Dietary fiber in triticale grain: Variation in content, composition, and molecular weight distribution of extractable components

Triticale, a man made cereal is mainly used in animal feed but also in food and as a renewable crop for energy. In this study, eight triticale cultivars and reference rye and wheat were grown at two locations in Sweden (Svalöv and Kölbäck). The harvested grains were characterized for dietary fiber (DF) content, molecular weight distribution of extractable DF components, and some general quality parameters (bulk density, thousand kernel weight, and content of crude protein, crude fat, starch, maltose, sucrose, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber). Total DF content (13-16%) was affected by both location and cultivar. Arabinoxylan (average 6.8%), fructan (average 2.3%), cellulose (average 2.1%), Klason lignin (average 1.6%), and β-glucan (average 0.7%) were main components of DF. Cultivars grown at Kölbäck contained extractable arabinoxylan with significantly lower weight-average and number-average molecular weights, probably due to rainy weather and sprouting in the ears. The Calcofluor average molecular weight of extractable β-glucan was highly reduced at this site. About 80% of the fructan had a low degree of polymerization (3-9). Our results show that modern triticale grain has a DF profile and molecular weight distribution of extractable DF components that are much more similar to wheat than rye.     

Distribution and characterisation of fructan in wheat milling fractions

Structure and health effects of inulin-type fructans have been extensively studied, while less is known about the properties of the graminan-type fructans in wheat. Arabinoxylan (AX) is another important indigestible component in cereal grains, which may have beneficial health effects. In this study, the fructan content in milling fractions of two wheat cultivars was determined and related to ash, dietary fibre and AX contents. The molecular weight distribution of the fructans was analysed with HPAEC-PAD and MALDI-TOF MS using ¹H NMR and enzymatic hydrolysis for identification of fructans. The fructan content (g/100 g) ranged from 1.5 ± 0.2 in flour to 3.6 ± 0.5 in shorts and 3.7 ± 0.3 in bran. A correlation was found between fructan content and dietary fibre content (r = 0.93, P < 0.001), but with a smaller variation in fructan content between inner and outer parts of the grain. About 50% of the dietary fibre consisted of AX in all fractions. The fructans were found to have a DP of up to 19 with a similar molecular weight distribution in the different fractions.     

Influence of environmental temperature during grain filling period on granule size distribution of rice starch and its relation to gelatinization properties

High temperature (HT) is the major environmental factor affecting grain starch properties of cooking rice cultivars. However, little information has been available on the effect of environmental temperature on the starch granule size distribution of rice grains. In this paper, five indica rice genotypes, including the wild type (9311) and its four mutants differing in amylose content (AC), were used to investigate the effect of environmental temperature on the starch granule size distribution, as well as its relation to AC and gelatinization properties of rice starch. Two temperature treatments (HT and NT) at filling stage were imposed to rice plants under the controlled temperature chambers. The result showed that HT increased the average diameter of starch granules and enhanced the proportion of large starch granules (LSG, D > 2.6 μm) by number, volume and surface area, respectively. However, influence of HT on GT and starch granule size distribution was relatively independent of their alteration in AC level for different rice genotypes. Therefore, HT-induced increase in the average diameter of starch granules and LSG percentage was strongly responsible for the higher starch gelatinization temperature and inferior cooked palatability of HT-ripening rice grains, which be not inherently associated with their varying AC level.     

Variability and cluster analysis of arabinoxylan content and its molecular profile in crossed wheat lines

Non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in cereals, after starch and gluten proteins, determine the technological and nutritional properties of flour, dough and end product. From NSPs, the arabinoxylans are the most important components studied in wheat nowadays. The novelty of our study is the investigation of the variability and clustering ability of the wheat lines based on different quantitative and qualitative traits of arabinoxylans. The quantitative properties, the total and the water-extractable arabinoxylan content of wheat flours were measured separately by gas chromatography. The qualitative property referring to the structure of the molecule was the molecular weight distribution measured by size exclusion liquid chromatography. According to the results the variability of arabinoxylan properties in the breeding lines varied between wider ranges then the values measured for the parental varieties. The correlation between the quantitative parameters, and a trend between quantitative and qualitative parameters were described. During the cluster analysis, the parents were well separated into different groups. The parameters that played an important role in the clustering were the ratio of the probability of occurrence of molecular size ranges along with the quantitative traits of AX. The selected samples can be used for further targeted breeding while the methodology was used in this work can be suitable for selecting lines/varieties for special food or other industrial applications.