Nutritive value of baobab milk (gubdi) and mixtures of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) and hungry rice,acha (Digitaria exilis) flours

The baobab milk and fermented baobab/acha flour mixtures were analyzed chemically for their proximate, ascorbate, mineral and antinutrient composition. The dry pulp scraped from baobab fruits was kneaded, made into solution, extracted through cheese-cloth and stored frozen until analyzed. The acha and baobab grains were cleaned, fermented for 24 to 120 hours, dried and hammermilled into fine flours. The unfermented flours served as controls. The standard assay methods of AOAC were selected for use for the analysis of the nutrients and the antinutrients. The mixtures were composed of 70% acha and 30% baobab flours (70:30 protein basis). The baobab milk contained more protein (1.5%) and minerals (Fe, 17.8 mg; Ca 134.2 mg) than those of human milk (protein, 1.3%, Fe, 0.2 mg, Ca 30 mg) and cow milk (Fe, 0.1 mg; Ca 1.20 mg) and most leading national commercial infant formulas e.g. cerelac (Fe, 10.0 mg). The composite flours contained more nutrients than the baobab or the acha flour alone. The BF96 had greater advantage over other BF flours as a supplement to acha. The mixtures are within the reach of lower income group and can be incorporated into their diets.     

Physicochemical properties of dry- and semi-wet-milled rice flours after fermentation by Lactobacillus amylovorus

Rice milling is one of the important factors that determines the physicochemical properties of rice flour. Dry milling is a simple and quick process, though it produces high levels of damaged starch that is not desirable in some application. Since fermentation can change the structure of starch as well as its physicochemical properties, the effect of fermentation on dry-milled rice flour was evaluated with the aim of improving flour quality for use as food ingredient in food industry. After fermentation at 37 °C for 24 h by Lactobacillus amylovorus, the dry-milled rice flour showed similar proximate compositions, physicochemical properties, and surface structures as semi-wet-milled rice products. Thus, the results suggest that it can be applied to produce desirable food materials for preparation of rice-based products.     

Use of peanut and cowpea in wheat-based products containing composite flours

Cowpeas and peanuts are legumes of major dietary and economic importance. They are favored worldwide because of their palatability, contribution to nutritional status, and low cost as a protein source compared to animal protein. Flours processed from cowpeas and peanuts have unique physico-chemical and sensory properties when used in composite flour mixtures. Appropriate blends of cowpea and peanut flours to replace wheat flour in Chinese-type noodles, muffins, and tortillas were determined using modelling and optimization procedures. For noodles, 15% peanut flour and 8% cowpea flour supplementation produced an acceptable product with high protein content (21%). For wheat flour replacement in muffins, up to 43% cowpea and up to 44% peanut flours may be used. However, when wheat flour replacement is 50% or greater, cassava flour should comprise 56 to 72% of the blend with a few exceptions. In tortillas, 24% cowpea and 46% peanut flours produced products similar in quality characteristics to those made from 100% wheat flour. The systematic approach used in these studies is more efficient than the traditional substitution method to optimize sensory qualities of wheat-based products containing composite flours.     

Microstructure and rheological properties of mixtures of acid-deamidated rice protein and dextran

Microstructure and rheological properties of mixtures of acid-deamidated rice protein (ADRP) and dextran were studied. The microstructures of the ADRP/dextran mixtures were described using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), which revealed the effective association among ADRP and formation of a protein network-like structure in the mixture with higher protein concentration. Mechanical properties of the mixtures were observed by rheometer. The steady shear measurements showed a correlation with the CLSM results via a marked increase in the viscosity of the mixtures with protein association. Frequency sweeps further evidenced the build-up of the gelled network-like structure. The differences in fracture forces observed by textural measurements between mixture and single ADRP gel also suggested the difference in microstructures. The formation of network-like structure appeared to have occurred through a phase separation of ADRP and dextran.     

Evidence for the presence of arabinoxylan hydrolysing enzymes in European wheat flours

Water extracts of flour samples prepared from six sound European wheat varieties hydrolyse p-nitrophenyl-β-d-xylopyranoside and p-nitrophenyl-α-l-arabino-furanoside and, in addition, release soluble, dyed fragments from azurine crosslinked xylan. Incubation of water soluble wheat arabinoxylan with water extracts of flour results in the release of low molecular weight fractions consisting mainly of arabinose and xylose and small proportions of oligosaccharides as detected by high performance anion exchange chromatography. Gel permeation profiles of the incubation mixtures show a clear breakdown of the arabinoxylan.     

