Publications by authors named "Donatella Bianca Maria Ficco"

Cereals are the basis of much of the world's daily diet. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the beneficial properties of wholegrains due to their content of phytochemicals, particularly polyphenols. Despite this, the existing data on polyphenolic composition of cereal-based foods reported in the most comprehensive databases are still not updated.

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Wheats (bread and durum wheats) and their main end-use products (particularly bread and pasta) have an important role in the Mediterranean diet as they substantially contribute to nutrient intake [...

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Cereals are a good source of phenolics and carotenoids with beneficial effects on human health. In this study, a 2-year evaluation was undertaken on grain, wholemeal and refined-flour of two cultivars, one old and one modern, belonging to three cereal species. Wholemeal of selected cultivars for each species was used for biscuit making.

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Durum wheat varieties are important sources of nutrients and provide remarkable amounts of phytochemicals. Especially, phenolics, which are mostly located in external layers of grains, have recently gained increased interest due to their high antioxidant power. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in the quality traits and phenolic compounds' concentration (e.

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The enrichment of semolina bread with prebiotic ingredients such as β-glucans may exert health-promoting effects. This work presents the results of a general recipe development aimed at improving the nutritional value of bakery products. In this study, increasing amounts (0%, 2%, 5%, 7%, and 10%) of thin bran or barley flour were added into re-milled durum wheat semolina to prepare breads.

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Background: Rapid reductions in emissions from fossil fuel burning are needed to curb global climate change. Biofuel production from crop residues can contribute to reducing the energy crisis and environmental deterioration. Wheat is a renewable source for biofuels owing to the low cost and high availability of its residues.

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Specialized plant metabolites (SPMs), traditionally referred to as 'secondary metabolites', are chemical compounds involved in a broad range of biological functions, including plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Moreover, some of them have a role in end-product quality with potential health benefits in humans. For this reason, they became an important target of studies focusing on their mechanisms of action and use in crop breeding and management.

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Old wheat genotypes are perceived by consumers as healthier than modern ones. The release of gluten peptides with in vitro digestion and the content of potentially prebiotic carbohydrates (i.e.

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The aim of this study was to develop fortified breads of durum wheat semolina (DW) partially substituted at 10%, 15%, 20% and 30% with white sorghum or yellow pea wholemeal flours (WS, YP, respectively) or using wholemeal flour from a natural mixture of rye and durum wheat (RDW). The physico-chemical composition of the raw materials, rheological properties of dough, the bread quality characteristics, glycaemic index and sensory quality of bread were examined. Compared to 100% DW, 100% YP had twice the protein levels, RDW had almost three times the dietary fibre, while the colorimetric indices for WS and YP flour addition showed increased redness (for RDW) and similar yellowness (for YP).

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Smell and aroma are important determinants of consumer acceptance, so gaining deeper insight into bread smell and aroma perception is a research goal. Sixteen combinations of four variables were investigated, to evaluate the contributions of bread chemical and rheological properties and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) towards sensory acceptability of breads: genotypes (landrace vs. modern); types of flour (wholemeal vs.

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Two field experiments were conducted over three growing seasons (2006-07, 2008-09 and 2009-10) to evaluate Se-enriched pasta through foliar fertilization at various rates and timing of application on 4 durum wheat varieties. Our findings confirm the effectiveness of foliar Se fertilization to increase Se concentrations in durum wheat grain, even at high Se rates (120gSeha(-1)). Se fortification was significant across different genotypes, with greater Se accumulation in landraces ('Timilia') and obsolete varieties ('Cappelli'), with respect to modern varieties.

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In this work the effect of bran addition (5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %) on sensory, nutritional and mechanical properties of bread made from a durum wheat semolina enriched with selenium (cultivar PR22D89) was addressed; traditional and whole-meal bread from the same cultivar PR22D89, without any further bran addition, were also investigated for comparative purpose. In order to improve the durum wheat functional bread, different structuring agents (agar agar, gellan gum, guar seed flour, hydroxy-propyl-cellulose, modified food starch-CAPSUL® and tapioca starch) were firstly screened and then optimized. Sensory, textural and nutritional properties of bread were studied in each step.

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In this study, the effects of different milling procedures (roller-milling vs. stone-milling) and pasta processing (fresh vs. dried spaghetti), and cooking on the antioxidant components and sensory properties of purple durum wheat were investigated.

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The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop species due to adaptation to cultivation and to the needs of farmers. To investigate the phenotypic architecture of shoot- and root-related traits and quantify the impact of primary and secondary domestication, we examined a collection of 36 wheat genotypes under optimal and nitrogen-starvation conditions. These represented three taxa that correspond to key steps in the recent evolution of tetraploid wheat (i.

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