Diflubenzuron as a grain protectant for control of Sitophilus species

Diflubenzuron, applied to wheat at low doses (0.2–0.6 mg kg⁻¹), prevents development of first generation (F1) progeny of Sitophilus oryzae and S. granarius species except those developing from a short period of oviposition (1–2 weeks) immediately after application. These F1 progeny fail to produce F2 progeny when transferred to wheat dosed with diflubenzuron, and produce very few progeny when transferred to untreated wheat suggesting an effect on fertility in the adult insect. At 30°C, a dose of 0.4 mg kg⁻¹ is adequate to control S. oryzae and S. granarius, although a dose of 0.6 mg kg⁻¹ is required at 20°C. Strategies for use of diflubenzuron are discussed.     

Effectiveness of spinosad as a grain protectant against resistant beetle and psocid pests of stored grain in Australia

Effectiveness of the bacterium-derived insecticide, spinosad, was determined against eight storage pests of Australia. Laboratory experiments were carried out on relevant resistant strains of four beetle and four psocid species, with the aim of determining the potential of spinosad as a new grain protectant. To explore the possibility that spinosad could have delayed effects, we exposed all insects for 14 d initially and then a further 14 and 28 d for psocids and beetles, respectively. Adult insects of each strain were exposed to untreated wheat (control) and wheat treated with spinosad at 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg [a.i.]/kg of grain, and adult mortality and reduction of progeny were determined. Among beetles, spinosad was most effective against Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), with 100% adult mortality and progeny reduction after 14 d exposure at 1 mg [a.i.]/kg. Efficacy of spinosad was less with Sitophilus oryzae (L.), and least with Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.). Against the psocids, spinosad was most effective against Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein), with 100% adult mortality after 28 d exposure at 1 mg [a.i.]/kg and 92% progeny reduction after 14 d exposure and 100% subsequently. Spinosad was only moderately effective against Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel, L. decolor (Pearman) and L. paeta Pearman. Our findings suggest spinosad to be a potential protectant against R. dominica and L. entomophila in stored grain in Australia. This potential use would be in combination with another protectant capable of controlling other members of the pest complex.     

Laboratory evaluation of natural embelin as a grain protectant against some insect pests of wheat in storage

The effectiveness of natural embelin isolated from berries of Embelia ribes is discussed as a grain protectant for wheat in storage. More than 50% mortality of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) adults was observed in wheat grains when treated at 0.025% concentration. The F1 progeny was reduced in treatments. However, productivity (progeny/21 adult-days) in treatments was not significantly different from controls. In the case of Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), there was 50% adult mortality at 0.025% concentration after 1 day and 3 months of storage, and both progeny and productivity were reduced significantly at all the concentrations. After 8 months of storage, only the highest concentration of 0.1% exhibited appreciable adult mortality, yet the F1 progeny and productivity were significantly low in all the concentrations of embelin. Against larvae of Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) and Ephestia cautella (Walker), 0.0125% concentration retained its effectiveness after 8 months, while higher concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1% offered good protection against Trogoderma granarium Everts larvae. Embelin in the present study did not show any contact toxicity to adults of S. oryzae or R. dominica. The treatment did not have any adverse effect on germination of wheat seeds. In general, the effectiveness of embelin tested against five insect species was C. cephalonica > E. cautella > R. dominica > T. granarium > S. oryzae.     

Tanacetum vulgare essential oil as grain protectant against adults and larvae of four major stored-product insect pests

