Practice-based Research on Popularity of Tea Culture in Northern Mountainous Area and Improvement of Students＇ Humanism Spirit

In this paper,questionnaires about college tea culture and humanism spirit have been investigated in the undergraduates of Hebei Agricultural University in mountainous area of Northern China.After analyzing the survey results and the causes,the author made references and gave recommendations to the university students about the tea culture and humanism spirit cultivation.     

Effects of an insect–nematode–fungus pest complex on grain yield and composition of specialty low linolenic acid soybean

Linolenic acid is a precursor to components in plant defense responses to pests and pathogens. Soybean cultivars with altered seed linolenic acid contents have been developed for improved oil qualities, specifically reduced fatty acid content with increased stability. We examined how three common soybean pests, the soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines), brown stem rot (BSR) caused by Cadophora gregata and the soybean aphid (SBA; Aphis glycines), affect yield and seed linolenic acid percentage of low linolenic acid cultivars. In a micro-plot field experiment, soybean cultivars with varying concentrations of linolenic acid in the seed (ultra-low or low) and resistance to SCN (susceptible or resistant) were grown at a central Iowa research farm. Plots were kept free of pests (control) or artificially infested with a single pest (SCN, BSR or SBA) or the combination of all three pests (multiple pest). The use of resistant cultivars (SCN and BSR) or an insecticide at an economic threshold (SBA) was analyzed to determine the efficacy of current management recommendations for low linolenic acid soybean production. Seed was collected at the end of the season to measure yield and grain composition. All three pests alone or in combination were capable of reducing yield, but only the three pests in combination were capable of affecting seed linolenic acid percentages, increasing linolenic acid percentages by 11.7% in SCN-susceptible cultivars. For all three pests, current management recommendations (resistant cultivars or economic thresholds) provided protection of both yield and grain composition, indicating no changes in management are necessary for altered linolenic acid soybean cultivars.     

Effect of β-glucans on viscoelastic properties of barley kernels and their relationship to structure and soluble dietary fibre

The stress relaxation behaviour of barley kernels with differences in β-glucan was studied using the generalized Maxwell model for explaining the differences in quality. The relaxation moduli show that cultivar significantly affected the relaxation times (τ₂ and τ₃) and compressional viscosity (η_E2 and η_E3) of the 3 Maxwell elements and the pure elastic component (E₀). These data were twice as high in cultivars with high β-glucans compared to low β-glucans. Protein and malt extract, as well as β-glucan, showed similar patterns to the corresponding cultivars from the same locations. Malt extract was correlated with both insoluble fibre (−0.71; P < 0.0007) and total fibre (−0.66; P < 0.006). High β-glucan cultivars presented relatively high soluble fibre, wort viscosity and presented higher relaxation times. Soluble fibre and the wort viscosity were correlated with relaxation times τ₁, τ₂, τ₃. Also, β-glucans were correlated with τ₃ and viscosity η_E3. The overall importance of the effect of β-glucans on viscoelasticity, malting and food quality as shown in this investigation is in agreement with earlier investigations.     

Effect of β-glucans on viscoelastic properties of barley kernels and their relationship to structure and soluble dietary fibre

The stress relaxation behaviour of barley kernels with differences in β-glucan was studied using the generalized Maxwell model for explaining the differences in quality. The relaxation moduli show that cultivar significantly affected the relaxation times (τ₂ and τ₃) and compressional viscosity (η_E2 and η_E3) of the 3 Maxwell elements and the pure elastic component (E₀). These data were twice as high in cultivars with high β-glucans compared to low β-glucans. Protein and malt extract, as well as β-glucan, showed similar patterns to the corresponding cultivars from the same locations. Malt extract was correlated with both insoluble fibre (−0.71; P < 0.0007) and total fibre (−0.66; P < 0.006). High β-glucan cultivars presented relatively high soluble fibre, wort viscosity and presented higher relaxation times. Soluble fibre and the wort viscosity were correlated with relaxation times τ₁, τ₂, τ₃. Also, β-glucans were correlated with τ₃ and viscosity η_E3. The overall importance of the effect of β-glucans on viscoelasticity, malting and food quality as shown in this investigation is in agreement with earlier investigations.     

