Havrlentová M., Petruláková Z., Burgárová A., Gago F., Hlinková A., Šturdík E. (2011): Cereal β-glucans and their significance for the preparation of functional foods -a review. Czech J. Food Sci., 29: 1-14.Cereals are generally known to have a positive influence on the general state of the human organism. The attention of the nutritional experts is paid especially to oats and barley. Besides their accessibility, these cereals are interesting due to their relatively high contents of soluble non-starch polysaccharides (fibrous material), out of which β-glucans have a dominant position from the aspect of health benefit. This paper presents a brief review of the latest knowledge on the positive effects of β-glucans on the consumer's health. The structure, occurrence, sources, and positive physiological effects of β-glucans on the cardiovascular system but also their antibacterial, antitumoral, immunomodulant, and radioprotective properties are mentioned. In the paper are given examples of β-glucans exploitation as functional ingredients in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries and as food additives on the basis of cereal fibres and cereal β-glucans.

The oil of amaranth grain (Amaranthus spp.) is a rich source of poly-unsaturated fatty acids. In this study, we tested 10 amaranth samples representing two species (Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus) in two consecutive years (2010, 2011). Grain oils were analysed by gas chromatography for their fatty acids profile. In 2010, oil content ranged from 6.4-8.2% for A. cruentus and 6.3-7.9% for A. hypochondriacus. In 2011, the level was 7.1-8.2% and 6.6-8.7% for A. cruentus and A. hypochondriacus, respectively. Linoleic, palmitic, and oleic acids were dominant fatty acids in all of the oil samples. The essential linoleic acid level was 33.3-38.7% (A. cruentus) and 31.7-47.5% (A. hypochondriacus) in 2010 and 34.6-39.9% (A. cruentus) and 34-44.5% (A. hypochondriacus) in 2011. The minority fatty acids, i.e. stearic, α-linolenic, and arachidic acids were also observed. Eicosenoic and behenic acids were present in the grain in trace amounts. Statistical evaluation showed a significant effect of year and species of amaranth on the levels of certain fatty acids. There was a strong positive correlation between oil content and oleic acid, and a negative correlation between oleic acid and either of the other two fatty acids, linoleic and α-linolenic ones.

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The rye flour is, together with the wheat flour, the basic ingredient used in traditional bread baking. The rye grain contains many compounds with significant impacts on the consumer. Considering that, various biologically active phytochemicals were determined in extracts from mature grains of 19 rye genotypes (Secale cereale L.). The content of total phenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids and thiols, as well as antioxidant activities and inhibitory activities against trypsin, thrombin, and urokinase were analyzed by spectrophotometric methods. The vanillic acid, vanillin, p-coumaric acid, and t-ferulic acid were analyzed in particular by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The observed differences in the amounts and activities between rye genotypes reflected variations in their genetic background. Rye grain is a remarkable source of specific phytochemicals. Genetic diversity in rye makes it possible to identify individual genotypes that have a unique content and biological activity of compounds deposited in mature grains. One subgroup of rye genotypes had higher values of antioxidant properties and concentrations of polyphenols. Other sub-group had higher proteinase inhibitory activities and contents of polyphenols. The third sub-group contained as though the universal genotypes, i.e. genotypes with average values in nearly all the measured parameters.

Improving the micronutrients in food has become an important field of the Second Green Revolution. In recent years, minor bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, pigments and carotenoids, have attracted more and more interest from both researchers and food manufactures as health-promoting and disease-preventing effects in both in vitro and in vivo studies. One of plant pigments, wheat anthocyanins as plant phenolics are increasingly attractive as natural compounds positively affecting consumer´s health and condition moreover wheat is staple food source consumed usually daily. For a purple, blue, or red colour of wheat seed are responsible glycosylated cyanidins, delphinidins, malvinidins, pelargonidins, petunidins, and peonidins located in aleurone layer or pericarp, respectively. Other than white seed colour is not natural for common hexaploid wheat but this trait can be introduced from donors by aimed breeding programs. The way of wheat anthocyanins to provide positive effects for consumer´s physiology is limited due to their specific occurrence in seed parts usually removed during grain milling practice and lower stability during processing to foods.

The influence of different concentrations of cadmium (Cd) ions (50 and 100 mg/kg soil) on growth, photosynthetic pigment content, Cd, and iron accumulation in faba bean (Vicia faba L. cv. Aštar) was studied under laboratory conditions. No significant changes were observed in the growth parameters of shoots (length, fresh, and dry weight). Both tested Cd doses resulted in decrease in root fresh weight by 31.7% and 28.68% and in dry weight by 32.2% and 33.33%, respectively. Increased accumulation of Cd was observed in roots (125- and 173-fold higher than in control) and shoots (125- and 150-fold higher than in control) as a result of applied doses of Cd. Increased accumulation of iron was detected in roots (1.45- and 1.69-fold higher than in control). Decrease in the content of chlorophyll a (by 25.52 and 24.83%, respectively) and chlorophyll b (by 6.90%) after application of Cd 100 as well as decrease in carotenoids (by 40.39 and 38.36%, respectively) was detected. Weak translocation of Cd from roots to shoots pointed to low phytoremediation potential of the tested bean variety in contaminated soil. However, the high tolerance of this cultivar, its relative fast growth, as well as priority of Cd accumulation in roots presume this plant species for phytostabilisation and revegetation of the Cd-contaminated soils.

Accumulation of Total Anthocyanins in Wheat GrainIn the recent years, for specific goals of utilization, winter wheat breeding has been aimed on increasing total anthocyanins concentration in winter wheat grains considering their high antioxidant activity. The aim of research was to evaluate grain colour development in four wheat genotypes (ANK 28A and 62/0 purple pericarp, UC 66049 blue aleurone and Ilona red pericarp) during grain filling period. Grain samples from two replications of field experiment, established in the vegetation 2010/11, were taken in five to six sampling times. Total anthocyanins concentration was determined by spectrophotometer. The genotypes responded differently to the dynamics of total anthocyanins accumulation during grain filling. The process was described by linear and also by polynomial regression on the number of days post anthesis. Genotypes with purple pericarp reached the highest total anthocyanins concentration on the 22ndday post anthesis with increasing and decreasing before and after this sampling time, respectively. At maturity the highest total anthocyanins had UC 66049 (193.38 mg/kg). Newly bred genotype 62/0 had similar concentration (34.50 mg/kg) as its parent ANK 28A (37.80 mg/kg). At maturity, registered cultivar Ilona was about 93.7% lower in total anthocyanins concentration compared to ANK 28A. Significant variability in total anthocyanins concentration indicated that breeding for their increasing is possible.