Wheat Kernels Research Articles

Sorption Kinetics and Equilibrium Isotherms of Phosphine Gas into Wheat Kernels

Highlights The pseudo-first order kinetic model fits well with the experimental data of sorbed phosphine versus time. Sorption isotherm curves were developed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich-Peterson models. Phosphine adsorption capacity of wheat kernels increased with increase in applied concentration (400-2400 ppm). Abstract. Phosphine (PH3) is the most used fumigant in the U.S. due to its low price, ease of use, and wide accessibility. With the growing concerns of phosphine-resistant insect pests, the sustainability of PH3 as an effective fumigant has been put at risk. Sorption equilibrium data is critical for improving the accuracy of modeling studies for phosphine-wheat fumigation systems and would clarify the PH3 uptake and sorption capacity of wheat. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of initial concentration (from 400 to 2400 ppm) on the equilibrium concentration for PH3 in wheat kernels and on cumulative and daily PH3 sorption through time. Kinetic data showed the sorption process was time-dependent and occurred in two phases: an initial faster adsorption phase, followed by a phase with a slower sorption rate as the grain and PH3 reached equilibrium. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models were fit to PH3 concentrations versus time experimental data. The pseudo-first order model provided better equilibrium estimates and was used for the sorption isotherm analysis. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich-Peterson sorption isotherm models were fit to the plot of equilibrium headspace gas concentration versus sorbed PH3 quantity. All three models had low standard errors of prediction (0.46-0.47). These PH3 sorption kinetics and values of total sorbed quantity at equilibrium are valuable for modeling the rate and maximum quantity of PH3 uptake in wheat. Keywords: Fumigation, Kinetics, Phosphine, Sorption Isotherm, Wheat.

Nutritional guide to feeding wheat and wheat co-products to swine: a review.

Inclusion of wheat grain can offer feeding opportunities in swine diets because of its high starch, crude protein (CP), amino acid (AA), and phosphorus (P) content. High concentrations of starch within wheat grain makes it a good energy source for swine. Mean energy content of wheat was 4,900 and 3,785 kcal/kg dry matter (DM) for digestible energy and metabolizable energy, respectively. CP concentration can vary based on the class of wheat which include hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, hard white, soft white, and durum. The average CP of all wheat data collected in this review was 12.6% with a range of 8.5% to 17.6%. The AA concentration of wheat increases with increasing CP with the mean Lys content of 0.38% with a standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of 76.8%. As CP of wheat increases, the SID of AA in wheat also increases. Mean P of wheat was 0.27% and median P was 0.30%. Off-quality wheat is often associated with sprouts, low-test weight, or mycotoxin-contamination. Sprouted and low-test weight wheat are physical abnormalities associated with decreased starch within wheat kernel that leads to reductions in energy. The assumed energy value of wheat grain may need to be reduced by up to 10% when the proportion of sprouted to non-sprouted wheat is up to 40% whereas above 40%, wheat's energy may need to be reduced by 15% to 20%. Low-test weight wheat appears to not influence pig performance unless it falls below 644kg/m3 and then energy value should be decreased by 5% compared to normal wheat. Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination is most common with wheat grain. When content is above the guidance level of 1mg/kg of DON in the complete diet, each 1mg/kg increase in a DON-contaminated wheat-based diet will result in a 11% and 6% reduction in ADG and ADFI for nursery pigs, and a 2.7% and 2.6% reduction in ADG and ADFI, in finishing pigs, respectively. Wheat co-products are produced from the flour milling industry. Wheat co-products include wheat bran middlings, millrun, shorts, and red dog. Wheat co-products can be used in swine diets, but application may change because of differences in the final diet energy concentration due to changes in the starch and fiber levels of each wheat co-product. However, feeding wheat co-products are being evaluated to improve digestive health. Overall, wheat and wheat co-products can be fed in all stages of production if energy and other nutrient characteristics are considered.

From Fields to Pixels: UAV Multispectral and Field-Captured RGB Imaging for High-Throughput Wheat Spike and Kernel Counting

From Fields to Pixels: UAV Multispectral and Field-Captured RGB Imaging for High-Throughput Wheat Spike and Kernel Counting

Surface disinfection of wheat kernels using gas phase hydroxyl-radical processes: Effect on germination characteristics, microbial load, and functional properties.

