Wheat Flour Samples Research Articles

Health risk assessment of lead and cadmium exposure from food and snuff in Pakistani population

BackgroundSmokeless tobacco (SLT) is a tobacco-based product consumed without burning or smoking. Snuff, commonly known as naswar, is a widely used SLT product in Pakistan. This study is designed to investigate the concentrations of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in snuff and their associated health risks to consumers. MethodsBlood samples from snuff consumers and non-consumers were analyzed for Pb and Cd concentrations. Additionally, samples of drinking water and wheat flour were also analyzed for Pb and Cd. Health risk assessments were calculated using hazard quotient (HQ) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for Pb and Cd. ResultsSnuff consumers had significantly higher blood-Pb and blood-Cd levels compared to non-consumers. Approximately 38.5 % of snuff consumers were found to exceed blood-Pb levels from the safe limits (10 µg dL⁻¹) of the World Health Organization (WHO), while 48.9 % of snuff consumers were found to exceed blood-Cd levels from the WHO safe range of 0.03–0.12 µg dL⁻¹. Snuff samples contained Pb and Cd concentrations ranging from 5.3 to 22.4 µg g⁻¹ and 0.5–2.2 µg g⁻¹, respectively. Drinking water and wheat flour samples were found within the safe limits for Pb and Cd concentration, suggesting snuff as the primary source of exposure. Health risk assessments indicated elevated HQ values, for Pb (38.9 %) and Cd (14.3 %) detected in snuff, surpassing the safe HQ threshold of 1. Concerning ILCR from snuff, values for Pb were within the acceptable range, but alarmingly 100 % of samples for Cd exceeded the safe limits of USEPA (1.0×10⁻⁴), indicating a significant cancer risk in snuff users. ConclusionThis study highlights the exceeded Pb and Cd concentrations in snuff as well as also reporting significant carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks to consumers. These findings emphasized the urgent need for regulatory bodies to ensure the safety of snuff before selling in the market. Public Health Professionals should also initiate educational campaigns to raise awareness among consumers and manufacturers about various health risks associated with the snuff.

Changes to Structural and Compositional Features of Water-Soluble Arabinoxylans in Sourdough Bread.

This research investigates the influence of milling methods and starter cultures on the structural characteristics of water-extractable arabinoxylans (WE-AX) in stone-milled whole-grain flour and sourdough bread. Stone milling was conducted to generate six different whole wheat flour samples, from which sourdough bread was produced using wheat and rye starter cultures. The study found that both milling parameters and the type of starter culture significantly impacted the fine structural details of WE-AX, including sugar composition, arabinoxylan (AX) content, and the arabinose-to-xylose (A/X) ratio values. These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Furthermore, transforming flour into sourdough bread resulted in the molecular degradation of AX, significantly reducing its molecular weight and leading to a more heterogeneous fine structure. This detailed characterization of AX's alterations during food processing provides insights into evaluating its potential health benefits in whole-grain products.

Change in volatile profiles of wheat flour during maturation

The volatile profiles of wheat flour during maturation were examined through headspace solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC/MS) combined with electronic nose (E-nose) and electronic tongue (E-tongue) analyses. The wheat flour underwent maturation under three distinct conditions for predetermined durations. While GC/MS coupled with E-tongue exhibited discernment capability among wheat flour samples subjected to varying maturation conditions, E-nose analysis solely relying on principal component analysis failed to achieve discrimination. 83 volatile compounds were identified in wheat flour, with the highest abundance observed in samples matured for 50 d at 25 °C. Notably, trans-2-Nonenal, decanal, and nonanal were the main contributors to the characteristic flavor profile of wheat flour. Integration of HS-SPME-GC/MS with E-tongue indicated superior flavor development and practical viability in wheat flour matured for 50 d at 25 °C. This study furnishes a theoretical groundwork for enhancing the flavor profiles of wheat flour and its derivative products.

