Significance of healthy viscous dietary fibres on the performance of gluten‐free rice‐based formulated breads

The impact of associated viscous dietary fibres (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose semi‐firm – SFE‐ and weak – NE‐gel forming, and barley ß‐glucan, BBG) incorporated at different amounts (1.6–7.5%, flour basis) into gluten‐free rice‐based dough formulations on the breadmaking performance and staling behaviour of hydrated (70–110%, flour basis) fibre‐flour composite blends has been investigated. Single BBG addition fails to mimic gluten visco‐elasticity properly, but simultaneous incorporation of either SFE or NE contributes to bread improvement in terms of bigger volume and smoother crumb. 3.3 g of BBG (70% purity) and 104 mL of water addition to 100 g rice flour provided sensorially accepted breads (7.6/10) with a theoretical ß‐glucan content of 1.24 g per 100 g GF bread that would allow a daily ß‐glucan intake of 3 g provided a bread consumption of 240 g day^?1. Complementary tests should be carried out to know the amount and molecular weight of ß‐glucan in the final bread before assuring the nutritional benefit of this addition.     

Effect of cocoa butter replacement with a β‐glucan‐rich hydrocolloid (C‐trim30) on the rheological and tribological properties of chocolates

BACKGROUND: The food industry has been facing the challenge of developing low‐fat and low‐calorie food products due to rising health awareness of consumers. To meet this consumer demand, an oat β‐glucan‐rich hydrocolloid (C‐trim30) was evaluated as a cocoa butter substitute in chocolates. The effects of C‐trim30 on the rheological, tribological, and textural properties of chocolates were investigated. RESULTS: The viscosity of molten chocolates increased with increasing levels of C‐trim30. Flow behaviors analyzed using the Casson model showed that the Casson viscosity and yield stress increased with increasing concentration of C‐trim30 in the chocolate. Tribological tests on a ball‐on‐flat tribometer showed a reduction in boundary coefficients of friction, with increasing C‐trim30. In addition, hardness of chocolates showed that replacement of cocoa butter with C‐trim30 produced chocolates with softer texture. CONCLUSIONS: The cocoa butter replacement with C‐trim30 up to 10% produced soft chocolates with improved boundary lubrication properties. Also, the chocolate prepared by replacing the cocoa butter with C‐trim30 resulted in a product with a lower caloric value and increased health benefits from the oat β‐glucan. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Structural development of sucrose‐sweetened and sucrose‐free sponge cakes during baking

The influence of sucrose, wheat starch and sorbitol upon the heat‐ and mass‐exchanging processes forming the structure of sponge cake was studied. Under the influence of wheat starch and sorbitol the structure of the sucrose‐free sponge cake was formed at more uniform total moisture release. This process was done at lower temperatures and smoother change of the sponge cake height with respect to the sucrose‐sweetened sponge cake. The porous and steady structure of both cakes was finally formed at identical time – between 18^th and 19^th minute, at the applied conditions for baking of each batter (metal pan with diameter 15.4 cm and depth 6.2 cm containing 300 g of batter and placed in an electric oven “Rahovetz – 02”, Bulgaria for 30 min at 180°C). The water‐losses at the end of baking (10.30% and 10.40% for the sucrose‐sweetened cake and sucrose‐free cake, respectively) and the final temperatures reached in the crumb central layers (96.6°C and 96.3°C for the sucrose‐sweetened cake and sucrose‐free cake, respectively) during baking of both samples were not statistically different. The addition of wheat starch and sorbitol in sucrose‐free sponge cake lead to the statistically different values for the porosity (76.15% and 72.98%) and the volume (1014.17 cm³ and 984.25 cm³) of the sucrose‐sweetened and sucrose‐free sponge cakes, respectively. As a result, the sucrose‐free sponge cake formed during baking had a more homogeneous and finer microstructure with respect to that of the sucrose‐sweetened one.     

