Tartary Buckwheat: A New Plant-Based Ingredient to Enrich Corn-Based Gluten-Free Formulations

Determinants of Consumers' Acceptance and Adoption of Novel Food in View of More Resilient and Sustainable Food Systems in the EU: A Systematic Literature Review

This review article aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the main determinants of consumers' acceptance of novel foods (new foods and ingredients) in the EU with emphasis on product's intrinsic properties (sensory characteristics) and individual factors (socio-demographics, perceptive, psychological) by adopting a systematic approach following the PRISMA methodology. Case studies on terrestrial (i.e., insects, cultured meat and other animal origin products, plant-based food including mushrooms, plant-based analogues, pulses, and cereals) and aquatic systems (i.e., algae and jellyfish) are included focusing on age-related and cross-national differences in consumer acceptance of novel foods and ingredients. General trends have emerged that are common to all the novel foods analysed, regardless of their aquatic or terrestrial origin. Aspects such as food neophobia, unfamiliarity, and poor knowledge of the product are important barriers to the consumption of novel foods, while healthiness and environmental sustainability perception are drivers of acceptance. Sensory properties are challenging for more familiar ingredients such as plant-based food (e.g., novel food made by pulses, mushrooms, cereals and pseudocereals). Results are discussed in terms of feasibility of introducing these products in the EU food systems highlighting strategies that can encourage the use of new ingredients or novel foods.

Genome-wide investigation of UDP-Glycosyltransferase family in Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum)

BACKGROUND

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) belongs to Polygonaceae family and has attracted increasing attention owing to its high nutritional value. UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) glycosylate a variety of plant secondary metabolites to control many metabolic processes during plant growth and development. However, there have been no systematic reports of UGT superfamily in F. tataricum.

RESULTS

We identified 173 FtUGTs in F. tataricum based on their conserved UDPGT domain. Phylogenetic analysis of FtUGTs with 73 Arabidopsis UGTs clustered them into 21 families. FtUGTs from the same family usually had similar gene structure and motif compositions. Most of FtUGTs did not contain introns or had only one intron. Tandem repeats contributed more to FtUGTs amplification than segmental duplications. Expression analysis indicates that FtUGTs are widely expressed in various tissues and likely play important roles in plant growth and development. The gene expression analysis response to different abiotic stresses showed that some FtUGTs were involved in response to drought and cadmium stress. Our study provides useful information on the UGTs in F. tataricum, and will facilitate their further study to better understand their function.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide a theoretical basis for further exploration of the functional characteristics of FtUGTs and for understanding the growth, development, and metabolic model in F. tataricum.

Enhancement of cation exchange and glucose binding capacity, flavonoids release and antioxidant capacity of Tartary buckwheat powder with ultrafine grinding

The objective of this paper was to study the effects of ultrafine grinding on the cation exchange capacity, glucose binding capacity and in vitro digestion characteristics of Tartary buckwheat powder. The results showed that the cation exchange ability and glucose binding strength of Tartary buckwheat powder, Tartary buckwheat bran powder and Tartary buckwheat core powder increased significantly with the increase of crushing frequency (20, 40 and 60 Hz), and the Tartary buckwheat bran powder was the highest. The results of in vitro digestion showed that ultrafine grinding improved the flavonoid release and antioxidant activity of Tartary buckwheat bran powder in the in vitro digestion process. The correlation analysis indicated that the amount of flavonoids released in digestive fluid was significantly related to antioxidant activity. This study may provide a theoretical basis for improving the physicochemical properties and functions of Tartary buckwheat by ultrafine grinding technology.

Buckwheat: an underutilized crop with attractive sensory qualities and health benefits

The pseudocereal buckwheat is one of the ancient domesticated crops. The aim of the present review was to outline the potential of buckwheat as an agricultural crop and brings studies on buckwheat into a new larger perspective combining current knowledge in agricultural history and practice, nutritional and sensory properties, as well as possible benefits to human health. Historically, buckwheat was an appreciated crop because of its short growth period, moderate requirements for growth conditions, and high adaptability to adverse environments. Nowadays, interest in buckwheat-based food has increased because of its nutritional composition and many beneficial properties for human health. Buckwheat is a rich course of proteins, dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, including flavonoids. Moreover, it contains no gluten and can be used in the production of gluten-free foods for individuals diagnosed with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or wheat protein allergies. Buckwheat is traditionally used in the production of various foods and can be successfully incorporated into various new food formulations with positive effects on their nutritional value and attractive sensory properties. Further research is needed to optimize buckwheat-based food development and understand the mechanism of the health effects of buckwheat consumption on human well-being.