Wheat kernels harbor a diverse microflora that can negatively affect the suitability of the grains for further processing. To reduce surface microflora, a kernel disinfection method is required that does not affect grain functionality. Three different versions of gas phase hydroxyl-radical processes were compared with the common method for grain disinfection, that is, a bleach treatment. The gas phase hydroxyl-radicals are generated by the UV-C mediated degradation of hydrogen peroxide and/or ozone in a near water-free process. It was found that treating kernels with a bleach solution could reduce total aerobic count (TAC) and fungal count to below the level of enumeration. In comparison, the gas phase hydroxyl-radical treatment, that is, H2 O2 -UV-ozone treatment, could support a 1.3 log count reduction (LCR) in TAC and a 1.1 LCR in fungal count. The microbial load reduction for the wholemeal samples was less pronounced as endophytic microorganisms were less affected by all treatments, hinting at a limited penetration depth of the treatments. Despite reducing the microbial load on the kernel surface through the bleach and H2 O2 -UV-ozone treatments, none of these treatments resulted in a reduced microbial count on grains that underwent sprouting after the treatments. No negative effect on germination power or development of the seedling was observed for any of the treatments. The gluten aggregation behavior and xylanase activity of the wholemeal also remained unchanged after the gas phase hydroxyl-radical treatments. Our findings suggest that UV-H2 O2 -ozone treatment shows promise for dry-kernel disinfection, but further optimization of the processing parameters is required.

Deoxynivalenol content in wheat kernels showing various levels of damage caused by Fusarium culmorum

The content of Fusarium toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) was investigated in the grain of four winter wheat cultivars that differ in susceptibility to Fusarium head blight. Wheat heads were inoculated with Fusarium culmorum spores. The degree of damage to the kernels by Fusarium was assessed, and then the grain samples were divided into the following fractions: healthy kernels, healthy shriveled kernels, normal-sized discoloured kernels (white), and shriveled discoloured kernels (white, red). The highest content of DON was found in the fraction of discoloured, shriveled kernels, i.e. the most severely damaged by Fusarium. The DON content was 16 to 47 times higher than in the healthy kernel fraction, depending on the cultivar. This fraction contained from 54 to 91% of the DON contained in the total grain sample. A significant content of DON was also found in discoloured normal-sized kernels, the weight of which was similar to that of healthy kernels. The fraction of healthy kernels was divided into two parts based on fluorescence under ultraviolet (UV) light. Kernels exhibiting fluorescence had three times higher DON content.

Non-destructive detection of fusarium head blight in wheat kernels and flour using visible near-infrared and mid-infrared spectroscopy

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most severe fungal diseases that reduces yield of cereal crops and degrades kernel quality with mycotoxins, which are harmful to human and animal health. The majority of FHB identification at post-harvest stage is through lab-based analysis, whilst effective it is a time consuming, expensive, and laborious process. Hence, a non-destructive, rapid, accurate, and robust method is required for FHB detection at post-harvest. This study explores the potential of visible near-infrared (vis-NIR) in the wavelength range from 400 to 1700 nm and the mid-infrared (MIR) in the wavenumber range from 4000 to 650 cm−1 to predict FHB infection of wheat kernels and flour. A total of 143 ear samples (93 infected, and 50 healthy) were collected from an inoculated trial covering several winter wheat varieties. The collected spectral data was analysed with two different machine learning algorithms, namely, random forest (RF) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Both models produced a higher test accuracy of 96.6 % and 100 %, respectively, for the flour samples than that (e.g., 93.1 %) for the kernels, using the MIR spectroscopy. Recursive feature elimination (RFE) demonstrated notable improvements in accuracy of the vis-NIR for the kernels, with LDA model providing 100 % classification accuracy. While RFE failed to improve the accuracy of MIR-LDA models. The results highlight the effectiveness of vis-NIR and MIR spectroscopy with RFE and machine learning for classifying FHB in wheat kernel and flour samples.

Bread Wheat in Space Flight: Is There a Difference in Kernel Quality?