Effects of malting on β‐glucanase and phytase activity in barley grain

The effects of malting on β‐glucan and phytate were investigated in one naked and one covered barley by a full factorial experiment with three factors (steeping temperature, moisture content and germination temperature) each with two levels. Analysis of total content of β‐glucan in the malted samples showed small changes after steeping at the high temperature (48 °C), while steeping at the lower temperature (15 °C) gave a significantly lower content. This trend was even stronger for β‐glucan unextractable at 38 °C. Analysis of the activity of β‐glucanase for the samples steeped at 15 °C showed a strong increase over the time of germination, while those steeped at 48 °C had a much slower development. The other two factors influenced the outcome to a small extent, mainly because the steeping temperature was the most important factor overall where any changes in β‐glucan and β‐glucanase were observed. When β‐glucan was extracted at 100 °C, a larger yield was obtained, and this was influenced by the steeping temperature in a much stronger way than for β‐glucan extracted at 38 °C. Determination of average molecular weight for β‐glucan extracted at 100 °C gave a lower value for samples steeped at 15 than at 48 °C. The design did not have any large effects on phytate degradation and phytase activity. However, it indicated that selective control of the enzymes might be possible, since phytase activity was barely affected by the parameters studied, while β‐glucanase was heavily affected. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Enzymatic Properties of β‐1,3‐Glucanase from Streptomyces sp Mo.

Streptomyces sp Mo endo‐β‐1,3‐glucanase was found to have hydrolyzing activity toward curdlan and released laminarioligosaccharides selectively. The molecular weight was estimated to be 36000 Da and its N‐terminal amino acid sequence was VTPPDISVTN. The optimal pH was 6 and the enzyme was found to be stable from pH 5 to 8. The optimal temperature was 60 °C and the activity was stable below 50 °C. The enzyme hydrolyzed selectively curdlan containing only β‐1,3 linkages. The enzyme had 89% relative activity toward Laminaria digitata laminarin, which contains a small amount of β‐1,6 linkages compared with curdlan, while Eisenia bicyclis laminarin with a higher amount of β‐1,6‐linkages, was not hydrolyzed. Mo enzyme adsorbed completely on curdlan powder. The enzymatic hydrolysis of curdlan powder resulted in the accumulation of laminaribiose (yield 81.7%). Trisaccharide was inevitably released from the hydrolysis of laminarioligosaccharides with 5 to 7 degrees of polymerization (DP). Although the enzyme cleaved off disaccharide (DP 2) from tetrasaccharide (DP 4), the reaction rate was lower than those of DP 5 to 7. The results indicated that the active site of Mo endo‐β‐1,3‐glucanase can efficiently recognize glucosyl residue chain of greater than DP 5 and hydrolyzes the β‐1,3 linkage between the 3rd and 4th glucosyl residue.     

A predictive model of the effects of genotypic,pre‐ and postharvest stages on barley β‐glucan levels

BACKGROUND: β‐Glucan is a bioactive component of cereal grains that has many potential uses and health‐promoting benefits. Recent research has focused on improving the nutritional value of food by increasing human exposure to β‐glucan. This study looks at the development of a farm‐level baseline model (including scenario analysis) to evaluate the impact of pre‐ and postharvest stages (including genotypic factors, environmental conditions, agronomic factors and storage) on β‐glucan levels in barley. Monte Carlo simulation techniques were employed to model various stages in pre‐ and postharvest processes and to simulate the factors influencing the level of β‐glucan content in both hulled barley (H_B) and hull‐less barley (H_LB) genotypes. RESULTS: The baseline model found that the mean simulated level of β‐glucan was 40.99 and 56.77 g kg^?1 for H_B and H_LB genotypes respectively. A sensitivity analysis highlighted that genotype was the most important parameter in determining the final β‐glucan content (correlation coefficients of 0.66 and 0.78 for H_B and H_LB respectively), more so than any of the agronomic factors analysed. The scenario analysis highlighted the importance of harvest date (scenario 2) and storage conditions (scenario 3), with a potential 32.6 and 32.7% decrease in β‐glucan (compared with the baseline model) if harvesting is carried out early during physiological maturity (i.e. at growth stage 92) and a potential 20.1 and 19.5% increase in β‐glucan for H_B and H_LB respectively if storage time is minimised. CONCLUSION: This study predicted the influence of genotypic, pre‐ and postharvest operations on β‐glucan content and thus allows strategies to be identified to influence β‐glucan content in barley products. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of Mashing Parameters on Mash β‐Glucan,FAN and Soluble Extract Levels

