Buckwheat and Millet Affect Thermal, Rheological, and Gelling Properties of Wheat Flour

Effect of Ionic and Non-Ionic Surfactants on the Pasting Characteristics and Digestive Properties of Regular and Frozen Starch for Oral Delivery

Starch is an ideal wall material for controlled release in oral delivery systems due to its non-allergic properties, availability, and cheap price. However, because of its poor mechanical behavior and high water permeability, it is necessary to modify the amphiphilic nature of starch. Surfactants are essential components to emulsify the lyophobic food ingredients. However, the interaction of starch with emulsifiers and how they affect the pasting behavior and digestion of starch are not well understood. In this paper, surfactants, such as non-ionic Tween (TW) and ionic sodium fatty acid (NaFA), with varying hydrophobic carbon chain lengths, were selected as model amphiphiles to investigate the structural, pasting, rheological properties and in vitro digestibility of regular and frozen starch samples. The results showed that, in most cases, the addition of TW reduced the viscosity of starch. However, saturated medium-chain NaFA increased the starch viscosity and rheological modulus greatly. Both surfactants inhibited starch digestion. This paper presents a comparative investigation on the effect of ionic and non-ionic surfactant on the structure and properties of corn starch, and therefore the information is useful for structural-based formulation with starch for developing colloidal delivery systems. It is also helpful for developing functional food with controllable digestion properties.

Nutritional Components of Millet Porridge Cooked by Different Electric Cookers Based on Principal Component and Cluster Analyses

(1) Background: In order to study the effects of different electric cookers on the nutritional components of millet porridge, five different electric cookers (No. 1–5) were selected to cook millet porridge, then sensory and nutritional components in millet porridge, millet soup, and millet grains were analyzed; (2) Methods: Using principal component and cluster analysis, a variety of nutritional components were comprehensively compared; (3) Results: The results showed that among the different cooked samples, the content of amylose and reducing sugars was the highest in the samples cooked by electric cooker No. 3. The electric cooker No. 4 samples had the highest sensory evaluation score, crude fat, and protein content. The contents of ash, fatty acids, bound amino acids, and minerals were the highest in the electric cooker No. 5 samples. The sensory evaluation score and content of crude fat, ash, reducing sugars, direct starch, and Cu were higher in millet grains than in millet soup or porridge. The content of fatty acids, protein, amino acid, Zn, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Ca was highest in millet soup. Different electric cookers produced millet porridge with varying nutritional levels; (4) Conclusions: This study provides a reference for the further development of new electric cookers.

Effects of Jet Milling on the Physicochemical Properties of Buckwheat Flour and the Quality Characteristics of Extruded Whole Buckwheat Noodles

The effects of jet milling on the physicochemical properties of buckwheat flour and the quality characteristics of extruded whole buckwheat noodles (WBN) were investigated in this study. The results reveal that the application of jet milling significantly reduced the particle size of buckwheat flour. As a result, the damaged starch content, water solubility index, water absorption index and swelling power of buckwheat flour all increased. It was worth noting that moderately ground buckwheat flour powder (D₅₀ = 65.86 μm) had the highest pasting viscosity and gel hardness. The breaking rate and cooking loss of extruded whole buckwheat noodles made from the above powder were reduced by 33% and 16%, respectively. Meanwhile, they possessed the highest lightness and firmest network structure. Jet milling increased the soluble dietary fiber (SDF) content from 3.45% to 4.39%, and SDF further increased to 5.28% after noodle extrusion. This study was expected to provide a reference for exploiting high-quality gluten-free noodles from the perspective of milling.

The Types, Regional Distribution, and Consumption Trend of Chinese Traditional Wheat-Based Foods

Chinese wheat-based foods have a long history and a wide range of varieties, which is representative of Chinese food culture. Pasta and bread are made of wheat flour, and the characteristics of pasta and bread are closely related to the quality of wheat flour. The quality of wheat is mainly affected by environmental conditions, and different varieties of wheat are suitable for planting in different regions, so the regionalization of wheat is formed. Due to the different quality of wheat and eating habits in different regions of China, the same kind of wheat-based foods has different flavors in different regions, such as steamed bread, noodles, and stuffed buns. The regional characteristics of food are also formed between different regions. For example, Naan. With the changes in Chinese people’s eating habits and consumption level, there are more and more types of wheat-based foods, which are developing in the direction of industrialization. This review clarifies the wheat planting regionalization in China, giving an insight into the relationship between different wheat quality and the variety of traditional wheat-based foods, describing the types and regional distribution of traditional wheat-based food products in China. Moreover, the types of wheat-based foods are classified and whose characteristics are introduced, and the consumption trend of wheat-based foods in China is elaborated.