Planning long-term space flights necessarily includes issues of providing food for the crew. One of the areas of research is the development of technologies for independent production of food by the crew. Extensive research on lettuce has confirmed that the "space production" of lettuce is not inferior to that on Earth, even in the absence of gravity, but the same deep understanding of the quality of grain crops has not yet been achieved. Therefore, the goal of our work is to establish whether the conditions for growing wheat in outer space without gravity affect the weight and basic parameters of the grain, and whether this leads to increased asymmetry of the kernel and distortion of the starch composition. The objects of the study were wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) kernels of the Super Dwarf cultivar. Of which, 100 kernels matured in outer space conditions in the Lada growth chamber on the International Space Station (ISS), and 85 kernels of the control wheat grown in a similar growth chamber under terrestrial conditions. It has been established that kernels from ISS have significant differences to a smaller extent in weight, area, length, and width of the kernel. However, the kernels under both conditions were predominantly large (the average weight of a kernel in space is 0.0362 g, and in terrestrial conditions-0.0376 g). The hypothesis that the level of fluctuating asymmetry will increase in outer space was not confirmed; significant differences between the options were not proven. In general, the kernels are fairly even (coefficients of variation for the main parameters of the kernel are within 6-12%) and with a low or very low level of asymmetry. The length of starch granules of type A in filled and puny kernels is significantly greater in kernels from ISS than in the control, and in terms of the width of starch granules B and roundness indices, both experimental variants are the same. It can be assumed that the baking qualities of earthly kernels will be slightly higher, since the ratio of type B starch granules to type A is 5-8% higher than on the ISS. Also, the width of the aleurone layer cells in mature kernels was significantly inferior to the result obtained on Earth. The work proposes a new method for establishing the asymmetry of kernels without a traumatic effect (in early works, it was supposed to study asymmetry in transverse sections of the kernels). Perhaps this will make it possible to further develop a computer scanning program that will determine the level of asymmetry of the wheat fruit.

Fusarium head blight in wheat: Impact of growing season, wheat variety and nitrogen fertilization under natural infection

AbstractThe fungal genus Fusarium encompasses a diverse group of species responsible for synthesizing mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol, fumonisin, and zearalenone and inducing Fusarium head blight in wheat. The research was undertaken over a period of two consecutive growing seasons (2020 and 2021) on the premises and facilities of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE). The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of growing season, nitrogen fertilization, and wheat variety on Fusarium infection as well as mycotoxin contamination in wheat kernel. Zearalenone was absent throughout the course of the two growing seasons, whereas deoxynivalenol was found solely in 2020. The findings demonstrate that nitrogen fertilization failed to exhibit a statistically significant impact on both Fusarium infection and mycotoxin production. The impact of wheat variety on Fusarium infection and deoxynivalenol was not found to be statistically significant. However, it exerted a significant effect on fumonisin production. The growing season exerted a statistically significant impact on the incidence of Fusarium infection and the ensuing contamination with mycotoxins, attributable to augmented precipitation levels in 2021 compared to 2020, specifically during the flowering period when the spike of wheat is highly susceptible to Fusarium infection.

Changes in quality characteristics and metabolites composition of wheat under different storage temperatures

The quality variation of wheat post harvesting is strongly affected by storage temperature. Low temperature storage can alleviate the quality deterioration in wheat after harvest. However, the mechanism regarding metabonomics analysis between different storage temperatures in postharvest wheat remains poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the changes in wet gluten content, fatty acid values, Catalase (CAT) activity, alpha-amylase activity, pasting properties changes, as well as the differentially expressed key metabolites in wheat, stored at 15, 20, and 30 °C for 180 days. In our study, wheat storage, processing, and edible quality remained steady at 15 °C and 20 °C storage temperatures, and wheat quality drastically degraded at 30 °C. Through non-targeted metabolomics analysis, carbohydrate metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism pathways were proven to be involved in wheat storage. Specifically, gamma-glu-cys and 4-trimethylammoniobutanoic acid were up-regulated; adenine, l-gluconic acid, linoleic acid, 13(s)-HPODE, 9(s)-HPODE, 9-OxoODE, n-acetyl-l-glutamic acid, and trans-2,3-dihydroxycinnamate were down-regulated at 15 °C and 20 °C. These substances helped maintain the stability of cellular structures within the wheat kernel. The study's findings revealed the low-temperature impact mechanism on high moisture wheat from the perspective of metabolite changes. This may provide a scientific basis for the efficient preservation of wheat.

