Physico-chemical and metabolomic characterization of KAMUT® Khorasan and durum wheat fermented dough

Unraveling chemical changes associated with the sensory quality of Chinese steamed bread as altered by wheat flour type

Chinese steamed bread (CSB) is an important staple of the Chinese people, and its flavor profile is mostly affected by wheat varieties among others. This study selected wheat flour made from three different wheat varieties and investigated their contribution to the CSB flavor profile in terms of metabolism. Thirteen aroma-active compounds identified by GC-O were determined as the main contributors to the different aroma profiles of three CSBs. 350 sensory trait-related metabolites were obtained from five key modules via weighted gene co-expression network analysis. It was found that the sensory characteristics of CSBs made of different wheat flour were significantly different. The higher abundance of lipids in Yongliang No.4 (YL04) wheat flour was converted to large number of fatty acids in fermented dough, which led to the bitterness of CSB. Besides, the abundance in organic acids and fatty acids contributed to the sour, milky, wetness and roughness attributes of YL04-CSB. More fatty amides and flavonoids in Jiangsu Red Durum wheat flour contributed to the fermented and winey attributes of CSB. Carbohydrates with higher abundance in Canadian wheat flour was involved in sugar-amine reaction and glucose conversion, which enhanced the sweetness of CSB. In addition, fatty acids, organic acids, amino acids, and glucose were crucial metabolites which can further formed into various characteristic compounds such as hexanal, hexanol, 2,3-butanediol, acetoin, and 2,3-butanedione and thus contributed to the winey, fresh sweet, and green aroma properties. This study is conductive to better understand the evolution of the compounds that affect the quality and aroma of CSBs.

Fermented Kamut Sprout Extract Decreases Cell Cytotoxicity and Increases the Anti-Oxidant and Anti-Inflammation Effect

Kamut sprouts (KaS) contain several biologically active compounds. In this study, solid-state fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Latilactobacillus sakei was used to ferment KaS (fKaS-ex) for 6 days. The fKaS-ex showed a 26.3 mg/g dried weight (dw) and 46.88 mg/g dw of polyphenol and the β-glucan contents, respectively. In the Raw264.7 and HaCaT cell lines, the non-fermented KaS (nfKaS-ex) decreased cell viability from 85.3% to 62.1% at concentrations of 0.63 and 2.5 mg/mL, respectively. Similarly, the fKaS-ex decreased cell viability, but showed more than 100% even at 1.25 and 5.0 mg/mL concentrations, respectively. The anti-inflammatory effect of fKaS-ex also increased. At 600 µg/mL, the fKaS-ex exhibited a significantly higher ability to reduce cytotoxicity by suppressing COX-2 and IL-6 mRNA expressions as well as that for IL-1β mRNA. In summary, fKaS-ex exhibited significantly lower cytotoxicity and increased anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, indicating that fKaS-ex is beneficial for use in food and other industries.

Metabolic Profile of Einkorn, Spelt, Emmer Ancient Wheat Species Sourdough Fermented with Strain of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 8014

The continuous development of bakery products as well as the increased demands from consumers transform ancient grains into alternatives with high nutritional potential for modern wheat species. The present study, therefore, follows the changes that occur in the sourdough obtained from these vegetable matrices fermented by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 during a 24 h. period. The samples were analyzed in terms of cell growth dynamics, carbohydrate content, crude cellulose, minerals, organic acids, volatile compounds, and rheological properties. The results revealed significant microbial growth in all samples, with an average value of 9 log cfu/g but also a high accumulation of organic acids with the increase in the fermentation period. Lactic acid content ranged from 2.89 to 6.65 mg/g, while acetic acid recorded values between 0.51 and 1.1 mg/g. Regarding the content of simple sugars, maltose was converted into glucose, and fructose was used as an electron acceptor or carbon source. Cellulose content decreased as a result of the solubilization of soluble fibers into insoluble fibers under enzymatic action, with percentages of 3.8 to 9.5%. All sourdough samples had a high content of minerals; the highest of which-Ca (246 mg/kg), Zn (36 mg/kg), Mn (46 mg/kg), and Fe (19 mg/kg)-were recorded in the einkorn sourdough.

Ancient Wheat Species: Biochemical Profile and Impact on Sourdough Bread Characteristics—A Review

In recent years, the attention of farmers, bakers and consumers towards ancient wheat species has been increasing. Low demands of pedo-climatic growth factors, the suitability for organic cultivation along with their high nutritional quality and their content in pro-health compounds make them extremely attractive for bakers and modern consumers, equally. On the other hand, in recent years, sourdough has gained attention due to its ability to produce new functionally active molecules with higher bioaccessibility and thus to produce bread with enhanced nutritional quality. This paper highlights the relevant nutritional profile of einkorn, spelt, emmer and Khorasan which could lead to bread with improved textural, sensorial, microbial and nutritional characteristics through sourdough fermentation. The ancient wheat species could be used as promising substitutes for common wheat flour for the design of innovative types of bread, even for special needs.

