Comparison of composition and antioxidant capacity of some cereals and pseudocereals

Polyphenols, phenolic acids, fibres and antioxidant capacity were determined in water, acetone and methanol extracts of buckwheat, rice, soybean, quinoa and 3 amaranth cultivars. Their antioxidant activities were comparatively assessed by total radical‐trapping antioxidative potential (TRAP), ferric ion‐reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric‐reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and nitric oxide (NO^?) assays, which comprised of contributions from polyphenols and phenolic acids (especially from the most abundant ferulic acid). The correlation coefficients between polyphenols and antioxidant activities of cereal and pseudocereal methanol extracts with FRAP, NO^?, CUPRAC and TRAP were 0.99, 0.97, 0.96 and 0.77, respectively. The weakest correlation was with dietary fibres, an average one exhibited with tannins and marked correlation was shown with the phenolics. All the applied methods have shown that pseudocereals have higher antioxidant activity than some cereals (rice and buckwheat) and can be successfully replaced by cereals in case of allergy.     

Adaptability of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts to sourdoughs prepared from cereals, pseudocereals and cassava and use of competitive strains as starters

The adaptability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts to sourdoughs prepared from cereals, pseudocereals and cassava was investigated using PCR-DGGE and bacteriological culture combined with rRNA gene sequence analysis. Sourdoughs were prepared either from flours of the cereals wheat, rye, oat, barley, rice, maize, and millet, or from the pseudocereals amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat, or from cassava, using a starter consisting of various species of LAB and yeasts. Doughs were propagated until a stable microbiota was established. The dominant LAB and yeast species were Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus paralimentarius, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus pontis, Lactobacillus spicheri, Issatchenkia orientalis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The proportion of the species within the microbiota varied. L. paralimentarius dominated in the pseudocereal sourdoughs, L. fermentum, L. plantarum and L. spicheri in the cassava sourdough, and L. fermentum, L. helveticus and L. pontis in the cereal sourdoughs. S. cerevisiae constituted the dominating yeast, except for quinoa sourdough, where I. orientalis also reached similar counts, and buckwheat and oat sourdoughs, where no yeasts could be detected. To assess the usefulness of competitive LAB and yeasts as starters, the fermentations were repeated using flours from rice, maize, millet and the pseudocereals, and by starting the dough fermentation with selected dominant strains. At the end of fermentation, most of starter strains belonged to the dominating microbiota. For the rice, millet and quinoa sourdoughs the species composition was similar to that of the prior fermentation, whereas in the other sourdoughs, the composition differed.     

杂粮多酚功能活性研究进展

杂粮中多酚物质含量丰富,加大对杂粮多酚功能活性的深入研究对我国杂粮产业及国民健康具有十分深远的意义。本文综述了国内外杂粮多酚的抗氧化、抗癌、抗心脑血管疾病、降血糖、抗菌等功能活性的研究进展,为杂粮多酚的进一步研究和开发奠定理论基础。      

Properties of extruded whole grain cereals and pseudocereals flours

Common cereals such as wheat are widely used worldwide in extruded products. Nevertheless, other locally available grains would be beneficial for local consumers regarding taste preference, nutritional needs and sustainability. Locally available cereals, that is millet, teff, sorghum and pseudocereals, that is quinoa and amaranth flours were extruded at the same processing conditions, and the resulting properties were compared to those of extruded refined wheat flour. Amaranth flour contained the highest protein content (16%). Sorghum was the highest in calories because of its high lipid content (10%). The extrusion process greatly increased a water solubility index (WSI) of amaranth from 11% to 61%, while the WSI level of quinoa was almost not affected (WSI of 4%). The expansion properties varied differently among grain types. These grains had a sectional expansion index (SEI) ranging between 11 and 13, which could not achieve the performance of the refined wheat (SEI of 22). The lowest expansion was observed for amaranth flour which contained the lowest starch content. Sorghum extrudates, interestingly, provided comparable stress at rupture value to that of wheat. For the mechanical properties, none of these local grains could fully replace refined wheat at the employed extrusion conditions.     

Studies on deep-fat fried snacks from some cereals and legumes

Deep-fat fried products, prepared from cereals, legumes and their blends, are universally popular due to their desirable organoleptic profile. Grain types differ in their chemical make-up and physicochemical properties, which may account for the differences in the oil content of the snacks. In addition, the frying medium also plays an important role in the oil pick-up during deep-fat frying. This work attempts to correlate these parameters with the oil content in a traditional Indian extruded and deep-fat fried product, sev, using flours from rice, wheat, amaranth, chickpea, cowpea, black gram and green gram. No correlation between the proximate constituents (water-holding capacity and oil-holding capacity) and the oil content of the fried sev was seen. Oil content in sev was minimum when fried in cottonseed oil. © 1998 SCI.     

