Some Characteristics of β-D-Xylopyranosidases, α-L-Arabinofuranosidases and an Arabinoxylan α-L-arabinofuranohydrolase from Wheat Bran and Germinated Wheat

Enzymes from wheat bran and germinated wheat involved in the degradation of arabinoxylan and arabinoxylooligosaccharides were investigated. Fourp-nitrophenyl-α-l-arabinofuranoside hydrolysing activities (ArafI-IV) and threep-nitrophenyl-β-d-xylopyranoside hydrolysing activities (XylpI-III) were identified in wheat kernels and germinating wheat. Two of these activities, ArafI and XylpII, were purified about 10 000-fold from wheat bran. Both enzymes were inactive towards polymeric arabinoxylan. ArafI produced no arabinose but some xylose from arabinoxylooligosaccharides, while XylpII gave only xylose upon incubation with this substrate. An arabinoxylan arabinofuranohydrolase (AXH) was found in wheat bran and germinated wheat. This enzyme was active towards the polymeric substrate, but was unable to hydrolysep-nitrophenyl-α-l-arabinofuranoside. TheM_rs of these enzymes were determined by size exclusion chromatography and were in the range of 40–50 000, except for ArafIII, for which aM_rof 104 000 was determined. During germination, the levels of these enzymes increased markedly between the third and fifth day, after which some of them decreased again by the seventh day. ArafI-IV were inhibited strongly by arabinonic acid-γ-lactone, while xylonic acid-γ-lactone was a good inhibitor of XylpI-III. The latter lactone also inhibited ArafI. Neither of these lactones inhibited AXH. Endoxylanase activity was demonstrated but not quantified.     

Evidence for the Presence of a Pentosanase Inhibitor in Wheat Flours

The solubilisation, by a pentosanase preparation fromAspergillus niger, of arabinoxylans from water-unextractable pentosans (WUP) isolated from wheat flour was much reduced when carried out in flour aqueous extracts as medium, instead of pure buffer. When flour extracts were previously heated at 100°C, the extent of arabinoxylan solubilisation was almost restored. The heating at 100°C and centrifugation of the flour extracts removed approximately one-third of the soluble protein but very low amounts of arabinoxylan. Increasing the concentration of extracts decreased the extent of WUP arabinoxylan solubilisation. There was slight variability between wheat cultivars Apollo, Soissons and Thésée in the extent of the inhibitory effect. Compounds responsible for this effect were mainly present in wheat grain endosperm but also in bran. Different microbial xylanases fromA. niger(Grindamyl S 100 and E1, an endoxylanase purified from this commercial preparation) andTrichodermastrains (C1, a partially purified cellulase/hemicellulase complex, and the commercial preparations Veron HE and Multifect XL) were strongly inhibited. Also the arabinofuranosidase activity present in Grindamyl S 100 was inhibited but to a lower extent than xylanases. Pronase treatment and protein addition in the extracts had no effect on the level of inhibition.     

Soluble arabinoxylans extracted from soft and hard wheat show a differential prebiotic effect in vitro and in vivo

Arabinoxylans (AX) are part of dietary fiber. They are currently under study due to their potential prebiotic effect. Wheat whole grain flours contain all the grain layers and, therefore, present a higher arabinoxylan content than white flour. It is known that the chemical structure of these compounds varies with the type of wheat cultivar and the tissue from which they are extracted. In this work, water soluble extractable arabinoxylans (WE-AX) from two types of wheat whole flours (hard and soft) were extracted. We characterized the molecular size distribution and the potential prebiotic effect of those extracts. The prebiotic effect was evaluated in vitro and confirmed in vivo. Bacterial group abundance (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, Enterococcus, Bacteriodes and total bacteria) was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. The molecular size of AX from hard wheats was significantly higher than AX from soft wheats. Both extracts showed potential prebiotic activity by increasing the growth of beneficial bacteria in vitro and in vivo, decreasing the pathogens in the profile of intestinal microorganisms and increasing the amount of short chain fatty acids in the intestine. WE-AX from hard wheat showed a higher prebiotic activity. Prebiotic effect assessed in vitro and in vivo assays showed a significant correlation between both types of analysis. This finding suggests that the in vitro indices performed allow predicting the potential prebiotic effect in vivo.     