Reduced graphene oxide decorated NiCo2(OH)6 nanoflowers for vortexed assisted dispersive µ-solid-phase extraction of organophosphorus pesticides in baby food cereal, rice and wheat flour

Food safety is an important issue to protect humane health and improve the life quality. Hence, analysis of the possible contaminants in food samples is essential. A rapid and efficient vortexed-assisted dispersive µ-solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was proposed for simultaneous separation/preconcentration and determination of five commonly used organophosphorus pesticides. Reduced graphene oxide decorated NiCo2(OH)6 nanoflowers as a novel nanostructure was synthetized and introduced for separation of the target pesticides from the wheat flour, rice flour, and baby food cereal samples. The characterization of the nanoflowers was accomplished by SEM-EDX, XRD, and FT-IR techniques. The main factors including pH, the amount of nanoflower, the volume of sample solution, salt concentration (ionic strength), desorption conditions (i.e. desorption solvent type and volume, and desorption time) on the pesticides extraction efficiencies were inquired using matrixed match method. Applying the optimum conditions, the linearity of 0.100–500.000 µg kg−1, LODs and LOQs in the range of 0.03–0.04 µg kg−1 and 0.1 µg kg−1 for the studied food samples were obtained. The repeatability (intra–day precision (n = 5)) of ≤ 2.0 % and reproducibility (inter–day precision, days = 5, n = 3) of ≤3.1 % and were appraise at three concentration levels (10, 50 and 100 μg kg−1 of each analyte). High relative recoveries of 90.0–99.3 % ascertained high potential of the presented method for complex matrix analysis.

Ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing for simultaneous rapid detection of zearalenone and ochratoxin A in feedstuffs and foodstuffs

Mycotoxins are causing persistent worries regarding food safety worldwide due to their ability to elicit a wide range of harmful effects in both animals and humans. Approaches that can identify a single mycotoxin are not sufficient for addressing the needs of quality control of agricultural products since they are often co-contaminated by multiple mycotoxins. This paper presents the development of an electrochemical sensor that is free of biomolecules and is capable of simultaneously detecting zearalenone (ZEN) and ochratoxin A (OTA) through the incorporation of nickel oxide (NiO) with carboxylated carbon nanotubes (MWCNT(–COOH)).This is the first time that NiO–MWCNT(–COOH) based electrochemical sensor has achieved the simultaneous potential-resolved selective detection of ZEN and OTA. Under optimized conditions, good linear responses were observed in the range of 0.01–10.24 μg mL−1 for ZEN and 0.04–10.24 μg mL−1 for OTA with low detection limit of 6 and 15 ng mL−1, respectively. The proposed electrochemical sensor demonstrated good selectivity, reusability, reproducibility, and shelf-life for the sensitive detection of both mycotoxins. Moreover, the sensor was made utilizing screen-printing technology to demonstrate its potential for commercialization and practical application. Our biomolecule-free electrochemical sensor was successful in evaluating these mycotoxins in actual samples of corn flour and wheat flour, proving its promising application in monitoring ZEN and OTA co-contamination in agricultural products.

Quality characteristics and bread-making properties of Korean whole wheat flour produced at different addition levels of wheat bran

Whole wheat flour is produced by grinding wheat grains and blending each milling fraction such as wheat bran and white flour with no specific standard for the proportions. An exploration on classifying and utilizing Korean whole wheat flour is required to increase the practical use of many different types of Korean wheat flour products. This study aimed to examine factors for categorization and processability of Korean whole wheat flour by investigating quality characteristics and bread-making properties of Korean hard wheat flour samples produced with different levels of wheat bran (0% as control, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and whole grain wheat flour). The ash content of flour samples was divided into six gradational categories, which could be suggested as classification criteria for Korean whole wheat flour. The main parameters of dough and gelatinization properties of the flour samples exhibited downtrends, but nutritional constituents demonstrated uptrends with increasing bran addition level. The bread specific volume, hardness, chewiness, and brittleness of bread had strong correlations with dough stability and pasting parameters, which could be presented as significant factors for predicting bread-making properties of Korean whole wheat flour.

