Allergies towards gluten and legumes (such as, soybean, peanut, and faba bean) are a global issue and, occasionally, can be fatal. At the same time, an increasing number of households are shifting to ...plant protein ingredients from these sources, which application and consumption are limited by said food allergies. Children, the elderly, and people with immune diseases are particularly at risk when consuming these plant proteins. Finding ways to reduce or eliminate the allergenicity of gluten, soybean, peanut, and faba bean is becoming crucial. While thermal and pH treatments are often not sufficient, chemical processes such as glycation, polyphenol conjugation, and polysaccharide complexation, as well as controlled biochemical approaches, such as fermentation and enzyme catalysis, are more successful. Non-thermal treatments such as microwave, high pressure, and ultrasonication can be used prior to further chemical and/or biochemical processing. This paper presents an up-to-date review of promising chemical, biochemical, and non-thermal physical treatments that can be used in the food industry to reduce or eliminate food allergenicity.
Rice is rich in starch but low in protein. In countries where rice is the staple food, people are at high risk of protein deficiency. Legumes (such as pea) and milk are an important part of the diet ...in many developing and developed countries, respectively. For this reason, pea protein isolate (PPI) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) are incorporated into basmati (≈20–25% amylose) and glutinous (≈0–3% amylose) starches to test the effect of protein incorporation on the pasting properties of rice starch, and on starch and protein digestibility. Increasing protein incorporation reduced the peak, breakdown, and final viscosities. The effect is more pronounced for basmati mixtures compared to glutinous mixtures. For starch digestibility, basmati starch mixtures exhibited an increasing trend in the amount of glucose released over 120 min, whereas glutinous starch mixtures show a decrease in the amount of glucose released after 60 min. In addition, samples with the same % protein incorporation (PPI and WPC) shows similar trend in terms of amount of glucose released at each time point. The amylose content appears to have an effect on starch digestibility over time. For pea and whey protein digestibility, basmati starch samples exhibited lower digestion after 120 min compared with glutinous starch samples. The starch amylose content appears to have an impact on protein digestibility. This provides a way of fortifying rice starch with proteins, in which the proteins are effectively digested without significantly increasing blood glucose levels.
This study provides insight on how protein and starch digestibility are affected by addition of exogenous proteins into rice starches, and the effects of these added proteins on starch pasting properties. It aims to improve nutrient quality of rice starch without increasing the glycemic index during consumption.
Three types of treatments of miscanthus were performed, alkali, silanization and the combination of both. There is a direct inverse relation between the amount of sugar-containing molecules extracted ...from miscanthus and the mechanical strength of the concrete blocks. The use of alkali treated stems as fillers increased remarkably the strength of the blocks, and this was even higher when the alkali treated fibers were coated with silica, with a compression strength of 11 MPa compared with an initial 2.2 MPa. The use of alkali-treated stems result in a faster cement hydration, compared to untreated ones suggesting that specific sugars or other components released from the alkali-treated plant may favor cement hydration. A remarkable decrease of the cellulose and xylose content is observed for the miscanthus pieces after being soaked in a cement-water-sand mixture, these two molecules being adsorbed on cement particles.
Climate change and biodiversity loss will push us to revolutionise and transform our existing food systems to feed the global population and provide sustainable nutrition. Alternative crops such as ...proso millet present a viable option to diversify our diet and contribute to food security. Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is nutritious but is not a widely popular food grain in developed countries. This review provides existing relevant information on the genetic diversity and nutritional properties of proso millet. This paper also presents additional current information on the “kabog millet”, an ancient grain from Cebu, Philippines, considered an ecotype of proso millet. The nutritional profiles of these ancient grains should be emphasised because farmers tend to abandon cultivation of these ancient grains in the absence of nutritional data. By understanding the nutritional profile of “kabog millet” and other ancient grains, the local diets could be redesigned to incorporate these crops for a more complete and balanced nutrition.
Proso millet offers a resilient, nutritious crop in the face of climate change. Nutritional analyses of proso millet varieties and other minor crops are tools to encourage farmers and growers to cultivate them and for consumers to integrate these crops in the diet. Without nutritional studies, many minor crops will be overlooked and will soon be forgotten. The inclusion and consumption of ancient grains like “kabog millet” as staple food can help address the challenge of food insecurity by providing more balanced diets, and biodiversity loss by encouraging cultivation of overlooked and often forgotten plant varieties.
