The effects of steaming and roasting treatments on β‐glucan,lipid and starch in the kernels of naked oat (Avena nuda)

BACKGROUND: Normal pressure steaming (NPS), autoclaved steaming (AS), and hot‐air roasting (HAR) are widely used to deactivate oat enzyme in the oat‐processing industry. Infrared roasting (IR) is a new oat deactivation method, and is welcomed and employed by increasing numbers of oat‐processing plants in China. It is widely known that oat starch plays an important role in the processing function of oat food, and that oat β‐glucan and lipid contribute greatly to the health benefits of oat food. However, the effects of steaming and roasting treatments on the starch, β‐glucan and lipid in oat kernels are poorly known. RESULTS: In this research, the level and distribution of β‐glucan and lipid in oat kernels with and without deactivation treatments were tested. We also measured the viscosity properties of oat flour from kernels after NPS, AS, HAR and IR treatments, and examined the effects of these treatments on oat starch granularity using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the deactivation treatments did not have significant effects on oat β‐glucan and lipid levels in oat kernels (P < 0.01). The distribution of β‐glucan and lipid in enzyme‐deactivated kernels was very similar to that in normal kernels. NPS, AS, HAR and IR treatments changed the shape of starch granules, crumbled large starch granules, reduced the connection between the protein network and starch granules, and improved starch gelatinization properties. CONCLUSIONS: NPS, AS, HAR and IR treatments can change the structure of oat starch granules and improve the viscosity property of oat starch without causing β‐glucan and lipid loss to oat food. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of a three‐tier in vitro system,using Caco‐2 cells,to assess the effects of lactate on iron uptake and transport from rye bread following in vitro digestion

A three‐tier Caco‐2 cell system was developed to assess simultaneously iron dialysability, uptake and transport across the Caco‐2 monolayer from an in vitro digested food matrix. The effect of lactate (0–200 mmol L⁻¹) on iron absorption from rye bread subjected to simulated peptic (pH 5.5) and pancreatic digestion (pH 6.5) was investigated to model absorption pre and post the sphincter of Oddi. Lactate increased dialysability (11.8%, P < 0.05) in peptic digests whereas it reduced it in pancreatic digests (4.9%, P < 0.001). Iron uptake from the peptic digests was in the region of 39–76 pmol mg⁻¹ protein whereas it decreased from 281 to 51 pmol mg⁻¹ protein in pancreatic digests. Iron transport was calculated for the peptic digests from [¹⁴C]polyethylene glycol movement and only at 200 mmol L⁻¹ lactate was there any detectable transcellular transport (180 pmol mg⁻¹ protein, P < 0.05). Iron absorption was positively correlated to dialysable iron for both digests (R² = 0.48 and 0.41, respectively, P < 0.01) and the effect of lactate was therefore associated mainly with iron bioaccessibility. The three‐tier system showed the potential to obtain detailed insight into each step involved in iron transport across the monolayer from a food mixture. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Phytochemistry, nutritional and pharmacological properties of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam (jackfruit): A review

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam, commonly known as the jackfruit tree and belonging to the family Moraceae, is an exotic tree originally native to the Western Ghats of India. The fruits are of dietary use and are an important source of carbohydrate, protein, fat, minerals and vitamins. The heart wood is a very durable timber and is used in the preparation of furniture. The bark, roots, leaves, and fruit are attributed with diverse medicinal properties and are used in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine to treat a range of ailments. Preclinical studies have shown that jackfruit possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anticariogenic, antifungal, antineoplastic, hypoglycemic, wound healing effects and causes a transient decrease in the sexual activity. Clinical studies have also shown that the decoction of the leaves possesses hypoglycemic effects in both healthy individuals and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Phytochemical studies have shown that jackfruit contains useful compounds like the flavonoids, sterols and prenylflavones which may have been responsible for the various pharmacological properties. The present paper reviews the nutritional value, culinary uses, the phytochemical compounds, traditional usage and validated pharmacological properties of jackfruit.     

Beneficial effect of yam on the amyloid β‐protein,monoamine oxidase B and cognitive deficit in mice with accelerated senescence

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of yam tuber material [Dioscorea alata L. var. purpurea (M.) Pouch.] on the amyloid β‐protein (Aβ) accumulation, monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, cognitive ability and antioxidative defense system in senescence‐accelerated mice (SAMP8). Three‐month‐old male mice were fed with four different diets for 12 weeks: a casein diet (control group) and a casein diet supplemented with either 100, 200 or 400 g kg^?1 lyophilized yam. The results of the active shuttle avoidance test showed that the mice fed with the yam‐containing diets had significantly better learning and memory ability than the control group. All yam‐containing diet groups had lower Aβ levels and MAO B activities than the control, whereas the MAO A activity did not differ among the four diet groups. At the 400 g kg^?1 level, the yam‐containing diet group showed significantly lower concentration of thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances (TBARS), higher total thiol level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the hippocampus than the control, but these values were not altered by the 100 and 200 g kg^?1 yam‐containing diet groups. The addition of 200 or 400 g kg^?1 yam also lowered the triglyceride levels but not the total cholesterol concentration. These results indicate that lyophilized yam could reduce brain Aβ accumulation, MAO B activity and cognitive deficits and promote the antioxidative defense system in SAMP8 mice. The improvements were in a dose‐dependent manner, possibly because the 400 g kg^?1 yam‐containing diet might contain more antioxidative phytochemicals. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

The chemistry and medicinal uses of the underutilized Indian fruit tree Garcinia indica Choisy (kokum): A review

Garcinia indica Choisy Syn Brindonia indica, commonly known as kokum and belonging to Guttiferae family, is a plant native to certain regions of India. The trees yield fruits annually in the summer season during the months of March to May. The fruits are green when raw and red to dark purple when fully ripe. They are used to prepare juice, pickles and as acidulant in curries. In the traditional Indian system of medicine the Ayurveda and in various folk systems of medicine, the fruit rinds and leaves are used to treat various inflammatory ailments, rheumatic pain and bowel complaints. The kokum butter prepared from the seed is of both commercial and medicinal use. Chemical studies have shown that the rind contains protein, tannin, pectin, sugars, fat, organic acids like (−)-hydroxycitric acid, hydroxycitric acid lactone and citric acid; the anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside; and the polyisoprenylated phenolics garcinol and isogarcinol. Preclinical studies have shown that kokum or and some of its phytochemicals possess antibacterial, antifungal, anti-ulcerogenic, cardioprotective, anticancer, chemopreventive, free radical scavenging, antioxidant and anti-obesity effects. The present paper reviews the nutritional value, the phytochemical compounds, traditional uses and validated pharmacological properties of kokum.