Unleavened Bread Research Articles

Genetic modification is not unnatural

Norman Borlaug, 84, Nobel Prize winner for his achievements in breeding high-yielding wheat said, ‘Genetically modified organisms are the result of a natural process that was going on long before humans became involved’. Species barriers are significant in nature, but not inviolate. Primitive farmers selected a wild grass (which came to be known as wheat) that had seven chromosomes and crossed it with another plant to create a new species with 14 chromosomes – descendants are used today for pasta and unleavened bread. Another species later emerged with 21 chromosomes, which is known today as ‘bread wheat’. Almost all crops under cultivation today are the result of shuffled genes. Conventional crosses include many genes that give the plants unwanted traits that need to be outcrossed. Now, plant breeders can isolate precisely the genes they want and insert them directly into plants. Borlaug suggested that the appropriate response to objecting to the use of unrelated genes is not to reject the crops but to make sure that they are thoroughly tested under government regulation.

Deuteronomy's Unification of Passover and Massot: A Response to Bernard M. Levinson

Deuteronomy's distinctive treatment of ancient Israelite institutions of Passover and feast of Unleavened Bread, or Mass6t, is well established.' In common with sacrifices and offerings in general, Passover and great pilgrimage feasts are located at central sanctuary, the place that LORD will choose as a dwelling for his name (16:8 NRSV). In case of Passover, this requirement is particularly striking. It comes with a prohibition of local celebration of feast (16:5) that is in stark contrast with location of it in homes of Israel in prescriptions in book of Exodus (Exod 12:7, 22, 46), even though it is there a perpetual ordinance for and your children (Exod 12:24). Other Deuteronomic departures from requirements found in Exodus include permission to take Passover sacrifice from the flock and herd (16:2), instead of only from flock (Exod 12:3, 21), and instruction to boil it (16:7) rather than roast it (Exod 12:9). Furthermore, Deuteronomy forges Passover and Ma6*ot into a single entity in a way that is not clearly case in older provisions, giving rise to widely held view that Deuteronomy combines two originally separate celebrations for first time. Fundamental to this understanding is absence of Passover from earliest code, Exod 23:14-19, where v. 18 is presumed to contain general restrictions of sacrificial and festal practice rather than an allusion to Passover, and Exod 34:25 is thought to revise older code in conformity with Deuteronomy.2 The centralization and amalgamation of feasts are typically placed in context of Deuteronomic promotion of King Josiah's centralization of cult in Jerusalem. Bernard M. Levinson accepts above reconstruction in broad outline and has given it new force with a thesis that characterizes Deuteronomic law as deliberate and radical innovation, both transforming and aiming to replace previous legislation. The present paper is a response to Levinson, who has criticized earlier work of my own on topic.3 While I agree with many points of his analysis, I think thesis as a whole has serious problems, and I wish to propose an alternative way of handling data. Levinson contributes to interpretation of Deut 16:1-17 in two distinct ways. The first is hermeneutical, in accordance with declared aim of his thesis. Much previous scholarly analysis of text has discovered separate literary strands united in Deut 16:1-8, deriving from sources relating to Passover and Ma$@ot respectively.4 Levinson, in contrast, proposes a deliberate, creative composition, in which previous laws are exploited for their deposit of words, phrases, and concepts, but only so as to produce a novum, which entirely supersedes those laws.5 The interpreter of Deuteronomic law, therefore, cannot be content just to observe which elements of discourse derive from each source, but must understand why they are arranged as they are. For example, lemmata formerly applied to Mascot are now applied to Passover.6 The command in v. 1 opens with Observe month of Abib, taking verbal form from command concerning Mascot in Exod 23:15, but continues with by keeping passover for LORD your God (NRSV). Similarly, allusion to exodus from Egypt is attached to Ma.@ot in Exod 23:15 and 13:4, but is here applied to Passover (Deut 16:1). The phrases you must not eat with it anything unleavened. For seven days shall eat unleavened bread with it (r'w) (16:3a) turn around Exod 23:18: you shall not offer blood of my sacrifice with (5.) anything leavened, forcing a connection between eating unleavened bread and Passover meal. And command not to leave the fat of my festival till morning (Exod 23:18) is explained so that what must not remain overnight is the meat that slaughter on evening of first day (16:4). …

Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis of chapati and phulka (Indian unleavened bread)

Glass transition temperature ( Tg) and relaxation phenomena ( α) of bread, chapati, phulka and phulka containing different anti-staling (A/S) additives such as glycerol, propylene glycol, maltodextrin, and anti-staling enzyme were determined using Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA). α-Transition which depends upon order of fall in modulus ( FE 1), span ( σ) and peak amplitude ( A t ) of tan δ transition and Tg was drastically affected between bread and phulka, by incorporation of A/S agents in phulka and during its ageing (staling). During ageing Tg and A t increased, whereas FE 1 and σ decreased. Phulka containing glycerol, propylene glycol and A/S enzyme gave satisfactory results.

The Date of the Passover Sacrifices and Mark 14:12

By Maurice Casey. Mishnaic passages illuminate the reference in Mark 14:12 to sacrificing the passover lamb on the first day of unleavened bread; Jesus sacrificed his lamb or goat at the official time.

Effect of proccesing on dietary fiber content of cereals and pulses

Total dietary fiber (TDF), insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) content of rice, wheat, sorghum, maize, ragi, bajra, whole grains of pigeonpea, chickpea, green gram and lentil as well as their dehusked split dhals were analyzed. Cereals except rice flours were made into chapati (unleavened bread), while rice and dhals were cooked in a pressure cooker. After the processing, IDF and SDF contents of these foods were also analyzed. Among the cereals, rice had the lowest TDF (4.1%) and wheat had the highest (12.5%). TDF content of whole pulses ranged from 15.8% in lentil to 28.3% in chickpea. IDF as % of TDF constituted 85 to 89% in whole pulses. Dehusking of pulses into dhals decreased TDF and IDF contents significantly. Among the dhals, green gram dhal had the lowest (8.2%, 6.5%) and chickpea dhal (15.3%, 12.7%) had the highest TDF and IDF contents, respectively. Processing of cereals had no effect on their TDF and IDF contents, with the exception of ragi, where a significant increase in TDF and IDF was observed. Cooking of dhals brought about a significant increase in their TDF and IDF contents.

Glycemic Response to Malted, Popped and Roller Dried Wheat-Legume Based Foods in Normal Subjects

A blend consisting of 75% malted and debranned wheat flour, toasted flours of 10% green gram, 5% Bengal gram, 5% moth bean and 5% skim milk powder, consumed by seven healthy adult subjects in the form of ‘chapati' (unleavened bread), showed higher blood glucose response after 30 min, as compared with blends of similar composition prepared by adopting popping or roller drying technique. No significant differences were observed in blood glucose response between the three foods at any other time intervals up to 120 min. However, significantly slower response to the popped product was observed in peak blood glucose, area under the curve (AUC) and slope from 0 time to maximal increase in glycemia. All the three foods were digested fast, as blood glucose reached fasting levels after 120 min.

Nutrient and antinutrient composition of pearl millet grains as affected by milling and baking

AbstractMilling of pearl millet grains reflected a change in gross chemical composition. Baking did not cause a significant change in nutrient content of raw pearl millet flour. Milling and heat treatment during chapati (an unleavened bread) making lowered polyphenols and phytic acid and improved the protein digestibility and starch digestibility to a significant extent.

