A rapid screening for adulterants in olive oil using DNA barcodes

A distinctive methodology is developed to trace out the mixing into olive oil, which is marketed every year with 20% or more fraudulent oils. Such adulteration has been difficult to differentiate using fatty acid analysis and other available current techniques, as chemically fatty acids are same regardless of their source. The total genomic DNA isolated from olive oil, contaminated with canola and sunflower was analysed for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation in noncoding spacer region between psbA-trnH and partial coding region of matK of plastid genome. These DNA regions were amplified by PCR using specific primers and resulting DNA sequences were matched to the predetermined consensus DNA barcode sequences of canola and sunflower for discerning the contaminations in olive oil samples. The matching of an adulterant DNA sequence with their respective DNA barcode revealed the mixing of canola and sunflower oil into olive is simpler way and the combined approach of molecular biology and bioinformatics technology can be used as an inexpensive method for ensuring the purity of olive. This plastid based molecular DNA technology can be used for rapid detection of adulteration easily up to 5% in olive oil.

Low Acrylamide Flatbreads from Colored Corn and Other Flours

Dietary acrylamide formed during baking and frying of plant-based foods such as bread and other cereal products, coffee, fried potatoes, and olives is reported to induce genotoxic, carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and antifertility properties in vivo, suggesting the need to keep the acrylamide content low with respect to widely consumed heat-processed food including flatbreads. Due to the fact that pigmented corn flours contain biologically active and health-promoting phenolic and anthocyanin compounds, the objective of this study was to potentially define beneficial properties of flatbread by evaluating the acrylamide content determined by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) with a detection limit of 1.8 µg/kg and proximate composition by standard methods of six experimental flatbreads made from two white, two blue, one red, and one yellow corn flours obtained by milling commercial seeds. Acrylamide content was also determined in experimental flatbreads made from combinations in quinoa flour, wheat flour, and peanut meal with added broccoli or beet vegetables and of commercial flatbreads including tortillas and wraps. Proximate analysis of flatbreads showed significant differences in protein and fat but not in carbohydrate, mineral, and water content. The acrylamide content of 16 evaluated flatbreads ranged from 0 to 49.1 µg/kg, suggesting that these flatbreads have the potential to serve as low-acrylamide functional foods. The dietary significance of the results is discussed.

Low Acrylamide Flatbreads Prepared from Colored Rice Flours and Relationship to Asparagine and Proximate Content of Flours and Flatbreads

Acrylamide is a potentially toxic compound present in many plant-based foods, such as coffee, breads, and potato fries, which is reported to have carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and antifertility properties in vivo, suggesting the need to keep the acrylamide content of widely consumed food as low as possible. As pigmented rice contains bioactive phenolic and flavonoid compounds, the objective of this study was to potentially enhance the beneficial properties of flatbreads by evaluating the acrylamide content and proximate composition of 12 novel flatbreads prepared from the following commercial pigmented rice seeds: Black Japonica, Chinese Black, French Camargue, Himalayan Red, Long Grain Brown, Purple Sticky, Short Grain Brown, Wehani, Wild, Indian Brown Basmati, Organic Brown Jasmine, and Organic Jade Pearl. Although acrylamide levels ranged from 4.9 µg/kg in Long Grain Brown to 50.8 µg/kg in Chinese Black, the absolute values were all low (though statistically significantly differences existed among varieties). Acrylamide content did not correlate with its precursor asparagine. The variations in protein, carbohydrate, fat, ash, dry matter, and water content determined by proximate analysis, and the reported health benefits of colored rice cultivars used to prepare the flatbreads, might also be useful for relating composition to nutritional qualities and health properties, facilitating their use as nutritional and health-promoting functional foods.