality during the baking process.

During the baking process, the functionality of the heterogeneous dough matrix changes as the composing polymers experience conformational transition processes. The thermally induced structural changes affect the involvement and functionality of the polymers in the dough matrix. With the main hypothesis being that different types and magnitudes of strain exerted during the measurement would provide information on different structural levels and interactions, SAOS rheology in multiwave mode and large deformation extensional rheometry were applied to two microstructurally different systems. The functionality of the two systems, a highly connected standard wheat dough (φ ≈ 1.1) and an aerated, yeasted wheat dough (φ ≈ 2.3), depicting limited connectivity and strength of interactions, was accessed under different deformations and types of strains. Applying SAOS rheology, starch functionality prevailed on the behavior of the dough matrix. In contrast, gluten functionality prevailed the large deformation behavior. Using an inline fermentation and baking LSF technique, the heat-induced gluten polymerization was shown to increase strain hardening behavior above 70°C. In the aerated system, the strain hardening effect became already evident under small deformation testing, as the expansion of gas cells caused a pre-expansion of the gluten strands. The expanded dough matrix of yeasted dough was further shown to be substantially subjected to degradation once the network reached beyond its maximal gas holding capacity. Using this approach, the combined impact of yeast fermentation and thermal treatment on the strain hardening behavior of wheat dough was revealed for the first time by LSF. Furthermore, the rheological properties were successfully linked to oven rise behavior: a decreasing connectivity combined with the initiation of strain hardening by fast extension processes occurring in the yeasted dough matrix during the final baking phase was linked to limited oven rise functionality prematurely around 60°C.

Application of the Falling Number Method in the Evaluation of the α-Amylase Activity of Malt Flour

The Falling Number (FN) test is not suitable for the determination of α-amylase activity in malt flour because the amylolytic activity is too high to be determined by the FN instrument. The aim of this study was to modify the FN method to allow quantification of high α-amylase activity in malt flour. The modifications were performed in two ways: using different amounts of malt flour (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 g) or by using malt extracts (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mL). In both cases, 6 g of standard wheat starch was used as substrate. The results of the modified methods were compared with the α-amylase activity determined by the standard Ceralpha method. Linear and nonlinear exponential regression was used to calculate the predicted amylase activity, and Bland-Altman analysis was used to measure the agreement between standard and modified methods. The modifications of the FN method using 0.1 g of malt flour showed that the modified method was able to accurately measure high levels of α-amylase activity in malt flour, and the results obtained by the modified method were in agreement with the results obtained by the standard Ceralpha method.

Textural characteristics and color analyses of 3D printed gluten-free pizza dough and crust.

A new methodology was developed to print pizza dough with a gluten free flour blend or commercial gluten whole wheat flour using extrusion-based 3-D printing technology. Their physical properties were compared to commercially available pizza dough and crust. The optimized nozzle size, print speed, ingredient flow speed, and line thickness for the 3-D printing of pizza dough were: 0.04cm, 800cm/minutes, 1.8, and 0.34cm, respectively. The printed gluten-free pizza dough required 120min of fermentation to obtain a comparable color and textural profile (P < 0.05) to that of the gluten whole wheat flour dough fermented for 60min. The 3-D printed gluten free, whole-wheat pizza and commercially available wheat flour dough and standard crusts demonstrated identical values of 0.14 and 0.13, respectively with brownness index (BI) values of 1.47 and 1.62, respectively. Textural profile analysis (TPA) of 3-D printed gluten free and whole wheat pizza dough, crust and the commercial standard wheat flour pizza dough and crust demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) correlations in terms of hardness, fracturability, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness, and resilience. An optimized method was developed to prepare gluten-free pizza dough and crust with similar functional properties to that of gluten whole wheat flour dough and crust.