Evaluation of some plant products against Trogoderma granarium everts in sorghum and their effects on nutritional composition and organoleptic characteristics

The efficacy of neem, citrus, garlic and podina powders and neem oil at 1 and 2% level (w/w) in sorghum grains was evaluated against larvae of Trogoderma granarium. Neem kernel powder and neem oil completely prevented damage by an introduced larval population. In other treatments, grain damage was noticeable after 3 months, although significantly less than in untreated grains. Thereafter, the percentage of damaged kernels increased progressively and reached as high as 29% (neem leaf), 44% (citrus), 56% (podina) and 71% (garlic) compared to 85% in the control after 6 months. Nutritional composition viz., moisture, ash, fibre, fat, protein and carbohydrates of treated grains remained unaffected after 1 month of storage. After 6 months, changes in nutritional composition were proportional to insect damage. Chapatis (unleavened bread) prepared from flour of treated grains after 1 and 6 months were of normal colour, appearance and texture, but in all cases, their taste, aroma and overall acceptability were adversely affected either by insect infestation or plant products or their combination.

Proximate composition and dietary fibre content of various foods/rations processed to suit the Indian palate

The proximate composition and dietary fibre contents of various processed foods either in ready-to-eat (RTE) or easy-to-reconstitute (ETR) form have been evaluated. The RTE foods included flavoured chapathy (unleavened bread), spiced potato chapathy and chikki (peanut candy), while the ETR foods contained items such as precooked dehydrated (PD) khichdi, PD vegetable pulav (rice based item), PD green gram dal curry, instant upma mix and instant halwa mix. Three different rations formulated out of these products have also been studied. Among the individual items studied, instant halwa and upma mixes have been found to be calorie dense (5400 kcal kg −1 FW). The other items provided about 3000 to 4700 kcal kg −1 FW. The rations, on the other hand, provided about 3500 kcal person −1 day −1. All the food items except instant halwa mix were found to contain high amounts of insoluble and total dietary fibre (TDF). The rations were estimated to provide 60–70 g TDF person −1 day −1.

Evaluation of some plant products against Trogoderma granarium Everts in stored maize and their effects on nutritional composition and organoleptic characteristics of kernels

Neem (Azadirachta indica) oil and powders of neem leaf and neem kernel, citrus (Citrus limon) leaf, garlic (Allium sativum) bulb, and podina (Mentha spicata) leaf were used in maize kernels at 1 and 2% level (w/w) against larvae of Trogoderma granarium Everts. Neem kernel powder and oil provided complete protection to grains for 6 months, whereas substantial insect infestations (7-19%) were noticed after 3 months in other treatments. Infestation increased progressively and reached as high as 35 (neem leaf and podina), 43 (citrus), and 62% (garlic) after 6 months. Moisture, ash, fiber, fat, protein, and carbohydrates of treated kernels remained unaffected after 1 month of storage. After 6 months, changes in nutritional composition were proportional to insect damage. Chapatis (unleavened bread) prepared from flour of treated kernels after 1 and 6 months were of normal color, appearance, and texture, but their taste, aroma, and overall acceptability were adversely affected by insect infestation, plant products, or their combination.

Chemical and biological evaluation of left over leavened and unleavened bread and products

During a study on ‘Refuse Recycling Processes’ in Karachi sponsored by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS - Habitat), it was observed that a significant amount of Solid Food Waste, such as left overs of unleavened and leavened breads, rolls, buns, etc., is generated from restaurants, households and fast food stalls. The Solid Food Waste contained 96·3–98% organic matter, 2–3·7% ash, 4·3–9·1% fat, 5·3–14·3% protein, 50·6–80·3% carbohydrate and 309–423 cal/100 g. Biological evaluation showed that diets prepared from this Solid Food Waste were acceptable, fully consumed and well tolerated by albino rats. It has comparable nutritive potential to bread and wheat flour.