In this study the adulticidal and larvicidal effect of tansy, Tanacetum vulgare L. (Asteraceae) essential oil (EO) was estimated against four noxious stored-product insect species; Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae). The EO chemical composition, as determined by GC-MS, was dominated by oxygenated monoterpenes (68.2%), with borneol (13.6%), umbellulone (11.7%), artemisia ketone (9.3%), cis-chrysanthenol (6.9%), camphor (5.9%), and terpinen-4-ol (5.5%) as the major constituents. This profile was quite different from those previously reported from other T. vulgare European accessions which are characterized by high content of the toxic trans-thujone. The T. vulgare EO was applied as wheat protectant at two concentrations of 500 and 1000 ppm. Adult and larval mortality levels were estimated after 4, 8 and 16 h and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 days. Tanacetum vulgare EO caused complete mortality (100%) to T. castaneum larvae, but only 25.6% to adults at 1000 ppm 6 and 7 days post-exposure, respectively. The mortality rates of T. confusum larvae and adults were 56.7 and 8.9% on wheat treated with 1000 ppm EO, respectively after 7 days of exposure. The ΕΟ caused moderate mortality to T. molitor adults (52.2%), and low mortality to larvae (8.9%), at 1000 ppm at the end of the experimental period. High mortality of O. surinamensis larvae (93.3%) was noticed at 1000 ppm after 7 days of exposure, while only 13.3% of the exposed adults were dead at the same concentration and exposure interval. Overall, the T. vulgare EO could be considered as a potential wheat protectant for the management of important stored-product insects. However, its efficacy depends on the species and the life stage of the target pest.     

Sprouted wheat grain with ferritin overexpression as a potential source of iron for cereal product fortification

Grains of winter wheat (Korweta variety) were partially germinated in an abiotic stress condition (0–15 mM FeSO₄ solutions) in order to accumulate iron by ferritin overexpression. The physical, chemical, biochemical properties and technological parameters of the obtained material as well as their resistance to an insect storage pest—granary weevil—were analyzed. Sprouted wheat grains with overexpression of ferritin contain 52 times more iron, more than 50 % in form of ferritin. The contents of reducing sugars, crude protein, fiber and ash as well as amylolytic activity increased significantly in sprouted wheat grain, while starch, fat, wet gluten, falling number and inhibition activity against granary weevil α-amylase decreased. Germinated wheat grain enriched with iron strongly affected granary weevil developmental parameters. Despite the fact that technological parameters of the product were deteriorated, it is worth to consider this material application as an iron supplement for cereal products, when the application of soybean is impossible.     

Nanostructured alumina as seed protectant against three stored-product insect pests

Nanoparticles represent a promising technology to enhance the efficacy of bioactive materials and a large number of studies showed the effectiveness of nanostructured materials against various arthropod species of economic importance. In this work nanostructured alumina (NSA) was prepared using sol-gel method and the effect of NSA was evaluated as seed protectant against the main seed-infesting insect pests Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) Stegobium paniceum (L.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), and Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Besides, we tested the effects of NSA on seed germination and plant growth and finally, we assessed the presence of NSA as a contaminant in the leaves of bean plants germinated from NSA-treated seeds. The results showed significant insecticidal activity of NSA against the three tested species. After sixteen days, the percentage of insect mortality at the highest NSA concentration tested (400 mg kg⁻¹) was 100.00% for S. paniceum followed by O. surinamensis (80.64%) and T. confusum (79.41%). Besides, in-vitro tests indicated that NSA has no effects on seeds germination and on radicle and shoot elongation. No effects of NSA were also observed in pot tests on the bean’s plants. No differences were recorded in the leaves area, stoma density and roots length. On the contrary, the shoot of plants from NSA-treated beans was about 66% higher than the one of the non-treated plants (shoot, 15.07 cm for the control and 22.76 cm for NSA-treated plants). Finally, no contamination by alumina particles was found by EDX-system coupled with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) on the surface of the P. vulgaris leaves obtained from NSA-treated beans. Overall, the results showed that NSA could be an effective protective agent for the control insect pests during the seeds storage.     

Growth, yield and seed composition of native Australian legumes with potential as grain crops

BACKGROUND: Many Australian native legumes grow in arid and nutrient‐poor environments. Yet few Australian herbaceous legumes have been investigated for domestication potential. This study compared growth and reproductive traits, grain yield and seed composition of 17 native Australian legumes with three commercial grain legumes. RESULTS: Seed yields of seven native legumes were > 40% of Cicer arietnum, with highest seed yields and harvest indices in Glycine sp. (14.4 g per plant, 0.54 g g^?1) and Lotus cruentus (10.2 g per plant, 0.65 g g^?1). Five native species flowered earlier than field pea (Pisum sativa) (109 days), though many were slower to flower and set seed. Largest seeds were found in Glycine canescens (17 mg), with seed of other native species 14 times smaller than commercial cultivars. Seed composition of many native legumes was similar to commercial cultivars (200–330 g protein kg^?1 dry weight (DW), 130–430 g dietary fibre kg^?1 DW). Two Cullen species had high fat content (>110 g kg^?1 DW) and Trigonella sauvissima had the highest crude protein content (370 g kg^?1 DW). CONCLUSION: The seed composition and reproductive traits of some wild native Australian legumes suggest they could offer potential as grain crops for soils and environments where the current grain legumes are uneconomic. Further evaluation of genetic diversity, especially for seed size, overall productivity, and reproductive development is needed. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Amaranth grain as a potential source of biologically active peptides: a review of their identification,production, bioactivity,and characterization