Selenium in cereals: Insight into species of the element from total amount

Selenium (Se) is a trace mineral micronutrient essential for human health. The diet is the main source of Se intake. Se-deficiency is associated with many diseases, and up to 1 billion people suffer from Se-deficiency worldwide. Cereals are considered a good choice for Se intake due to their daily consumption as staple foods. Much attention has been paid to the contents of Se in cereals and other foods. Se-enriched cereals are produced by biofortification. Notably, the gap between the nutritional and toxic levels of Se is fairly narrow. The chemical structures of Se compounds, rather than their total contents, contribute to the bioavailability, bioactivity, and toxicity of Se. Organic Se species show better bioavailability, higher nutritional value, and less toxicity than inorganic species. In this paper, we reviewed the total content of Se in cereals, Se speciation methods, and the biological effects of Se species on human health. Selenomethionine (SeMet) is generally the most prevalent and important Se species in cereal grains. In conclusion, Se species should be considered in addition to the total Se content when evaluating the nutritional and toxic values of foods such as cereals.     

Effect of fermentation on antioxidant properties of some cereals and pseudo cereals

The influence of fermentation by two types of microorganisms (lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on antioxidant activities and total phenolics of 4 cereals, namely buckwheat, wheat germ, barley and rye, was determined and compared with those of their unfermented counterparts. The total phenolic content (TPC), determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu method, increased upon fermentation. Antioxidant activities (AOA) were assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity, ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) methods. The presence of those microorganisms was more or less important for enhanced levels of antioxidant activity. Thus fermentation offers a tool to further increase the bioactive potential of cereal products.     

Screening of cereal varieties for antioxidant and radical scavenging properties applying various spectroscopic and thermoanalytical methods

Twenty varieties of four representative cereals, and sixteen varieties of six pseudocereals were investigated by different assays and analyses, covering the quantitative analysis of antioxidants, radical scavenging capacity (RSC) as well as total antioxidant capacity of cereals. The inter-variety variability in antioxidant capacity was determined by four independent methods for evaluation of antioxidant activity including 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrasyl (DPPH) tests, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)/spin-trapping assay and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The antioxidant capacity of studied samples determined in ABTS test ranged from 0.70 to 7.33 mg Trolox g⁻¹, in DPPH test from 1.31 to 54.79 mg Trolox g⁻¹and RSC values from EPR/spin-trapping assay varied from 0.27 to 13.52 mg Trolox g⁻¹ dry matter. The best antioxidant capacity was found for buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) and Japanese millet ( Echinochloa frumentacea L.), where also the highest contents of total phenolics and exceptional thermal stability were observed.     

Effect of cooking on the total antioxidant capacity and phenolic profile of some whole‐meal African cereals

BACKGROUND: At present, sorghum, fonio and millet are not placed as important commodities in the North American and European food basket, but their importance as ingredients in multigrain and gluten‐free cereal products is highlighted. Therefore in this study the phenolic profile (evaluated by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry), total phenolic content (assessed by Folin–Ciocalteu assay) and total antioxidant capacity were measured in three African whole grains, i.e. sorghum (Sorghum bicolor ssp. bicolor), fonio (Digitaria exilis) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), before and after a cooking procedure. RESULTS: After the cooking process, soluble phenolic acids increased significantly in sorghum, whereas bound ones and anthocyanins decreased significantly. In millet the cooking process significantly enhanced soluble phenolic acids without affecting those bound, whereas in fonio a slight but significant decrease in almost all soluble phenolic acids was observed along with a significant increase in bound ones. Finally, the cooking process negatively affected both total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity. CONCLUSION: This is one of the few reports dealing with the antioxidant compounds of these three African whole grains in which the effect of cooking was also evaluated. The data suggested that, to improve their antioxidant properties, specific cultivars should be selected and the cooking procedures carefully considered. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Insect pest susceptibility of grains and seeds recently introduced to the Italian market: An experimental evaluation

To assess the susceptibility of pseudocereals (amaranth and quinoa), minor cereals (teff and millet), and oilseeds (chia and hemp), now commercially available on the European market, to attacks by polyphagous and cosmopolitan insect pests, laboratory tests were set up. Tests involving controlled infestation of seeds, using laboratory-bred insects (Tenebrio molitor, Tribolium confusum, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Cryptolestes pusillus and Plodia interpunctella), were carried out in a climatic chamber at 23 ± 2 °C and 65 ± 5% R.H.. Development time, the number of adults and the weight of these adults were evaluated. The results show that each considered foodstuff has a different susceptibility to infestation and differences both in the number of adults emerged and in their weight compared to control. Millet was the only product that allowed larval development up to the adult stage for all the species examined. No species developed on amaranth. T. confusum and O. surinamensis reached the adult stage on the greatest number of products, 5 and 4 respectively; C. pusillus and T. molitor completed their life cycles on only two commodities: millet and teff, while P. interpunctella only on millet and hemp seeds. Considering the impact of the different pests on the studied grains, T. confusum was the only species able to develop on all the grains, but the number of emerged adults was lower than on the standard diet. These results show that, even if these commodities are new in the European market, they are susceptible to the infestation of common stored product pests that could led to a removal from the market of a contaminated stock, so a continuous monitoring is needed.     