David Daube On the Eucharist and the Passover Seder

The thesis that the piece of bread interpreted at the Last Supper was the afikoman of the Jewish Passover Seder was first presented by Robert Eisler. Rejected by scholars of his day, it has been re-argued by David Daube. Jesus interpreted the bread in the context of a messianic ritual that was then part of the Passover service. A piece of unleavened bread, the afikoman, from the Greek for 'he who has come', represented the messiah, who was symbolically united with the Jewish people at Passover. Jesus' identification with the bread was an act of self-revela tion. Although the messianic significance of the afikoman ritual has waned in Jewish circles, Melito's second-century Christian tractate Peri Pascha identifies the term with Jesus. Wine derived its significance from a different aspect of the Passover celebration, and Jesus' words over it conveyed a different meaning from the words he spoke over bread.

The Author of “Unleavened Bread.”

The Author of “Unleavened Bread.”

The Law and the festival of unleavened Bread (Massot)

The Law and the festival of unleavened Bread (Massot)

Breast-feeding and weaning practices in India

Despite the importance of breastfeeding (BF), there are surprisingly few studies on the subject in India. However, the literature that is available reveals that this practice is almost universal, but many customs surrounding BF and weaning are not conducive to the health of the child. Initiation of BF is generally quite late and colostrum is discarded. Moveover, prelactation feeding is generally unhygienic. Although BF is universal, there are signs that in certain population segments, such as the urban and the educated, the duration of BF is becoming shorter. It is recommended that the infant start to breastfeed preferably within 6 hours of birth. Generally, newborn Indians are breastfed for the 1st time 48 to 72 hours after birth. Successful lactation can be started at this time in India. Prelactation goods include boiled water, tea, sugar, honey, jaggery (a course brown sugar made from palm sap) or glucose with plain water and diluted animal milk. Often the mode of feeding is not hygienic. It is generally good for babies to be exclusively breastfed for 4 months after birth. However, in India, particularly out of the cities, women breastfeed exclusively for up to 8 months and in some cases for 12 months. This delay is a major cause of infant malnutrition. When Indian children are very young (0-3 months) they are usually fed on demand. For children aged 3-6 months, frequency of suckling episodes does not go down significantly among nonworking women; however, it drops considerably among those working women who do not take their children to work. The mean age at which children are given solid supplemental food varies considerably across India. The common solid foods include rice, rice with milk and ghee, biscuits, roti (unleavened bread), and boiled potatoes. 99% of women in urban areas; and 89% of those in rural areas believe that human milk is better than commercial milk or animal milk. It is nutritional and has antibodies. About 1/5 of the rural women said that it is good because it does not coast anything. women are generally unaware of contraceptive properties of breast milk. The duration of lactation foes down to almost 1/2 if the women goes back to work and leaves the child home.

Application of glycemic index to mixed meals

Plasma glucose and insulin responses to six different meals were determined and compared with values predicted by published glycemic indices of the component foods. The test meals were of different ethnic origins: Indian (lentil curry with rice), Italian (spaghetti bolognaise), Chinese (stir-fried vegetables and chicken with rice), Greek (lentil stew), Western (sirloin chop and vegetables); and Lebanese (sandwich with unleavened bread and hummos). Eight healthy volunteers were given 50 g carbohydrate portions of the above meals after an overnight fast. The glycemic and insulin indices were highest for the Lebanese meal and lowest for the Greek with significant differences among the meals (ANOVA, p less than 0.05). The observed glycemic indices correlated well with the predicted glycemic indices (r = 0.88, p less than 0.01) and insulin responses parallelled the glycemic responses (r = 0.83, p less than 0.05). These results suggest that the glycemic index approach will be useful in planning diets for diabetic people.