Quality characteristics and bread-making properties of Korean whole wheat flour produced at different addition levels of wheat bran

Whole wheat flour is produced by grinding wheat grains and blending each milling fraction such as wheat bran and white flour with no specific standard for the proportions. An exploration on classifying and utilizing Korean whole wheat flour is required to increase the practical use of many different types of Korean wheat flour products. This study aimed to examine factors for categorization and processability of Korean whole wheat flour by investigating quality characteristics and bread-making properties of Korean hard wheat flour samples produced with different levels of wheat bran (0% as control, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and whole grain wheat flour). The ash content of flour samples was divided into six gradational categories, which could be suggested as classification criteria for Korean whole wheat flour. The main parameters of dough and gelatinization properties of the flour samples exhibited downtrends, but nutritional constituents demonstrated uptrends with increasing bran addition level. The bread specific volume, hardness, chewiness, and brittleness of bread had strong correlations with dough stability and pasting parameters, which could be presented as significant factors for predicting bread-making properties of Korean whole wheat flour.

Parylene Double-Layer Coated Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode for Label-Free and Reagentless Capacitive Aptasensing of Gliadin.

Celiac patients are required to strictly adhere to a gluten-free diet because even trace amounts of gluten can damage their small intestine and leading to serious complications. Despite increased awareness, gluten can still be present in products due to cross-contamination or hidden ingredients, making regular monitoring essential. With the goal of guaranteeing food safety for consuming labeled gluten-free products, a capacitive aptasensor was constructed to target gliadin, the main allergic gluten protein for celiac disease. The success of capacitive aptasensing was primarily realized by coating a Parylene double-layer (1000 nm Parylene C at the bottom with 400 nm Parylene AM on top) on the electrode surface to ensure both high insulation quality and abundant reactive amino functionalities. Under the optimal concentration of aptamer (5 μM) used for immobilization, a strong linear relationship exists between the amount of gliadin (0.01-1.0 mg/mL) and the corresponding ΔC response (total capacitance decrease during a 20 min monitoring period after sample introduction), with an R2 of 0.9843. The detection limit is 0.007 mg/mL (S/N > 5), equivalent to 0.014 mg/mL (14 ppm) of gluten content. Spike recovery tests identified this system is free from interferences in corn and cassava flour matrices. The analytical results of 24 commercial wheat flour samples correlated well with a gliadin ELISA assay (R2 = 0.9754). The proposed label-free and reagentless capacitive aptasensor offers advantages of simplicity, cost-effectiveness, ease of production, and speediness, making it a promising tool for verifying products labeled as gluten-free (gluten content <20 ppm).

Co-contamination and interactions of multiple mycotoxins and heavy metals in rice, maize, soybeans, and wheat flour marketed in Shanghai City

Mycotoxins and heavy metals extensively contaminate grains and grain products, posing severe health risks. This work implements validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) methods to quantify the concentration of 12 mycotoxins and five heavy metals in rice, maize, soybeans, and wheat flour samples marketed in Shanghai. The mixed contamination characteristics were analyzed using correlation cluster analysis and co-contamination index, and the probabilities of all cross combinations of contaminations were analyzed using a self-designed JAVA language program. The results showed that grains and grain products were frequently contaminated with both mycotoxins and heavy metals, mostly with deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON), ochratoxin A (OTA), aflatoxins, fumonisin B1 (FB1), fumonisin B2 (FB2), fumonisin B3 (FB3), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd). All the samples (100 %) were contaminated with two or more contaminants, and 77.3 % of the samples were co-contaminated with more than four contaminants. In cereals and cereal products, the following combinations were closely associated: (FB3 +3-ADON), (FB1 +As), (FB1 +FB2), (DON+FB1), (DON+Cd), (As+Cd), (DON+Cd+As), (FB1 +FB2 +As), and (DON+3-ADON+15-ADON). The results indicated that mycotoxins and heavy metals frequently co-occurred in Shanghai grains and grain products, and they provided primary data for safety assessments, early warnings, and regulatory measures on these contaminants to protect public health.