To gain further technological knowledge of mashing, pilot scale mashing trials were carried out varying mashing programme (upward/isothermal mashing), milling procedure, grist:liquor ratio, time of mash stands, and grist modification level (well and poorly modified malt). During mashing β‐glucan, free amino nitrogen (FAN) and extract contents were analysed as key indicators for cytolysis, proteolysis, and amylolysis, respectively. The malt modification was of major impact for the β‐glucan release in contrast to a variation of milling procedure and of grist:liquor ratio. Extended stands lead to increased final values only for poorly modified malt. Similarly, FAN release was predetermined by malt modification while variation of milling and of grist:liquor ratio was not relevant in contrast to stand extension. None of the variations applied influenced extract yield as long as gelatinization temperature was reached. Greatest gains occurred around 57°C. In conclusion, wort quality is critically determined by malt modification. Mashing with well modified malt in combination with short stands should result in a mash of low β‐glucan and sufficient FAN level without losing extract yield. However, for poorly modified malt the variation of mashing parameters has an impact on the key indicators in which cytolysis plays the dominating role.     

Optimised methodology for carboxymethylation of (1→3)‐β‐d‐glucan from Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and promotion of mechanical activation

With a view to utilise yeast (1→3)‐β‐d ‐glucan as biological response modifiers with better water solubility, carboxymethylation was carried out by a two‐step alkalisation and etherification with monochloroacetic acid. Four technological parameters of carboxymethylation were investigated by orthogonal experiments for obtaining the maximum degree of substitution (DS), apparent viscosity (η) and solubility of carboxymethyl derivatives. In view of the orthogonal analysis, the optimal technological parameters were reaction temperature 50 °C, total reaction time 5 h, 3 mL of 50% sodium hydroxide as the second alkali dosage and 15 mL of 4 m chloroacetic acid. In addition, it was found that ball milling pretreatment for original (1→3)‐β‐d ‐glucan can be an advantage for carboxymethylation. By contrast, DS, η and solubility of carboxymethyl product increased 24%, 6% and 22%, respectively, suggesting the effect of ball milling pretreatment could not be neglected on improvement of DS, η and solubility for carboxymethyl products.     

Variety and germination time effect on total β‐glucan,water‐insoluble β‐glucan,water‐soluble β‐glucan components and β‐glucanase levels in improved sorghum varieties SK5912, KSV8 and ICSV400 before and after malting and their relationships to wort viscosity

The effects of variety and germination time on β‐glucan components – total β‐glucan (TBG), water insoluble β‐glucan (WIBG) and water soluble β‐glucan (WSBG) and β‐glucanase (BG) levels – before and after malting in improved sorghum varieties SK5912, KSV8 and ICSV400 and their relationships to wort specific viscosity (SV) were studied. This study was part of efforts to aid local malting and brewing industries in the application of sorghum varieties that are abundantly available to reduce costs. At the fifth day of germination, variety ICSV400 had the lowest TBG, WIBG and WSBG levels in its raw and malt samples. Variety SK5912 had the highest TBG, WIBG and WSBG levels in its raw samples, while variety KSV8 had the highest levels of TBG, WIBG and WSBG in its malt samples. Similarly, variety ICSV400 malts developed the highest BG levels, while the KSV8 malts gave the lowest level. The effect of variety, germination time and variety × germination time interaction was significant (p < 0.05) on the TBG, WIBG and BG levels and was not significant on the WSBG levels. Weak and significant correlation of TBG levels with SV (0.25, p < 0.05 for SK5912; 0.24, p < 0.05 for KSV8; and 0.31, p < 0.05 for ICSV400) was observed in all the samples, suggesting that the low β‐glucan levels may not be primarily and solely responsible for any viscosity impediments associated with sorghum worts during run‐off. With improvement in the effective utilization of sorghum, ICSV400 appeared the most suitable variety for malting and brewing in Nigeria.Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Effect of Pleurotus eryngii Mushroom β‐Glucan on Quality Characteristics of Common Wheat Pasta

