Phenolic compounds are found in both free and bound forms in cereals. The majority is in the insoluble bound form, that is, bound to cell wall material, such as ferulic acid and its derivatives. The antioxidant properties of the phenolic compounds in grains are associated with the health benefits of grains and grain products. The extraction capacity of several solvent mixtures, for extracting free phenols from barley flours, and the possibility of employing a rapid automated solvent extraction method were studied. The extraction yield of each method was evaluated by correlating several spectrophotometric indices (absorption at 280, 320, and 370 nm and total phenolic compounds by the Folin-Ciocalteu method) with the antioxidant activities of the barley extracts (scavenging activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl method). Interesting results were obtained when ethanol and acetone-based extraction mixtures were employed to extract free phenols. A comparison was made between alkaline and acid hydrolysis. The extraction yield of bound phenolic compounds increased when the digestion time for alkaline hydrolysis was prolonged.

A possible alternative to minimize the effects of salt and drought stress is the introduction of species tolerating these conditions with a good adaptability in terms of quantitative and qualitative yield. So quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) cultivar Titicaca was grown in an open field trial in 2009 and 2010 to investigate the effects of salt and drought stress on quantitative and qualitative aspects of the yield. Treatments irrigated with well water (Q100, Q50 and Q25) and corresponding treatments irrigated with saline water (Q100S, Q50S and Q25S) with an electrical conductivity (ECw) of 22 dS m−1 were compared. Salt and drought stress in both years did not cause significant yield reduction, while the highest level of saline water resulted in higher mean seed weight and as a consequence the increase in fibre and total saponin content in quinoa seeds.

Microwave cooking of legumes such as chickpeas and common beans was evaluated by assessing the cooking quality (cooking time, firmness, cooking losses, and water uptake) and the physicochemical, nutritional, and microstructural modifications in starch and nonstarch polysaccharides. Compared to conventional cooking, microwave cooking with sealed vessels enabled a drastic reduction in cooking time, from 110 to 11 min for chickpeas and from 55 to 9 min for common beans. The solid losses, released in the cooking water, were significantly less after microwave cooking than after conventional cooking (6.5 vs 10.6 g/100 g of dry seed in chickpeas and 4.5 vs 7.5 g/100 g of dry seed in common beans). Both cooking procedures produced a redistribution of the insoluble nonstarch polysaccharides to soluble fraction, although the total nonstarch polysaccharides were not affected. Increases in in vitro starch digestibility were similar after both cooking processes, since the level of resistant starch decreased from 27.2 and 32.5% of total starch in raw chickpeas and beans, respectively, to about 10% in cooked samples and the level of rapidly digestible starch increased from 35.6 and 27.5% to about 80%. SEM studies showed that the cotyledons maintained a regular structure although most of the cell wall was broken down and shattered by both cooking procedures. In addition, the ultrastructural modifications in the cotyledon's parenchima and cells are consistent with the chemical modifications in NSP and the increase in starch digestibility after cooking.

European Paleolithic subsistence is assumed to have been largely based on animal protein and fat, whereas evidence for plant consumption is rare. We present evidence of starch grains from various wild plants on the surfaces of grinding tools at the sites of Bilancino II (Italy), Kostenki 16–Uglyanka (Russia), and Pavlov VI (Czech Republic). The samples originate from a variety of geographical and environmental contexts, ranging from northeastern Europe to the central Mediterranean, and dated to the Mid-Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian and Gorodtsovian). The three sites suggest that vegetal food processing, and possibly the production of flour, was a common practice, widespread across Europe from at least ~30,000 y ago. It is likely that high energy content plant foods were available and were used as components of the food economy of these mobile hunter–gatherers.

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. or ‘quinoa’ is a plant having many uses as a food. Importantly, it offers an alternative to normal cereals in coeliac diets because its seeds are gluten‐free. For this reason, it is worthwhile to determine the properties of quinoa and to evaluate the suitability of this crop for the south of Italy. At the CNR‐ISAFoM’s experimental station in Vitulazio (CE), a 2‐year (2006–2007) field trial under rain‐fed conditions was carried out to compare the two quinoa genotypes: KVLQ520Y (KV) and Regalona Baer (RB). Comparison was also made between two sowing dates for KV. The results showed that April was the best sowing time for quinoa in our typical Mediterranean region. Of the two genotypes, RB recorded better growth and productivity, apparently being more tolerant to abiotic stress (high temperatures associated with water stress). Chemical analyses reveal the potential of quinoa seed as a valuable ingredient in the preparation of cereal foods having improved nutritional characteristics.

Cereal Chem. 77(2):133-139Pearling by-products and the pearled products of two commercial stocks of hulled barley, pearled according to an industrial process consisting of five consecutive pearling steps, were analyzed for β-glucans, dietary fiber (total, soluble, and insoluble), protein, lipid, ash, and digestible carbohydrate. The data showed that the pearling flour fractions, abraded in the fourth and fifth hullers, contained interesting amounts of β-glucans (3.9-5.1% db) from a nutritional point of view. These fractions were subsequently enriched in β-glucans using a milling-sieving process to double β-glucan content (9.1-10.5% db). Functional pastas, enriched with β-glucans and dietary fiber, were produced by substituting 50% of standard durum wheat semolina with β-glucan-enriched barley flour fractions. Although darker than durum wheat pasta, these pastas had good cooking qualities with regard to stickiness, bulkiness, firmness, and total organic matter released in rinsing water. The dietary fiber (13.1-16.1% wb) and β-glucan (4.3-5.0% wb) contents in the barley pastas were much higher than in the control (4.0 and 0.3% wb, respectively). These values amply meet the FDA requirements of 5 g of dietary fiber and 0.75 g of β-glucans per serving (56 g in the United States and 80 g in Italy). At present, the FDA has authorized the health claim "may reduce the risk of heart disease" for food containing β-glucans from oat and psyllium only.

Quinoa is a pseudocereal from South America that has received increased interest around the world because it is a good source of different nutrients and rich in antioxidant compounds. Thus, this study has focused on the effects of different agronomic variables, such as irrigation and salinity, on the phenolic and saponin profiles of quinoa. It was observed that irrigation with 25% of full water restitution, with and without the addition of salt, was associated with increases in free phenolic compounds of 23.16 and 26.27%, respectively. In contrast, bound phenolic compounds were not affected by environmental stresses. Saponins decreased if samples were exposed to drought and saline regimens. In situations of severe water deficit, the saponins content decreased 45%, and 50% when a salt stress was added. The results suggest that irrigation and salinity may regulate the production of bioactive compounds in quinoa, influencing its nutritional and industrial values.

It is well known that gluten plays a major role in determining cooking quality in durum wheat pasta. This work is an attempt to systematically elucidate the role of gluten quantity and nature in determining cooking quality as a function of the drying cycle used in the manufacturing process. Gluten and starch were fractionated from two durum wheat cultivars possessing good and poor gluten quality. Either of them were then added back to the original base semolina to alter its protein content and to produce two semolina series with identical protein contents. Semolinas were processed into pasta and dried following three drying programs (low, medium, and high temperature). Cooking quality was determined with sensorial, chemical, and instrumental methods. The results indicate that optimum cooking time is governed by gluten quality. The positive effect on cooking quality of increasing gluten contents and of the application of HT drying is evident in weak gluten samples, but it is not significant in the strong gluten samples.