Study of technological properties of rye and wheat flour

In the production of sourdoughs and doughs for baking bread, the main raw material is flour. To obtain a high-quality product, low-grade flour shall not be used; it must be of high activity, that is, it must have elastic gluten, high water-absorbing and gas-forming ability and low enzyme activity. All these factors give the dough certain structural-mechanical properties during ripening of the sourdough and dough, standing and baking. For the study, two samples (sample 1 and sample 2) of rye flour from producers in the Kyiv and Kirovograd regions and one sample of wheat flour (sample 3) from producers in the Kyiv region were selected. Sensorial indicators were determined in the samples, namely aroma, color, crunch, taste, pest infestation, physical and chemical indicators: humidity, grind size, acidity. The quality of the raw materials used in the study was analyzed using generally accepted and special methods. The flour samples 2 and 3 have shown the highest protein content, namely 8,9 % and 11,1 %, respectively, the lowest protein content 8,4 % was in sample 1. The energy value of wheat flour was 50,24 kcal and 42,58 kcal than in samples 1 and 2, respectively. A sensorial assessment of flour samples showed that all samples were free of foreign odors, had a pleasant aroma, and had a color characteristic of the nature of the grain, no mechanical impurities were observed. All types of flour had a uniform degree of grinding. Wheat flour showed the lowest dispersion (largest coarseness), and rye flour of both brands had high dispersion, its effect upon the quality of the finished product being positive. Rye flour samples had 11,1-13,4 % higher water absorption coefficient compared to wheat flour. The acidity of rye flour was higher than that of wheat flour. The total gas formation during 5 hours of fermentation for sample 3 was 1430 cm 3 of CO 2 per 100 g of flour; for rye flour, sample 2 was 678 cm 3 of CO 2 per 100 g of flour. Therefore, for the development of sourdough technology based on rye flour, coarse rye flour from the manufacturer’s plant in the Kirovograd region shall be recommended, which was the optimal in terms of granulometry, contained more starch, monosaccharides, disaccharides and protein, was optimal in terms of technological properties and had greater water absorption capacity than wheat flour.

A Highly Sensitive and Group-Specific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for the Detection of AFB1 in Agriculture and Aquiculture Products.

Aflatoxins (AFs) including AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 are widely found in agriculture products, and AFB1 is considered one of the most toxic and harmful mycotoxins. Herein, a highly sensitive (at the pg mL-1 level) and group-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of AFB1 in agricultural and aquiculture products was developed. The AFB1 derivative containing a carboxylic group was synthesized and covalently linked to bovine serum albumin (BSA). The AFB1-BSA conjugate was used as an immunogen to immunize mice. A high-quality monoclonal antibody (mAb) against AFB1 was produced by hybridoma technology, and the mAb-based ELISA for AFB1 was established. IC50 and limit of detection (LOD) of the ELISA for AFB1 were 90 pg mL-1 and 18 pg mL-1, respectively. The cross-reactivities (CRs) of the assay with AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 were 23.6%, 42.5%, and 1.9%, respectively, revealing some degree of group specificity. Corn flour, wheat flour, and crab roe samples spiked with different contents of AFB1 were subjected to ELISA procedures. The recoveries and relative standard deviation (RSD) of the ELISA for AFB1 in spiked samples were 78.3-116.6% and 1.49-13.21% (n = 3), respectively. Wheat flour samples spiked with the mixed AF (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) standard solution were measured by ELISA and LC-MS/MS simultaneously. It was demonstrated that the proposed ELISA can be used as a screening method for evaluation of AFs (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) in wheat flour samples.

One-Pot Preparation of Mixed-Mode Reversed-Phase Anion-Exchange Silica Sorbent and its Application in the Detection of Cyclopiazonic Acid in Feeds and Agricultural Products.