Effects of added water and retrogradation on starch digestibility of cooked rice flours with different amylose content

Flours derived from rice varieties with different amylose content possess distinct physicochemical and molecular properties. The aim of this study was to determine optimal processing conditions for preparing rice flour-based foods with reduced starch digestibility. To do so, we evaluated the in vitro starch digestibility of rice flours with five varieties. Reducing the amount of water (from 10-fold to 4-fold of rice flour) used for cooking rice flour lowered its starch digestibility, and the magnitude of the decrease was positively correlated with amylose content. When retrogradation of cooked rice flour proceeded for 7 days, the digestibility of high-amylose rice flours declined rapidly in the first 3 days, whereas the digestibility of low-amylose rice flours declined continuously. Our analysis also demonstrated that the chain length distribution of starch molecules and the final and setback viscosity pasting properties were the most important parameters affecting the digestibility of rice flours. Based on our results, it appears possible to reduce rice starch digestibility by establishing optimum processing conditions for different varieties. We suggest a 7-fold addition of water and retrogradation for 1 day for high-amylose rice varieties and a 4-fold addition of water with 3 days of retrogradation for low-amylose rice.     

Dough and bread made from high- and low-protein flours by vacuum mixing: Part 2. Yeast activity,dough proofing and bread quality

The combined effects of reduced mixer headspace pressure and mixing duration on the yeast activity, proofing and quality of dough and bread made from both high-protein flour (HPF) and low-protein flour (LPF) were addressed in this study. Rheofermentometer analysis showed that a reduction in mixer headspace pressure up to 0.08 MPa did not affect the overall gassing power of yeast in either of the two dough matrices. An increase in mixing duration sped up the mass transfer rate of CO₂ at the initial stage of fermentation, leading to a faster expansion of dough volume at the beginning. Moreover, an increase in mixing time promoted dough development and gas inclusion, which resulted in a increased volume of dough and bread, as well as a softer texture of both baked bread and steamed bread. In general, reduced headspace pressure produced baked bread of smaller volume, denser structure and harder texture. On the other hand, vacuum mixing produced steamed bread with softer texture without significantly changing the bread’s volume and porosity.     

Nutritional properties and ultra-structure of commercial gluten free flours from different botanical sources compared to wheat flours

Coeliac patients suffer from an immune mediated disease, triggered by the ingestion of a protein composite (gluten) found in wheat, rye and barley. Consequently, there is a need for products such as bread or pasta, made from alternative cereal grains or pseudocereals. A fair proportion of the gluten free products currently on the market are nutritionally inadequate. Hence, it was the aim of this study to investigate the nutrient composition of seven commonly used commercial gluten free flours (oat, rice, sorghum, maize, teff, buckwheat and quinoa) and compare them to wheat and wholemeal wheat flour. In addition to the levels of all major compounds, also mineral composition, fatty acid profile, phytate, polyphenols and folate content were determined. Furthermore, properties of carbohydrates were studied in greater detail, looking at total and damaged starch levels; total, soluble and insoluble dietary fibre content as well as amylose/amylopectin ratio. Proteins were further investigated by means of capillary electrophoreses. Additionally, the ultra-structure of these materials was explored using scanning electron microscopy. The results show that maize and rice flour are poor regarding their nutritional value (low protein, fibre, folate contents). In contrast, teff as well as the pseudocereals quinoa and buckwheat show a favourable fatty acid composition and are high in protein and folate. In particular, quinoa and teff are characterised by high fibre content and are high in calcium, magnesium and iron. Therefore these flours represent nutrient-dense raw materials for the production of gluten free foods.     

接种PRSV番木瓜种苗胞质酵母双杂交cDNA文库的构建与分析

利用Trizol法提取接种PRsv 4 d的番木瓜种苗总RNA,分离纯化mRNA,反转录合成双链cDNA,双链cDNA末端经Pfu-DNA聚合酶补平,与EcoR I接头连接,XhoI酶切消化产生粘端.用Sepharose CL-2B柱分离纯化去除小分子cDNA片段,再与pMyr酵母表达载体连接,转化受体菌XL10-Gold,构建了接种PRSV番木瓜种苗胞质酵母双杂交cDNA文库.所获得的原始文库的克隆总数为1.8×106cfu,重组率为100%,文库滴度为2.6×109cfu/mL.对随机选取的34个克隆进行PCR鉴定,结果表明插入片段长度均大于O.5 kb且集中在1 kb左右.文库质量鉴定结果表明,该文库具有较好的库容量、较高的重组率以及较大的插入片段.     