Effect of genotype, environment and agronomic management on β-glucan concentration of naked barley grain intended for health food use

(1,3:1,4)-β-d-Glucan is an important bioactive that contributes to the ability of barley foods to help prevent type-2 diabetes. Realisation of these benefits requires understanding of genotype and environment effects on β-glucan concentration and how this variation affects biological activity of barley foods. Field experiments showed genetic variation in β-glucan concentration (3.0-7.0 g/100 g DM), but also considerable variation between environments. β-Glucan concentrations were lower in the wet summer of 2007 than 2006 or 2009; and slightly less in the dry summer of 2006 than 2009. β-Glucan was not diluted by higher grain yields. The role of β-glucan as an assimilate buffer adds complexity to interpreting the effects of environment during grain filling. Autumn sowing and fungicide increased the duration of grain filling, decreased β-glucan concentration but increased environmental stability; possibly due to lower demand for assimilate buffering. Lodging and foliar disease decreased β-glucan concentration, by decreasing assimilate supply leading to remobilisation of carbohydrate from β-glucan, so that fungicide increased β-glucan in some disease-susceptible accessions. Sequential harvesting starting at GS 91 suggested an optimum harvest window for maximum β-glucan concentration. The variability in β-glucan reported here between genotypes and environments was sufficient to affect control of post-prandial blood glucose in healthy volunteers.     

Effect of home processing on ascorbic acid and β-carotene content of spinach (Spinacia oleracia) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves

The present investigation was conducted to study the concentration of ascorbic acid and -carotene in spinach and amaranth leaves as affected by various domestic processing and cooking methods which included storage of leaves in polythene bags or without packing for 24 and 48 hours in refrigerator at 5 °C; at 30 °C in polythene bags; drying (sun and oven); blanching (5, 10, 15 min); open pan and pressure cooking. Ascorbic acid content of fresh leaves was 624.1 to 629.0 mg and -carotene content was 35.3 to 53.1 mg/100 g dry weight. The percent loss of ascorbic acid ranged from 1.1 to 6.3 and 55.3 to 65.9 while lower losses (0.0 to 1.3 and 1.5 to 2.1) of -carotene were observed in leaves stored in refrigerator and at 30 °C, respectively. A markedly greater reduction in ascorbic acid and -carotene was observed in dried, blanched and cooked leaves. The study recommended the storage of leaves in refrigerator, drying in oven, blanching for shorter time and cooking in pressure cooker for better retention of these two vitamins.     

Some preliminary observations on treatments which increase and decrease the stability of β-carotene in preserved,moist leaf protein

-carotene in leaf protein extracted from some species is destroyed in a few days when incubated with salt as a preservative. Its shelf-life can be greatly extended by pretreatment with oxalate, ascorbate mercaptans, phenolic substances, extracts made from leaves in which carotene is more stable, and by tight compaction. Treatment with alum reverses the protective effect of these chemical pretreatments, it also increases the lability of carotene in leaf protein extracted from species which usually give a relatively stable product. In these preparations of leaf protein, which were heated to 90 °C during preparation, carotene is only partially extractable into some solvents which are miscible with water. It seems therefore to be present in more than one state, but differences in extractability could not be correlated with differences in lability.     

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 High β-Glucan Barley on Serum Cholesterol Concentrations and Visceral Fat Area in Japanese Men—A Randomized,Double-blinded,Placebo-controlled Trial

This study investigated whether the consumption of a diet in which high-β-glucan barley replaced rice would reduce the visceral fat area as well as the serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) in hypercholesterolemic Japanese men. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled intervention study was conducted in 44 hypercholesterolemic Japanese men with a body mass index (BMI) >22 kg/m². The subjects were randomly assigned to groups consuming either rice (placebo group) or a mixture of rice and pearl barley with a high β-glucan content (test group, 7.0 g β-glucan per day) for 12 weeks. Blood samples were taken, and CT scan obtained before the trial and every four weeks during the trial. The pearl barley intake significantly reduced serum concentrations of LDL-C (P = 0.041) and TC (P = 0.037) during the trial. Significant differences between the test and placebo groups were found for the visceral fat (P = 0.039), BMI (P = 0.015), and waist circumference (P = 0.011) at the end point. The consumption of pearl barley with a high β-glucan content reduces not only LDL-C but also visceral fat area.