A novel co-bonded octyl and pyridine silica (OPS) sorbent was prepared and applied for the solid phase extraction (SPE) of cyclopiazonic acid (CPA, a type of mycotoxin) in feed and agricultural products for the first time. A simple mixed-ligand one-pot reaction strategy was employed for OPS sorbent preparation. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, elemental analysis (EI), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis demonstrated the successful immobilization of octyl and quaternary ammonium groups onto the surface of silica gel. The large specific surface area, high-density functional groups, and mixed-mode anion-exchange characteristics of these silica particles made them the ideal material for the efficient extraction of CPA. Additionally, the OPS sorbents displayed excellent batch-to-batch reproducibility, satisfactory reusability, and low cost. The SPE parameters were optimized to explore the ionic and hydrophobic interactions between CPA and the functional groups, and the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) parameters were optimized to obtain a desirable extraction efficiency and high sensitivity to CPA. Meanwhile, the OPS sorbent presented a satisfactory extraction selectivity and low matrix effect. Under the optimized conditions, our developed CPA detection method was used to determine CPA level in rice, wheat flour, corn flour, peanut, and feed samples, exhibiting a lower detection limit, better linearity, higher sensitivity, and satisfactory extraction recovery rate than previously reported methods. Therefore, our method can be preferentially used as a method for the detection of CPA in agricultural products and feeds.

Fluorescent and Colorimetric Dual-Readout Immunochromatographic Assay for the Detection of Phenamacril Residues in Agricultural Products.

The fungicide phenamacril has been employed to manage Fusarium and mycotoxins in crops, leading to persistent residues in the environment and plants. Detecting phenamacril is pivotal for ensuring environmental and food safety. In this study, haptens and artificial antigens were synthesized to produce antiphenamacril monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Additionally, gold nanoparticles coated with a polydopamine shell were synthesized and conjugated with mAbs, inducing fluorescence quenching in quantum dots. Moreover, a dual-readout immunochromatographic assay that combines the positive signal from fluorescence with the negative signal from colorimetry was developed to enable sensitive and precise detection of phenamacril within 10 min, achieving detection limits of 5 ng/mL. The method's reliability was affirmed by using spiked wheat flour samples, achieving a limit of quantitation of 0.05 mg/kg. This analytical platform demonstrates high sensitivity, outstanding accuracy, and robust tolerance to matrix effects, making it suitable for the rapid, onsite, quantitative screening of phenamacril residues.

Rapid analysis of wheat gluten composition using a triple ELISA.

Gluten composition is an important quality parameter of wheat flour. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) is a state-of-the-art method for its analysis. As this is a very labour-intensive and time-consuming procedure, alternative faster methods are desirable. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a high-throughput method often used for the analysis of gluten traces in gluten-free products. In this proof-of-principle study, we introduce an experimental triple ELISA for the relative quantitation of gliadins, high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) and low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) of one wheat flour extract. The results of 80 common wheat flour samples obtained from the triple ELISA and RP-HPLC were correlated. The results for gliadins (r = 0.69) and HMW-GS (r = 0.81) showed a medium and high correlation, respectively. Only a very weak correlation of ELISA and RP-HPLC results was observed for LMW-GS (r = 0.49). Results for glutenins (r = 0.69) and gluten (r = 0.72) had a medium correlation. The gliadin/glutenin ratio (r = 0.47) and LMW-GS/HMW-GS ratio (r = 0.40) showed a weak or no correlation. The gliadin, LMW-GS and gluten contents were lower and the HMW-GS content was higher in the ELISA measurement compared to RP-HPLC. The quantitation of gliadins and HMW-GS by the experimental triple ELISA showed comparable results to RP-HPLC, whereas no strong correlation between the results from the two methods was found for LMW-GS. Overall, the experimental triple ELISA is suitable for relative gluten quantitation, especially for the analysis of large sample sets. Further work will focus on improving the experimental procedure of the ELISA. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Prediction of technological properties of wheat flour by combination of UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis methods