The study of microbial diversity and volatile compounds in Tartary buckwheat sourdoughs

Microorganisms play an essential role in forming volatile compounds in traditional staple products. Tartary buckwheat, as a medicinal and food material, has high nutritional value but its development and utilization are seriously restricted due to its poor flavor. In this study, 16S rRNA and ITS rRNA sequencing were used to analyze the microbial diversity of Tartary buckwheat sourdoughs, while HS-SPME-GC/MS was used to identify volatile compounds during fermentation. The results showed that Lactococcus and Weissella were the dominant bacterial genus. Wickerhamomyces, Penicillium, and Aspergillus were the main fungal genera in the Tartary buckwheat sourdoughs. And the main volatile compounds in Tartary buckwheat sourdough were pyrazine compounds. After 12 h of fermentation, a large amount of alcohol and esters were produced, which endowed the sourdough with a good flavor. This suggests that sourdough fermentation could significantly improve the flavor of Tartary buckwheat.

Interactome of millet-based food matrices: A review

Millets are recently being recognized as emerging food ingredients with multifaceted applications. Whole grain flours made from millets, exhibit diverse chemical compositions, starch digestibility and physicochemical properties. A food matrix can be viewed as a section of food microstructure, commonly coinciding with a physical spatial domain that interacts or imparts specific functionalities to a particular food constituent. The complex millet-based food matrices can help individuals to attain nutritional benefits due to the intricate and unique digestive properties of these foods. This review helps to fundamentally understand the binary and ternary interactions of millet-based foods. Nutritional bioavailability and bioaccessibility are also discussed based on additive, synergistic, masking, the antagonistic or neutralizing effect of different food matrix components on each other and the surrounding medium. The molecular basis of these interactions and their effect on important functional attributes like starch retrogradation, gelling, pasting, water, and oil holding capacity is also discussed.

Insights into the Potential of Buckwheat Flour Fractions in Wheat Bread Dough

Buckwheat flour fractions with different particle sizes (PS), comprising various concentrations of valuable nutritional components, represent an opportunity to enhance refined wheat bakery products. The aim of this research was to assess the potential of buckwheat flour (BF) fractions (large, L > 300 μm, medium, 180 μm < M < 300 μm and small, S < 180 μm) to substitute refined wheat flour at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% in wheat bread dough and to establish the optimal amount for each fraction. The results revealed significant changes during different bread-making stages and on the finished product. A decrease in falling number index, water absorption, starch gelatinization, elastic modulus, and bread hardness with increasing PS was observed. The increase of BF amount led to an increase in dough development time, speed of protein weakening, gel starch stability, alveograph ratio, rheofermentation properties, maximum creep-recovery compliance, and bread hardness. The optimal values for falling number, mixing–heating–cooling dough parameters, dough biaxial extension, rheofermentation, storage and loss moduli, creep-recovery compliance, loaf volume, and bread hardness were obtained depending on PS based on the generation of predictive models. It was established that the best formulations, with respect to dough rheology and bread characteristics, included BF at 9.13% for large, 10.57% for medium, and 10.25% for small PS.

Changes in structure and phenolic profiles during processing of steamed bread enriched with purple sweetpotato flour

Purple-fleshed sweetpotato is a rich source of antioxidants such as polyphenols. Chinese steamed bread (CSB) is a popular food product for many people. The effect of CSB making process on the structure and phenolic profiles of CSB enriched with purple sweetpotato flour (PSPF) at different concentrations was investigated. The mixing process greatly reduced the gluten strength due to the incorporation of PSPF. The addition of PSPF induced extensive structural modification on CSB due to the starch-polyphenol and protein-polyphenol interactions. The total phenolic contents, in vitro antioxidant activity, and the contents of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives were decreased by fermentation and proofing, but they were increased after steaming and storage. The anthocyanins were significantly degraded during the CSB making process. The textural and structural properties of CSB were significantly affected by the PSPF substitutions. The results of this study are useful to develop functional CSB with improved nutritional quality and phenolic profiles.

