Genetic variation in wheat grain quality is associated with differences in the galactolipid content of flour and the gas bubble properties of dough liquor

Microbial consortia and biochar as sustainable biofertilisers: Analysis of their impact on wheat growth and production

The European Union is among the top wheat producers in the world, but its productivity relies on adequate soil fertilisation. Biofertilisers, either alone or in combination with biochar, can be a preferable alternative to chemical fertilisers. However, the addition of biofertilisers, specifically plant growth promoting microbes (PGPM), could modify grain composition, and/or deteriorate the soil composition. In this study, the two wheat cultivars Triticum aestivum (Bramante) and T. durum (Svevo) were cultivated in open fields for two consecutive years in the presence of a commercial PGPM mix supplied alone or in combination with biochar. An in-depth analysis was conducted by collecting physiological and agronomic data throughout the growth period. The effects of PGPM and biochar were investigated in detail; specifically, soil chemistry and rhizosphere microbial composition were characterized, along with the treatment effects on seed storage proteins. The results demonstrated that the addition of commercial microbial consortia and biochar, alone or in combination, did not modify the rhizospheric microbial community; however, it increased grain yield, especially in the cultivar Svevo (increase of 6.8 %-13.6 %), even though the factors driving the most variations were associated with both climate and cultivar. The total gluten content of the flours was not affected, whereas the main effect of the treatments was a variation in gliadins and low-molecular-weight-glutenin subunits in both cultivars when treated with PGPM and biochar. This suggested improved grain quality, especially regarding the viscoelastic properties of the dough, when the filling period occurred in a dry climate. The results indicate that the application of biofertilisers and biochar may aid the effective management of sustainable wheat cultivation, to support environmental health without altering the biodiversity of the resident microbiome.

Recent insight into the advances and prospects of microbial lipases and their potential applications in industry

Enzymes play a crucial role in various industrial sectors. These biocatalysts not only ensure sustainability and safety but also enhance process efficiency through their unique specificity. Lipases possess versatility as biocatalysts and find utilization in diverse bioconversion reactions. Presently, microbial lipases are gaining significant focus owing to the rapid progress in enzyme technology and their widespread implementation in multiple industrial procedures. This updated review presents new knowledge about various origins of microbial lipases, such as fungi, bacteria, and yeast. It highlights both the traditional and modern purification methods, including precipitation and chromatographic separation, the immunopurification technique, the reversed micellar system, the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS), and aqueous two-phase flotation (ATPF), moreover, delves into the diverse applications of microbial lipases across several industries, such as food, vitamin esters, textile, detergent, biodiesel, and bioremediation. Furthermore, the present research unveils the obstacles encountered in employing lipase, the patterns observed in lipase engineering, and the application of CRISPR/Cas genome editing technology for altering the genes responsible for lipase production. Additionally, the immobilization of microorganisms' lipases onto various carriers also contributes to enhancing the effectiveness and efficiencies of lipases in terms of their catalytic activities. This is achieved by boosting their resilience to heat and ionic conditions (such as inorganic solvents, high-level pH, and temperature). The process also facilitates the ease of recycling them and enables a more concentrated deposition of the enzyme onto the supporting material. Consequently, these characteristics have demonstrated their suitability for application as biocatalysts in diverse industries.

Ultra-high Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ion Mobility-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry to Evaluate the Metabolomic Response of Durum Wheat to Sustainable Treatments

Sustainable agriculture aims at achieving a healthy food production while reducing the use of fertilizers and greenhouse gas emissions using biostimulants and soil amendments. Untargeted metabolomics by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-ion mobility-high-resolution mass spectrometry, operating in a high-definition MSE mode, was applied to investigate the metabolome of durum wheat in response to sustainable treatments, i.e., the addition of biochar, commercial plant growth promoting microbes, and their combination. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis provided a good discrimination among treatments with sensitivity, specificity, and a non-error rate close to 1. A total of 88 and 45 discriminant compounds having biological, nutritional, and technological implications were tentatively identified in samples grown in 2020 and 2021. The addition of biochar-biostimulants produced the highest up-regulation of lipids and flavonoids, with the glycolipid desaturation being the most impacted pathway, whereas carbohydrates were mostly down-regulated. The findings achieved suggest the safe use of the combined biochar-biostimulant treatment for sustainable wheat cultivation.

Recent Advances in Lipases and Their Applications in the Food and Nutraceutical Industry

Lipases are efficient enzymes with promising applications in the nutraceutical and food industry, as they can offer high yields, pure products under achievable reaction conditions, and are an environmentally friendly option. This review addresses the production of high-value-added compounds such as fatty acid esters, with the potential to be used as flavoring agents or antioxidant and antimicrobial agents, as well as structured lipids that offer specific functional properties that do not exist in nature, with important applications in different food products, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the most recent successful cases of reactions with lipases to produce modified compounds for food and nutraceuticals are reported.

Gas cell stabilization by aqueous-phase constituents during bread production from wheat and rye dough and oat batter: Dough or batter liquor as model system

Proper gas cell stability during fermentation and baking is essential to obtain high-quality bread. Gas cells in wheat dough are stabilized by the gluten network formed during kneading and, from the moment this network locally ruptures, by liquid films containing nonstarch polysaccharides (NSPs) and surface-active proteins and lipids. Dough liquor (DL), the supernatant after ultracentrifugation of dough, is a model system for these liquid films and has been extensively studied mostly in the context of wheat bread making. Nonwheat breads are often of lower quality (loaf volume and crumb structure) than wheat breads because their doughs/batters lack a viscoelastic wheat gluten network. Therefore, gas cell stabilization by liquid film constituents may be more important in nonwheat than in wheat bread making. This manuscript aims to review the knowledge on DL/batter liquor (BL) and its relevance for studying gas cell stabilization in wheat and nonwheat (rye and oat) bread making. To this end, the unit operations in wheat, rye, and oat bread making are described with emphasis on gas incorporation and gas cell (de)stabilization. A discussion of the knowledge on the recoveries and chemical structures of proteins, lipids, and NSPs in DLs/BLs is provided and key findings of studies dealing with foaming and air-water interfacial properties of DL/BL are discussed. Next, the extent to which DL/BL functionality can be related to bread properties is addressed. Finally, the extent to which DL/BL is a representative model system for the aqueous phase of dough/batter is discussed and related to knowledge gaps and further research opportunities.

Accumulation and deposition of triacylglycerols in the starchy endosperm of wheat grain

A combination of lipidomics, transcriptomics and bioimaging has been used to study triacylglycerol synthesis and deposition in the developing starchy endosperm of wheat. The content of TAG increased between 14 and 34 days after anthesis, from 50 to 115 mg/100 g dry wt and from about 35 to 175 mg/100 g dry wt in two experiments. The major fatty acids were C16 (palmitic C16:0 and palmitoleic C16:1) and C18 (stearic C18:0, oleic C18:1, linoleic C18:2 and linolenic C18:3), with unsaturated fatty acids accounting for about 75-80% of the total throughout development. Linoleic acid (C18:2) was the major component at all stages and the proportion increased during development. Transcript profiling indicated that predominant route to TAG synthesis and oil accumulation is via the Kennedy pathway and diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activity. Confocal microscopy of stained tissue sections showed that TAG accumulated in droplets which are associated with protein and concentrated in the starchy endosperm cells below the sub-aleurone cells. Transcripts encoding 16kd oleosins were also expressed, indicating that the oil droplets are in part stabilised by oleosin proteins.