Over the last decades, optical spectroscopy methods that do not require complex sample preparation have been widely used to identify and control the composition of food products. In the present study, the possibility of using UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis for grading wheat flour into groups differing in technological properties was analyzed. UV-VIS-NIR spectra contain information on the combination and intensity of absorption bands assigned to functional groups of the composition components and determining the technological properties of wheat flour. The database of UV-VIS-NIR spectra of wheat flour samples differing by technological properties was formed into three groups: the first group — wheat flour samples with good baking properties, the second group — with reduced baking properties, the third group — with low baking properties. The visible range of UV-VIS-NIR diffuse reflectance spectrum was used to calculate the color coordinates in the CIE colorimetric system L*a*b*. The greatest difference among the groups in the color coordinates of the samples was found for the coordinate b*, which is associated with the different content of coloring pigments. The spectra database was used to build a classification model for grading wheat flour into quality groups using a combination of principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) methods. The achieved results indicate that the classification model built on the training sample is able to distinguish wheat flour spectra by quality groups with an accuracy of 96.49%. The effective- ness of the model is verified using a test set of spectra of wheat flour samples. The present study confirms that the combina- tion of UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy in conjunction with the PCA-LDA method has significant potential for determining a quality group of wheat flour based on technological properties.

Deoxynivalenol Detection beyond the Limit in Wheat Flour Based on the Fluorescence Hyperspectral Imaging Technique.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a harmful fungal toxin, and its contamination in wheat flour poses a food safety concern globally. This study proposes the combination of fluorescence hyperspectral imaging (FHSI) and qualitative discrimination methods for the detection of excessive DON content in wheat flour. Wheat flour samples were prepared with varying DON concentrations through the addition of trace amounts of DON using the wet mixing method for fluorescence hyperspectral image collection. SG smoothing and normalization algorithms were applied for original spectra preprocessing. Feature band selection was carried out by applying the successive projection algorithm (SPA), uninformative variable elimination (UVE), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and the random frog algorithm on the fluorescence spectrum. Random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) classification models were utilized to identify wheat flour samples with DON concentrations higher than 1 mg/kg. The results indicate that the SG-CARS-RF and SG-CARS-SVM models showed better performance than other models, achieving the highest recall rate of 98.95% and the highest accuracy of 97.78%, respectively. Additionally, the ROC curves demonstrated higher robustness on the RF algorithm. Deep learning algorithms were also applied to identify the samples that exceeded safety standards, and the convolutional neural network (CNN) model achieved a recognition accuracy rate of 97.78% for the test set. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the feasibility and potential of the FHSI technique in detecting DON infection in wheat flour.

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.

Determination of zearalenone content in wheat by modified one-dimensional convolutional neural network-based Raman spectra

In this study, a Raman spectral model trained based on Transformer-improved one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) was proposed for the quantitative analysis of zearalenone in wheat. Raman spectra of wheat flour samples with varying levels of mold contamination were acquired using a portable Raman spectrometer. The 1D-CNN was introduced to extract local features of Raman spectra using three convolutional layers, and then the Transformer module was employed to encode and decode these local features for obtaining global information. This approach ensured that the network could better learn complex input spectra data, thereby improving the detection accuracy and precision of the model. The results showed that the improved 1D-CNN model had better generalization performance compared to the 1D-CNN model, with a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 2.5759 μg/kg, a coefficient of determination (RP2) of 0.9837, and a relative prediction deviation (RPD) of 7.9516. The study demonstrated that the 1D-CNN model improved by Transformer could achieve better feature self-learning and multivariate model correction of Raman spectroscopy data. This research introduces a novel reference method for chemometric analysis of Raman spectra.