Valorization of Common (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) and Tartary (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) Buckwheat in Gluten-Free Polenta Samples: Chemical-Physical and Sensory Characterization

In recent years, increasing attention has been addressed to buckwheat, an interesting minor crop with an excellent nutritional profile that contributes to the sustainability and biodiversity of the agri-food system. However, the high content of rutin and quercitin present in this pseudocereal can elicit undesirable sensory properties, such as bitterness and astringency, that can limit its exploitation in food formulations. The aim of the present study was to characterize six gluten-free porridge-type formulations (called polenta) prepared using corn and buckwheat flour. Specifically, polenta samples were prepared adding common (CB) or Tartary buckwheat (TB) flour at 20% (CB20; TB20), 30% (CB30; TB30), and 40% (CB40; TB40) to corn flour. Product characterization included sensory and instrumental analyses (electronic tongue, colorimeter, and Texture Analyzer). Products containing Tartary buckwheat were darker, firmer, and characterized by a higher intensity of bitter taste and astringency than those prepared with common buckwheat. In this context, the impact of buckwheat species seems to be more important at 30% and 40% levels, suggesting that lower additions may mask the differences between the species. The gathered information could support the food industry in re-formulating products with buckwheat. Finally, findings about the relationship between instrumental and sensory data might be exploited by the food industry to decide/choose what indices to use to characterize new formulations and/or new products.

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Targeted Mutagenesis of FtMYB45 Promotes Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum)

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) technology is an efficient genome editing tool used in multiple plant species. However, it has not been applied to Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum), which is an important edible and medicinal crop rich in rutin and other flavonoids. FtMYB45 is an R2R3-type MYB transcription factor that negatively regulates flavonoid biosynthesis in Tartary buckwheat. Here, the CRISPR/Cas9 system polycistronic tRNA-sgRNA (PTG)/Cas9 was employed to knock out the FtMYB45 gene in Tartary buckwheat. Two single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) were designed to target the second exon of the FtMYB45 gene. Twelve transgenic hairy roots were obtained using Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation. Sequencing data revealed that six lines containing six types of mutations at the predicted double-stranded break site were generated using sgRNA1. The mutation frequency reached 50%. A liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-QqQ-MS) based metabolomic analysis revealed that the content of rutin, catechin, and other flavonoids was increased in hairy root mutants compared with that of lines transformed with the empty vector. Thus, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis of FtMYB45 effectively increased the flavonoids content of Tartary buckwheat. This finding demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is an efficient tool for precise genome editing in Tartary buckwheat and lays the foundation for gene function research and quality improvement in Tartary buckwheat.

Buckwheat and Amaranth as Raw Materials for Brewing, a Review

Globally, beer is considered the most-consumed low-alcohol beverage, it ranks third, after water and tea, in the top sales of these drinks. New types of beer are the result of the influence of several factors, including innovations in science and technology, changing requirements for food consumption of the population, competition between producers, promotion of food for health, flavor, and quality, the limited nature of traditional food resource raw materials, and the interest of producers in reducing production costs. Manufacturers are looking for new solutions for obtaining products that meet the requirements of consumers, authentic products of superior quality, with distinctive taste and aroma. This review proposes the use of two pseudocereals as raw materials in the manufacture of beer: buckwheat and amaranth, focusing on the characteristics that recommend them in this regard. Due to their functional and nutraceutical properties, these pseudocereals can improve the quality of beer-a finished product. Additionally, all types of beer obtained from these pseudocereals are recommended for diets with particular nutritional requirements, especially gluten-free diets. Researchers and producers will continue to improve and optimize the sensory and technological properties of the new types of beer obtained from these pseudocereals.