Variation in Colour Attributes of Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) Flour from Five Different Provinces in Sri Lanka as a Potential Alternative for Wheat Flour

Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) rhizome flour is a good gluten-free substitute for wheat flour. To evaluate the influence of colour on replacing wheat flour with arrowroot flour, the colour attributes of arrowroot flour from five different Provinces (Western, North-Western, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, and Uva) were compared with the colour of standard wheat flour. Using the colour of wheat flour as a standard, the colours of arrowroot flour samples were determined using a colourimeter (PCE-CSM 2, United States). Flour samples were examined for L* (lightness), a* (redness), b* (yellowness), and ΔE (colour deviation). Yellowness was significantly distinct, although lightness and redness were not statistically different. There were negative moderate correlations between L* and a* (-0.791; P &lt; 0.05) and L* and b* (-0.831; P &lt; 0.05). While there were some slight variations in the colour characteristics among different arrowroot flour samples, their colours were highly close to the colour of wheat flour.

The use of shot wheat (&lt;i&gt;Т.Sphaerococcum&lt;/i&gt;) in the winter bread wheat breeding to improve quality

The current paper has presented the study results of grain productivity and quality of the winter bread wheat lines developed on the basis of T. Sphaerococcum at the ‘NCG named after P.P. Lukyanenko’ in the soil and climatic conditions of the Republic of Kalmykia. The purpose of the current work was to study productivity and quality of the winter bread wheat lines, hybridized from the crossing of two varieties. The trials were laid in two stages in 4-fold repetition with a sequential arrangement of the variants of the trial with the CH-16 seeder. The accounting plot area was 50 m2 . The seeding rate was 300 pcs. of germinating seeds per 1 m2 . On average, through three years of the study in weedfree fallow, the productivity of the winter bread wheat lines, developed on the basis of T. Sphaerococcum on the experimental field of the KRAI, affiliate of the FSBSI “PKAFRC RAS” (village of Troitskoe) was 3.25 t/ha. The largest mean productivity through three years (3.37 t/ha) was produced by the line ‘661sv-30’, which exceeded the standard on 0.36 t/ha, the excess over the variety ‘Praskovya’ was 0.64 t/ha. The study has confirmed the formation of the best values of grain quality by the shot wheat variety ‘Praskovya’. The protein and gluten content were on 1.8% and on 4.9% higher than that of the standard wheat variety ‘Bair’. The potential for high quality shot wheat grain can be successfully introduced into the bread wheat breeding material. The developed bread wheat lines ‘989sv-7’, ‘661sv-30’ and ‘661sv-39’ stably and reliably exceeded the standard variety in productivity, forming grain quality similar to that of the variety ‘Praskovya’. The line ‘989sv-7’ has been sent to the State Variety Testing under the name ‘Flash’, the line ‘661sv-30’ under the title ‘Khit’ and the line ‘661sv-39’ under the name ‘Pesnya’.

Perception of Gluten-Free Bread as Influenced by Information and Health and Taste Attitudes of Millennials.

Information on what drives consumers to like or dislike bread is needed to provide insight on developing gluten-free (GF) bread, using indigenous and sustainable crops in Africa, such as sorghum and millet. Consumer attitudes toward the health and taste aspects of food are major drivers of food choices. The objectives of this work were (1) to determine the health and taste attitudes (HTAs) and general perceptions of a group of millennial consumers in South Africa (n = 354), concerning GF breads; and (2) to determine whether HTAs affect the acceptability of sensory properties of commercial GF breads, as assessed by consumers (n = 173), under informed and uninformed conditions. Mean scores of the taste factors were higher compared to health factors, indicating a greater taste orientation. The sensory properties of standard wheat breads were preferred over two commercial GF breads, irrespective of the health/taste interests of consumers, or if they were informed/uninformed about the nature of the bread (GF or wheat). Knowledge that bread samples were GF reduced only the acceptability of the aroma of GF bread. GF bread was perceived as healthier, but less tasty. For this group of millennials, the sensory properties of bread was the main driver of choice.