Metabolomics as a Tool to Elucidate the Sensory, Nutritional and Safety Quality of Wheat Bread-A Review

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of the most extensively cultivated and used staple crops in human nutrition, while wheat bread is annually consumed in more than nine billion kilograms over the world. Consumers’ purchase decisions on wheat bread are largely influenced by its nutritional and sensorial characteristics. In the last decades, metabolomics is considered an effective tool for elucidating the information on metabolites; however, the deep investigations on metabolites still remain a difficult and longtime action. This review gives emphasis on the achievements in wheat bread metabolomics by highlighting targeted and untargeted analyses used in this field. The metabolomics approaches are discussed in terms of quality, processing and safety of wheat and bread, while the molecular mechanisms involved in the sensorial and nutritional characteristics of wheat bread are pointed out. These aspects are of crucial importance in the context of new consumers’ demands on healthy bakery products rich in bioactive compounds but, equally, with good sensorial acceptance. Moreover, metabolomics is a potential tool for assessing the changes in nutrient composition from breeding to processing, while monitoring and understanding the transformations of metabolites with bioactive properties, as well as the formation of compounds like toxins during wheat storage.

Metabolomics: An analytical technique for food processing evaluation

This review aimed to retrieve the most recent research with strong impact concerning the application of metabolomics analysis in food processing. The literature reveals the high capacity of this methodology to evaluate chemical and organoleptic transformations that occur during food production. Current and potential applications of metabolomics analysis will be addressed, focusing on process-composition-function relationships. The use of the metabolomics approach to evaluate transformations in foods submitted to minimal processes, heat or cold treatments, drying, fermentation, chemical and enzymatic treatments and processes using innovative technologies will be discussed. Moreover, the main strategies and advantages of metabolomics-based approaches are reviewed, as well as the most used analytical platforms. Overall, metabolomics can be seen as an important tool to support academia and industry on pursuing knowledge about the transformation of raw animal or plant materials into ready-to-eat products.

Metabolomics Provides Valuable Insight for the Study of Durum Wheat: A Review

Metabolomics is increasingly being applied in various fields offering a highly informative tool for high-throughput diagnostics. However, in plant sciences, metabolomics is underused, even though plant studies are relatively easy and cheap when compared to those on humans and animals. Despite their importance for human nutrition, cereals, and especially wheat, remain understudied from a metabolomics point of view. The metabolomics of durum wheat has been essentially neglected, although its genetic structure allows the inference of common mechanisms that can be extended to other wheat and cereal species. This review covers the present achievements in durum wheat metabolomics highlighting the connections with the metabolomics of other cereal species (especially bread wheat). We discuss the metabolomics data from various studies and their relationships to other "-omics" sciences, in terms of wheat genetics, abiotic and biotic stresses, beneficial microbes, and the characterization and use of durum wheat as feed, food, and food ingredient.

Metabolomic approach to study the impact of flour type and fermentation process on volatile profile of bakery products

Metabolomic approaches applied to fermented foods are at the state of the science and represent a robust and reliable approach to identify, quantify and characterise the biochemical profiles of raw materials and transformed products. The outcomes so far obtained are cornerstones to understand mainly nutritional and sensorial inherent features. Formulations of new bakery products with increased nutritional values is trending the market, but sensorial attributes still need to be improved to reach a wider audience. The present work describes the application of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and electronic nose analyses, to investigate over the volatilome of different bakery products, obtained from mature and immature grains (KAMUT® khorasan and durum wheat) and transformed by a sourdough made of Lactobacillus spp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. From the recipient results has emerged that the sensors used can distinguish the KAMUT® khorasan doughs fermented industrially at the fully ripe stage, the same doughs at the milky stage and KAMUT® khorasan sourdough at the fully ripe stage. Electronic nose allowed discriminating between different types of flours and GC-MS indicated the volatilome of sourdough KAMUT® khorasan case as the most promising. Thus, the combination of different independent variables in the bread process to improve the sensorial quality of the product, when is backed by metabolomics, represents an effective approach to study, characterise and exploit the sensorial quality of breads.

Omics in traditional vegetable fermented foods and beverages

For a long time, food microbiota has been studied using traditional microbiological techniques. With the arrival of molecular or culture-independent techniques, a strong understanding of microbiota dynamics has been achieved. However, analyzing the functional role of microbial communities is not an easy task. The application of omics sciences to the study of fermented foods would provide the metabolic and functional understanding of the microbial communities and their impact on the fermented product, including the molecules that define its aroma and flavor, as well as its nutritional properties. Until now, most omics studies have focused on commercial fermented products, such as cheese, wine, bread and beer, but traditional fermented foods have been neglected. Therefore, the information that allows to relate the present microbiota in the food and its properties remains limited. In this review, reports on the applications of omics in the study of traditional fermented foods and beverages are reviewed to propose new ways to analyze the fermentation phenomena.

