This study aimed to identify factors required for making high-quality rice flour and bread; six cultivars with various kernel appearances and amylose content from 10% to 28% were used. Flour samples ...with small particle sizes and low damaged-starch content were obtained from rice cultivars with high proportions of opaque-kernel grains, probably due to low hardness. Rice cultivars with high amylose content produced bread with high specific loaf volume (> 5.5). The specific loaf volume of gluten- and additive-free rice bread was significantly correlated with amylose content and moderately correlated with opaque-kernel grain proportion. Protein content was not significantly correlated with rice flour and bread properties. Thus, rice cultivars with high amylose content and high proportions of opaque-kernel grains would be suitable for making high-quality rice flour and bread.
Low specific volumes and high firming rates are major issues in the preparation of gluten-free rice bread. Herein, we discovered that flour acquired from rice grains ripened under lower temperatures ...improved the specific volume and firming rate of the resultant gluten- and additive-free rice bread. Two cultivars with different amylose contents were grown during three growing seasons (early, normal, and late) over two years (2016 and 2017). The temperatures during grain filling ranged from 22.0 to 30.1 °C, and the small differences observed between the average particle sizes and the damaged-starch contents of the samples indicated that their grain-filling temperatures had minimal influence on their flour properties. There were significant negative correlations between the grain-filling temperatures and the amylose contents or ratios of short amylopectin chains of the rice-flour samples. The bread loaf volumes were influenced by their amylose contents, not by their amylopectin structures, and correlated negatively with the grain-filling temperatures. Inversely, the bread-firming rates during storage were influenced predominantly by their amylopectin structures, and positively correlated with the grain-filling temperatures. These results indicate that rice grains ripened under lower temperatures are desirable, and that the grain-filling temperature can be an indicator of the firming of gluten-free rice bread.
Display omitted
•Low-temperature ripened rice bread has high loaf volume due to amylose content.•They have slower firming through high ratio of shorter amylopectin chains.•Temperature during grain filling and gelatinization are bread firming indicators.
Rice flour of the rice cultivar “Mizuhochikara” is suitable for making gluten-free bread without additives such as hydrocolloids or enzymes, but the bread becomes firm more rapidly than wheat bread. ...The firming rate of rice bread can be reduced by partially replacing the rice flour with sweet potato flour. Herein, when the replacement ratio or β-amylase activity in sweet potato flour was higher, the firming rate was lower. Rice bread made by 5% replacement of rice flour with sweet potato flour with the highest β-amylase activity had a firming rate that was more than three times slower than that of rice bread without replacement. The replacement of more than 5% of rice flour by sweet potato flour produced inferior shaped bread. Therefore, replacing up to 5% of rice flour with sweet potato flour with high β-amylase activity is a better way to reduce the firming rate of gluten-free bread.
A reliable and inexpensive noninvasive marker of hepatic fibrosis is required in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). FIB4 index (based on age, aspartate aminotransferase AST and ...alanine aminotransferase ALT levels, and platelet counts) is expected to be useful for evaluating hepatic fibrosis. We validated the performance of FIB4 index in a Japanese cohort with NAFLD.
The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) for FIB4 and six other markers were compared, based on data from 576 biopsy-proven NAFLD patients. Advanced fibrosis was defined as stage 3-4 fibrosis. FIB4 index was assessed as: age (yr) × AST (IU/L)/(platelet count (10(9)/L) × √ALT (IU/L)) RESULTS: Advanced fibrosis was found in 64 (11%) patients. The AUROC for FIB4 index was superior to those for the other scoring systems for differentiating between advanced and mild fibrosis. Only 6 of 308 patients with a FIB4 index below the proposed low cut-off point (< 1.45) were under-staged, giving a high negative predictive value of 98%. Twenty-eight of 59 patients with a FIB4 index above the high cut-off point (> 3.25) were over-staged, giving a low positive predictive value of 53%. Using these cutoffs, 91% of the 395 patients with FIB-4 values outside 1.45-3.25 would be correctly classified. Implementation of the FIB4 index in the Japanese population would avoid 58% of liver biopsies.