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of β‐glucan‐rich fractions (BGRFs) from Pleurotus eryngii mushroom powder on the quality, textural properties, and sensory evaluation of common wheat pasta. Pasta was prepared from semolina flour and common wheat flour by replacing common wheat flour at 2%, 4%, and 6% with BGRFs. Semolina flour showed significantly higher viscosities than common wheat flour samples. However, all viscosities, except the breakdown viscosity, were reduced with increasing percentages of BGRFs. Replacement of the common wheat flour with BGRFs resulted in a reddish brown colored pasta with a lower L* value and a higher a* value. The common wheat pastas containing up to 4% BGRFs were not significantly different from semolina pasta with regard to cooking loss. Addition of up to 2% BGRFs had no significant impact on swelling index and water absorption. The addition of BGRFs in common wheat flour had a positive effect on the quality of common wheat pasta and resulted in hardness values similar to those of semolina pasta. In a sensory evaluation, cooked pasta with 2% BGRFs had the highest overall acceptability score. In summary, the results showed that common wheat flour containing 4% BGRFs could be used to produce pasta with an improved quality and texture properties similar to semolina pasta.     

Effects of β‐cyclodextrin addition and farming type on vitamin C,antioxidant activity,carotenoids profile,and sensory analysis in pasteurised orange juices

The effects of organic farming, pasteurisation and addition of β‐cyclodextrin on the content of vitamin C, colour, carotenoids and antioxidant capacity of orange juices were studied. After pasteurisation at 98 °C (20 s) and subsequently storage along 145 days at room temperature (20–25 °C), the loss of vitamin C content was around 30%. The effects of the thermal process on carotenoid were clearly observed in lutein (loss of 16% for organic and traditional 8%) and especially β‐cryptoxanthin (loss of 30%). The colour changes were noticeable after the pasteurisation of orange juice and subsequent storage, with significant decreases being observed in lightness and the coordinate a*, while increases were found for coordinates b*, Hue* and chroma. The antioxidant capacity was 0.075 ± 0.01 and 0.053 ± 0.01 mMT mL^?1 for organic and conventional, respectively, with losses around 40% being found at the end of the storage period. The addition of β‐cyclodextrin caused no significant effects on the parameters under analysis. These data showed that strong thermal treatments, such as pasteurisation, adversely affect the nutritional and sensory quality of orange juices.     

The structure of barley endosperm – an important determinant of malt modification

Structural differences in barley grains have been classified as either mealy or steely and their relative proportions have been determined using a light transflectance method in three barley samples varying in the degree of steeliness, Target being the most steely and Chariot most mealy with Blenheim being intermediate. These structural differences were found to be associated with differences in the concentration of endosperm components, particularly proteins and β‐glucan. Analysis of nitrogen within the endosperm showed that protein was mainly concentrated in the embryo and distal regions with the inner, mid‐endosperm containing lowest levels. As the total nitrogen (TN) of the grain increased, the mealier samples accumulated nitrogen mainly in the embryo whereas the steely sample had higher levels in the central endosperm. SDS‐PAGE showed no differences in the protein banding pattern at different TN levels. Electron microscopy using immuno‐gold labelling demonstrated that γ‐hordeins were present in sub‐aleurone and outer endosperm whereas the C‐hordeins were found throughout the central endosperm. However, steely areas of central endosperm contained γ‐hordeins. During malting, protein modification in Chariot was more extensive than in Target with 34kD and 97kD hordeins being completely degraded. In Chariot and Blenheim, level of β‐glucan was low and it was evenly distributed throughout the endosperm. In the steelier Target, however, the amount of β‐glucan was higher and was concentrated in the proximal and distal areas of the endosperm. Steely grains (containing high concentrations of protein and β‐glucan) displayed slower water distribution during steeping and later development and distribution of β‐glucanase during germination. As a consequence, the steely sample achieved a lower degree of modification during malting. The structure of the endosperm, therefore, has a prime influence on the evenness of distribution of moisture and enzymes which is crucial for homogeneous modification during malting. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Enzyme activities,dietary fibre components and rheological properties of wholemeal flours from rye cultivars grown in Finland

