Influence of protein characteristics and the proportion of gluten on end-use quality in Korean wheat cultivars

The effects of protein characteristics and the proportion of gluten on end-use quality in 13 Korean wheat cultivars for three years were verified in this study. Year, cultivar, and the interaction between the year and the cultivar influenced protein characteristics, the proportion of gluten except for γ-and ω-gliadin using RP-HPLC(reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography), and end-use quality. Protein characteristics and the proportion of gluten in Korean wheat cultivars were between those of Australian standard white(ASW) and hard wheat(AH). Korean wheat cultivars exhibited a higher average α+β gliadin proportion than imported wheat, a γ-gliadin proportion similar to that of dark northern spring wheat, and the same ω-gliadin proportion as AH. They showed a bread-loaf volume intermediate between those of ASW and AH and a texture of cooked noodles similar to that of soft white wheat, but less springiness than imported wheat. The cookie diameter of Korean wheat cultivars was similar to that of hard red winter wheat. There was a correlation between bread-loaf volume and protein characteristics, except for the protein content in Korean wheat cultivars. Springiness and cohesiveness of cooked noodles were not correlated with protein characteristics, while hardness was correlated with the protein content and water absorption of a mixograph. Cookie diameter was negatively correlated with the sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS) sedimentation volume and water absorption of a mixograph. The end-use quality was not correlated with any proportion of gluten composition. Principal component analysis(PCA) showed that the proportion of gluten was not related to the quality of the bread(both PCs, 81.3%), noodle(77.7%), and cookie(82.4%). PCA explained that Keumkang is suitable for superior bread, while Uri is good for cooked noodles and cookies.     

Equine amnionitis and fetal loss: The case definition for an unrecognised cause of abortion in mares

A series of abortions occurred in mares in New South Wales during 2004 that involved similar and unusual findings on post mortem examination of aborted fetuses and fetal membranes. The term Equine Amnionitis and Fetal Loss (EAFL) was developed to describe the condition. This form of abortion had not been previously recognised in Australia. The pathology alone is not specific for EAFL and diagnosis requires demonstration of a combination of certain pathological and bacteriological features. The purpose of this paper is to describe patterns considered consistent with EAFL cases as a working case definition for use by veterinarians and veterinary pathologists in identifying future cases of EAFL. More detailed papers are in preparation to fully describe the epidemiological, histopathological, and microbiological aspects of EAFL.     

Improvement of Sponge Cake Baking Test Procedure for Simple and Reliable Estimation of Soft White Wheat Quality

The sponge cake baking test is accepted and routinely used as a standard quality evaluation tool of soft white wheat for Asian markets, but its lengthy and laborious procedure makes it unsuitable for the routine evaluation of a large number of wheat breeding lines. We simplified the sponge cake baking procedure in the egg‐whipping step and improved its consistency by replacement of the hand mixing of cake batter with mechanical mixing, using a wire whisk or a BeaterBlade paddle. Egg whipping and mechanical batter mixing conditions were optimized by comparing foam density, sponge cake volume, and crumb grain to those obtained by the conventional procedure. Foam density, sponge cake volume, and crumb grain comparable to the conventional 100 g flour procedure were obtained with modifications, including extension of whipping time without heat input using a 5 L KitchenAid mixer, one‐time water addition at 3 min before the completion of egg whipping instead of twice, as in the conventional procedure, and cake batter mixing with a KitchenAid wire whisk or a BeaterBlade paddle. For baking a 50 g flour cake, egg foam of appropriate density was obtained with increased whipping speed and shortened egg‐whipping time (8 min). The modified sponge cake baking procedure yielded egg‐foam density, cake volume, and crumb grain similar to the conventional procedure and effectively differentiated soft wheat flours of different quality. Sponge cake volume of 14 soft white wheat flours ranged from 1,134 to 1,426 mL with the conventional procedure, from 1,113 to 1,333 mL with the modified procedure of batter mixing with a wire whisk, from 1,108 to 1,360 mL with the modified procedure of batter mixing with a BeaterBlade paddle, and from 577 to 719 mL with the modified method of 50 g of flour and batter mixing with a wire whisk. The modified methods with the BeaterBlade paddle and wire whisk exhibited significant correlation in cake volume with a conventional procedure (r = 0.931, P < 0.001 and r = 0.925, P < 0.001, respectively).     

