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Quality Evaluation and Functional Food Development of Cereals, Pseudocereals and...
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Quality Evaluation and Functional Food Development of Cereals, Pseudocereals and Pulse Products, Volume II

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 7101

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alfio Spina

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Guest Editor
Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e L’analisi Dell’economia Agraria - Centro di Ricerca Cerealicoltura e Colture Industriali (CREA-CI), Acireale, Italy
Interests: cereal; pulse and industrial crops pathology and disease management strategies; diagnosis and tolerances/resistances to pathogenic fungi of durum and bread wheat genotypes; breeding for cereal and pulse resistance; postharvest management of durum and bread wheat
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Antonella Pasqualone

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Guest Editor
Dipartimento Di Scienze Del Suolo, Della Pianta E Degli Alimenti (Di.S.S.P.A.), Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
Interests: cereal science and technology; enrichment of cereal-based foods; ethnic foods; food waste upcycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Plants will be publishing a Special Issue “Quality Evaluation and Functional Food Development of Cereals, Pseudocereals and Pulse Products, Volume II”.

In the recent decades, consumer expectations in the field of food production have changed considerably. Modern consumers are increasingly demanding food with a high qualitative standard which arises from the use of high-quality raw materials. Moreover, today, foods are not only intended to satisfy hunger and provide the needed nutrients but also to prevent nutrition-related diseases and improve physical and mental wellbeing. In this regard, cereals, pseudocereals, and pulses, representing the most important agricultural products for human and animal nutrition worldwide, play an outstanding role. These crops and their products are important staple foods, providing essential nutrients and bioactive compounds, and can be easily functionalized. With regard to wheat, bread is an essential part of the diet throughout the world and is consumed daily, so it represents an ideal food to vehicle health-promoting substances. The other baked goods and pasta can also act as ideal functional foods. Today, advances in food science and technology have led to a wide range of strategies to produce cereals, pseudocereals, and pulse-based functional products.

Therefore, considering the high interest in quality assessment and development of functional foods from cereals, pseudocereals, and pulses as an emerging challenge for modern food industries, this Special Issue will cover a wide variety of related areas, with the aim of contributing to the overall knowledge of different quality aspects, such as physical–chemical, rheological, technological, microbiological, and sensorial aspects.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Foods.

Dr. Alfio Spina
Prof. Dr. Antonella Pasqualone
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soft and durum wheat
  • minor cereals
  • pseudocereals
  • pulses
  • physicochemical and sensory quality
  • rheology
  • microbiological characteristics
  • functional and nutraceutical foods
  • bread and other bakery products
  • pasta