Total and soluble dietary fibre, total and soluble pentosan and β‐glucan contents, activities of α‐amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) and endo‐β‐xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8) and viscous properties of aqueous suspensions of wholemeal flours during heating were determined in nine winter rye cultivars (Secale cereale L) grown in Finland in 1998–2001. There was marked annual and varietal differences in grain quality. In the rainy summer 1998 the yield was low, grains were small and dietary fibre content of the grains was high. Xylanase activity of the grains was high, which corresponded to the high content of soluble pentosans. In the dry summer of 1999, the pentosan content of the grains was low and β‐glucan content high. The effect of weather conditions and cultivar were also apparent in the differences in falling numbers, amylogram and swelling curve results. The two hybrid rye cultivars Esprit and Picasso had consistently highest falling numbers and amylogram peak viscosities. The activities of α‐amylase and xylanase had a moderate positive correlation with total pentosan content and the content of soluble pentosan. Xylanase activity had better correlation with the viscous properties of flour–water suspensions than α‐amylase. Surprisingly, α‐amylase activity had only a moderate negative correlation with falling number. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Chemical,biological and sensory evaluation of pasta products supplemented with α‐galactoside‐free lupin flours

α‐Galactoside‐free lupin flour has been used to supplement durum wheat semolina flour in order to increase the nutritive value of pasta products. Supplemented pasta products had a shorter cooking time, higher cooking water absorption, cooking loss and protein loss in water than control pasta prepared with only semolina. Sensory evaluation of cooked pastas showed that products supplemented with 80 g kg^?1 of α‐galactoside‐free Lupinus angustifolius var. Emir flour or with 100 g kg^?1 of α‐galactoside‐free Lupinus angustifolius var. Troll flour showed the same acceptability by panellists as the semolina pasta. These levels of supplementation were selected for further studies. The cooked α‐galactoside‐free lupin/semolina pastas showed higher amounts of protein, dietary fibre, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and antioxidant capacity than control pasta and a reasonable level of vitamin B₁, vitamin B₂ and vitamin E. Biological assessment of cooked pastas indicated that the true protein digestibility did not change after the fortification of semolina but protein efficiency ratio increased sharply in the pasta supplemented with α‐galactoside‐free lupin flours (2.07 and 1.92 for Emir and Troll lupin varieties, respectively) in comparison with the control pasta (1.11). It is concluded that the α‐galactoside‐free lupin flours are an adequate ingredient to improve the nutritional quality of pasta products without adding flatulent oligosaccharides. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Malting Performance of Normal Huskless and Acid‐Dehusked Barley Samples

Sulphuric acid dehusked barley had a higher germinative energy and lower microbial infection than normal huskless (naked) barley, suggesting that the pericarp layer harboured microbial infection which may have limited the germination rate. Dehusking the normal huskless barley using sulphuric acid resulted in lower microbial infection, and increased germinative energy. The normal huskless barley sample had a higher β‐glucan content than the acid‐dehusked barley and had slower β‐glucan breakdown during malting. This resulted in the release of seven times more β‐glucan during mashing, and the production of wort of higher viscosity. The normal huskless barley sample had a higher total nitrogen content than the acid‐dehusked barley but both samples produced similar levels of amylolytic (α‐ and β‐amylase) activity over the same malting period. No direct correlation was found between barley total nitrogen level and the amylolytic activity of the malt. When barley loses its husk at harvest, the embryo is exposed and may be damaged. This may result in uneven germination which can reduce malting performance and hence malt quality.     

Development and Assessment of a Small‐Scale Wort Filtration Test for the Prediction of Beer Filtration Efficiency

A Small‐scale Wort rapid Filtration Test (SWIFT) that predicts beer filtration efficiency has been developed. The test is simple, cost effective and correlates with existing beer filtration tests such as beer V_max membrane (Esser test) and diatomaceous earth (Walton filter) tests. SWIFT has an advantage over existing beer filtration tests as it can be easily incorporated into barley quality laboratories utilising excess wort from extract analyses, thus negating the need for additional sample preparation or to ferment and age beer. Furthermore, the test does not rely on expensive equipment or specially trained laboratory technicians. SWIFT, which may also be used to evaluate degassed beer, is a syringe test that utilises a 13 mm diameter 0.45 μm membrane and is negatively influenced by wort viscosity (P<0.05). It is envisaged that SWIFT may be applied by barley breeding programs for the evaluation of progeny lines to provide a better prediction of beer filtration performance than total wort β‐glucan measurements. In addition, maltsters and brewers could use SWIFT to assess malt samples, and provide early warning of potential beer filtration problems during the brewing process.