Nutrient and anti-nutrient composition of durum, soft and red wheat landraces: Implications for nutrition and mineral bioavailability

Morocco possesses a significant genetic diversity of wheat cultivars in the form of landraces conserved by local farmers in several regions. This study aimed to investigate the nutritional and antinutritional composition of 75 flour samples of durum, soft, and red wheat landraces cultivated in Morocco in order to determine their nutritional value. The analysis concerned the quantification of total carbohydrates, starch, lipid, fatty acids, protein, amino acids, minerals, and dietary fibers using AOAC standards, and phytic acid and polyphenols using spectrophotometric assays. The antiradical activity was evaluated using a DPPH assay based on the chelating properties of the free radicals against minerals. The bioavailability of minerals was also estimated using molar ratios. On a dry weight basis, soft wheat flour contains higher amounts of carbohydrates (80.307 ± 0.634 g/100 g), while durum (14.007 ± 0.569 g/100 g) and red (16.452 ± 0.141 g/100 g) wheat flours contain more proteins, predominantly represented by glutamic acid and leucine. The mineral analysis revealed the abundance of iron, zinc, and calcium in soft, red, and durum wheat flours. Concerning lipids, the flour samples showed relatively low concentrations with a distinct predominance of oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids. The quantification of antinutrients revealed the richness of red wheat flour in dietary fibers (1.763 ± 0.103 g/100 g), total polyphenols (301.609 ± 0.169 μg GAE/g), and flavonoids (80.091 ± 0.121 μg QE/g), while durum and soft wheat flours contain more tannins (60.138 ± 0.751 μg CE/g) and phytic acid (9.182 ± 0.391 mg/g), respectively. The phenolic extract derived from red wheat flour demonstrated significant antiradical activity against DPPH, with an IC50 value of 121.683 ± 0.229 μg/mL. The calculated (PA:Fe), (PA:Zn), and (PA:Ca) were below the critical values, indicating a low bioavailability of iron, zinc, and calcium in the wheat flour samples. The results showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the amounts of nutrients and antinutrients among the studied wheat cultivars, leading to variations in the bioavailability of their mineral contents. These quantitative differences could be used to more accurately guide dietary recommendations and develop focused strategies for optimizing the bioavailability of minerals in wheat flour-based products.

Physicochemical properties, anti-nutritional and bioactive constituents, in vitro digestibility, and techno-functional properties of bioprocessed whole wheat flour.

This study investigated the impact of bioprocessing techniques (germination, solid-state fermentation, the combination of germination, and solid-state fermentation) on the physicochemical properties, anti-nutritional and bioactive constituents, in vitro digestibility, and techno-functional properties of whole wheat grains were investigated. Bioprocessed whole wheat flour (WWF) samples and the raw flour (control) were prepared using standard procedures. Proximate, anti-nutritional, mineral and amino acid (AA) compositions, protein digestibility, antioxidant activities, starch characteristics, and techno-functional properties were studied using standard methods. The bioprocessing methods increased (p≤0.05) the protein (13.37-16.84g/100g), total dietary fiber, mineral constituents, resistant starch (7.19-9.87g/100g), slowly digestible starch, phenolic content, antioxidant activities (ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity), most AAs, and protein digestibility. Also observed were decreases (p≤0.05) in rapidly digestible starch, phytic acid, tannin, and trypsin inhibitor activity. The adopted bioprocessing techniques modified the thermal, functional, color, and pasting properties of the WWF and resulted in molecular interactions in some functional groups, as revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, compared to the raw flour. The combination of germination and fermentation improved the physicochemical (titratable acidity=4.93%), protein (16.84/100g) and starch digestibility (resistant starch=9.87%), antioxidant (FRAP=78.90mg/GAE/100g), and mineral contents (calcium=195.28mg/100g), modified the pasting (peak viscosity=90.34 RVU), thermal (peak temperature=64.82°C), and color properties of WWF with reduced anti-nutritional factors. The combination of these processing techniques could serve as a natural and low-cost technique for the modification of whole wheat functionality and subsequently as an improved functional ingredient during food product development.