Virulence analysis of wheat stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) in Horro Guduru Wollega, Western Ethiopia

AbstractStem rust caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici is one of Ethiopia's most serious wheat diseases. Because of mutation and genetic recombination, stem rust can rapidly evolve new virulence to resistant genes. The Ethiopian highlands are well‐known hotspots for the rapid emergence and spread of new wheat stem rust races. The objective of this study was to determine the virulence diversity and spatial distribution of Pgt races in the main wheat‐growing districts, Horro Guduru Wollega. Wheat stem rust samples were collected from Abay Chomen, Amuru, Guduru, Hababo Guduru, Horro, Jardaga Jarte, Jimma Ganati and Jimma Rare districts during the main cropping seasons of 2015 and 2016. In the study, 147 stem rust isolates were derived from 121 viable samples. The physiological races of stem rust were determined on seedlings of standard wheat stem rust differentials using the International System of nomenclature. Twelve (12) physiological races of stem rust were identified. TKTTF, TTKSK, JRCQC, TRTTF and TTTTF were the most common in all districts with a frequency of 53.1%, 15.6%, 14.3%, 6.8% and 2.7%, respectively. TKTTF and TTKSK, two highly virulent races, were found in all districts. Four stem rust resistance genes (Sr11, Sr31, Sr36 and SrTmp) confer resistance to the majority of the virulent races identified. Sr24 was effective against all virulent races in this study but ineffective against the Ug99 variant (race TTKTT) detected in the country. The findings could be helpful for breeders to select many effective resistance gene combinations to provide more durable stem rust resistance.

Dynamic Color Transform Networks for Wheat Head Detection.

Wheat head detection can measure wheat traits such as head density and head characteristics. Standard wheat breeding largely relies on manual observation to detect wheat heads, yielding a tedious and inefficient procedure. The emergence of affordable camera platforms provides opportunities for deploying computer vision (CV) algorithms in wheat head detection, enabling automated measurements of wheat traits. Accurate wheat head detection, however, is challenging due to the variability of observation circumstances and the uncertainty of wheat head appearances. In this work, we propose a simple but effective idea—dynamic color transform (DCT)—for accurate wheat head detection. This idea is based on an observation that modifying the color channel of an input image can significantly alleviate false negatives and therefore improve detection results. DCT follows a linear color transform and can be easily implemented as a dynamic network. A key property of DCT is that the transform parameters are data-dependent such that illumination variations can be corrected adaptively. The DCT network can be incorporated into any existing object detectors. Experimental results on the Global Wheat Detection Dataset (GWHD) 2021 show that DCT can achieve notable improvements with negligible overhead parameters. In addition, DCT plays an important role in our solution participating in the Global Wheat Challenge (GWC) 2021, where our solution ranks the first on the initial public leaderboard, with an Average Domain Accuracy (ADA) of 0.821, and obtains the runner-up reward on the final private testing set, with an ADA of 0.695.

A comparative study of the efficiency of Withania somnifera and carbamazepine on lifespan, reproduction and epileptic phenotype – A study in Drosophila paralytic mutant

BackgroundSeizure disorders are considered a serious health issue because of the vast number of people affected globally and the limited treatment options. Approximately 15 million epileptic patients worldwide do not respond to any of the currently available medications. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is one of the most widely used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) for the treatment of epilepsy, which is discontinued in less than 5% of epileptic patients due to its side effects. In traditional medicine, to establish the foundation of health care, plant extracts are utilized to a great extent to treat different pathologies. Withania somnifera (W. somnifera) is an herbal component with anticonvulsant properties. ObjectivesTo compare the medicinal effects of W. somnifera on lifespan, fecundity, fertility and epileptic phenotype in Drosophila paralytic mutant (parabss1) model system with CBZ, a commonly used AED. Material and methodsFlies were exposed to three different doses of W. somnifera or CBZ in standard wheat flour-agar media for six days. Drosophila Oregon-R strain was used as a control. ResultsResults indicate that a high dose of W. somnifera increased the lifespan in Drosophila parabss1 while remaining safe for fecundity and fertility. CBZ decreased the lifespan of parabss1 mutant at higher dose (40 μg/ml), as expected, and also reduced the fecundity and fertility of the flies. Our findings indicate that W. somnifera was more effective than CBZ to control epileptic phenotype. ConclusionW. somnifera is an effective medication with no side effects for treating epilepsy in Drosophila paralytic mutant.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION, BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF NEW SLOVAKIAN BLACK OAT VARIETIES