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2452 KiB  
Article
Development of Novel Monoclonal Antibodies to Wheat Alpha-Amylases Associated with Grain Quality Problems That Are Increasing with Climate Change
by Amber L. Hauvermale, Courtney Matzke, Gamila Bohaliga, Mike O. Pumphrey, Camille M. Steber and Andrew G. McCubbin
Plants 2023, 12(22), 3798; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12223798 - 08 Nov 2023
Viewed by 980
Abstract
Accurate, rapid testing platforms are essential for early detection and mitigation of late maturity α-amylase (LMA) and preharvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat. These conditions are characterized by elevated α-amylase levels and negatively impact flour quality, resulting in substantial economic losses. The Hagberg–Perten Falling [...] Read more.
Accurate, rapid testing platforms are essential for early detection and mitigation of late maturity α-amylase (LMA) and preharvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat. These conditions are characterized by elevated α-amylase levels and negatively impact flour quality, resulting in substantial economic losses. The Hagberg–Perten Falling Number (FN) method is the industry standard for measuring α-amylase activity in wheatmeal. However, FN does not directly detect α-amylase and has major limitations. Developing α-amylase immunoassays would potentially enable early, accurate detection regardless of testing environment. With this goal, we assessed an expression of α-amylase isoforms during seed development. Transcripts of three of the four isoforms were detected in developing and mature grain. These were cloned and used to develop E. coli expression lines expressing single isoforms. After assessing amino acid conservation between isoforms, we identified peptide sequences specific to a single isoform (TaAMY1) or that were conserved in all isoforms, to develop monoclonal antibodies with targeted specificities. Three monoclonal antibodies were developed, anti-TaAMY1-A, anti-TaAMY1-B, and anti-TaAMY1-C. All three detected endogenous α-amylase(s). Anti-TaAMY1-A was specific for TaAMY1, whereas anti-TaAMY1-C detected TaAMY1, 2, and 4. Thus, confirming that they possessed the intended specificities. All three antibodies were shown to be compatible for use with immuno-pulldown and immuno-assay applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Evaluation and Functional Food Development of Cereals, Pseudocereals and Pulse Products, Volume II)
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17 pages, 920 KiB  
Article
Sicilian Rivet Wheat Landraces: Grain Characteristics and Technological Quality of Flour and Bread
by Alfio Spina, Paolo Guarnaccia, Michele Canale, Rosalia Sanfilippo, Michele Bizzini, Sebastiano Blangiforti, Silvia Zingale, Angela Roberta Lo Piero, Maria Allegra, Angelo Sicilia, Carmelo Nicotra and Umberto Anastasi
Plants 2023, 12(14), 2641; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12142641 - 14 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 933
Abstract
In recent years, the growth of tetraploid Sicilian wheat landraces has been arousing increasing interest. In this study, eighteen local genotypes of Triticum turgidum subsp. turgidum, belonging to the groups ‘Bufala’, ‘Ciciredda’, ‘Bivona’ and ‘Paola’, and two cultivars of Triticum turgidum subsp. [...] Read more.
In recent years, the growth of tetraploid Sicilian wheat landraces has been arousing increasing interest. In this study, eighteen local genotypes of Triticum turgidum subsp. turgidum, belonging to the groups ‘Bufala’, ‘Ciciredda’, ‘Bivona’ and ‘Paola’, and two cultivars of Triticum turgidum subsp. durum (the old variety ‘Bidì’, and a more recent variety ‘Simeto’) were assessed for the characteristics of the grain and bread-making performance of their flours and doughs, as well as the quality of the loaves. The grain of the twenty genotypes came from a field trial conducted during 2018–2019 in south-eastern Sicily. The main commercial features of the grain (thousand kernel weight and hectolitre weight), including the defects (starchy, black pointed and shrunken kernels), were determined. The wholemeal flours and doughs obtained from the grain of each genotype were evaluated for the main technological quality (physico-chemical and rheological characteristics), and processed into loaves, whose main quality indices (volume, height, weight, moisture and porosity) were assessed. The results from such analyses allowed the authors to evaluate the genotypes’ bread-making suitability. In particular, for the grain characteristics, hectolitre weight varied from 68.23 (‘Bufala Rossa Lunga 01’) to 77.43 (‘Bidì 03’) kg/hL, passing through the typical values for common and durum wheat. Among the grain defects, the black point defect was absent in all the grain samples, except for that of ‘Bufala Nera Corta 01’ (2%). Dry gluten content varied from 6.22 to 10.23 g/100 g, and sedimentation test values were low or medium-low, with values ranging from 22 to 35 mL. Amylase activity was low and highly variable among the genotypes, with the maximum value observed for ‘Bufala Rossa Corta b01’ (509 s). The doughs evidenced a poor quality for bread making with alveograph values of W ranging from 12 to 145 (10−4 × Joule) and thus the volume of the loaves varied from 346.25 cm3 of ‘Bivona’ and ‘Ciciredda’ to 415.00 cm3 of ‘Bufala Rossa Lunga’. A Tandem Cluster Analysis was conducted on a set of all the response variables. The Hierarchical Cluster Analysis was initially run. A five-cluster solution identified three clusters further segmented and two single branches. Overall, the study highlighted the possibility of using some of these landraces alone for the production of traditional breads locally appreciated or together with other ingredients for the production of crumbly baked goods such as substitutes for bread and biscuits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Evaluation and Functional Food Development of Cereals, Pseudocereals and Pulse Products, Volume II)
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18 pages, 10742 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical Characteristics and Microstructure of Ancient and Common Wheat Grains Cultivated in Romania
by Camelia Maria Golea, Silviu-Gabriel Stroe, Anca-Mihaela Gâtlan and Georgiana Gabriela Codină
Plants 2023, 12(11), 2138; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112138 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1457
Abstract
Different wheat species, common wheat (Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum), spelt (Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta) and einkorn (Triticum monococcum subsp. monococcum), were analyzed for physicochemical (moisture, ash, protein, wet gluten, lipid, starch, carbohydrates, test weight and thousand-kernel mass) and [...] Read more.