A comparative study of physicochemical tests for quality prediction of Argentine wheat flours used as corrector flours and for cookie production

Several physicochemical tests are employed in quality evaluation of wheat. Most of the exported Argentinean wheat flour is used as corrector flour in breadmaking. A small percentage is actually used in cookie production. No study has determined which predictive tests are most suitable for the quality prediction of bread (using flour as corrector) and cookies made from Argentinean wheat. The objectives of this study were to compare the suitability of predictive tests in the assessment of wheat flour attributes in the production of bread and cookies and to establish the relationship between the tests and flour components. Several expected associations were found between the SRC test and the composition parameters. Moreover, various flour components influencing the SDS sedimentation index (SDS-SI), the Zeleny index and the alkaline water retention capacity (AWRC) were established. The cookie factor (CF) was negatively correlated with sucrose, carbonate and water SRC and with AWRC. In addition, the bread loaf specific volume (LV) was correlated with the SDS-SI, the Zeleny index and the lactic acid SRC. In conclusion, several components of Argentine wheat affecting predictive tests were found. The SRC test allowed straight assessment of the bread and cookie quality of Argentinean wheat.     

Diversity and phylogeny of basidiomycetous yeasts from plant leaves and soil: Proposal of two new orders,three new families,eight new genera and one hundred and seven new species

Nearly 500 basidiomycetous yeast species were accepted in the latest edition of The Yeasts: A Taxonomic Study published in 2011. However, this number presents only the tip of the iceberg of yeast species diversity in nature. Possibly more than 99 % of yeast species, as is true for many groups of fungi, are yet unknown and await discovery. Over the past two decades nearly 200 unidentified isolates were obtained during a series of environmental surveys of yeasts in phyllosphere and soils, mainly from China. Among these isolates, 107 new species were identified based on the phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) [D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU), the small subunit (SSU), and the internal transcribed spacer region including the 5.8S rDNA (ITS)] and protein-coding genes [both subunits of DNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2), the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (CYTB)], and physiological comparisons. Forty-six of these belong to 16 genera in the Tremellomycetes (Agaricomycotina). The other 61 are distributed in 26 genera in the Pucciniomycotina. Here we circumscribe eight new genera, three new families and two new orders based on the multi-locus phylogenetic analyses combined with the clustering optimisation analysis and the predicted similarity thresholds for yeasts and filamentous fungal delimitation at genus and higher ranks. Additionally, as a result of these analyses, three new combinations are proposed and 66 taxa are validated.     

Nutritive value of malted millet flours

The changes in proximate composition, phytate phosphorus, thiamine and ascorbic acid content of finger millet, pearl millet and foxtail millet during progressive germination were studied. Germination resulted in a slight decrease in total protein and minerals, a marked fall in phytate-phosphorus and a significant increase in the ascorbic acid content of the millets. An increase in lysine and tryptophan but no appreciable changes in threonine and sulfur amino acid content of the millets were observed as a result of germination. However, the protein efficiency ratio values of ungerminated control seeds, 48 h germinated green malt and kilned malt were not significantly different.     

稻曲病菌UvHog1基因的克隆及表达分析

稻曲病由稻曲病菌引起,是水稻穗部的重要病害。利用同源克隆和RACE技术,根据丝状真菌相对保守的氨基酸序列设计简并引物,从稻曲病菌中分离了丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(MAPK)编码基因的全长cDNA序列,命名为UvHog1。UvHog1含有MAPK保守的蛋白激酶激活域(TGY),序列与稻瘟病菌MgOsm1(AAF09475.1)、球孢白僵菌BbHog1(AAS77871.1)、烟曲霉AfOsm1(XP752664.1)和隐球酵母CrHog1(AAM26267.1)等MAPK高度同源,相似性分别为95%、93%、88%和81%。系统聚类结果表明,UvHog1与酵母Hog1MAPK同源。在盐胁迫条件下,UvHog1的相对表达量明显降低,表明UvHog1参与了对盐胁迫的信号响应。     

Nutritional evaluation of chickpea and germinated chickpea flours

The ability of seed germination to increase the nutritional quality of chickpea was studied. Chickpea flours germinated for 0, 24 and 48 h were evaluated nutritionally by determination of protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein ratio (NPR), digestibility and essential amino acid availability in vivo. A significant increase in ascorbic acid was observed during germination. PER and NPR values indicated that germinated chickpea flours compared favorably to casein. Protein digestibility decreased as germination time increased. Essential amino acid availability did not change after 24 h of germination, but a small decrease was observed after 48 h. The increase in some amino acids during germination may account for the observed increase in PER for the germinated flours. Seed germination enhanced significantly the nutritional quality of chickpea protein and substantially increased the ascorbic acid level.Contribution No. 4359, Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.     