Black and red cereal grains, rich in anthocyanins, have recently gained a lot of interest in the food industry due to health benefits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional composition (crude protein, starch, ash, fat, β-glucans), biological activity (antioxidant activity, total polyphenols, carotenoids and anthocyanins) and technological properties (farinograph, amylograph and extensograph) of new Slovakian black oat varieties Hucul and Norik. Technological properties were observed by incorporation of whole-grain oatmeal flour to standard wheat flour T-650 in amount 3, 6 and 9%. The grains of selected varieties were grinded and resulting whole-grain oatmeal flour was used for analyses. The crude protein content was in both varieties in amount ~ 11%; starch content ~ 44% and ash content in amount ~ 2.6%. The Norik variety showed a higher content of fat – 5.80%, β-glucans – 4.29%, and total carotenoids – 7.47 μg.g-1. In Hucul variety was detected a higher content of total polyphenols – 0.19 mg GAE.g-1(GAE – gallic acid equivalent) and anthocyanins – 22.00 μg.g-1. The antioxidant activity (DPPH method) was approximately at the same level in both evaluated varieties – 3 mg TEAC.g-1 (TEAC – Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity). There were several differences in mineral composition between observed varieties. The Norik variety showed higher content [mg.100 g-1] of Fe – 5.94, K – 397.56, Na – 6.33 and P – 365.51, while in Hucul variety it was detected higher content of S – 142.89 and Zn – 2.05. Other mineral compounds were not significantly different. Amylograph device shown that with an increasing addition of black oat flour, the amylograph maximum fell down with the best value at 9% addition with compared to standard flour – 1593 AU. Farinograph values on the contrary, showed the good quality of standard flour but parameter water absorption was better with addition of oat flour due to non-starch polysaccharides presented in oat. Extensograph device showed that increasing addition of oat flour decreased resistance to extension. Colorant cereals generally can increase biodiversity in agriculture, and can be attractive raw materials for production foods with added value.

A Rapid, Reliable RP-UPLC Method for Large-Scale Analysis of Wheat HMW-GS Alleles.

High-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) account for only 10% of total wheat storage proteins, but play an important role in the processing quality of wheat flour. Therefore, identifying HMW-GS alleles associated with good end-use quality provides important information for wheat breeders. To rapidly, accurately and reproducibly identify HMW-GS, we established an optimized reversed-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) method. Separation parameters were optimized using an ACQUITY UPLC Protein BEH C4 column and stepwise ACN gradient, and the separation patterns and retention times (RTs) of 22 subunits were comparatively analyzed in 16 standard wheat cultivars. All HMW-GS proteins were well separated within about 5.5 min, and all analyses were complete within 12 min. We distinguished the 16 subunits based on RT, although three subunits in 1Bx (1Bx7/1Bx7OE and 1Bx17) and three subunits in 1By (1By8*, 1By9 and 1By15) had overlapping RTs; these were differentiated by SDS-PAGE. To distinguish 1Bx7 and 1Bx7OE, which differ in protein abundance, RP-UPLC was combined with PCR analysis of DNA junction markers. The optimized method was successfully applied to determine HMW-GS alleles in a large collection of bread wheat germplasm (1787 lines). This protocol is an appropriate option for selecting lines harboring favorable HMW-GS alleles in wheat breeding.

A quick and low-intensity method for oral administration to large numbers of mice: A possible alternative to oral gavage.

Oral administration of medication to experimental animals is a cause of significant stress. When coupled to animals who are already under strenuous circumstances due to the disease being modelled, there is a significant risk for increased morbidity and mortality, thus influencing the results. Faced with these constraints, a low-intensity method for oral administration was developed, based solely on the natural behaviour of the animals and minimal conditioning, in which precise doses of medication were administered in a locally available, standard wheat cookie fragment, providing both a palatable vehicle and an absorbent matrix for the medication. Fast administration to large numbers of animals was thus achieved, safeguarding the animals' welfare and ensuring ease of handling. This method is a promising alternative to oral gavage in pre-clinical drug studies with laboratory mice.