Synthesis and characterization of copolyester sizing agents

The effect of main chain structure of anion-containing copolyesters on the properties of copolyester sizing agents was investigated. The copolyesters were prepared by conventional two step polymerization technique from DMT, DMI, DMS, EG, and DEG. The copolyesters synthesized were characterized by atomic absorption spectroscopy,¹H-NMR Spectroscopy, GC, FTIR Spectroscopy, and DSC. The solubility decreased as the DMT content increased. The copolyesters having DMT:DMI=1:1 showed the minimum viscosity. The effect of EG content on the solution stability was not clear and the samples having high DMI content showed better solution stability. The water resistance was best when only DMI and EG were used, while it was worst when DMT:DMI was 1:0.     

Molecular mobility in model dough systems studied by time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The microscopic distribution and dynamic state of water and molecular mobility in various model systems are investigated using time-domain NMR spectroscopy. Starch and gluten showed different continuous distribution populations in T₂₁ (μsec range, obtained from One pulse experiments) and T₂₂ (msec range, obtained from CPMG experiments) proving that starch and gluten have different water dynamics and molecular mobility. A starch/gluten mixture (76:12, w/w) and wheat flour dough exhibited similar patterns indicating that water and molecular mobilities in dough tended to be more representative of interactions with starch than gluten, even though both water–starch and water–gluten interactions are occurring in wheat flour dough. Increasing the water content did not influence the continuous distribution pattern of T₂₁ but affected the relative amount of each fraction in T₂₁ (i.e. an increase of the more mobile fraction and a decrease of the less mobile fraction with increasing moisture). Added water has an important role in the more mobile fraction but not in the less mobile fraction, which is in μs range. This indicates that model food systems contain multiple microstructural domains with various water and molecular mobilities that show correspondingly different water dynamics. Therefore, the dispersion of various relaxation time constants helped identify the distribution of independent microstructural domains. The manipulation of the composition of the model food system influences the water dynamics and molecular mobility and provides a basis for the application of the microstructural domain concept to real food systems.     

Effects of road transportation on metabolic and immunological responses in Holstein heifers

This study examined the effects of road transportation on metabolic and immunological responses in dairy heifers. Twenty Holstein heifers in early pregnancy were divided into non‐transported (NT; n = 7) and transported (T; n = 13) groups. Blood was collected before transportation (BT), immediately after transportation for 100 km (T1) and 200 km (T2), and 24 h after transportation (AT). The T heifers had higher (P < 0.05) blood cortisol and non‐esterified fatty acid concentrations after T1 and T2 than did NT heifers. By contrast, the T heifers had lower (P < 0.05) serum triglyceride concentrations after T1 and T2 than had the NT heifers. The serum cortisol and triglyceride concentrations returned (P > 0.05) to the BT concentrations at 24 h AT in the T heifers. The granulocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio and the percentage of monocytes were higher (P < 0.05) after T2 in the T heifers than in the NT heifers, suggesting that transportation stress increased the numbers of innate immune cells. T heifers had higher (P < 0.01) plasma haptoglobin concentrations than NT heifers 24 h AT. In conclusion, transportation increased cortisol secretion and was correlated with increased metabolic responses and up‐regulation of peripheral innate immune cells in dairy heifers.     

Variation in Kernel Hardness and Associated Traits in U.S. Barley Breeding Lines

Kernel hardness is an important trait influencing postharvest handling, processing, and food product quality in cereal grains. Though well‐characterized in wheat, the basis of kernel hardness is still not completely understood in barley. Kernels of 959 barley breeding lines were evaluated for hardness using the Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS). Barley lines exhibited a broad range of hardness index (HI) values at 30.1–91.9. Distribution of kernel diameter and weight were 1.7–2.9 mm and 24.9–53.7 mg, respectively. The proportion of hull was 10.2–20.7%. From the 959 breeding lines, 10 hulled spring barley lines differing in HI values (30.1–91.2) were selected to study the associations of HI with proportion of hull, kernel weight, diameter, vitreousness, protein, β‐glucan, and amylose content. Vitreousness, evaluated visually using a light box, showed a clear distinction between hard and soft kernels. Hard kernels appeared translucent, while soft kernels appeared opaque when illuminated from below on the light box. Kernel brightness (L*), determined as an indicator of kernel vitreousness, showed a significant negative correlation (r = –0.83, P < 0.01) with HI. Protein, β‐glucan, amylose content, proportion of hull, kernel weight, and diameter did not show any significant association with HI.     