Substrate selectivity and inhibitor sensitivity affect xylanase functionality in wheat flour gluten–starch separation

Addition of xylanases (EC 3.2.1.8) that varied in their substrate selectivities and/or wheat xylanase inhibitor sensitivities in dough batter gluten–starch separation of wheat flour showed the importance of these enzyme characteristics for their functionality in this process. A xylanase from Aspergillus aculeatus (XAA) with selectivity for hydrolysis of water extractable arabinoxylan (WE-AX), which is not inhibited by wheat flour xylanase inhibitors decreased batter viscosity and improved gluten agglomeration behaviour. In contrast, a xylanase from Bacillus subtilis (XBS_i) with selectivity for hydrolysis of water unextractable arabinoxylan (WU-AX), which is in vitro inhibited by wheat flour xylanase inhibitors had a negative effect on gluten agglomeration at low enzyme dosages. As expected, solubilisation of WU-AX increased batter viscosities. At higher dosages however, this enzyme also improved gluten agglomeration because of degradation of both WE-AX and enzymically solubilised AX. A mutated B. subtilis xylanase (XBS_ni) with selectivity for hydrolysis of WU-AX comparable to XBS_i but which is not inhibited by wheat flour xylanase inhibitors, increased the level of large gluten aggregates as well as the total gluten protein recovery, even at lower dosages. Because of its inhibitor insensitivity, the solubilisation and degradation of AX proceeded further. An XBS_ni dosage approximately 4 times lower than XBS_i performed as well as its inhibited counterpart. The degradation of both WE-AX and WU-AX by XBS_ni improved the gluten agglomeration behaviour to a larger extent than the XAA treatment which primarily resulted in hydrolysis of WE-AX. The results confirm the detrimental impact not only of WE-AX, but also of WU-AX, on gluten agglomeration in a dough batter gluten–starch separation process. At the same time, they provide firm evidence that xylanases are not only inhibited by xylanase inhibitors in vitro, but are also partly inhibited in the industrial process in which they are used.     

Influence of Non-Starch Polysaccharides Structure on the Metabolisable Energy of U.K. Wheat Fed to Poultry

With the inclusion of wheat in European poultry diets at 600 g/kg, or more, there is increasing concern that its apparent metabolisable energy (AME) is more variable than would be predicted by conventional analysis. Twelve samples of wheat with a range of AME values (8·34–13·74 MJ/kg dry matter when fed to broiler chicks aged 11–14 d at 750 g/kg diet) were used to investigate the causes of this variability. AME was not correlated with the amount of total water-soluble non-starch polysaccharide (sNSP), soluble arabinoxylan (the major polysaccharide contributing to NSP) or (1→3, 1→4)-β-glucan released from the grain or with the viscosity of aqueous extracts. Surprisingly,in vitroviscosity was negatively related to soluble (r²=0·61) and total (r²=0·82) arabinoxylan. This was thought to be due to the slow, but cumulative, action of endogenous hydrolases in the stored grain. Soluble NSP from each wheat was characterised by measurement of molecular weight distribution and the structural features of arabinoxylan determined from the amount and nature of the oligosaccharides released following treatment with an endo-xylanase. Oligomer molecular weight was determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry and structure by NMR. Multivariate analysis of the 32 variables measured provided a three-term model able to explain approximately 0·80 of the variation between wheat samples: AME=8·07+11·16(XRAX)+30·67(AX-6)−0·355(sNSP) Two terms (XRAX, the proportion of arabinoxylan resistant to hydrolysis by xylanase and AX-6, the properties of branched six-sugar present in hydrolysates) reflected the degree of branching of arabinoxylan and were positively associated with AME while the third term, the amount of sNSP present, was negatively related.     