Amaranth is a pseudocereal sparsely commercialized at extensive levels. Its grain is characterized by having a high-protein content of good nutritional quality. Recently, the obtainment of biologically active peptides (BAPs) from proteins of this grain has been a popular research topic. This review focuses on the main procedures for identification and production of BAPs from amaranth grain, on the techniques used for their characterization and on the beneficial health effects found in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, the published scientific studies allow to considered amaranth as a potential source of BAPs.     

Evaluation of a new insecticide formulation (F2) as a protectant of stored wheat, maize, and rice

A new commercial formulation, F2, was evaluated as a protectant of stored wheat, stored maize, and stored rough (paddy) rice. This formulation comprises the technical active ingredients 0.03% deltamethrin, 0.37% piperonyl butoxide, and 0.95% chlorpyriphos-methyl, plus 10% mineral oil and 88.0% of the diatomaceous earth Protect-It^®. Tests were conducted with dust and slurry formulations at 50 and 100 ppm, 57% and 75% relative humidity, and 22°C, 27°C, and 32°C. On wheat, survival of the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), ranged from 0% to 30.0%, survival of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), was 0-6.2%, and survival of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), was 0-97.5%. Few F₁ adults of any of the three species were found in the treated samples. Survival of the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky), on treated corn was 0-32.5%, while survival of T. castaneum was 0-88.7% in the 50-ppm dust and slurry treatments, and 0-51.4% in the 100-ppm treatments. Again, few F₁ adults of either species were found in treated maize. Survival of R. dominica on treated rough rice averaged 0-4.1% and survival of S. oryzae on treated rice was 0-48.8%, but the majority of weevils that survived were in one replicate. F₁ adults in the treatments ranged from 0 to 24.4. Results show that the combination insecticidal product F2 was extremely effective on all three commodities at the rate of 100 ppm, as either a dust or slurry, and could be used as a commodity protectant.     

Bioaccessibility and antioxidant potential of millet grain phenolics as affected by simulated in vitro digestion and microbial fermentation

Dehulled and cooked grains of five millet varieties (kodo, finger, proso, foxtail and pearl) were subjected to in vitro enzymatic digestion and microbial fermentation under physiological conditions in order to determine the bioaccessibility of their phenolic compounds. Extracts recovered as supernatants from enzymatic digestion and microbial fermentation were employed for the determination of their total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), as well as the scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals. Furthermore, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), reducing power and ferrous ion chelating activity of the extracts so obtained were evaluated. The DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities were determined using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The peroxyl radical activity was measured using an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. The TPC ranged from 12.7 to 35.4 and 21.2 to 47.4 μmol ferulic acid equivalents per gram of grain, on a dry weight (dw) basis at the end of intestinal digestion and colonic fermentation, respectively. All five millet varieties exhibited effective antioxidant activity and the order of efficacy differed according to the assay employed. The present study thus demonstrated that phenolic compounds of processed millets were bioaccessible and colonic fermentation released the phenolics bound to the insoluble fibre in the grain.     

