Background and objectives Awareness toward the microbial quality of wheat has been raised due to the foodborne illness and outbreaks associated with contaminated wheat flour. The objective is to describe the studied strategies to control the potential hazardous pathogens in wheat grain and wheat flour. Findings Before the dry milling process, adding antimicrobial agents to the tempering water has been considered. To preserve gluten integrity and functionality, nonthermal technologies have been explored. Traditional thermal food decontamination methods have also been tested. Conclusions Bacterial and mold load reductions from >1 to >5 log CFU/g have been achieved with tempering agents, without compromising flour functionality. From the nonthermal technologies, pulsed light treatments reduced Salmonella load on flour, while cold plasma was effective versus fungal conidia on grain. Regarding thermal technologies, the vacuum steam treatment reduced Escherichia coli and Salmonella populations on grain without affecting flour properties. Radio frequency heating was also effective to reduce Salmonella load on flour, but its impact on functionality was not reported. Significance and novelty Most of the decontamination methods have been tested on wheat grain. If a significant microbial load reduction is achieved, further flour contamination can be prevented. However, flour decontamination methods should continue to be explored, without compromising flour functionality.
Background and objectives The consumption of wheat contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON), a highly water‐soluble Fusarium mycotoxin, represents a health threat to animals and humans. Dry milling does not destroy or remove DON from the grain but physically separates the bran and germ from the endosperm. Information is limited concerning the effectiveness of wet milling processes in removing DON from contaminated wheat dry milling fractions (farina/semolina, shorts, bran). The aim of this research was to determine the extent of DON removal from these wheat fractions during wet milling using the Martin process. Findings After wet milling farina and semolina containing 2.76–5.07 mg/kg and 3.53–10.39 mg/kg DON, respectively, gluten extracted from hard red spring wheat (HRSW) contained low levels of DON < 0.60 mg/kg, while gluten extracted from durum wheat (DW) contained no detectable DON. The remainder of DON was found in the water‐soluble fraction. After wet milling shorts, DON levels were only detected in the freeze‐dried water‐soluble fraction. After wet milling the bran fraction, DON was found in isolated starch and destarched bran from HRSW and DW; the highest DON concentration was found in the freeze‐dried water‐soluble fraction accounting 83% and 88% in HRSW and DW, respectively. Conclusions Results indicated that wet milling was effective in removing DON from the studied dry‐milled fractions. Significance and novelty The implementation of the wet milling technique could be useful in reducing or eliminating DON from dry milling products, which would allow them to be used in animal and human food.
Background and objectives Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a water‐soluble mycotoxin that contaminates cereals, causing a negative economic impact on producers. Wet milling is a process that separates plant components based on chemistry (starch, gluten, lipid, and fiber), which can result in profitable products for the ingredients market. This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of three laboratory‐scale wet‐milling processes (Martin, medium shear, and high shear) on the extraction and functionality of starch from wheat samples containing DON. Findings DON concentration in farina (3.0 mg/kg) and semolina (8.8 mg/kg) exceeded the security threshold for human consumption. After wet milling, DON was not detectable in the starch fraction. Starch produced from the medium shear process had significantly (p ≤ .05) lower protein contamination while transition temperatures significantly (p ≤ .05) decreased compared to the other two wet‐milling procedures. Martin process resulted in the method with the greatest starch damage and significantly (p ≤ .05) different thermal and pasting properties when compared to medium and high shear processes. Conclusions The three laboratory‐scale wet‐milling processes were effective for obtaining starch free of DON. Depending on the wet‐milling process applied, differences were detected regarding physical damage of the granules, and the proportion of A and B granules which impacted the viscous and thermal properties. Significance and novelty Wet milling provides a valuable alternative for the use of DON‐contaminated grain in the industrial production of wheat starch.
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