Effects of restricted feeding, low-energy diet, and implantation of trenbolone acetate plus estradiol on growth, carcass traits, and circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-binding protein-3 in finishing barrows

Effects of restricted feeding (80% ad libitum), feeding a low-energy diet containing 84% DE (2.95 Mcal/kg) of the control diet, and implantation of Revalor H (140 mg trenbolone acetate plus 14 mg estradiol-17beta) on growth, carcass traits, and serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGFbinding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were studied in crossbred finishing barrows beginning from 59 +/- 0.9 kg of body weight. Blood samples were taken every 3 wk and the animals were slaughtered at approximately 105 kg body weight. Restricted feeding caused a decrease (P < 0.01) in ADG; feeding the low-energy diet was effective in reducing backfat thickness but decreased gain:feed; the implantation caused a decrease in ADG, feed intake, and backfat thickness and increased gain:feed. Overall pork quality based on pH, drip loss, and the lightness in color of longissimus muscle was not affected by any of the treatments. Serum IGF-I concentration increased following the implantation but did not change (P > 0.05) due to other treatments. Immunoreactive IGFBP-3 concentration was not changed by any of the treatments. Overall ADG was positively correlated with early-stage (d 21) IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations only in unimplanted barrows, whereas backfat thickness was negatively correlated with d-42 IGF-I concentration in all but unimplanted barrows with ad libitum intake. A strong positive correlation (P < 0.01) between IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations was apparent with increasing age of the animals. Results suggest that growth rate and backfat thickness are decreased by a moderate restriction of feed or energy intake with no accompanying changes in circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations and that the beneficial effect of Revalor H implantation on feed efficiency may be mediated, in part, by IGF-I. Moreover, both IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations may be useful as growth indices in pigs.     

Thermal Behavior of Whey Protein Concentrate Treated by Heat and High Hydrostatic Pressure and Its Functionality in Wheat Dough

Solutions of commercial whey protein concentrate (CWPC, 82% protein) at 5, 10, 20, and 30% were treated with heat at 90°C or with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) at 85 Kpsi (Kpsi = 6.9 MPa) for 30 min. A CWPC solution at 20% also was treated for 30 min with heat at 60, 70, 80, and 90°C and HHP at 20, 40, 60, and 85 Kpsi. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms of untreated CWPC (82% protein) showed two endothermic peaks: the first had an enthalpy value of 4.72 J/g between 57 and 86°C, and the second had an enthalpy value of 2.36 J/g between 120 and 143°C. The first enthalpy peak disappeared after heat treatment at 90°C for 30 min and HHP treatment at 85 Kpsi for 30 min, whereas the second peak remained, independent of concentration. The results indicate that HHP treatment caused changes in the protein of CWPC, and the changes were comparable to those caused by high-temperature treatment. Differential scanning calorimetric analysis of CWPC, heat treated at 60°C, showed an enthalpy value for the first peak of 3.34 J/g, ≈1.41 J/g lower than for untreated CWPC. A sharp decrease in enthalpy to 0.52 J/g for the first peak was observed at 70°C, with complete disappearance at 80°C. The second enthalpy peak was present at all temperatures studied, with significantly higher enthalpy values at 90°C than at lower temperatures. DSC value for the first enthalpy peak for CWPC decreased significantly as HHP treatment level increased from 20 to 85 Kpsi. CWPC treated with HHP at 20 Kpsi had an enthalpy value for the first peak that was ≈2 J/g higher than for the untreated sample. It can be postulated that low HHP treatment of 20% of CWPC solution for 30 min promotes the formation of covalent or noncovalent cross-links and strong protein-protein interactions, hence the higher enthalpy values. Scanning electron micrographs showed that spray-dried, untreated CWPC was a globular form, whereas heat- and HHP-treated CWPC was a solid glasslike, porous or spongy form. Incorporation of 10% untreated CWPC into wheat flours decreased mixograph water absorption, extended mixing time, and caused rapid breakdown of gluten after optimum dough development. Incorporation of 10% heat- or HHP-treated CWPC significantly increased mixograph water absorption and extended mixing time compared to the control but decreased mixing time compared to dough fortified by untreated CWPC. Mixing tolerance of dough was restored by both heat- and HHP-treated CWPC.