Estimation of wheat kernel moisture content based on hyperspectral reflectance and satellite multispectral imagery

The wheat kernel moisture content (KMC) plays a pivotal role in determining the quality, storage viability, and economic profitability of wheat. Monitoring wheat KMC in-field before harvest provides decision-making information to ensure harvested wheat meeting trade standards. The study aims to expand the feasibility of spectroscopy to estimate wheat KMC at multi-scales. In addition to using ground hyperspectral reflectance for single-point measurement of wheat KMC, satellite multispectral images were also utilized to monitor the field distribution of wheat KMC on large-scale. For each estimation task, we extracted sensitive spectral features and compared the accuracy of three machine learning methods including Ridge, Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Random Forest Regression (RFR). We also adopted Two-stage Tradaboost.R2 to address the issue of uneven distribution of samples corresponding to satellite imagery. Experimental results showed that, based on optimized spectral features, the R2 of RFR model outperformed other machine learning models (Ridge and SVR) for wheat KMC estimation (R2 > 0.85). Among all spectral features, the B5 band and PSRI vegetation index from PlanetScope satellite, as well as the B11, and B12 bands and VARI vegetation index from Sentinel-2, proved to be effective features for wheat KMC estimation. Moreover, the incorporation of hyperspectral reflectance and multispectral imagery can improve the estimation accuracy on large-scale through the transfer learning algorithm of Two-stage Tradaboost.R2. Leveraging its superior temporal and spatial resolution, PS imagery emerges as an ideal data source for monitoring rapid fluctuations in wheat KMC during the physiological maturity period, which enabled a multi-day wheat KMC simulation. Overall, This study contributes a reliable and convenient spectroscopy tool for wheat KMC estimation for multi-scenes, offering scientific insights to support agricultural water management and wheat quality.

Effects of Biochar Applied in Either Rice or Wheat Seasons on the Production and Quality of Wheat and Nutrient Status in Paddy Profiles.

In a rice-wheat rotation system, biochar (BC) applied in different crop seasons undergoes contrast property changes in the soil. However, it is unclear how aged BC affects the production and quality of wheat and the nutrent status in a soil profile. In the present soil column experiment, the effects of no nitrogen (N) fertilizer and BC addition (control), N fertilizer (N420) and BC (5 t ha-1) applied at rice [N420 + BC(R)], or wheat [N420 + BC(W)] seasons at a same rate of N fertilizer (420 kg ha-1 yr-1) on yield and quality of wheat as well as the nutrient contents of soil profiles (0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, and 40-50 cm) were observed. The results showed that N420 + BC(W) significantly reduced NH4+-N content in 5-10 and 10-20 cm soils by 62.1% and 36.2%, respectively, compared with N420. In addition, N420 + BC(W) significantly reduced NO3--N contents by 17.8% and 40.4% in 0-5 and 20-30 cm profiles, respectively, but N420 + BC(R) slightly increased them. The BC applied in wheat season significantly increased the 0-5 and 40-50 cm soil total N contents (24.0% and 48.1%), and enhanced the 30-40 and 40-50 cm soil-available phosphorus contents (48.2 and 35.75%) as well as improved the 10-20 and 20-30 cm soil-available potassium content (38.1% and 57.5%). Overall, our results suggest that N420 + BC(W) had stronger improving effects on soil fertility than N420 + BC(R). Compared to N420, there was a significant 5.9% increase in wheat grain yield, but no change in total amino acids in wheat kernels in N420 + BC(W). Considering the responses of soil profile nutrient contents as well as wheat yield and quality to BC application in different crop seasons, it is more appropriate to apply BC in wheat season. Our results could provide a scientific basis for the ideal time to amend BC into the rice-wheat rotation system, in order to achieve more benefits of BC on crop production and soil fertility.

Kernel Transcriptome Profiles of Susceptible Wheat Genotypes in Response to Wheat Dwarf Bunt.

