Changes in protein structural characteristics upon processing of gluten-free millet pasta

Research progress on non covalent interaction dissolution characterization of insoluble wheat protein based on swelling

The non covalent interactions of proteins are usually characterized by solubility, which is based on the principle that specific solvents can disrupt non covalent interactions and promote protein dissolution. However, this method is generally applicable to highly soluble protein materials. The solubility of wheat protein is poor. When using this method to characterize non covalent interactions, there is always a portion of protein aggregates that can only reach a swollen state and cannot be completely dissolved. At present, there are no research reports on the role of non covalent interactions in swelling. In view of this, this article first reviews the swelling and dissolution processes of insoluble proteins such as wheat protein in solvents, focusing on the characterization mechanisms and influencing factors of three non covalent interactions using solubility characterization. At the same time, this article also explores the potential of swelling in characterizing non covalent interactions, aiming to improve the characterization methods of non covalent interactions between wheat proteins and provide methodological support for analyzing processing differences from the hierarchical analysis of wheat protein interactions in the future.

Plant-based proteins: advances in their sources, digestive profiles in vitro and potential health benefits

Plant-based proteins (PBPs), which are environmentally friendly and sustainable sources of nutrition, can address the emerging challenges facing the global food supply due to the rapidly increasing population. PBPs have received much attention in recent decades as a result of high nutritional values, good functional properties, and potential health effects. This review aims to summarize the nutritional, functional and digestive profiles of PBPs, the health effects of their hydrolysates, as well as processing methods to improve the digestibility of PBPs. The diversity of plant protein sources plays an important role in improving the PBPs quality. Several types of models such as in vitro (the static and semi-dynamic INFOGEST) and in silico models have been proposed and used in simulating the digestion of PBPs. Processing methods including germination, fermentation, thermal and non-thermal treatment can be applied to improve the digestibility of PBPs. PBPs and their hydrolysates show potential health effects including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive and anti-cancer activities. Based on the literature, diverse PBPs are ideal protein sources, and exhibit favorable digestive properties and health benefits that could be further improved by different processing technologies. Future research should explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the bioactivity of PBPs and their hydrolysates.

Effect of egg white protein on the protein structure of highland barley noodles during processing

The effect of egg white protein on the protein structure of highland barely noodles during processing was investigated, and the underlying mechanism was examined. Egg white protein significantly influenced the stress relaxation of highland barley dough. 1% and 2% egg white protein improved the cooking and textural properties of highland barely noodles. During mixing and sheeting, it improved the structure of the protein network by promoting protein aggregation and cross-linking, whereas its effect on non-covalent interactions was quite different. During cooking, egg white protein promoted protein aggregation and cross-linking via heat-induced polymerization, and the distribution regularity of the protein network was improved as its flexibility diminished. The protein structure of highland barely noodles during processing was closely related to the addition amount of egg white protein, and the cooking, textural, and chemical interactions of highland barely noodles during processing changed considerably when more than 3% egg white protein was added.

Physical quality of gluten-free doughs and fresh pasta made of amaranth

Pasta is one of the most consumed foods in the world. Therefore, the development and investigation of the quality parameters of fresh gluten-free pasta made from amaranth was the subject of this study. For this purpose, different doughs (amaranth flour: water 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, 1:10) were heat-treated and sodium alginate (1.0 and 1.5%) was added. The pasta was produced by extrusion into a 0.1 M calcium L-lactate pentahydrate-containing bath. Both the dough and the pasta were examined. The doughs for its viscosity properties, water content, and color and the pasta for its firmness, color, water content, water absorption, cooking loss, and swelling index. The pasta was cooked for 5, 10, and 15 min for the cooking quality study. A higher alginate content of 1.5% and a higher proportion of amaranth flour resulted in a significant difference in color, water content, and shear-dependent viscosity of the dough (p < .001). It was also found that both doughs with amaranth flour-water content of 1:2 and 1:10 had significant effects on processing properties and pasta quality, especially on firmness, swelling index, and cooking loss. For the doughs with a 1:2 ratio, the high flour content resulted in very soft pasta, and for the doughs with a 1:10 ratio, the high-water content resulted in very firm pasta with a smooth, watery surface. Overall, cooking loss, swelling index, and water absorption were low for the pasta with 1.5% alginate. Even with cooking times of 15 min, the pasta retained its shape.

