Wheat germ thermal treatment in fluidised bed. Experimental study and mathematical modelling of the heat and mass transfer

Efficient β-Carboline Alkaloid-Based Probe for Highly Sensitive Imaging of Endogenous Glutathione in Wheat Germ Tissues

Discriminative detection of GSH is achieved by employing a highly sensitive and selective fluorescent probe (KL-DN) that bears β-carboline alkaloid as a potential fluorophore and an azide group as the recognition unit. A rapid fluorescence off-on change is caused by special redox reaction; KL-DN has the capability of monitoring endogenous GSH in wheat germ tissues, indicating that this probe holds great potential for biological applications in plant tissues.

Drying Applications during Value-Added Sustainable Processing for Selected Mass-Produced Food Coproducts

Developing circular value chains for continuing the use of and reducing the waste of the resources of industrial processing would eliminate impairments to the environment. The generation of nutrient-dense byproducts and coproducts with high-moisture contents are considered to be an issue for global food industries. These byproducts and coproducts spontaneously undergo chemical, biochemical, or microbial deteriorations due to high storage-temperatures, and consequently are turned into direct animal feed sources or even just treated as waste with eutrophication activity. This review provides an overview of selected mass-produced botanical food byproducts and coproducts (BFBC) including soybean okara, wheat germ, banana, and spent coffee grounds, with respect to value-added sustainable processing via proper drying technologies being employed. This review includes the current production of the above-mentioned agricultural products, the nutritional aspects of them, and the sustainable utilization of their coproducts. Additionally, the possible drying kinetics for value-added prospects are discussed.

Effect of Loading on Wheat Germ Drying in a Batch Fluidized Bed for Industrial Production

A high loading production in the manufacturing process of wheat germ (WG) drying is important for reducing the production costs. From a cost perspective, the drying performance become more effective in a batch process when the loading increases. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the drying performance of WG with different loadings, from 2 to 9 kg, at 120 °C in a fluidized bed dryer. The moisture content, according to the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) method, and the water activity using a thermal hygrometer were measured. The absolute humidity, diffusivity of moisture, and thermal efficiency were analyzed using a mathematical model. An analysis of the dehydration flux demonstrated a linear relationship between dehydration time and WG loading using a fluidized bed dryer. The kinetics of WG drying were observed with a simple exponential model used to match the experimental observation, indicating that the drying rate constant decreases with an increase in WG loading. A linear relationship was obtained between the WG loading and heating time (heating time = −0.212 + 0.577 × WG loading). On this basis, a process optimization was developed for industrial operation, and for predicting the drying performance of WG for industrial-scale production.

Physico-chemical characterization of protein fraction from stabilized wheat germ

Wheat germ shows the highest nutritional value of the kernel. It is highly susceptible to rancidity due to high content of unsaturated fat and presence of oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes. In order to improve its shelf life, it is necessary to inactivate these enzymes by a thermal process. In this work the functional properties and some characteristics of the protein fraction of treated wheat germ were evaluated. Sequential extraction of proteins showed loss of protein solubility and formation of aggregates after heating. DSC thermograms showed that wheat germ treated for 20 min at 175 °C reached a protein denaturation degree of ~ 77%. The stabilization process of wheat germ affected significantly some functional properties, such as foaming stability and protein solubility at pH 2 and pH 8. Nevertheless, heating did not affect the water holding, oil holding and foaming capacity of protein isolates.

El análisis de imágenes como herramienta de monitoreo en la deshidratación de rodajas de banana

Resumen El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar los cambios morfométricos, fractales y de color durante la deshidratación de rodajas de banana mediante el uso de análisis de imágenes y la relación de estos parámetros con la cinética de secado. El secado convectivo se realizó entre 75 °C y 134 °C a una velocidad de aire de 0,65 m s-1. Los resultados mostraron que las imágenes tomadas proporcionaron información cuantitativa de los cambios morfométricos (reducción de área y circularidad, y aumentos del perímetro) por efecto de los tratamientos térmicos. El análisis de la textura fractal detectó cambios en la intensidad de los pixeles, indicando que las superficies resultaron más complejas e irregulares a medida que disminuyó el contenido de humedad del producto. La dimensión fractal de contorno (DFcont) aumentó con el tiempo de secado. En relación al color del producto seco, los parámetros a* y b* aumentaron, mientras que la Luminosidad (L*) disminuyó, lo cual está asociado al oscurecimiento de las rodajas e influenciado por el aumento de la temperatura. Las micrografías determinaron la presencia de poros que fueron aumentando en cantidad cuando incrementó la temperatura. Los resultados muestran que el análisis de imágenes puede ser empleado como herramienta de monitoreo debido a su versatilidad, bajo costo, rapidez de respuesta, además de no ser una técnica destructiva.