Search Results (167)

The study investigates the impact of sourdoughs made with different flours (white wheat, wholemeal wheat, and barley) and specific enzymes (laccase, lipase, and hemicellulase) on the technological properties of gluten-based wheat breads, thereby exploring the combined role of sourdough and enzymes. Three levels of each sourdough (20, 30, and 40%) were tested, and the optimal level was then used to evaluate the impact of individual and combined enzyme treatment. Pasting properties and FT-IR analyses of the flours were evaluated. White wheat flour displayed the highest peak viscosity (353.50 mPas) and final viscosity (526.50 mPas). β-sheet structures predominated in all samples, although they were most prevalent in wholemeal wheat flour (51%) as opposed to white wheat flour (47%) and barley (47%). Sourdough breads exhibited better texture and moisture retention at 40% inclusion than at other levels. After 72 h, white wheat sourdough maintained the highest specific volume (3.71 cm³/g), while barley sourdough retained the most moisture (38.83%) and the lowest chewiness and hardness results, suggesting better softness and crumb retention. Whereas for enzyme treatment, they had different effects. White wheat and wholemeal wheat sourdough breads treated with enzymes had decreased hardness, chewiness, and gumminess; barley sourdough breads with enzymes were negatively affected by the texture. Correlations and multivariate analysis reveal that bread texture is strongly influenced by the type of sourdough and enzymatic treatment. Higher doses of laccase or hemicellulase improve softness in wholemeal-based sourdough bread, while excessive lipase leads to a firmer and less pleasant crumb. Full article

Introduction: Consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) is associated with poor diet quality and a risk for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study explores the energy contribution of NOVA foods and the nutrient gaps. Methods: The study sourced data from the previous Ethiopian National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS). It covered 8254 households, 8254 women of reproductive age (15–45 years old), and 7272 children (6–45 months old). Results: The most consumed UPF in children were biscuits, cookies, soft drinks, and semi-solid palm oil; while cow and human milk, whole wheat bread, a range of legumes, tubers, and cereal-based foods were among NOVA1. In both children and women, the largest dietary energy intake was from NOVA1 (74.6% and 79.0%), processed culinary ingredients (18.3% and 14.0%), processed foods (1.9% and 3.5%), and UPF (5.1% and 3.5%), respectively. Higher intake of energy from UPF was found in urban residences, wealthier households, and women with higher education. However, NOVA1 was more dominantly consumed in rural than in urban areas. Micronutrient and macronutrient gaps were observed compared to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI). The intake of fruits and vegetables was also considerably low compared to the WHO recommendation (≥400 g/day for adults, and ≥250 g/day for children). Conclusions: Adequate intake of micronutrients, fruits, and vegetables is essential to meet the RNI and could have reduced existing body micronutrient deficiencies, such as vitamin A, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamin D, and selenium prevalence. Whether UPF intake in urban areas is associated with insufficient availability and access to NOVA1 foods or just due to the higher provision of UPF and gained popularity needs additional investigation. Further study is recommended to simulate the impact of increased fruits and vegetables and/or reduced intake of selected UPF, salts, and oils on NCD markers or mortality in the country. Full article

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the acceptability, sensory profile, and physicochemical properties of craft beers produced with unmalted old Sardinian durum (Trigu Murru, Trigu Moru) and soft (Tricu Cossu, Trigu Denti de Cani) wheat varieties. Chemical analysis, by GC-MS, and sensory analysis conducted through a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questionnaire, modified Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA), and an acceptability test were performed. The beer brewed with Tricu Cossu received the highest overall liking, characterized by pronounced honey aroma, sweet taste, and cereal notes, supported by a balanced volatile composition. Trigu Denti de Cani also achieved high acceptability, with a profile combining honey and cereal notes, moderate bitterness, and a clean finish. Trigu Murru presented intense cereal and honey notes but was penalized by lower scores in other sensory dimensions, leading to reduced consumer acceptance. Trigu Moru exhibited the lowest liking, dominated by bitter and astringent sensations, though potentially appealing to consumers seeking robust and intense flavor profiles. Multivariate analysis confirmed these sensory-based distinctions, linking each wheat variety to a specific volatile pattern and sensory identity. The multivariate analysis performed on the volatile compounds detected confirmed the differences found with the sensory analysis. Full article