Endogenous arabinoxylans variability in refined wheat flour and its relationship with quality traits

Arabinoxylans (AXs) are the major dietary fiber (DF) component in wheat and their consumption has been associated with several health benefits. Genetic improvement of the AX in refined wheat flour could be a good solution to improve the DF daily consumption while maintaining the flour desirable quality. In this study, 193 common wheat lines were analyzed for their AX content in refined flour and end-use quality. Wide variation in both the total arabinoxylan (TOT-AX) (10.8–16.5 mg/g) and water-extractable arabinoxylan (WE-AX) (3.2–7.6 mg/g) was identified and, in both cases, the genotype had the greatest impact on the observed phenotypes. Variation in the endogenous AX fractions appeared to have a moderate effect on wheat quality. The WE-AX, specifically, were positively correlated with gluten strength (r = 0.11 to 0.32) and bread loaf volume (r = 0.16), whereas the TOT-AX were negatively correlated with dough extensibility (r = −0.11) and bread making quality (r = −0.11). Overall, results of this study show that the genetic improvement of grain AX is feasible and that the AXs present in refined flour do not dramatically alter wheat quality indicating that it is possible to select varieties with high AX endosperm content end desired end-use quality.     

Wheat flour non-starch polysaccharides and their effect on dough rheological properties

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) flour is able to form dough with unique rheological properties that allow bread making. It is well known that wheat protein content affects dough rheological properties, but there is not enough evidence about the role of other minor flour constituents. One such minor constituent is non-starch flour polysaccharides, which are mainly pentosans formed by a xylopyranosyl linear chain branched with arabinofuranosyl residues. Their spatial distribution and branching pattern can affect their relationship with gluten forming proteins and thus influence their functional properties, the dough rheological properties, and thereby the flour baking quality. In this study the content and structural characteristics of non-starch polysaccharides were investigated, as well as their influence on some dough physicochemical parameters. Five different wheat flours samples milled from Uruguayan wheat varieties with diverse rheological and breadmaking properties were used in this study. Water soluble flour polysaccharides were extracted and the amount of pentosans was determined by the orcinol-HCl method. The pentoses composition was determined before and after acidic hydrolysis of the water soluble polysaccharide fractions by GC. No free pentoses were detected in any of the assayed flour samples, so the pentoses composition found in the hydrolyzed samples was attributed to the non-starch water soluble polysaccharides. Water unextractable non-starch polysaccharides were determined by difference between the total and the soluble non-starch polysaccharides flour content.An improved method for the quantification of water extractable and non-extractable non-starch polysaccharides, using baker's yeast, was developed. Using this method, total and soluble non-starch polysaccharides content could reliably be determined both in whole flour and in pentosans enriched fractions. Free monosaccharide content was in the range from 0.03% to 0.06% (w/w), while the arabinose/xylose (Ara/Xyl) ratios varied from 0.8 to 1.4 in soluble non-starch polysaccharides and from 0.7 to 0.9 in total non-starch polysaccharides. The different Ara/Xyl ratios found for water extractable and unextractable arabinoxylans clearly indicates different substitution degrees in the polymers. Analysis of the dough rheological parameters in relation to the water soluble and non-soluble non-starch polysaccharides and the Ara/Xyl ratios from different wheat varieties was performed. A clear relation between some of these parameters could be inferred, since a direct relationship between total unextractable (AXi) content and resistance of dough to extension (P), as well an inverse relationship between the same parameter and dough extensibility (L) were observed. These results suggest that the flour non-starch polysaccharide content, as well the Ara/Xyl ratios may be used as additional parameters to estimate some of the wheat flours dough properties.     