Exploring the bioactive potential of brewers spent grain ohmic extracts

Ohmic based brewer's spent grain (BSG) hydro-ethanolic extracts were produced and their composition and biological potential through evaluation of their antibacterial, antibiofilm and antihypertensive activities were characterized. Ohmic Heating Extraction (OHE) was performed using two aqueous extractions of ethanol (60 and 80% ethanol:water (v/v)). A polyphenolic profile was performed and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid was the compound displaying the highest concentration (125.86 μg/g BSG) and the extract of 60% (v/v) hydro-ethanolic solution was the one with highest antioxidant activity (30.70 mg ascorbic acid/g BSG). Nevertheless, both extracts proved to have no mutagenic activity, and both were capable of inhibiting 50% of the angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) enzyme, the most effective being the one obtained using 80% ethanol:water (v/v). BSG extracts displayed an inhibitory effect against Bacillus cereus at 2.50 and 0.625 mg/mL, for 80% (v/v) and 60% (v/v) ethanol:water, respectively and to a lesser extent against Listeria monocytogenes, at 5.00 and 2.50 mg/mL, for 80% (v/v) and 60% (v/v) ethanol:water, also the same concentrations inhibited biofilm formation.     

Essential oil composition of Coriandrumsativum seed cultivated in Algeria as food grains protectant

A laboratory study was conducted to determine the efficiency of Coriandrum sativum seed essential oil for Sitophilus granarius control. The bioactivity of the essential oil extracted by hydrodistillation from the seed of C. sativum was assessed under laboratory conditions for it’s biological activity against S. granarius in chickpea grains. The components of the essential oil were identified through GC, and GC–MS. The identity of 17 constituent compounds of the essential oil was confirmed and their relative proportion was determined. Linalool has the highest percentage composition in the C. sativum seed essential oil (73.11%). All essential oil dosages showed a significant level of toxicity to the insect after 5 days.     

青稞作为我国高原特色谷物资源在功能食品领域的开发潜力

青稞是我国藏区特有的传统谷物资源,因其独特的营养成分和保健功能而获得广泛关注。随着全谷物食品在人类膳食结构中的重要性被重新认识,青稞全谷物食品研发的意义凸显。该文主要介绍了青稞中特有的功能因子、营养成分及保健功能的开发前景。     

Brewer’s spent grain as a functional ingredient for breadsticks

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) was evaluated for its potential as a functional baking ingredient. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the microstructure of BSG and wheat flours. Baked snacks (breadsticks) were prepared using 15%, 25% and 35% BSG and evaluated for their baking quality and fibre and protein content (over a period of 3 months). The addition of BSG altered the baking characteristics of the breadsticks by affecting their structure and texture. The snacks appeared to lack in cellular structure and crispiness. However, they had quite a stable shelf‐life, as changes in texture, moisture and a_w progressed at a low rate. Addition of 25% and 35% BSG significantly increased the protein content of the snacks, and addition of 15% BSG more than doubled the content of dietary fibre in the samples.     

Effect of gamma-radiation and microwave heating of wheat grain on some starch properties in irradiated grain as well as in grain of the next generation crops

Grains of the Polish winter wheat variety Begra were subjected to gamma-radiation (grain harvested in 1996) within the dose range of 0.05-10 kGy and microwave heating (grain harvested in 1997) from 28 degrees C to 98 degrees C. Later the grains were divided into two parts, the first was used for direct analyses after treatment. The second part was sown on the experimental fields. The obtained crop was described as the first generation and divided into two parts. One part was destined to determination of starch properties and the second part was sown in order to obtain the second generation crop. The same pattern was conducted in order to achieve the third generation crop. gamma-Irradiation directly applied on the wheat grain reduced statistically significant falling number values and gelatinisation enthalpy (deltaH) of the grain treated by 5 and 10 kGy. Calculated linear regression correlation coefficient between the falling number values and the gelatinisation enthalpy was equal to 0.94 (p < or = 0.001) and showed that these two starch characteristics are well correlated in the case of directly irradiated wheat grain. The falling number values, peak temperatures (Tp) and gelatinisation enthalpy (deltaH), in three generations of wheat grain crop studied, did not show any statistically significant differences as a result of indirect effect of gamma-irradiation. Microwave direct heating of wheat grain to 98 degrees C caused a statistically significant increase in the falling number value and decrease in starch gelatinisation power expressed by the enthalpy of gelatinisation (deltaH). The statistically significant changes in the falling number values, slight changes in the peak temperatures (Tp) and enthalpy of gelatinisation (deltaH) were found in all three generation crops as an indirect effect of microwave heating.