Trends in millet and pseudomillet proteins - Characterization, processing and food applications

Millets are small-seeded crops which have been well adopted globally owing to their high concentration of macro and micronutrients such as protein, dietary fibre, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. Considering their climate resilience and potential role in nutritional and health security, the year 2023 has been declared as 'International Year of Millets' by the United Nations. Cereals being the major nutrient vehicle for a majority population, and proteins being the second most abundant nutrient in millets, these grains can be a suitable alternative for plant-based proteins. Therefore, this review was written with an aim to succinctly provide an overview of the available literature take on the characterization, processing and applications of millet-based proteins. This information would play an important role in realizing the research gap restricting the utilization of complete potential of millet proteins. This can be further used by researchers and food industries for understanding the scope of millet proteins as an ingredient for novel food product development.

The influences of acetylation, hydroxypropylation, enzymatic hydrolysis and crosslinking on improved adsorption capacities and in vitro hypoglycemic properties of millet bran dietary fibre

The effects of acetylation, hydroxypropylation, cellulase hydrolysis and crosslinking on adsorption capacities and in vitro hypoglycemic activities of millet bran dietary fibre (MBDF) were studied. The results demonstrated that both acetylation and hydroxypropylation improved water swelling ability of MBDF, and adsorption capacities of cholesterol, cholate and copper ion on MBDF. Acetylation and hydroxypropylation also enhanced α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition activities, glucose-binding ability and glucose diffusion retardation index (GDRI) of MBDF. Acetylated MBDF showed the highest cholate (77.31 mg/g) and cholesterol (13.97 mg/g) adsorption capacities. The crosslinking improved adsorption of cholate, cholesterol, copper ion (25.64 mg/g) and nitrite ion (181.59 μg/g) on MBDF; but reduced α-amylase inhibition activity (p < 0.05). Moreover, cellulase hydrolyzed MBDF exhibited the highest GDRI (39.60%) and α-amylase inhibition activity (34.53%), but the lowest oil and cholate adsorption capacities. The results suggest that the modified MBDFs can be used as an ingredient of hypoglycemic foods.

Development of a New Pasta Product by the Incorporation of Chestnut Flour and Bee Pollen

This work aimed at developing fortified pastas incorporating chestnut flour (25–55%) and powdered pollen (5–20%), either separately or in combination, as well as the characterization of the products obtained. To this, a physical characterization was carried out (analyzing texture and color), complemented with chemical analyses to determine the nutritional composition. Results showed that adding chestnut flour over 40% to wheat-flour pasta shortened optimum cooking time and lowered cooking yield, and the addition to pasta prepared with wheat flour and eggs maintained approximately constant the cooking yield. Additionally, the incorporation of pollen powder (up to 20%) in pasta prepared with wheat flour and water or fresh egg shortened the cooking time and cooking yield, in both fresh and dried pasta. The most suitable percentages of the new ingredients were 50% for chestnut and 10% for pollen. Comparing with the control pasta recipe (wheat flour and egg), the addition of chestnut flour (50%) or pollen powder (10%) increased stickiness, adhesiveness and the darkening of the final product (fresh or dried) but maintained the firmness of the pasta. The cooking of fresh or dried pasta enriched with both ingredients turned the pasta clearer and slightly stickier. On the other hand, the addition of chestnut flour and pollen powder in pasta formulation delivered a nutritionally balanced product with high fiber, vitamins and minerals. Overall, chestnut flour and powdered pollen represent promising ingredients for the development of functional fresh and dried pasta formulations.