微生物发酵对杂粮代餐粉品质特性及抗氧化活性的影响

以紫薯为主要原料,辅以黄豆、花生仁、芝麻籽、玉米、小米、糙米、藜麦、薏米、青稞,选用植物乳杆菌和嗜酸乳杆菌作为菌种制备杂粮代餐粉。通过单因素实验分析接种比例、发酵时间、发酵温度、接种量对杂粮代餐粉可溶性固形物的影响,并利用正交实验优化发酵工艺条件。研究结果表明,最佳发酵条件为：接种比例1∶1,发酵时间7 h,发酵温度34℃,接种量9%。杂粮代餐粉经发酵处理后,色泽变化明显,发酵对样品的总颜色、色差和白度影响最为显著。吸水指数减小,水溶性、膨胀势、持水力增加,持油力减弱。粉体特性明显改善,更加易于糊化,DPPH·清除率和ABTS⁺·清除率分别提升20.92%、8.67%。     

Evaluation of antioxidant potential in selected green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables represent a class of underexploited plants that are stipulated to be rich sources of natural antioxidants. A fundamental study of free radical-scavenging activity in four plant species, namely Trigonella foenum-graecum, Centella asiatica, Sauropus androgynus and Pisonia alba, was carried out by measuring the ability of methanol extracts of these plants to scavenge radicals generated by in vitro systems and by their ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation. The levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants were also determined by standard spectrophotometric methods. Correlation and regression analysis established a positive correlation between some of these antioxidants and the in vitro free radical-scavenging activity of the plant extracts. The conclusions drawn from the study indicate that in vivo studies, isolation and analysis of individual bioactive components will reveal the crucial role that these plants may play in several therapeutic formulations.     

现代营养学对促进杂粮产业经济发展的作用

现代营养学新理论、新方法的应用,不断加深着人们对粮油制品调节健康作用的认识深度。杂粮具有药食同源的特殊作用,现代营养学必将进一步推动杂粮产业的升级和现代化发展。     

特色杂粮杂豆的系列化产品开发现状分析

详细地阐述了几种具有代表性的杂粮杂豆作物的营养价值及其产品研发现状,分析了我国杂粮杂豆食品研发共性问题,并对杂粮杂豆食品研发趋势进行预测。便于人们了解和掌握杂粮杂豆的营养成分和保健功能,为研究和开发食用杂粮杂豆产品提供参考。      

Amaranth,millet and buckwheat flours affect the physical properties of extruded breakfast cereals and modulates their potential glycaemic impact

Three non‐traditional pseudo‐cereal flours (amaranth, buckwheat and millet) were used in the manufacture of extruded breakfast cereal products as a replacement for wheat and maize flour. The use of these flours altered the physical and nutritional quality of extruded breakfast cereals. Extruded products made using the flours exhibited an increased product and bulk density. However the extruded products were not significantly different compared to the control sample in terms of expansion ratio (excepting Amaranth at the 65% inclusion rate). All of the extruded products made with the inclusion of pseudo‐cereals showed a significant reduction in readily digestible carbohydrates and slowly digestible carbohydrates compared to the control product during predictive in vitro glycaemic profiling. The results illustrate the potential use of these non‐traditional cereal flours in lowering the glycaemic response to the ingestion of extruded breakfast cereals.     

Relationship between acrylamide and thermal-processing indexes in commercial breakfast cereals: a survey of Spanish breakfast cereals

Breakfast cereals are significant contributors to the daily intake of food-derived acrylamide in Western countries. Acrylamide was determined by LC-MS in 60 commercial breakfast cereals marketed in Spain. Several SPE cartridges were evaluated for clarification of the aqueous extract. LOQ was 62 microg/kg . Acrylamide content ranged from < 62-803 microg/kg (average 292 microg/kg , and median 258 microg/kg , with an estimated acrylamide intake from breakfast cereals of 2.68 microg acrylamide/person/day. According to the German concept of minimization, a signal value 450 microg/kg was calculated. Relationships among acrylamide and some parameters of the studied samples such as type of cereal, its physical form (puffed and flaked) or certain ingredients in the formulation (proteins and dietary fibre content) were also investigated. Wheat-based cereals contained significantly higher levels of acrylamide, as did samples with higher fibre or protein content. In addition, puffed breakfast cereals also contained significantly higher levels of acrylamide. There was no significant correlation between acrylamide levels and contents of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furosine or cereal browning.     