Different wheat species, common wheat (Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum), spelt (Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta) and einkorn (Triticum monococcum subsp. monococcum), were analyzed for physicochemical (moisture, ash, protein, wet gluten, lipid, starch, carbohydrates, test weight and thousand-kernel mass) and mineral elements (Ca, Mg, K, Na, Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu) concentrations in grains. Additionally, wheat grain microstructure was determined using a scanning electron microscope. SEM micrographs of wheat grains show that einkorn has smaller type A starch granule diameters and more compact protein bonds compared to common wheat and spelt grains, making it easier to digest. The ancient wheat grains presented higher values for ash, protein, wet gluten and lipid content compared to the common wheat grains, whereas the carbohydrates and starch content were significantly (p < 0.05) lower. The mean values showed that spelt (Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta) grains presented the highest values for Ca, Mg and K, while einkorn (Triticum monococcum subsp. monococcum) grains had the highest values for the microelements Zn, Mn and Cu. The highest values of Fe were recorded for common wheat varieties whereas no significant differences among the species were obtained for Na content. The principal component analysis (p > 0.05) between wheat flours characteristics showed a close association between wheat grain species and between the chemical characteristics of gluten and protein content (r = 0.994), lipid and ash content (r = 0.952) and starch and carbohydrate content (r = 0.927), for which high positive significant correlations (p < 0.05) were obtained. Taking into account that Romania is the fourth largest wheat producer at the European level, this study is of great global importance. According to the results obtained, the ancient species have higher nutritional value from the point of view of chemical compounds and macro elements of minerals. This may be of great importance for consumers who demand bakery products with high nutritional quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Evaluation and Functional Food Development of Cereals, Pseudocereals and Pulse Products, Volume II)
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13 pages, 1361 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Qualitative and Bioactive Compounds of Whole and Refined Flours in Durum Wheat Grains with Different Year of Release and Yield Potential
by Valeria Menga, Valentina Giovanniello, Michele Savino, Antonio Gallo, Salvatore Antonio Colecchia, Vanessa De Simone, Silvia Zingale and Donatella Bianca Maria Ficco
Plants 2023, 12(6), 1350; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061350 - 17 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1380
Abstract
Durum wheat varieties are important sources of nutrients and provide remarkable amounts of phytochemicals. Especially, phenolics, which are mostly located in external layers of grains, have recently gained increased interest due to their high antioxidant power. This study aimed to evaluate the differences [...] Read more.
Durum wheat varieties are important sources of nutrients and provide remarkable amounts of phytochemicals. Especially, phenolics, which are mostly located in external layers of grains, have recently gained increased interest due to their high antioxidant power. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in the quality traits and phenolic compounds’ concentration (e.g., phenolic acids) of different durum wheat genotypes, namely four Italian durum wheat cultivars and a USA elite variety, in relation to their yield potential and year of release. Phenolic acids were extracted both from wholemeal flour and semolina and analysed through HPLC-DAD analysis. Ferulic acid was the most represented phenolic acid, both in the wholemeal flour (438.3 µg g−1 dry matter) and in semolina (57.6 µg g−1 dry matter) across all cultivars, followed by p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, vanillin, vanillic acid, syringic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Among the cultivars, Cappelli showed the highest phenolic acid content, whilst Kronos had the lowest one. Negative correlations occurred between some phenolic acids and morphological and yield-related traits, especially for Nadif and Sfinge varieties. On the contrary, durum wheat genotypes with low yield potential such as Cappelli accumulated higher concentrations of phenolic acids under the same growing conditions, thereby significantly contributing to the health-promoting purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Evaluation and Functional Food Development of Cereals, Pseudocereals and Pulse Products, Volume II)
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21 pages, 1525 KiB  
Article
Effects of Partial Replacement of Durum Wheat Re-Milled Semolina with Bean Flour on Physico-Chemical and Technological Features of Doughs and Breads during Storage
by Rosalia Sanfilippo, Michele Canale, Giacomo Dugo, Cinzia Oliveri, Michele Scarangella, Maria Concetta Strano, Margherita Amenta, Antonino Crupi and Alfio Spina
Plants 2023, 12(5), 1125; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12051125 - 02 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1770
Abstract
The ‘Signuredda’ bean is a local genotype of pulse with particular technological characteristics, cultivated in Sicily, Italy. This paper presents the results of a study to evaluate the effects of partial substitutions of durum wheat semolina with 5%, 7.5%, and 10% of bean [...] Read more.
The ‘Signuredda’ bean is a local genotype of pulse with particular technological characteristics, cultivated in Sicily, Italy. This paper presents the results of a study to evaluate the effects of partial substitutions of durum wheat semolina with 5%, 7.5%, and 10% of bean flour to prepare durum wheat functional breads. The physico-chemical properties and the technological quality of flours, doughs, and breads were investigated, as well as their storage process up to six days after baking. With the addition of bean flour, the proteins increased, as did the brown index, while the yellow index decreased. The water absorption and dough stability according to the farinograph increased from 1.45 in FBS 7.5%, to 1.65 in FBS 10%, for both 2020 and 2021, and from 5% to 10% supplementation for water absorption. Dough stability increased from 4.30 in FBS 5%-2021 to 4.75 in FBS 10%-2021. According to the mixograph, the mixing time also increased. The absorption of water and oil, as well as the leavening capacity, were also examined, and results highlighted an increase in the amount of water absorbed and a greater fermentation capacity. The greatest oil uptake was shown with bean flour at 10% supplementation (3.40%), while all bean flour mixes showed a water absorption of approximately 1.70%. The fermentation test showed the addition of 10% bean flour significantly increased the fermentative capacity of the dough. The color of the crumb was darker, while the crust became lighter. During the staling process, compared with the control sample, loaves with greater moisture and volume, and better internal porosity were obtained. Moreover, the loaves were extremely soft at T0 (8.0 versus 12.0 N of the control). In conclusion, the results showed an interesting potential of ‘Signuredda’ bean flour as a bread-making ingredient to obtain softer breads, which are better able to resist becoming stale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Evaluation and Functional Food Development of Cereals, Pseudocereals and Pulse Products, Volume II)
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