The Development of β-Glucanase and Degradation of β-Glucan in Barley Grown in Scotland and Spain

The barley mutant TR49 and the cultivar from which it was derived, Troubadour, were grown in Scotland and Spain and harvested in 1991 and 1992. The development of β-glucanase together with the breakdown of β-glucan and the reduction in milling energy were followed during malting. While similar amounts of β-glucan were found in samples from both sites, TR49 showed less response to environmental conditions. Grain from Spain showed higher levels of β-glucanase activity, differences being apparent after steeping and 1–2 days of germination. The milling energy of grain was the same, but, during malting, samples from Spain showed a greater reduction in milling energy than those from Scotland. The most extreme environment in the study was the 1991 season at the Spanish site and was the driest and hottest. But even in the cooler, wetter season of 1992, Spanish grown material showed a greater production of β-glucanase than Scottish grown samples. These findings have important implications for plant breeding as well as the growing and trading of malting barley on a European scale.     

Effect of germination-hydrothermal treatments followed by fractionation on inhibitory factors, β-carotene and iron-zinc bioaccessibility in pearl millet fractions

Combination of strategies involving germination-hydrothermal treatments and fractionation were adopted to separates the native and treated grain into coarse (bran & germ) and fine (endosperm) fractions. The inhibitory factors, polyphenol oxidase, and phytase activity were higher in coarse fractions. On treatment, the phytic acid content in the coarse fraction decreases significantly by 49% while polyphenols decreased 13% in the fine fraction and increased 6% in the coarse fraction. Galloyls reduced by 21% and 48% in the fine and coarse fraction while catechols increased by 74% in the fine fraction and reduced by 27% in the coarse fraction. In the fine fraction, the soluble and insoluble fibre increased by 27.8% and 28.7% while in the coarse fraction is reduced by 23.5% and 24.1%. The β-carotene content reduced slightly in the coarse fraction with no variation in the fine fraction. Iron bioaccessibility was enhanced from 1.79 to 5.7% in the fine fraction and 3.06–6.05% in the coarse fraction. Zinc bioaccessibility increased from 15.44 to 24.67% and 18.59–47.6% in the fine and coarse fraction, respectively. In the treated coarse fraction the iron-zinc bioaccessibility increased due to a significant reduction in phytic acid (49%), insoluble dietary fibre (24%), galloyls (48%) and catechols (27%).     

Effect of Sea-Buckthorn (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hippophaë rhamnoides</Emphasis> L.) Pulp Oil Consumption on Fatty Acids and Vitamin A and E Accumulation in Adipose Tissue and Liver of Rats

An in vivo experiment was conducted to determine the effect of sea-buckthorn pulp oil feeding on the fatty acid composition of liver and adipose tissue of Wistar rats and the liver accumulation of retinol, its esters and α-tocopherol. For a period of 28 days, rats were given a modified casein diet (AIN-93) in which sea-buckthorn pulp oil, soybean oil and pork lard were used as sources of fat. Compared to the other fat sources, sea-buckthorn pulp oil was the most abundant in C16 fatty acids, carotenoids (mainly β-carotene) and tocopherols (mainly α-tocopherol). Its consumption was reflected in an increased share of palmitoleic acid in adipose tissue and the liver and an increased level of retinol in liver tissues (this was not observed for its esters). Although the type of fat did not have a significant effect on the average content of α-tocopherol in the liver, the variation of saturation of this tissue with α-tocopherol was the lowest when rats were fed a diet containing sea-buckthorn oil. This experiment indicates the possibility of affecting adipose tissue and liver by a diet.