Changes in the epigenome and transcriptome of rice in response to Magnaporthe oryzae infection

DNA methylation participates in regulating the expression of coding and non-coding regions in plants. To investigate the association between DNA methylation and...     

Physical properties of wheat flour composites dry-coated with microparticulated soybean hulls and rice flour and their use for low-fat doughnut preparation

Air-classified wheat flour was dry-coated with microparticulated rice flour (30%, db) and/or microparticulated soybean hulls (up to 10%, db) using a hybridization system, and the physical properties of the dry-coated wheat flour were examined. The composite wheat flours exhibited the higher water-holding capacity but lower swelling power and oil-holding capacity than their counterpart mixtures. In pasting viscosity, the composites of wheat and rice flours had substantially lower values for peak viscosity and breakdown than did pure wheat flour. The incorporation of soybean hulls to the composites of wheat and rice flours further reduced the peak viscosity. The composites with rice flour and soybean hulls showed slightly higher melting (gelatinization) temperatures but lower melting enthalpy compared to the counterpart mixtures. By using the composite flours for the deep-fat fried doughnut preparation, the oil uptake could be substantially reduced by approximately 30%, in comparison to pure wheat flour or the mixture samples. The composite wheat flours with microparticulated rice flour and soybean hulls produced dough matrices with improved compactness and cell structure, which were attributed to the reduced fat uptake during frying.     

Physical properties of wheat flour composites dry-coated with microparticulated soybean hulls and rice flour and their use for low-fat doughnut preparation

Air-classified wheat flour was dry-coated with microparticulated rice flour (30%, db) and/or microparticulated soybean hulls (up to 10%, db) using a hybridization system, and the physical properties of the dry-coated wheat flour were examined. The composite wheat flours exhibited the higher water-holding capacity but lower swelling power and oil-holding capacity than their counterpart mixtures. In pasting viscosity, the composites of wheat and rice flours had substantially lower values for peak viscosity and breakdown than did pure wheat flour. The incorporation of soybean hulls to the composites of wheat and rice flours further reduced the peak viscosity. The composites with rice flour and soybean hulls showed slightly higher melting (gelatinization) temperatures but lower melting enthalpy compared to the counterpart mixtures. By using the composite flours for the deep-fat fried doughnut preparation, the oil uptake could be substantially reduced by approximately 30%, in comparison to pure wheat flour or the mixture samples. The composite wheat flours with microparticulated rice flour and soybean hulls produced dough matrices with improved compactness and cell structure, which were attributed to the reduced fat uptake during frying.     

稻瘟灵与三乙膦酸铝混剂对稻瘟病的防治效果

分别采用孢子萌发法和菌丝生长法测定了三乙膦酸铝与稻瘟灵5种不同质量配比混剂对稻瘟病菌的毒力。结果表明,不同质量配比的三乙膦酸铝与稻瘟灵混剂都有不同程度的增效作用,其中以三乙膦酸铝与稻瘟灵质量比为1：1混剂的增效作用最为显著,其抑制孢子萌发和菌丝生长的共毒系数分别为203．92和190．24。田间试验结果表明,以40％三乙膦酸铝WP与40％稻瘟灵WP质量比为1：1的混剂（1g·L^-1）对稻瘟病的防治效果最佳,达87．20％,分别比40％三乙膦酸铝WP（2．86g·L^-1）和40％稻瘟灵WP（1．25g·L^-1）单用的防治效果提高14．40％和12．28％。     

Fermentation of pearl millet flour with yeasts and lactobacilli:in vitro digestibility and utilisation of fermented flour for weaning mixtures

Single as well as mixed culture fermentations by yeasts (S. diastaticus;S. cerevistiae) and lactobacilli (L. brevis;L. fermentum) at 30 °C for 72 h improved the starch and protein digestibility (in vitro) of pearl millet flour significantly. The flour fermented bySaccharomyces diastaticus, a starch hydrolysing yeast, had the highest starch digestibility whereas fermentation bySaccharomyces cerevisiae enhanced the in vitro protein digestibility of the flour significantly. Weaning mixtures prepared from the fermented flour were also found to be organoleptically acceptable.