The FIB4 index was superior to other tested noninvasive markers of fibrosis in Japanese patients with NAFLD, with a high negative predictive value for excluding advanced fibrosis. The small number of cases of advanced fibrosis in this cohort meant that this study had limited power for validating the high cut-off point.
Gluten- and additive-free rice bread is suitable for consumption by individuals who are sensitive to gluten and prefer to avoid additives. Here, we prepared 100% rice bread, which is a gluten-free ...rice bread prepared in the absence of additives, using 19 rice flour samples containing amylose contents ranging from 9.6 to 22.3%. The amylose content was positively correlated with the specific volume of the 100% rice bread, whereas no correlation was observed between the protein content and the specific volume. The amylose content was also positively correlated with the specific volume of gluten-free rice bread prepared following protease treatment of the dough. The dough of 100% rice bread prepared from rice flour containing higher amylose contents was better stabilized during leavening than that prepared from rice flour containing a lower amylose content. It was therefore apparent that amylose plays an important role in the preparation of 100% rice bread with a high loaf volume through stabilization of the dough.
Display omitted
•We prepared 100% rice bread using rice flours with similar damaged starch contents.•The amylose content was positively correlated with the specific volume for 100% rice bread.•Breads made from low-amylose cultivars gave low specific volumes.•The protein content did not show a correlation with the specific volume.•A high maximum dough volume was achieved when a high-amylose rice cultivar was used.
From a nutritional perspective, rice flour is one of the most valuable flours and it is suitable for preparing food for people suffering from wheat allergy. However, bread made from rice flour is ...very difficult to bake because it lacks gluten. We found that pre-fermenting of rice flour using Aspergillus oryzae facilitated a better formulation of gluten-free rice bread. Bread swelling was remarkably improved with a longer pre-fermenting period at 55 °C. The specific loaf volume (SLV) without polymeric thickeners after a 12 h fermentation was approximately 2.2-fold (2.98 ml/g) higher than that after 0 h (1.36 ml/g). An enzymatic assay of the batter indicated that protease activity during the pre-fermentation period increased from 0.38 to 1.44 U/ml and this activity correlated with bread swelling. Furthermore, a commercial protease from A. oryzae also produced similar results with an adequate SLV of 3.03 ml/g. Rheological analysis showed that batter treated with protease had an increased batter viscosity and decreased flour settling behavior because of the aggregation of flour particle after partial cleavage of storage proteins. These results indicated that the improved SLV was mainly because of an A. oryzae protease, which affected the batter rheology thereby improving gas retention before baking.
► A better gluten-free bread formulation was obtained using rice batter fermented with A. oryzae. ► The main effect of A. oryzae on bread swelling could be attributed to its secreted protease. ► Batter treated with protease had adequate gas retention during yeast fermentation. ► Protease changed the batter rheology via the partial cleavage of storage proteins.
Aim: Sonazoid is a new contrast agent for ultrasonography (US). Contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) using Sonazoid enables Kupffer imaging, which improves the sensitivity of hepatocellular ...carcinoma (HCC) detection. However, there are no studies on the cost‐effectiveness of HCC surveillance using Sonazoid.
Methods: We constructed a Markov model simulating the natural history of HCV‐related liver cirrhosis (LC) patients, and compared three strategies (no surveillance, US surveillance and CEUS surveillance). The transition probability and cost data were obtained from published data. The simulation and analysis were performed using TreeAge pro 2009 software.
Results: When compared to the no surveillance group, the US and CEUS surveillance groups increased the life expectancy by 1.67 and 1.99 quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALY), respectively, and the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) were 17 296 $US/QALY and 18 384 $US/QALY, respectively. These results were both less than the commonly‐accepted threshold of $US 50 000/QALY. Even if the CEUS surveillance group was compared with the US surveillance group, the ICER was $US 24 250 and thus cost‐effective. Sensitivity analysis showed that the annual incidence of HCC and CEUS sensitivity were two critical parameters. However, when the annual incidence of HCC is more than 2% and/or the CEUS sensitivity is more than 80%, the ICER was also cost‐effective.