Effects of mixing, sheeting, and cooking on the starch, protein, and water structures of durum wheat semolina and chickpea flour pasta

The influence of the pasta preparation stages on starch, proteins, and water structures of semolina and chickpea pasta was studied. The hydrated starch structures (995/1022 FTIR ratio) increased in semolina and reduced in chickpea pasta. The processing stages in semolina pasta led to a significant increase of β-sheet structures (~50% to ~68%). The β-sheet structures content in chickpea pasta was lower (~52%), and was most affected by sheeting and cooking. The water structure was assessed by the analysis of the OH fingerprint FTIR region (3700-2800 cm^-1) and showing that water molecules (~90%) are strongly and moderately bound. The chickpea pasta displayed the highest content of strongly bonded water (about 55%) in contrast to the semolina pasta (~48%). A principal component analysis showed that the molecular organization of semolina pasta was mostly affected by dough formation and cooking; the molecular organization of chickpea pasta was determined by the cooking stage.

Effect of Using Quinoa Flour (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) on the Physicochemical Characteristics of an Extruded Pasta

Quinoa is a promising raw material for the production of foods with high nutritional quality. This study used quinoa flour (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), egg white, and yucca starch to obtain an extruded pasta. By means of a proximate analysis, the nutritional content of the raw materials, uncooked and cooked pasta, was evaluated. The effects of quinoa flour on the protein composition, physical properties (color, texture, loss through cooking, water absorption, and swelling indices), moisture, DSC, and SEM were evaluated through its comparison with a commercial pasta (control) formulated with quinoa (PCQ). The values obtained during the study were subjected to a simple analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the interaction between the factors and the variables by using a statistical program. Incorporation of quinoa flour in the formulations (F1, F2, and F3) increased notoriously the protein content (p < 0.05) and decreased the carbohydrate content, and no significant differences were observed for lipids and ash. The energy value increased due to the essential amino acids present in quinoa. The values obtained for L∗, a∗, and b∗ increased with the increase in quinoa flour, and significant differences for b∗ (p < 0.05) were attributed to the characteristic color of quinoa, drying time, and moisture content. The lack of molecular interaction between starch and protein due to the conditions used in the extrusion process influenced the decrease in rupture strength, increase in the water absorption and swelling indices, and losses due to cooking (8 g/100 g) within an acceptable range. Consequently, affected by the enthalpy of fusion, the starch granules of the quinoa flour did not gelatinize, as observed in the SEM micrographs. The results obtained and the parameters used in the extrusion process influenced the characteristics of the pasta, indicating that quinoa flour is a promising raw material for obtaining gluten-free products.

Capitalizing on a double crop: Recent advances in proso millet's transition to a food crop

Across the globe, strategies to adapt food production to a changing climate as well as to unforeseen events (such as a pandemic) are needed, for example, if farmers miss planting times due to abnormal weather patterns or harvests are lost. Such food security considerations represent reasons for why proso millet deserves a more prominent place at the table. It has one of the shortest growing seasons and water requirements among cereals and is already grown in rotation with other crops, for example, in the American Midwest. Yet, most consumers in the Western world are unfamiliar with it, which limits its market potential. Introducing proso millet to consumers requires development of products with acceptable textural and sensory attributes as well as convincing selling points. These can be found in its nutritional profile, as it is a gluten-free "ancient" grain and millet-based products frequently have low glycemic indices. This review presents a synthesis of recent studies that utilized processing strategies to advance proso millet functionality. Results are put into the context of the most frequently addressed compositional and functional attributes, organized in clusters. Diversity across varieties in amylose to amylopectin ratios presents an opportunity to utilize proso millet for foods with specific pasting requirements, as in bread versus pasta. Hydrothermal or pressure treatments may further adapt its functionality for baked goods. Bitterness remains an unsolved issue, even when decorticated material is used. In addition, heating dramatically lowers in vitro protein digestibility, whereas starch digestibility appears to be matrix dependent (more than raw material dependent).