There is a growing interest within the food industry sector in applying natural and sustainable methods to improve functional, nutritional, and technological properties of foods. In this regard, sprouting and spontaneous sourdough (SD) fermentation, are emerging as promising technological solutions in the bakery industry. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of using unsprouted whole-wheat flour (USWF) and sprouted whole-wheat flours (SWFs), obtained under controlled conditions (20 and 25 °C for 24 h), on the chemical and nutritional properties of spontaneous SD and their impact on whole-wheat bread technological quality. SDs were prepared with a dough yield of 200, incubated at 30 °C for 24 h, and refreshed daily for 7 days. In general, an increase in both yeast and lactic acid bacteria counts was observed in all SD samples. All SDs showed reduced α-amylase activity and enhanced contents of free amino acids groups, water-extractable arabinoxylans, total phenolics, and antioxidant capacity, along with lower phytic acid content. Substituting 20% of USWF with SD improved bread volume and crumb softness. Notably, breads made with sourdough prepared from 20% sprouted whole-wheat flour (SWF25) promoted the formation of volatile compounds associated with pleasant aromas, which may increase consumer acceptability. Promising nutritional and sensory advantages could result from combining fermentation and sprouting. Full article

Fusarium culmorum is the causal agent of root rot and crown rot in soft wheat. The aim of this study was to investigate the control mechanism of Talaromyces pinophilus HD25G2 as a biocontrol agent against F. culmorum. This involved the isolation and molecular identification of Fusarium and Talaromyces strains from soft wheat. The assay included the inhibition test of F. culmorum mycelial growth on potato dextrose agar and soft wheat media at two water activity values (0.98 and 0.95), its production of mycotoxins, and the fungal cell wall-degrading enzymes implicated in the antagonistic effect of T. pinophilus. The results showed that T. pinophilus and its extract free of cells reduced the growth of F. culmorum by over 55%. Interestingly, the T. pinophilus HD25G2 showed high chitinase, protease, and cellulose production on solid media. In addition, chitinolytic and proteolytic activities were estimated at the values of 1.72 ± 0.02UI and 0.49 ± 0.01UI, respectively. However, the mycotoxin evaluation assay revealed that F. culmorum HD15C10 produced zearalenone (ZEA) and the biocontrol agent enhanced its production, but the early inoculation of T. pinophilus, before F. culmorum growth onset, inhibited 100% its growth and, therefore, prevented the presence of ZEA. Hence, this strain can be proposed as a biocontrol agent against F. culmorum, and it can be further investigated for biocontrol of Fusarium root and crown rot in vivo. Full article

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a crucial global food crop. The intensive crop farming, monoculture cultivation, and impact of climate change affect the susceptibility of wheat cultivars to biotic stresses, mainly caused by soil fungal pathogens, especially those belonging to the genus Fusarium. This situation threatens yield and grain quality through root and crown rot. While conventional chemical fungicides face resistance issues and environmental concerns, biological alternatives like seed priming with natural metabolites are gaining attention. Polyamines, including putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, are attractive priming agents influencing plant development and abiotic stress responses. Spermine in particular shows potential for in vitro antifungal activity against Fusarium. Optimising spermine concentration for seed priming is crucial to maximising protection against Fusarium infection while ensuring robust plant growth. In this research, we explored the potential of the polyamine spermine as a seed treatment to enhance wheat resilience, aiming to identify a sustainable alternative to synthetic fungicides. Our findings revealed that a six-hour seed soak in spermine solutions ranging from 0.5 to 5 mM did not delay germination or seedling growth. In fact, the 5 mM concentration significantly stimulated root weight and length. In complementary in vitro assays, we evaluated the antifungal activity of spermine (0.5–5 mM) against three Fusarium species. The results demonstrated complete inhibition of Fusarium culmorum growth at 5 mM spermine. A less significant effect on Fusarium graminearum and little to no impact on Fusarium oxysporum were found. The performed analysis revealed that the spermine had a fungistatic effect against the pathogen, retarding the mycelium growth of F. culmorum inoculated on the seed surface. A pot experiment with Bulgarian soft wheat cv. Sadovo-1 was carried out to estimate the effect of seed priming with spermine against infection with isolates of pathogenic fungus F. culmorum on plant growth and disease severity. Our results demonstrated that spermine resulted in a reduced distribution of F. culmorum and improved plant performance, as evidenced by the higher fresh weight and height of plants pre-treated with spermine. This research describes the efficacy of spermine seed priming as a novel strategy for managing Fusarium root and crown rot in wheat. Full article

Low glycemic index (GI) cookie bars were prepared with soft wheat flour substituted with 10–50% soybean flour and 10–50% resistant starch. The effects of increased levels of soybean flour and resistant starch on the quality of low glycemic index cookie bars were investigated (i.e., moisture, cookie spread, texture (breaking force), surface color, and in vitro starch digestibility). It was found that increasing soybean flour substitution increased the breaking force, moisture, protein content, and yellowish color of the low GI cookie bars but decreased the cookie bar spread and the lightness of the cookie bars (p < 0.05). The addition of soybean flour and resistant starch by up to 50% did not significantly change the in vitro starch digestibility of the cookie bars. The overall acceptability of the cookie bars was lower when the soybean flour blend went beyond 10%. When soft wheat flour in the cookie bar formulation was replaced at the following levels (10%, 30%, and 50%) by resistant starch, the cookie spread and lightness of the cookie bars increased but the breaking force was decreased along with the yellowish color (p < 0.05). When resistant starch was combined with soft wheat flour at levels of up to 50%, this significantly increased the content of total dietary fiber and spread ratio of cookie bars. Sensorial analysis showed that resistant starch presence had an acceptable impact on overall acceptability of the low GI cookie bars. Resistant starch represents a viable dietary fiber source when substituted for 50% of soft wheat flour in formulations. While this substitution may result in increased spread ratio and decreased crispness in cookie bars, the addition of 10% soybean flour can mitigate these textural changes. Full article

Within the framework of organic acid alternatives to chemical herbicides, pre-emergence weed control research is scarce. Citric acid (CA) and lactic acid (LA), considered significantly less effective than pelargonic acid (PA) and acetic acid (AA) from post-emergence (foliar spraying) studies, have largely been disregarded. This in vitro study was aimed at comparing the effects of 5–20% AA, AA + essential oils, PA, CA, and LA on radicle emergence inhibition (direct spraying of seeds) and shoot emergence inhibition (application to peat) on both weeds (perennial ryegrass, green foxtail, common vetch and chicory) and crops (soft wheat, alfalfa and millet). All tested compounds demonstrated concentration-dependent and species-specific effects on shoot emergence inhibition, with CA and LA (IC₅₀ range: 3.4–19.3%) showing a comparable efficacy to PA and AA (IC₅₀ range: 3.1–35.9%). The results also showed that CA and, to a lesser extent, LA were less inhibitory to soft wheat (CA IC₅₀ = 62.5%; LA IC₅₀ = 35.9%) and alfalfa (CA IC₅₀ = 57.8%; LA IC₅₀ = 44.1%) shoot emergence. CA and LA show potential promise for pre-emergence weed control in field testing, either on a stale seedbed in pre-crop sowing or concurrently with soft wheat and alfalfa sowing. Investigating organic compound herbicidal effects on crops of interest warrants attention. Full article

Due to consumer needs and the prevalence of gluten-related disorders such as celiac disease, the gluten-free food market is expanding rapidly and is expected to surpass USD 2.4 billion by 2036. The objective of this study was to substitute wheat flour with oat, black rice, brown rice, buckwheat, and rice flours in the production of gluten-free scones, to assess consumer acceptability, and to identify factors contributing to consumer acceptability using check-all-that-apply questions. The 10 attributes of appearance, color, texture, grainy flavor, sweetness, familiar flavor, novelty, familiarity, moistness, and consistency exhibited statistically significant differences among the samples (p < 0.001). One hundred consumers evaluated 18 attributes using a nine-point hedonic scale, and all attributes demonstrated statistically significant differences across six samples (p < 0.001). The samples from buckwheat and wheat scored the highest in consumer acceptability. The results indicate a strong positive correlation between overall liking and purchase intention, with sensory attributes such as nutty flavor, cohesiveness, appearance, moistness, color, texture, and inner softness positively influencing consumer acceptability. The attributes affecting negatively were thick throat sensation, unique flavor, and stuffiness. This study is expected to provide data to aid in the development of better-tasting gluten-free products that meet customer and market needs. Full article

High-amylose wheat (HAW), developed through non-genetic modification, addresses the growing demand for clean-label and nutritionally enhanced food products. This study systematically investigated the effects of heat-moisture treatment (HMT; 20% and 25% moisture levels) on the physicochemical properties and cookie-making performance of HAW flour (HAWF) and soft wheat flour (SWF). HMT promoted moisture-induced agglomeration, leading to increased particle size, reduced damaged starch content, and enhanced water and sucrose solvent retention capacities. Although the amylose content remained largely unchanged, pasting behavior was differentially affected, with increased viscosities in SWF and slight decreases in HAWF. Thermal analyses demonstrated elevated gelatinization temperatures, indicating improved thermal stability, while X-ray diffraction revealed alterations in starch crystallinity. Furthermore, HMT weakened gluten strength and modified dough rheology, effects more pronounced in HAWF. Cookies prepared from HMT-treated flours exhibited larger diameters, greater spread ratios, and reduced heights. In vitro digestibility assays showed a marked reduction in rapidly digestible starch and increases in slowly digestible and resistant starch fractions, particularly in HAWF cookies. Collectively, these findings establish HMT as an effective strategy for modulating flour functionality and enhancing cookie quality, while concurrently improving the nutritional profile through the alteration of starch digestibility characteristics. Full article

Arabinoxylans (AX) are functional biopolymers, the main non-starch polysaccharides in cereals and other plants. AX is composed of xylose and arabinose, and the ester-linkage of ferulic acid to arabinose confers its bioactive properties. The backbone of AX resembles that of glycosaminoglycans, a major component of the human extracellular matrix. This study explores the potential of wheat bran AX-based scaffolds as a novel platform for the growth and development of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, an aggressive form of breast cancer. Importantly, patients face the worst prognosis due to the stemness of the TNBC cells and the formation of hypoxic cell clumps. Wheat bran constitutes 15–25% of the byproducts after milling and adds limited economic value. We have extracted AX from wheat bran (WBAX) and developed soft scaffolds with Na-alginate. The scaffolds were seeded with the triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. Over 21 days, cell growth and development, cell migration within the hydrogels, and the formation of hypoxic regions within cell clumps were observed. These findings suggest that WBAX-based scaffolds provide a conducive environment for TNBC cell proliferation and development, offering a promising avenue for further research into cancer cell biology and potential therapeutic applications. Full article

This work investigates the effects of gamma irradiation (0.1–10 kGy) on four Italian wheat matrices, such as durum, conventional soft, integrated soft, and biological soft wheat, by coupling Raman, FTIR-ATR and EPR spectroscopies to provide complementary insights into the structural, conformational, and radical-based transformations occurring in starch, the primary polysaccharide in wheat. As a general trend, gamma irradiation up to 10 kGy does not induce drastic degradation or depolymerization of wheat components. However, deeper investigations reveal that wheat composition is crucial in modulating the effects of gamma irradiation on structural and conformational rearrangements of starch units. Raman and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy analyses showed an increase in random coil fractions, with the most significant changes observed in durum wheat, plausibly attributed to its higher protein content. EPR analyses confirmed a dose-dependent increase in free radicals, with different recombination kinetics between wheat types influenced by their intrinsic composition and molecular organization. The proposed spectroscopic approaches allow for rapid and non-destructive analyses of molecular structure, chemical composition, and free radical content in irradiated wheat matrices with minimal sample preparation. These approaches can be extended in the development of screening methods for a wide range of polysaccharides in a variety of crops. Full article

In this study, we investigated the possible effects of cobalt and boron nanoparticles as an inducer of the first stages of development (germination) of hard and soft wheat when simulating flooding as one of the limiting environmental factors. We also investigated the remote effect of treating wheat grains with nanoparticles when flooding was applied already at the tillering stage. To identify the effects of nanoparticles, we used morphometric, biochemical and phenotypic parameters of seedlings and plants of two wheat species differing in origin and the response of these parameters to flooding. Positive effects were found at the germination stage, increasing quantitative indicators under stress. The sensitivity of wheat species to flooding was different, which corresponds to historical and climatic aspects of cultivation. Sensitivity to stress effects associated with loss of germination, decreased growth and photosynthesis was shown for both species. Treatment with cobalt and boron nanoparticles enhanced adaptation to stress and improved photosynthetic parameters, but the encouraging results under stressful conditions were ambiguous and in the case of soft wheat could lead to deterioration of some parameters. Thus, the use of boron and cobalt nanoparticles has potential for reducing productivity under stress, but requires a detailed assessment of the cultivation protocol depending on the genotype. Full article

Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis are very serious diseases all over the world. We prepared noodles from ‘Kitanokaori’ (newly developed wheat) (KITs) using weakly acidic hard water, which showed a higher amount of resistant starch (9.0-fold) and calcium (2.7-fold) than noodles from Sanukinoyume (premium wheat) (SANs) using purified water. Furthermore, aged mice, which were fed a diet of KIT using weakly acidic hard water for eight weeks, showed lower postprandial blood glucose levels (BGLs) at 30 min after consumption than mice fed a control diet (SAN using purified water) (p < 0.05). Therefore, KIT seems promising in terms of health promotion through food. Additionally, the whiteness (WB) and brightness (L*) of wheat noodles using weakly acidic hard water showed higher values than ones using purified water. The texture of KIT using weakly acidic hard water showed few textural differences from noodles using purified water. The KIT using weakly acidic hard water would be acceptable in terms of palatability and bio-functionality in terms of delaying digestion. Full article

Chlorella vulgaris is a microalga with antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity that contains high levels of starch and proteins, essential for producing biodegradable packaging. This study aims to develop and characterize biofilms from soft wheat flour (SWF) and durum wheat flour (DWF) with yellow and white Chlorella vulgaris. The films were made using the compression molding method and characterized according to their physical, mechanical, and structural properties. The results indicated that yellow Chlorella films increase thickness and gloss and reduce water vapor permeability, which benefits applications requiring moisture retention. On the other hand, white Chlorella increases opacity and color saturation, making it suitable for less transparent packaging. Films with durum wheat and microalgae are stiffer and less elastic, while formulations with soft wheat and without microalgae are flexible. The surface texture is rougher in films with yellow Chlorella and more homogeneous in white Chlorella. These results suggest that Chlorella vulgaris allows biodegradable films to be tailored for specific applications in sustainable packaging. Full article