Conclusions: Contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography surveillance for HCC is a cost‐effective strategy for LC patients and gains their longest additional life years, with similar degree of ICER in the US surveillance group. CEUS surveillance using Sonazoid is expected to be used not only in Japan, but also world‐wide.
Firming of bread after baking leads to waste due to loss of palatability. Firming is affected mainly by amylopectin, a starch component. Here, we found that the firming rate of rice bread can be ...slowed by using flour made from rice grains which filled at lower temperatures, because temperature during grain filling (TGF) affects amylopectin chain synthesis. We found significant positive correlations between TGF and firming rate of gluten-containing rice bread (rice flour 80% + wheat gluten 20%) and rice-flour-containing wheat bread (wheat flour 80% + rice flour 20%) made from samples of rice grains filled at 21.0–28.3 °C. Regressions indicate that if TGF is decreased from 27 to 22 °C, the shelf life of gluten-containing rice bread will be extended by about 150%, and that of rice-flour-containing wheat bread by about 50%. The slow-firming effect was confirmed by sensory tests. This result is potentially applicable to other cereals such as wheat, whose amylopectin structure is also affected by TGF.
•Slow-firming rice bread was made from rice that filled at lower temperatures.•Temperature during grain filling was positively correlated with firming rate of bread.•The slow-firming effect was caused by the increase of short amylopectin chains.
Background
The severity of liver fibrosis must be estimated to determine the prognosis, for surveillance, and for optimal treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the severity ...of hepatic fibrosis tends to be underestimated in patients with normal ALT.
Methods
We investigated histological data and scoring systems (FIB-4 index, NAFLD fibrosis score, BARD score, and AST/ALT ratio) of 1,102 liver-biopsy-confirmed NAFLD patients.
Results
A total of 235 NAFLD patients with normal ALT were estimated to exist. The ratio of advanced fibrosis (stage 3–4) was seen in 16.1 % of subjects with normal ALT. Scoring systems, especially the FIB-4 index and NAFLD fibrosis score, were clinically very useful (AUROC >0.8), even in patients with normal ALT. Furthermore, with resetting of the cutoff values, the FIB-4 index (>1.659) and NAFLD fibrosis score (>0.735) were found to have a higher sensitivity and higher specificity for the prediction of advanced fibrosis, and all of these scoring systems (FIB-4 index, NAFLD fibrosis score, BARD score, and AST/ALT ratio) had higher negative predictive values (>90.3 %). By using the resetting cutoff value, liver biopsy could have been avoided in 60.4 % (FIB-4), 66.4 % (NAFLD fibrosis score), 51.9 % (BARD score), and 62.1 % (AST/ALT ratio).
Conclusions
We reset the cutoff values of numerous non-invasive scoring systems to improve their clinical usefulness in the prediction of liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients with normal ALT, and these non-invasive scoring systems with the reset cutoff values could be of substantial benefit to reduce the number of liver biopsies performed.
Background
The severity of liver fibrosis is known to be a good indicator for surveillance, and for determining the prognosis and optimal treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). ...However, it is virtually impossible to carry out liver biopsies in all NAFLD patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of measuring the platelet count for predicting the severity of liver fibrosis in a large retrospective cohort of Japanese patients with NAFLD.
Methods
A total of 1,048 patients with liver-biopsy-confirmed NAFLD seen between 2002 and 2008 were enrolled from nine hepatology centers in Japan. Laboratory evaluations were performed for all patients.
Results
A linear decrease of the platelet count with increasing histological severity of hepatic fibrosis was revealed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve estimating the diagnostic performance of the platelet count for hepatic fibrosis Stage 3 was 0.774 (optimal cutoff value, 19.2 × 10
4
/μl; sensitivity, 62.7%; specificity, 76.3%), and that for Stage 4 was 0.918 (optimal cutoff value, 15.3 × 10
4
/μl; sensitivity, 80.5%; specificity, 88.8%).
Conclusions
The platelet count may be an ideal biomarker of the severity of fibrosis in NAFLD patients, because it is simple, easy to measure and handle, cost-effective, and accurate for predicting the severity of fibrosis. Furthermore, by using the platelet count cutoff value validated in our multiple large trials, efficient recruitment of NAFLD patients may be facilitated.
PDF