Application of solvent retention capacity tests for the prediction of mixing properties of wheat flour

One hundred and ninety-two wheat genotypes including 150 released varieties and 42 germplasm lines were evaluated for solvent retention capacity (SRC) tests using 1 g of flour and 1 g of wholemeal to determine relationships with mixing properties of their doughs. Strong positive correlations (p<0.001) were observed between different SRCs (using both wholemeal as well as flour) and Farinograph water absorption (FWA). In multiple regression analysis, flour water SRC explained 41.2%, sodium carbonate SRC 24.6%, sucrose SRC 20.7% and protein content 13.5% of the total variability (multiple r=0.91) in FWA. The data demonstrated that water absorption is governed mainly to starch damage and pentosan content of the flour. Based on multiple regression analysis an equation was developed to predict FWA and a very high positive correlation (r=0.91) was observed between predicted FWA and actual FWA. LASRC exhibited significant positive correlations (p<0.001) with Farinograph and Mixograph parameters related to gluten strength such as the Farinograph peak time and mixing tolerance index and the mixograph peak time and peak dough resistance. Wholemeal flour SRCs accounted for 48% of the variation in FWA and was highly significant (p<0.001). The average values of FWA of corresponding clusters made using wholemeal and flour SRCs were not significantly different. This demonstrates that wholemeal SRCs together with grain protein content can be used to screen early generation lines for FWA. Since large numbers of diverse genotypes were used in the estimation of various parameters, high correlations observed between SRCs and functional properties including water absorption have obvious implications in breeding programs for the improvement of wheat cultivars.     

The combined use of hull-less barley flour and xylanase as a strategy for wheat/hull-less barley flour breads with increased arabinoxylan and (1→3,1→4)-β-D-glucan levels

Bread-making with a composite flour (CF) consisting of 60% wheat flour (WF) and 40% hull-less barley flour, increased the total and soluble (1→3,1→4)-β-D-glucan and total arabinoxylan (AX) contents of dough and bread samples, but decreased the specific bread loaf volume. A xylanase insensitive to inhibition by Triticum aestivum L. xylanase inhibitor (TAXI) and xylanase inhibiting protein (XIP), increased loaf volume by 8.8 and 20.1% for WF and CF breads, respectively. Xylanase addition not only markedly improved loaf volume of CF bread, but also increased the soluble AX content of the WF and CF dough and bread samples because of conversion of water-unextractable AX into soluble AX. The xylanase had no impact on the extractability and molecular weight of (1→3,1→4)-β-D-glucan, but (1→3,1→4)-β-D-glucan was degraded during bread-making probably because of endogenous β-glucanase activity. Taken together, the results clearly show that the combined use of hull-less barley flour and a xylanase active during bread making, lead to palatable breads with high total and soluble AX and (1→3,1→4)-β-D-glucan contents. The sum of total AX and (1→3,1→4)-β-D-glucan was 1.70% for WF bread and 3.06% for CF bread, while the sum of soluble AX and (1→3,1→4)-β-D-glucan was 0.49 and 1.41% for control WF and CF xylanase supplemented breads, respectively.     

Debranning of wheat prior to milling reduces xylanase but not xylanase inhibitor activities in wholemeal and flour

Debranning of wheat to remove the outer 7% of the kernel, prior to grinding or milling reduced xylanase activity in wheat wholemeal and wheat endosperm flour by up to 80 and 60%, respectively, whereas there was no significant reduction of xylanase inhibiting activity. Flours obtained after debranning and milling showed no major differences in moisture content, whereas ash content decreased and protein and arabinoxylan content decreased slightly with increasing debranning degree. Part of the xylanase activity in the flour was lost on addition of Triticum aestivum xylanase inhibitor (TAXI). Since TAXI specifically inhibits glycosyl hydrolase family 11 xylanases and since endogenous cereal xylanases belong exclusively to family 10, part of the xylanase activity in the flour is most likely of microbial origin. Debranning also significantly reduced alpha-amylase activities in wheat wholemeal and wheat flour. Debranning prior to milling can, therefore, impact on flour functionality.     