Wheat dwarf bunt is caused by Tilletia controversa J. G. Kühn (TCK), which is a serious fungal diseases affecting kernels of wheat. In order to identify candidate genes involved in the abnormal development of kernels in wheat, we used RNA sequencing technology to analyze the transcriptome of the abnormal and healthy kernels of a susceptible variety (Yili053) at the mid-filling stage, late-filling stage, and maturity stage, respectively. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed, and there were 3930 DEGs, 28,422 DEGs, and 20,874 DEGs found at the mid-filling stage, late-filling stage, and maturity stage in Yili053, respectively. A total of 1592 DEGs (506 DEGs up-regulated) showed continuously differential expression in the three stages. Gene ontology analysis showed that these DEGs were related to biological regulation, metabolic processes, and the response to stimulus. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs play major roles in pathways including photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism. Moreover, we predicted that 13 MADS-MIKC transcription factors, which were continuously up-regulated, were crucial for regulating the maturation and senescence of eukaryotes. Some 21 genes related to the plant hormone signaling transduction pathway and 61 genes related to the response to stimulus were analyzed. A total of 26 of them were successful validated with a qPCR analysis. These genes were thought to be involved in the abnormal development of kernels infected by TCK. A transcriptomics analysis of wheat kernels in response to TCK will contribute to understanding the interaction of TCK and wheat, and may provide a basis for knowledge of molecular events in the abnormal development of kernels, which will be helpful for more efficient TCK management.

Interconnectable 3D-printed sample processing modules for portable mycotoxin screening of intact wheat

BackgroundThe increasing demand for food and feed products is stretching the capacity of the food value chain to its limits. A key step for ensuring food safety is checking for mycotoxin contamination of wheat. However, this analysis is typically performed by rather complex and expensive chromatographic methods, such as liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). These costly methods require extensive sample preparation that is not easily carried out at different points along the food supply chain. To overcome such challenges in sample processing, an inexpensive and portable sample preparation device was needed, that required low skill, for rapid sample-to-result mycotoxin screening. ResultsWe describe 3D-printed and interconnectable modules for simple, integrated and on-site sample preparation, including grinding of wheat kernels, and solvent-based extraction. We characterized these 3D-printed modules for mycotoxin screening and benchmarked them against a laboratory mill using commercial lateral flow device(s) (LFD) and in-house validated LC-MS/MS analysis. Different integrated sieve configurations were compared based on grinding efficiency, and we selected a sieve size of 2 mm allowing grinding of 10 g of wheat within 5 min. Moreover, 10 first time-users were able to operate the grinder module with minimal instructions. Screening for deoxynivalenol (DON) in naturally contaminated samples at the regulatory/legal limit (1.25 mg kg−1) was demonstrated using the developed 3D-printed prototype. The whole process only takes 15 min, from sample preparation to screening result. The results showed a clear correlation (R2 = 0.96) between the LFD and LC-MS/MS. SignificanceOur findings demonstrate the potential of 3D-printed sample handling equipment as a valuable extension of existing analytical procedures, facilitating the on-site implementation of rapid methods for the determination of mycotoxins in grains. The presented prototype is inexpensive with material costs of 2.5€, relies on biodegradable 3D printing filament and can be produced with consumer-grade printers, making the prototype readily available. As a future perspective, the modular character of our developed tool kit will allow for adaptation to other hard food commodities beyond the determination of DON in wheat.

Seedscreener: A novel integrated wheat germplasm phenotyping platform based on NIR-feature detection and 3D-reconstruction

Crop seed phenomics provides a new operational basis for breeders. However, a scarcity of seed phenotypic characterization, especially of the single seed kernels, severely restricts their use in plant breeding. In this study, we focus on designing and deploying a prototype for automatic and high throughput seed phenotyping. The novel setup, Seedscreener, allows simultaneous RGB imaging and NIR spectrum analysis pipeline to evaluate single kernel 3D morphologies and internal biochemicals. With the assistance of a data acquisition device centered on a near-infrared spectrometer and an industrial camera, as well as an automated acquisition software under the QT development framework, Seedscreener has the ability to acquire both endophenotype and exophenotype traits of single wheat kernels simultaneously. The developed biochemical endophenotype traits prediction model can forecast the protein content (PC), starch content (SC) and gluten content (GC) of wheat kernel by the full-band absorbance spectra. The developed morphological exophenotype traits extraction model based on Marching Cubes (MC) algorithm can calculate the wheat grain length (GL), grain width (GW), grain thickness (GT), grain surface area (GSA) and convex hull volume (CHV) using the three-dimensional visual hull constructed by the lateral profile information of the wheat grain. The results show that the platform could reach 94% success rate of single wheat phenotypic data collection, the average accuracy of endophenotype traits prediction is 0.85, the average accuracy of exophenotype traits extraction is 0.93, and the working flux of the platform is about 90 grains/h. Compared with existing individual wheat kernels phenotyping equipment, Seedscreener could obtain both endophenotype and exophenotype characteristics of wheat seeds with high throughput and precision.