Flavoring Production in Kamut®, Quinoa and Wheat Doughs Fermented by Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus brevis: A SPME-GC/MS Study

This study identified the odor-active compounds and the qualitative characteristics of doughs from “ancient” grains flours fermented by lactic acid bacteria. For this purpose doughs made with quinoa and Kamut® flours have been produced and inoculated with strains belonging to the species Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis and compared with fermented doughs made from 100% wheat flour. The quality of the doughs was determined by assessment of pH, total titratable acidity, lactic acid bacteria growth and flavor compounds. The results showed that lactic acid bacteria used were able to grow in the different substrates reaching more than 9.0 log CFU/g after 24 h fermentation, although the best microbial growth was recorded in the doughs made with quinoa flour fermented with Lactobacillus paracasei I1. Good acidification and heterogeneous aromatic profile were recognized in all the doughs even if the volatile composition mainly derived from microbial specie. Among all the used strains, mostly Lactobacillus paracasei I1 positively contributed to the aromatic profile of the doughs, independently from flour type, producing the highest amount of different ketones such as, diacetyl, acetoin, 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanone, 5-methyl-3-hexanone, 4-methyl-3-penten-2-one, volatile compounds highly appreciated in the bakery products for their buttery, fatty and fruity notes. So, the positive characteristic of Lactobacillus paracasei I1 to enhance the production of desired volatile compounds could make it suitable as adjunct culture starter in the bakery industry. Many differences in volatile organic compounds derived also by the type of flour used. Quinoa fermented doughs were characterized for specific nutty, roasted, acid and buttery tones derived from pyrazines, ketones and acid compounds whereas Kamut® fermented doughs were characterized for fruity, rose, green and sweet tones derived from aldehydes and ketones production. So, the use of quinoa and Kamut® flours opportunely fermented, as partial or complete substitution of wheat flour, may be interesting for producing more balanced bakery products with respect to nutritional aspects and to unique aromatic profile. Furthermore, the supplementation of these flours, rich in protein content and free amino acids, could represent an optimal substrate to enhance the growth of lactic acid bacteria used as starter culture in leavened bakery products.

Influence of the addition of soy product and wheat fiber on rheological, textural, and other quality characteristics of pizza

The effect of partial replacement of wheat flour with soy paste and wheat fiber on rheological, textural, physicochemical, and organoleptic characteristics of an enriched pizza base (E) was investigated in comparison with those of a control pizza base (C). New ingredients (e.g., enriched cooked ham, whey cheese, and tomato sauce realized using food industry by-products) were also used in E pizza topping to further increase its nutritional properties. Enriched dough was developed first at a laboratory level. Large and small deformation, moisture, leavening activity, and metabolic heat were tested. On the final product, produced at the industrial level, textural, color, sensory, and nutritional analyses were performed. Preliminary rheological analysis was essential to evaluate the suitability of the new pizza to be processed at industrial level. Both pizza dough samples showed a solid elastic-like behavior; however, the addition of soy and fiber increased moisture content of E pizza, due to the water binding ability of soy protein and to the effect of fibers that also decreased E dough elasticity. No differences in extensibility between the two samples were observed, whereas significantly lower values of resistance to extension and dough force were shown in sample E. These differences were likely due to the presence of soy that interfere with gluten formation and to the dietary fibers that interact with water. Ingredients used in E pizza improved its nutritional quality increasing dietary fibers and protein, and decreasing saturated fatty acids and cholesterol content, which contributed to decrease energy value, in terms of kilocalorie reduction.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

In this work, the effects of using new ingredients (e.g., soy paste, wheat fiber) on the rheological, textural, physicochemical, nutritional, and organoleptic characteristics of an enriched pizza type were investigated both at laboratory and industrial levels. The new pizza provides a product that combines solid technological performances, in terms of rheological properties and dough elasticity, with improved and balanced nutritional quality, thanks also to the ingredients used in the topping. Results demonstrate the possibility of obtaining new pizza products characterized by nutritional and sensorial properties tailored for different group of consumers.

Current Trends in Ancient Grains-Based Foodstuffs: Insights into Nutritional Aspects and Technological Applications

For centuries, ancient grains fed populations, but due to their low yield, they were abandoned and replaced by high-yielding species. However, currently, there is a renewed interest in ancient wheat and pseudocereal grains from consumers, farmers, and manufacturers. Ancient wheat such as einkorn, emmer, spelt, and Kamut®, are being reintegrated because of their low fertilizer input, high adaptability and important genetic diversity. New trends in pseudocereal products are also emerging, and they are mostly appreciated for their nutritional outcomes, particularly by the gluten-free market. Toward healthier lifestyle, ancient grains-based foodstuffs are a growing business and their industrialization is taking 2 pathways, either as a raw ingredient or a functional ingredient. This paper deals with these grain characteristics by focusing on the compositional profile and the technological potential.