Xylanase Induced Changes to Water- and Alkali-Extractable Arabinoxylans in Wheat Flour: Their Role in Lowering Batter Viscosity

The effect on the viscosity of wheat flour batter following treatments with a crude pentosanase-containing enzyme preparation and an endo-xylanase purified from the same preparation, was studied in relation to changes to the chemical features of the water- and Ba(OH)₂-extractable arabinoxylan fractions. Addition to batter of the crude enzyme or the pure xylanase caused a consistent and identical decrease in batter viscosity, demonstrating that the viscosity change was caused by the selective action of the xylanase in the crude enzyme preparation. The lowering of batter viscosity upon addition of enzyme was attributed to partial hydrolysis of the arabinoxylans in the water-extractable fraction which lead to an increase in the proportion of lower molecular weight water-extractable arabinoxylans possessing an increased xylose/arabinose ratio. There was no detectable change in the monosaccharide composition of either the water- or Ba(OH)₂-extractable arabinoxylan fraction after enzyme treatment and no indication of any increase in the amount of the water-extractable arabinoxylan fraction at the expense of the Ba(OH)₂-extractable fraction. It is concluded that the xylanase can extensively degrade arabinoxylan to small oligosaccharides in vitro. However, such degradation does not take place in situ, in the enzyme treated batters, where only a very small shift in the molecular weight profile of the water-extractable arabinoxylans was necessary to effect major changes to batter viscosity.     

Arabinoxylans and Endoxylanases in Wheat Flour Bread-making

For the past 50 years the function of arabinoxylans in bread-making has been the subject of much debate and controversy. In the last decade, these molecules have been put in the spotlight again inter alia because of the increasing use of endoxylanases in European wheat and rye flour bread-making processes. This renewed interest has led to considerable advances in the understanding of both arabinoxylan and endoxylanase functionalities in bread-making. We here present a survey of the relevant work. Knowledge of both the substrate (arabinoxylan) and the enzyme (endoxylanase), as well as of recently discovered endoxylanase inhibitors, is summarised. Facts on arabinoxylans and endoxylanases in wheat flour bread-making are presented and integrated in an up-to-date view on their functionality in bread-making.     

The effect of infrared stabilized rice bran substitution on physicochemical and sensory properties of pan breads: Part I

Infrared stabilized rice bran (SRB) substitution to white wheat, wheat bran and whole grain wheat breads at the levels of 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0% was evaluated in terms of proximate composition, crumb color, dietary fiber, texture and sensory attributes. An increasing tendency was observed in crude fat and ash content of the breads. Redness (+a*), yellowness (+b*) chroma and redness (a*/b*) values were increased gradually with the addition of SRB. Crumb color was found to be darker when 10% of SRB was added to the breads. SRB inclusion did not affect the content of soluble dietary fiber while it significantly increased the insoluble and total dietary fiber contents of the breads (p < 0.05). In general, whole grain wheat bread differed from the other bread types in terms of textural behavior. Based on the overall acceptability scores, white wheat and wheat bran breads were sensory accepted up to 10% of flour replacement with rice bran, while substitution levels higher than 2.5% negatively affected the sensory scores of whole grain wheat bread.     

Sourdough fermentation of wholemeal wheat bread increases solubility of arabinoxylan and protein and decreases postprandial glucose and insulin responses

Glycemic responses to most of the conventional breads are high, including breads made of wholemeal flour. Baking technology is known to affect these responses. The aim of the present study was to investigate effects of xylanase enzyme treatment and sourdough fermentation in wholemeal wheat bread baking on postprandial glucose and insulin responses and on in vitro protein digestibility. The wheat breads were made of 100% flour from peeled kernels by a straight dough or sourdough fermentation method, and with or without using xylanase during mixing of dough. Standard white wheat bread was used as a reference. All test bread portions contained 50 g available carbohydrate and were served in random order to eleven insulin resistant subjects. Blood samples for measuring glucose and insulin concentrations were drawn over 4 h. The sourdough wholemeal wheat bread resulted in the lowest postprandial glucose and insulin responses among the four tested breads (treatment × time; p = 0.000 and p = 0.022, respectively). There were differences in solubility and depolymerisation of protein and arabinoxylan among the breads but these did not fully explain the in vivo findings. In conclusion, the health effects of wholemeal wheat bread can be further improved by using sourdough process in breadmaking.     

