Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were obtained from durum wheat flour samples and screened for roseoflavin-resistant variants to isolate natural riboflavin-overproducing strains. Two riboflavin-overproducing strains of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated as described above were used for the preparation of bread (by means of sourdough fermentation) and pasta (using a prefermentation step) to enhance their vitamin B2 content. Pasta was produced from a monovarietal semolina obtained from the durum wheat cultivar PR22D89 and, for experimental purposes, from a commercial remilled semolina. Several samples were collected during the pasta-making process (dough, extruded, dried, and cooked pasta) and tested for their riboflavin content by a high-performance liquid chromatography method. The applied approaches resulted in a considerable increase of vitamin B2 content (about 2- and 3-fold increases in pasta and bread, respectively), thus representing a convenient and efficient food-grade biotechnological application for the production of vitamin B2-enriched bread and pasta. This methodology may be extended to a wide range of cereal-based foods, feed, and beverages. Additionally, this work exemplifies the production of a functional food by a novel biotechnological exploitation of LAB in pasta-making.
In order to assess the effect of genotype, location and their interaction on total phenolic content (TPC) of chemical extracts, the whole grains of durum and soft wheat, oat, barley and triticale were evaluated. Data showed differences in phenolic content of chemical extracts among cereal species and the analysis of variance confirmed the key role of location. Besides TPC and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) values assessed by chemical extraction were compared with those obtained with an in vitro digestive enzymatic extraction. Differences were found between methanolic and enzymatic extracts, and data confirmed that enzymatic technique enhanced extraction of antioxidants but pointed out lesser differences among cereal types. The breads obtained by flours enriched with different levels of bran were also evaluated. Chemical extracts highlighted the increasing levels of antioxidants according to bran enrichments, without pointing out changes caused by baking. The enzymatic extraction instead did not show differences regarding to bran enrichments, but documented a loss in antioxidant properties of breads in respect to corresponding flours. On the other hand the scarce differences between flours and corresponding breads did not allow asserting that baking modified the TPC and TEAC, independently of the extraction methods used. Indeed, during baking process, also the observed phenolic acids profile variations did not vary the antioxidant properties of breads.
Chickpea is a key crop in sustainable cropping systems and for its nutritional value. Studies on agronomic and genetic influences on chickpea protein composition are missing. In order to obtain a deep insight into the genetic response of chickpeas to management in relation to agronomic and quality traits, a two-year field trial was carried out with eight chickpea genotypes under an organic and conventional cropping system. Protein composition was assessed by SDS-PAGE in relation to the main fractions (vicilin, convicilin, legumin, lectin, 2s-albumin). Crop response was highly influenced by year and presumably also by management, with a −50% decrease in grain yield under organic farming, mainly due to a reduction in seed number per m2. No effect of crop management was observed on protein content, despite significant differences in terms of protein composition. The ratio between the major globulins, 7s vicilin and 11s legumin, showed a negative relationship with grain yield and was found to be higher under organic farming. Among genotypes, black-seed Nero Senise was characterized by the highest productivity and water-holding capacity, associated with low lectin content. These findings highlight the importance of the choice of chickpea genotypes for cultivation under organic farming in relation to both agronomic performance and technological and health quality.
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