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•“Kabog millet” refers to one of the native millets grown in the Philippines.•Kabog millet is a Philippine ancient grain within the proso millet group.•Kabog millet has good-quality nutritional value.
Kabog millet, an indigenous gluten-free cereal grain from the Philippines, is considered an ecotype of Panicum miliaceum L. (proso millet). Phospholipids (PLs) from kabog millet could improve the ...texture of kabog millet food products, such as breads and cookies, by their interaction with starch. Besides their influence on baking properties of flours, PLs have been studied for their health effects. No information exists regarding the PL content of kabog millet. In our study, we analysed the content and identity of PLs from whole grain kabog millet flour. Phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) were found to be present in whole grain kabog millet flour. To test PL-starch interactions, rice, maize, and potato starches, and commercial amylopectin were mixed with commercial soy PC and the viscosity was measured with a rheometer. Models of PL-amylose/amylopectin complexes were deduced from rheology, iodine capacity, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments. PLs can bind with starch and inhibit its retrogradation by increasing the viscosity after gelatinisation. In summary, whole grain kabog millet flour contains PC, PE, PI, and LPC, which can potentially affect the retrogradation of baked products made from kabog millet flour.
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•Phospholipids from kabog millet were detected by TLC and NP-HPLC.•Phospholipids can inhibit the retrogradation of starch.•Phospholipids can bind amylose in the starting period of gelatinisation.•Phospholipid-amylopectin complex formation needs a high gelatinisation temperature.
Pollen exine is essential for protection from the environment of the male gametes of seed-producing plants, but its assembly and composition remain poorly understood. We previously characterized ...Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants with abnormal pollen exine structure and morphology that we named kaonashi (kns). Here we describe the identification of the causal gene of kns4 that was found to be a member of the CAZy glycosyltransferase 31 gene family, identical to UNEVEN PATTERN OF EXINE1, and the biochemical characterization of the encoded protein. The characteristic exine phenotype in the kns4 mutant is related to an abnormality of the primexine matrix laid on the surface of developing microspores. Using light microscopy with a combination of type II arabinogalactan (AG) antibodies and staining with the arabinogalactan-protein (AGP)-specific β-Glc Yariv reagent, we show that the levels of AGPs in the kns4 microspore primexine are considerably diminished, and their location differs from that of wild type, as does the distribution of pectin labeling. Furthermore, kns4 mutants exhibit reduced fertility as indicated by shorter fruit lengths and lower seed set compared to the wild type, confirming that KNS4 is critical for pollen viability and development. KNS4 was heterologously expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana, and was shown to possess β-(1,3)-galactosyltransferase activity responsible for the synthesis of AG glycans that are present on both AGPs and/or the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan I. These data demonstrate that defects in AGP/pectic glycans, caused by disruption of KNS4 function, impact pollen development and viability in Arabidopsis.
Consumption of underutilised ancient crops has huge benefits for our society. It improves food security by diversifying our staple foods and makes our agriculture more adaptable to climate change. ...The Philippines has a rich biodiversity and many plant species used as staple foods are native to the Philippines. An example of ancient Philippine crops is the kabog millet, an ecotype of
There is a dearth of information about its uses and properties; hence, in this study, the nutritional quality of kabog millet was evaluated. The total starch, % amylose, ash, dietary fibre, proteins, essential amino acid profile, phenolic acids, carotenoids, tocopherols, and the antioxidant properties of its total phenolic acid extracts were compared to four types of rice (white, brown, red, and black) and a reference millet, purchased from local Swiss supermarkets. Our analyses showed that kabog millet has higher total dietary fibre, total protein, total phenolic acids, tocopherols, and carotenoids content than white rice. It also performed well in antioxidant assays. Our results indicate that kabog millet is a good alternative to rice. It is hoped that the results of this study will encourage consumers and farmers to diversify their food palette and address food insecurity.
Arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) are members of the hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (HRGP) superfamily, a group of highly diverse proteoglycans that are present in the cell wall, plasma membrane as ...well as secretions of almost all plants, with important roles in many developmental processes. The role of GALT8 (At1g22015), a Glycosyltransferase-31 (GT31) family member of the Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme database (CAZy), was examined by biochemical characterization and phenotypic analysis of a
galt8
mutant line. To characterize its catalytic function, GALT8 was heterologously expressed in tobacco leaves and its enzymatic activity tested. GALT8 was shown to be a β-(1,3)-galactosyltransferase (GalT) that catalyzes the synthesis of a β-(1,3)-galactan, similar to the
in vitro
activity of KNS4/UPEX1 (At1g33430), a homologous GT31 member previously shown to have this activity. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) confirmed the products were of 2-6 degree of polymerisation (DP). Previous reporter studies showed that
GALT8
is expressed in the central and synergid cells, from whence the micropylar endosperm originates after the fertilization of the central cell of the ovule. Homozygous mutants have multiple seedling phenotypes including significantly shorter hypocotyls and smaller leaf area compared to wild type (WT) that are attributable to defects in female gametophyte and/or endosperm development.
KNS4/UPEX1
was shown to partially complement the
galt8
mutant phenotypes in genetic complementation assays suggesting a similar but not identical role compared to
GALT8
in β-(1,3)-galactan biosynthesis. Taken together, these data add further evidence of the important roles GT31 β-(1,3)-GalTs play in elaborating type II AGs that decorate AGPs and pectins, thereby imparting functional consequences on plant growth and development.
Black ear mushroom (
Auricularia auricula
) is an important genus of cultivated mushroom, which contains health benefits. Incorporating black ear (BE) mushroom into brown rice by extrusion changed ...the physicochemical, and more importantly, the nutritional characteristics of the extrudates. With increased incorporation of BE mushroom in the extrudates
in vitro
starch digestion of the different extrudates revealed significantly reduced starch digestion, suggesting a lower glycaemic index. In addition, incorporation of BE in brown rice extrudates increased the total phenolic concentration of the samples, which led to higher % scavenging effect against free-radicals in DPPH assay. In the ORAC assay for anti-oxidant activity, BE powder exhibited the highest anti-oxidant activity, followed by 10% BE and 15% BE, and 5% BE extruded products. The extruded brown rice control exhibited the lowest antioxidant activity. Inclusion of black ear mushroom was shown to improve the nutritional qualities of the food product illustrating the connection between plant bioactive ingredients and human health.
Miscanthus biomass can be used to produce lightweight concrete. However, cell wall polymers leached in the alkaline cementitious medium can disturb cement setting. This is the case for grass lignin ...and grass arabinoxylan due to their specific alkali solubility. The main objective of this paper was to study the impact of lignin and of arabinoxylan from miscanthus biomass on the hydration of Portland cement and by electrical conductivity. To this end, dioxan lignin (DL) and arabinoxylan (AX) were extracted from miscanthus by methods preserving the main structural specificities of the native polymers. These DL and AX fractions were added to Portland cement (1–5% w/w in cement) and their impact on the electrical conductivity of cement/water mixtures was time-monitored. The novelty of this study lies in using polymers structurally similar to those of miscanthus fibers rather than commercially available ones, such as kraft lignin (KL). The addition of DL or of KL to cement/water mixture differently affected the electrical conductivity, which is most likely assignable to the severe structural degradation of KL during kraft process. The conductivity curves suggested that cement hydration was substantially delayed when DL % in cement was 3% or more while lower values had no impact. The results support the hypothesis that the access of water to cement grains was impeded by the adsorption of ionized lignin entities at their surface. When co-added to the cement (1.6 wt% each), the DL and AX fraction delayed cement hydration more substantially than when the same amounts were separately added. This unexpected synergy suggests that the miscanthus lignin and arabinoxylan polymers form lignin-carbohydrate complexes efficiently adsorbed on cement grains.
•Realistic plant lignins used for the first time to study cement hydration.•Conductimetry shows that miscanthus lignins are delaying cement hydration above 3%.•Kraft lignin has a different influence on cement hydration than miscanthus lignin.•Miscanthus arabinoxylan and lignin fractions synergistically delay cement hydration.
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