Variation in the degree of D-Xylose substitution in arabinoxylans extracted from a European wheat flour

Total water-extractable arabinoxylan from flour of the European bread making wheat cultivar Camp Remy was fractionated by ethanol precipitation. Both ¹H-NMR spectroscopy and methylation analysis of the isolated arabinoxylan fractions showed wide variation in the degree of xylose substitution. More highly substituted arabinoxylan fractions were precipitated at higher ethanol concentrations. At ethanol concentrations of 10–30% (v/v) (1→3),(1→4)-β-d-glucan co-precipitated with arabinoxylan. Re-precipitation of the polymer mixture resulted in a partial separation of the arabinoxylan from the mixture. Arabinoxylans with wide structural variation were also isolated by extraction of the flour with aqueous ethanol solutions of decreasing concentations. By this isolation technique, fractions with the highest degree of substitution were extracted with the most concentrated (50%) ethanolic solutions. The range of structural variation in the fractions was quite similar for both isolation methods. A decrease in the proportion of unsubstituted xylose residues occurred concomitantly with a decrease in the proportion of monosubstituted xylose units and with an increase in the proportion of disubstituted xylose units. An increase in the proportion of paired disubstituted xylose units as the arabinose to xylose ratio of the arabinoxylan fractions increased, and the presence of monosubstituted xylose residues next to disubstituted xylose residues in the highly substituted fractions, were illustrated by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Methylation analysis indicated an increase in traces of side chains of arabinose residues and in the levels of O-2 substituted xylose residues as the arabinose to xylose ratio increased.     

Dough rheology and bread quality of wheat-chickpea flour blends

In this study, partial substitution of wheat flour with chickpea flour at the levels of 10, 20 and 30% was carried out to study their rheological and baking performance. Chickpea flour addition increased the water absorption and dough development time (p < 0.05), while, the extensibility of dough and the resistance to deformation were reduced. Regarding dough stability, it appears that 10% chickpea exhibited higher stability and resistance to mechanical mixing values than the control, while it decreased as the substitute level increases from 20% to 30%. The dough surface of the wheat dough and the blend with 10% was classified as “normal”, however the blend with 20% and 30% produced “sticky” dough surface. The presence of chickpea flour in dough affected bread quality in terms of volume, internal structure and texture. The color of crust and crumb got progressively darker as the level of chickpea flour substitution increased. While the substitution of wheat flour with 10% chickpea flour gave loaves as similar as control.     

硬质小麦籽粒阿拉伯木聚糖含量的遗传变异研究

为了更好地理解环境和基因型对小麦阿拉伯木聚糖含量的影响,为小麦品质改良提供科学依据,采用比色法测定了美国西部51个硬质小麦品种的阿拉伯木聚糖组分含量,这些小麦品种包括冬小麦和春小麦,分别被种植在3个不同的地点.结果表明,参试冬小麦品种水溶性和总阿拉伯木聚糖含量的变异范围分别为0.39%～0.81%和3.09%～4.04%,春小麦品种这两种木聚糖含量范围分别为0.48%～0.92%和3.94%～4.70%.小麦籽粒阿拉伯木聚糖含量的变异同时受品种、环境及其互作效应的显著影响,环境效应太于品种效应.小麦品种间阿拉伯木聚糖含量的变异主要表现在水溶性组分上.就不同组分而言,基因型对水溶性阿拉伯木聚糖组分的影响相对较大,环境则分别对冬小麦水不溶性、春小麦水溶性阿拉伯木聚糖组分有较大的影响.品种间和环境间阿拉伯木聚糖含量的变异,冬小麦大于春小麦;水溶性阿拉伯木聚糖含量的遗传型方差春小麦大于冬小麦.冬、春小麦的水溶性阿拉伯木聚糖含量的广义遗传力均大于95%,通过遗传育种的方法改良小麦阿拉伯木聚糖含量是可行的.冬小麦与春小麦阿拉伯木聚糖含量的平均值之间无明显差异.     