Functional proteomics analysis of Triticum durum germ

Wheat germ has been shown to contain a wide range of bioactive molecules with beneficial effects on human health. The identification of specific biomarkers could be effective in assessing the wheat germ content of wheat-based products. To date, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), a lectin predominantly found in the germ tissue of wheat kernels, has been evaluated as a biomarker of whole-grain wheat. In this study, we performed a detailed investigation of the protein composition of wheat germ isolated from Triticum durum (Italian cultivar Svevo) with the aim of expanding the inventory of the wheat germ proteome. Wheat germ proteins were extracted and large-scale proteomics was performed using a bottom-up shotgun approach, including rough quantification using intensity Based Absolute Quantification (iBAQ). Overall, 1353 proteins were identified and functionally classified by gene ontology enrichment analysis. The predominant enzymatic fraction (280 gene products) was represented by hydrolases, including peptidases and glycosylases. Metallopeptidases were the most abundant peptidases, while the most represented glycosidases were chitinase followed by β-amylase. The identification of WGA was carried out only by a dedicated experiment based on Western blotting coupled to gel-based mass spectrometry analyses, as shotgun proteomics did not reveal this protein among those identified. This result provided a basis for a more in-depth study of the proteome in the dormant state of the germ, but also enabled to pinpoint the abundant proteins in germ that can be used as potential biomarkers as alternative to WGA.

NanoLC-MS/MS protein analysis on laser-microdissected wheat endosperm tissues: A comparison between aleurone, sub-aleurone and inner endosperm

Wheat kernel proteins are not homogeneously distributed throughout the endosperm. The goal of this study was to investigate the relative differences in protein composition between the aleurone, sub-aleurone and inner endosperm. Using laser microdissection followed by nanoLC-MS/MS, an innovative method combining high spatial specificity and analytical selectivity in sample-limited situations, 780 proteins were detected and classified by function. A higher proportion of gluten proteins was detected in the sub-aleurone than inner endosperm. Composition-wise, gluten from the sub-aleurone is relatively more enriched in ω-gliadins but impoverished in LMW-GS and γ-gliadins. While a basic set of albumins and globulins was detected in all three microdissected endosperm tissues, specific proteins, like puroindoline B, displayed a gradient. This study provides indications that both histological origin and relative positioning of the tissues drive the protein distribution. Knowledge of this protein distribution offers significant opportunities for the wheat manufacturing industry. Data available via ProteomeXchange, identifier PXD038743.

Study of hard red spring wheat millstreams on the correlation between protein molecular weight parameters and bread‐making quality

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesMillstreams vary in quality due to the heterogeneous spatial distribution of biochemical components in the wheat kernel. The objective of this research was to investigate variations of protein parameters characterized using size‐exclusion high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with multiangle light scattering (SE‐HPLC‐MALS) and their correlations with bread‐making quality in various millstreams obtained from long‐flow experimental milling of hard red spring (HRS) wheat.FindingsQuantitative variations for proteins, especially storage proteins such as gliadins and glutenin polymers, were primarily correlated with bread‐making quality in millstreams. Compositionally, a nonstorage protein fraction percentage was identified to be a complemental explanatory variable for prediction of bread loaf volume showing coefficient of determination of 0.936 in multiple regression with protein content. The molecular weight (MW) values of polymeric protein fractions determined by MALS varied significantly among millstreams showing negative correlations with bread quality traits.ConclusionThe protein SE‐HPLC‐MALS parameters were effective for the evaluation of millstreams as demonstrated by significant correlations with bread‐making traits.Significance and NoveltyNovel information was reported on the variation of protein MW characteristics analyzed by SE‐HPLC‐MALS in relation to end‐product quality for HRS wheat long‐flow millstreams. The information will be valuable to millers seeking to optimize the functionality of HRS flour blends.