Evaluation of nutritional characteristics and consumers’ acceptance of gluten-free sweet biscuits made from rice-based pregelatinized composite flours containing orange pomace and soy protein isolate

Gluten-free bakery products are usually deficient in dietary fiber and inferior sources of protein. Studies that have assessed sensory characterization of products prepared with orange pomace are scarce. This study evaluated the employment of 30% of rice-based pregelatinized composite flours (containing 15, 25 or 35% orange pomace blended with 5% soy protein isolate) on gluten-free biscuits. The target was the investigation of the nutritional profile and consumer’s acceptance of three short dough sweet biscuit samples. Thermoplastic extrusion was an efficient unit operation for the elaboration of a new gluten-free ingredient in which a by-product rich in total dietary fiber and a component with a high level of protein were employed. All pregelatinized composite flours in this study can be labeled as protein sources and can be claimed as high in total dietary fiber content, as well as two biscuit samples that can be labeled as total dietary fiber source. Also, all pregelatinized composite flours and biscuits presented low moisture and water activity, being microbiologically stable to room temperature (25 ± 2 °C). Complementarily, the results of the microbiological evaluations [(coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, thermotolerant coliform (45 °C) and Salmonella sp. (absence in 25 g)] of the biscuits and their comparison with the Brazilian microbiological standards legislation attested their safety. Concerning the sensory analysis, adults’ results showed that the flavor attribute might be responsible for increasing the overall impression score of a sample. In contrast, children’s results showed that they did not distinguish (p ≥ 0.05) two of three samples of biscuits analyzed.

Starch properties of high and low amylose proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) genotypes are differentially affected by varying salt and pH

Variation in salt content and in pH are common in starch-based foods and can affect starch properties and final product texture. Fifteen accessions of proso millet starch with diverse amylose content were selected to investigate single factor and interaction effects of pH and NaCl on thermal, pasting, and textural properties. Pasting properties and gelatinization temperatures were markedly altered by salt addition. Changes in pH only had substantial effects on ΔH, but other properties were generally stable under different pH conditions. From two-way ANOVA, interactive effects of salt and pH were found to affect ΔH. The response of starch of different genotypes in terms of thermal and pasting properties differed under the same pH and salinity conditions. The reason is likely that ions in the starch-water system performed the roles of both reducing water activity and building of hydrogen bonds, which will have opposite effects on starch gelatinization.

Buckwheat and CVD Risk Markers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The effects of buckwheat intake on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have not been systematically investigated. The aim of the present study was to comprehensively summarize studies in humans and animals, evaluating the impact of buckwheat consumption on CVD risk markers and to conduct a meta-analysis of relevant data. Thirteen randomized, controlled human studies, two cross-sectional human studies and twenty-one animal studies were identified. Using random-effects models, the weighted mean difference of post-intervention concentrations of blood glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly decreased following buckwheat intervention compared with controls [differences in blood glucose: -0.85 mmol/L (95% CI: -1.31, -0.39), total cholesterol: 0.50 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.80, -0.20) and triglycerides: 0.25 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.49, -0.02)]. Responses of a similar magnitude were seen in two cross-sectional studies. For animal studies, nineteen of twenty-one studies showed a significant reduction in total cholesterol of between 12% and 54%, and fourteen of twenty studies showed a significant reduction in triglycerides of between 2% and 74%. All exhibited high unexplained heterogeneity. There was inconsistency in HDL cholesterol outcomes in both human and animal studies. It remains unclear whether increased buckwheat intake significantly benefits other markers of CVD risk, such as weight, blood pressure, insulin, and LDL-cholesterol, and underlying mechanisms responsible for any effects are unclear.

Chemical composition and health effects of Tartary buckwheat

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) contains a range of nutrients including bioactive carbohydrates and proteins, polyphenols, phytosterols, vitamins, carotenoids, and minerals. The unique composition of Tartary buckwheat contributes to their various health benefits such as anti-oxidative, anti-cancer, anti-hypertension, anti-diabetic, cholesterol-lowering, and cognition-improving. Compared with the more widely cultivated and utilised common buckwheat (F. esculentum), Tartary buckwheat tends to contain higher amounts of certain bioactive components such as rutin, therefore, showing higher efficiency in preventing/treating various disorders. This review summarises the current knowledge of the chemical composition of Tartary buckwheat, and their bio-functions as studied by both in vitro and in vivo models. Tartary buckwheat can be further developed as a sustainable crop for functional food production to improve human health.