Water-extractable Arabinoxylan from Pearled Flours of Wheat,Barley, Rye and Triticale. Evidence for the Presence of Ferulic Acid Dimers and their Involvement in Gel Formation

Cereal grains from wheat, barley, triticale and rye were pearled and milled. Part of the flours were treated in boiling aqueous ethanol and both the ethanol-treated and untreated flours were extracted with water. Yields of arabinoxylan in the extracts were higher for the untreated flours. Chemical, physico-chemical and structural studies showed differences between the arabinoxylans in extracts of the different cereals although arabinoxylans extracted from untreated and the corresponding ethanol treated flours were similar in neutral sugar content and patterns of substitution. Analyses showed that low amounts of ferulic acid dimers (8-O-4′, 8-5′, and 5-5′ forms) were present in all the extracted arabinoxylans. Oxidative gelation studies, using peroxidase/H₂O₂, revealed significant differences in the capacity of extracted arabinoxylans to form gels via intermolecular cross-linking. The values of elastic modulus (G′) of gels from the arabinoxylan extract of ethanol-treated flours varied from 2 to 40 Pa and were higher than those obtained from the untreated flours (0·2–6 Pa).     

Barley (1→3; 1→4)-β-glucan and arabinoxylan content are related to kernel hardness and water uptake

Harder kernels in barley are thought to be a factor affecting the modification of the endosperm during malting by restricting water and enzyme movement within the endosperm. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between kernel hardness, water uptake and the endosperm composition in barley. A range of barley samples from 2003 and 2004 crops were analyzed for kernel hardness by the Single Kernel Characterization System, water uptake during steeping and chemical composition of the endosperm including (1→3; 1→4)-β-glucan, arabinoxylan and total protein. Both (1→3; 1→4)-β-glucan and arabinoxylan content of the endosperm were correlated significantly with kernel hardness in barley samples from both 2003 (r=0.873 and 0.601, respectively, p<0.01) and 2004 seasons (r=0.764 and 0.501, respectively, p<0.01). Hardness of the kernel was highly correlated with its water uptake in both 2003 and 2004 samples (r=−0.853 and −0.752, respectively, p<0.01). β-Glucan content of the endosperm was also correlated significantly with the kernel water uptake for both years (2003: r=−0.752, p<0.01; 2004: r=−0.551, p<0.01). Arabinoxylan content of the endosperm was correlated significantly with the kernel water uptake for the 2003 barley but not for 2004 barley (2003: r=−0.523, p<0.01; 2004: r=−0.151, p>0.01). Protein content of the endosperm was not correlated with the kernel hardness in either year. These results demonstrate that endosperm cell wall components may have significant impact on kernel hardness as well as water uptake of barley.     

Distribution of Water between Wheat Flour Components: A Dynamic Water Vapour Adsorption Study

The water adsorption properties of hard and soft wheat flours and flour components (starch, damaged starch, gluten, soluble pentosans, and insoluble pentosans) were determined at 25 °C using a controlled atmosphere microbalance. At different levels of relative humidity (from 10% to 95%), changes in sample mass (i.e., water gain) were continuously measured versus time and described using exponential models (R²≥0·994). Water adsorption isotherms were constructed for wheat flours and flour components and described using Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer models (R²≥0·997). It was not possible to distinguish between the selected hard and soft wheat flours by their isotherms. The water-soluble pentosans had the highest water adsorption capacity. The theoretical distribution of water between the flour components (calculated using the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer parameters) was starch, 88%; gluten, 10%; and pentosans, 2%.