Effect of streaming process on the quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) kernel during extraction

Streaming is a process of routing wheat flour streams to produce flour products and continuing with the milling process using plan-sifters. This machine has six ranges of opening mesh that produce six-grain granulations divided into several flour streams. This study aimed to assess the streaming process effect on the quality changes of wheat kernel extraction. The triplicates observation was conducted on the same 56 flour streams with different multi-wheat blends. The ash, protein, moisture, and gluten quality of blended wheat were analyzed. The streaming process significantly changed grain quality (p<0.001). Increasing the mesh width in the streaming process increased ash content (p<0.05) and protein content (p<0.05). In addition, there was a decrease in water content (p<0.05) and gluten content (p<0.05) at a wider mesh opening. The streaming process produces more than 72% wheat flour. This study showed the vital role of the streaming process in the quality determination of wheat flour produced.

Superheated steam treatment of soft wheat on the physicochemical properties and structure of wheat starch

AbstractSoft wheat grains were treated with superheated steam (SS) at 165 and 190°C, respectively for 1–5 min to understand the changes in the structures and properties of wheat starch following SS treatment. The damaged starch contents, amylose ratio, gelatinization properties, surface morphology, viscosity, and crystalline structure of the starch in wheat flour were determined. Damaged starch content, amylose ratio, and starch viscosity significantly increased after SS treatment. The onset temperature (To) and peak temperature (Tp) of wheat starch increased with the extending of treatment time, while an opposite variation trend was observed for (Tc − To). Additionally, the gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH) decreased after 3–5 min of SS treatment. Starch aggregation was observed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) graphs. Compared to traditional heat treatment methods, SS treatment of wheat grains may be preferable for modifying the starch properties of soft wheat since much time and energy could be saved.Practical ApplicationThe physicochemical properties and structure of soft wheat starch significantly affect the quality of cakes made with soft wheat flour. After SS treatment of wheat kernels, the amylose ratio and damaged starch content in wheat starch significantly increased. Moreover, gelatinization properties and starch viscosity of wheat starch were also significantly affected. The changes in physicochemical properties were mainly due to the changes in the structure of starch granules and starch molecules. The above results in the physicochemical properties and structure of starch led to the increase in the viscosity and gas retention capacity of cake batter, which might be the reason why the specific volumes and texture of cakes could be improved after SS treatment of wheat. This research verified SS treatment may be preferable for improving cake quality compared to traditional heat treatment methods, which promotes the application of SS in wheat process engineering.

Investigation of Fusarium damage in wheat using hyperspectral imaging: An independent component analysis approach

With the continuously growing world population in the 21st century, the agri-food industry is in dire need of adopting rapid, eco-friendly, and reliable technologies to improve the quantity, quality, and safety of agri-food products to fulfill the world's future food needs. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI), a technique to glean a sample's spectral and spatial information, is an emerging non-destructive technique that can characterize the quality parameters of agri-food products such as Fusarium damage. Despite its vast potential, HSI systems suffer from enormous data sizes, requiring high computational time and power. One potential solution to overcome the aforementioned challenge is to reduce the data size by removing redundant information. However, detecting small optimum features from a large dataset is not trivial. To this end, an exploratory novel HSI data reduction and analysis technique was investigated and validated to identify Fusarium damage in wheat kernels. Wheat samples at three moisture contents (19, 27, and 35%, wet basis) and seven infection levels (ranging from 0 to 56 days after infection) were imaged at 256 equally spaced wavelengths from 820 to 1666 nm. Firstly, complete HSI data was utilized to successfully characterize sound and Fusarium-damaged wheat kernels using independent component analysis (ICA) algorithm. Then, a genetic algorithm optimization approach was used to reduce the data to ten wavelengths for ICA-based analysis. This data reduction approach reduced the computation time to approximately 1.31% of the original time taken for analyzing the full HSI data without compromising the performance of the system. This preliminary study suggests that such wavelength tailoring could reduce the complexity and price of the imaging hardware, e.g., the use of inexpensive non-tunable filters, and less expensive computational hardware, thereby enabling fast and affordable real-time exploration and sorting of grains. This study, while exploratory, fosters advancements in HSI data processing and identifies certain limitations that open new avenues for future research.