Ritualizing the Seder

IN THE STUDY of rabbinic Judaism in late antiquity, the principal problem is how to transcend written texts. Since the texts constitute the only source that directly attests the activity of the rabbis, it is difficult to place the rabbinic trends within a larger historical or religious context. Moreover, since exploring and commenting on the Written and Oral Torah were central acts of rabbinic piety, scholars have tended to maintain that religious developments were shaped heavily by a dynamic of the encounter with the text instead of by non-textual and nonexegetical factors. The case of the post-mishnaic (200-500 C.E.) revisions of the Passover seder, however, indicates that the rabbinic interpretive stance, in this area, at least, may be attributed not primarily to a response to a text but to a ritual process. To appreciate the ritual expansion of the rite, let me clarify the core meaning of the celebration. The Mishnah (ed. ca. 200 C.E.), which sets out the rite's basic framework, transforms a biblical sacrificial meal that had centered on the passover offering and that, at least since Second Temple days, was a pilgrimage festival celebrating the national redemption from Egypt as a national day of independence. In response to the Temple's loss, mishnaic rabbis made the seder independent of the sacrifice and, by reaching back to biblical accounts that predate the centralization of the cult, turned the celebration into a kinship gathering in the home instead of in the capitol city. In this transformed rite, the unleavened bread (massah) and bitter herbs (merorim or maror) became central objects and not just appendages to a sacrifice, as specified in Ex. 12:8 and Num. 9:11, and the meaning that they represented was raised to the cognitive level. A major ramification entailed the shift in the notion of redemption, for now the festival's traditional significance contradicted the social reality of living in an unredeemed world. Hence, the celebration became an opportunity to reaffirm that the message of redemption was ongoing. Israel was redeemed from Egypt by God, it continued to benefit from that divine act, and it owed God an expression of apprecia-

Phytic acid and calcium affect the in vitro rate of navy bean starch digestion and blood glucose response in humans

Carbohydrate foods that are slowly digested appear beneficial in the management of diabetes and hyperlipidemia. This study determined the effect of endogenous and added phytic acid as well as Ca on the in vitro rate of starch digestion and in vivo blood glucose response to navy bean flour, prepared as unleavened bread. Removal of phytic acid from and addition of Ca to navy bean flour increased the starch digestion in vitro and raised the glycemic response in vivo while readdition of phytic acid to dephytinized flour produced the opposite effect. Carbohydrate malabsorption assessed by breath H2 measurement related negatively to glycemic response but the changes observed were much lower than the changes in glycemic response. This study confirmed the role of both added and endogenous phytic acid in slowing the in vitro rate of starch digestibility and in vivo glycemic response to legumes and the ability of Ca to modify this effect.

Analysis by Neutron Activation of Human Bone from the Hellenistic Cemetery at Asine, Greece

Abstract Forty samples of bone and four of soil from the Hellenistic nekropolis of Asine, in the NE Peloponnese of Greece, and two samples of modern bone were analyzed. The concentrations of Na, Ca, Br, U, Sc, Cr, Fe, Co, Zn, Sr, and Ba were determined by thermal-neutron activation followed by high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy. Concentrations of seven elements (Br, U, Sc, Cr, Fe, Co, and Ba), present at high levels in ancient bone but only at low or undetectable levels in modern bone, were judged to be a result of contamination from the soil. Ribs were significantly more contaminated than femurs, as expected from the greater porosity of the former. Scatter plots of concentrations of Sr against concentrations of Zn in ancient femurs show two distinct clusters. They seem to be divided on the basis of date: one group consists mostly of remains of earlier, the other of later burials. They appear to reflect an increase in the consumption of red meat and coarse, unleavened bread during the later Hellenisti...

The effect of phytic acid on in vitro rate of starch digestibility and blood glucose response

The effect of phytic acid on starch digestibility was studied in vitro and related to the blood glucose response (glycemic index) in healthy volunteers. The glycemic index was found to correlate negatively with the phytic acid content of the food tested. In vitro digestion studies involving human saliva at physiological pH and temperature showed that in the presence of sodium phytate (equivalent to 2% phytic acid based on the starch portion), the rate of digestion of raw wheat starch was reduced significantly by 50%. This was reversed by the addition of calcium which is known to complex phytic acid. Similarly, when sodium phytate was added to unleavened bread, its digestibility was also decreased and in feeding trials high phytate bread produced a flattened blood glucose response.