谷物牛乳稳定性研究

为了研究不同胶体对谷物牛乳稳定性及其货架期的影响,以超高温灭菌纯牛乳为对照,利用Malvern粒度仪测定了花生牛乳与黑米牛乳的粒径分布,并基于物理反射模型的背散射光检测技术分别研究了结冷胶和微晶纤维素对两者的稳定效果。实验结果表明,谷物牛乳较纯牛乳的粒径分布明显地增加了谷物微粒所形成的峰,其中,花生微粒的粒径主要分布于20～500μm,而黑米微粒则介于1.7～200μm;花生牛乳与黑米牛乳的SI分别为0.17和1.11,颗粒沉降速率分别为0.23mm/h和6.13mm/h。因此,结冷胶悬浮颗粒的能力较MCC更强,更适合于谷物牛乳体系的悬浮。     

The fertiliser nitrogen requirement of cereals grown on sandy soils

The responses to fertiliser‐N of winter wheat and winter barley grown on sandy soils were measured in 72 experiments in England from 1990 to 1994. Yield without fertiliser‐N (Y₀) was c 1.1 t ha⁻¹ greater following root crops than following cereals. Following potato crops given organic manures, Y₀ was c 1.2 t ha⁻¹ greater than following unmanured potato crops, but Y₀ was no greater following sugarbeet to which organic manures had been applied. Only after the two driest winters was there sufficient variation in soil N supply in spring (SNS_s) for this to show a relationship with Y₀. However, Y₀ increased with increasing N mineralisation during the growing season (AM) in the three years it was measured. There was no consistent effect of sowing date on Y₀. Following potatoes, yield at optimum fertiliser‐N (Y_opt) decreased as sowing date was delayed, but this was not so after cereals, sugarbeet or overall. There was no increase in Y_opt with SNS_S or AM, but Y_opt decreased with increasing moisture stress (S) in June. The mean yield response to N_opt (Δ_Y) was c 0.4 and 0.8 t ha⁻¹ smaller following potatoes and sugarbeet respectively than following cereals, but not consistently so as there were large interactions between site, year and previous crop. Following root crops, Δ_Y was c 0.6 and 1.4 t ha⁻¹ less after sugarbeet and potatoes respectively that had been given organic manures. Without the addition of organic manures, Δ_Y following potatoes was similar to that following cereals. Regression on SNS_S and AM accounted for 28 and 15% respectively of the variance in Δ_Y. The optimum economic fertiliser‐N application (N_opt) was similar, at c 140 kg ha⁻¹, following cereals and potatoes. Following sugarbeet, cereal N_opt was only c 110 kg ha⁻¹. The differences according to previous crop reported here are consistent with mineralisation of crop residues on sandy soils being more rapid than on other soils; the potato residues were rapidly mineralised in autumn and lost by leaching over winter. Residues from later‐harvested sugarbeet were mineralised during the growing season of the subsequent cereal crop. Fertiliser‐N requirements were, at c 110–140 kg ha⁻¹, smaller than has been found on other soil types, and less than current recommendations for wheat. Requirements were significantly reduced in years of drought stress. No differences were found in N_opt between wheat and barley. These data do not justify the current advice to invariably reduce fertiliser‐N to cereals following potatoes by 20–25 kg ha⁻¹ on these sandy soils. On average a reduction of c 20 kg ha⁻¹ could be made following sugarbeet, with a further reduction of c 40 kg ha⁻¹ N if manures had been applied to the previous sugarbeet crop. A reduction of 40 kg ha⁻¹ N could also be made where cereals followed a potato crop to which manures had been applied. Further refinements on the basis of measurements of soil mineral N could not be justified. Seasonal variation in N response due to drought stress makes recommendations difficult on these soils. Adopting the fertiliser‐N recommendations proposed here would produce N surpluses to the soil of c 37, 10 and 27 kg ha⁻¹ respectively following cereals, sugarbeet and potatoes when cereal grain is removed but straw incorporated. On farms where straw is removed, N surplus would be largely eliminated. Our recommendation that no reduction in fertiliser‐N application to cereal crops grown on sandy soils should be made following potatoes will not increase fertiliser‐N use and is not expected to increase nitrate leaching. Some reduction in nitrate leaching may be achieved if recommendations following cereal crops and sugarbeet are made in accordance with the results reported here. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry