Sorghum Pasta and Noodles: Technological and Nutritional Aspects

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Sorghum is a major cereal crop with various agronomic advantages, contains health-promoting compounds and is gluten-free. There is a growing tendency to use...     

Infectious agents identified in pigs with multifocal interstitial nephritis at slaughter

One kidney was taken from each of 100 pigs at slaughter; 50 had gross lesions of multifocal interstitial nephritis and 50 had no gross lesions. Forty-nine of the affected kidneys had lesions that were characterised by the presence of either a few randomly distributed or numerous widely disseminated pale foci, 1 to 3 mm in diameter, on the cortical surface (white-dotted kidneys). Microscopically, these focal inflammatory lesions often had a distinct lymphofollicular pattern (follicular nephritis). Lesions of chronic vasculitis were observed in 21 of the affected kidneys. Histologically, the control kidneys had only small and sparse inflammatory foci. Standard bacterial cultures of kidneys of both groups were not significant, and cultures for the isolation of leptospires were all negative. Virological examination of the kidney homogenates by PCR did not reveal any porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and only a few cases were positive for the porcine circovirus type 1. However, porcine parvovirus (PPV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) were detected in many kidneys of both groups but in a significantly higher proportion of the kidneys with interstitial nephritis. There was a significant association between the lesions and the presence of PPV and PCV-2 with odds ratios of 7.5 (P<0.0001) and 3.4 (P=0.0074), respectively, and the odds ratio increased to 22.7 (P<0.0001) when both viruses were identified in the same kidney. However, a subsample of kidneys taken from both groups were negative by immunohistochemistry for the presence of PPV and PCV-2 antigens.     

Effect of freezing and frozen storage of doughs on bread quality

The effects of freezing and storage in frozen conditions on bread quality, crumb properties, and aggregative behavior of glutenins were analyzed. The effect of different additives on bread quality was also studied. The results obtained showed that freezing and storage at -18 degrees C decreased the bread quality. Samples stored in frozen conditions supplemented with diacetyl-tartaric acid ester of monoglycerides, gluten, and guar gum produced breads of greater volume and more open crumb structure than those prepared with the base formulation (without additives). All additives analyzed increased the proof time. Crumb firmness increased with dough frozen storage and bread aging time at 4 degrees C. A decrease in the amount of glutenin subunits of high molecular mass was observed by electrophoresis analysis of the SDS-soluble proteins aggregates extracted from the frozen dough. This result suggested that the protein matrix of bread underwent depolymerization during storage in frozen conditions.     

The occurrence of friabilins in triticale and their relationship with grain hardness and baking quality

Grain hardness is a quality parameter in wheat and other cereals. In wheat, a group of M(r) 15 000 proteins called friabilins have been shown to be related to grain hardness. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of friabilins on starch granules of different triticale lines and their relationship with grain texture and baking quality. The triticale lines studied have a wide range of hardness, which presented correlation with baking quality parameters such as damaged starch and solvent retention capacity. All of the triticale lines contained friabilins on the starch granules. However, the correlation between hardness and friabilin content was not observed, suggesting that these proteins would not be directly involved in grain texture determination of triticale. Consequently, friabilin content did not have any relation with cookie quality in triticale flours, but it could be related to breadmaking quality because it has a positive correlation with the sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation index.     

Molecular genetic discrimination of Buffel grass genotypes and F1 hybrids for breeding purposes using amplified fragment length polymorphism analyses

Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) is an apomictic species that is widely adapted to arid and semi‐arid, tropical and warm climates. Six apomictic cultivars used as male parents, one sexual line used as the female parents and 15 putative F1 genotypes were studied using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique for their evaluation and recognition. The NTSYS programme and Jaccard's Index were used to establish the genetic similarity; and a phenogram was constructed. A total of 152 bands was recorded. Three primer combinations were sufficient to identify the genotypes. The maximum proportion of polymorphisms was 0·835, and 0·510 of the polymorphisms consisted in individual bands that strictly diagnosed unique genotypes. Texas 4464 and Americana cultivars were the most different from the sexual line, indicating that they might be the best genotypes for future crossing. Two hybrids were identified among F1 material to demonstrate the usefulness of the AFLP technique in characterizing genotypes and recognizing hybrids in Buffel grass for breeding purposes.     

Evaluation seedling biomass and its components as selection criteria for improving salt tolerance in Buffel grass genotypes

Damage produced by salt stress (300 mm NaCl) under hydroponic greenhouse conditions in seedlings of eight Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L. Syn. Pennisetum ciliare Link) genotypes was estimated through different component characters of total fresh weight damage (DTFW). Coefficient of genetic determination (CGD) was estimated for each character as well as their direct and indirect contribution to damage to total fresh weight, considered as biomass production loss. Americana and Biloela were the most salt‐tolerant cultivars, whereas sexual line and Texas 4464 were the genotypes most susceptible to salt stress. Damage to fresh weight of aerial part (DFWA) was the only component with a direct effect on DTFW and with a high CGD. Therefore, DFWA could be used in breeding programmes as an indirect selection criterion for tolerance and better productivity.     

Use of Solvent Retention Capacity Profile to Predict the Quality of Triticale Flours

The solvent retention capacity test (SRC) was used to evaluate flour functionality for end use applications and select wheat for production of flour with required functionality, but there is little information about SRC test application on triticale flour quality. The ability of flour to retain a set of four solvents produces a flour quality profile for predicting bakery performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of SRC and its micro test to determine the potential quality of 25 triticale flours, as well as studying the relationship between the SRC parameters and flour chemical composition. The SRC parameters of triticale flours were correlated with the flour components that have been proposed by the method: sucrose SRC‐pentosan (r = 0.57), carbonate SRC‐damaged starch (r = 0.80), lactic SRC‐glutelin (r = 0.42), water SRC‐all hydrophilic constituents (damaged starch [r = 0.72], protein [r = 0.61], glutelin [r = 0.66], pentosan [r = 0.46]). Triticale flours have shown higher water and sodium carbonate SRC, similar sucrose SRC, and lower lactic SRC values than published results of typical flours used for cookie production. Summarizing, the high level of association found between SRC and micro SRC parameters with flour composition and quality flour tests evidence that either the SRC profile or the micro test SRC could be used to determine the potential quality of triticale flours.     

Malondialdehyde content as a potential biochemical indicator of tolerant Cenchrus ciliaris L. genotypes under heat stress treatment

Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) is an important forage grass in arid and semiarid regions. As part of a genetic improvement programme, four genotypes [Biloela (Bl), Americana (Am), Texas (Tx) and Sexual (Sx)] were categorized by tolerance to heat stress in a greenhouse experiment. At 30 d after sowing, half of the plants (control plants) were transferred to growth chambers (28°C day per night), and the other half (pre‐treated plants, Prt) were exposed to heat stress treatment (0, 24, 48 and 72 h; 45°C day per night). Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, an indicator of oxidative damage, was determined from foliar samples. During heat stress, Sx showed the earliest increase in MDA (at 24 h) followed by Tx (48 h) and Am and Bl (72 h). Results were compared with heat‐stress tolerance evaluated as morphological traits at the end of recuperation (60 d after sowing). Fresh weight and aerial plant height were lowest in the Prt‐Sx genotype and highest in Am and Bl genotypes; Tx showed intermediate tolerance. Results suggest that tolerance to heat stress in C. ciliaris genotypes could be related to the capacity for regulating the oxidative damage increase. Foliar MDA content might therefore be used in a genetic improvement programme of C. ciliaris as a potential biochemical indicator for a rapid, simple and low‐cost identification of heat‐stress tolerant genotypes.