Barley Grain Proteome Assessment Using Multi-Environment Trial Data and Machine Learning.

Proteomics can be used to assess individual protein abundances, which could reflect genotypic and environmental effects and potentially predict grain/malt quality. In this study, 79 barley grain samples (genotype-location-year combinations) from Californian multi-environment trials (2017-2022) were assessed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In total, 3104 proteins were identified across all of the samples.

Non-invasive exploration of malting barley (Hordeum vulgare) in vitro germination and varietal effects using short wave infrared spectral imaging and ANOVA simultaneous component analysis.

ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis (ASCA) was applied to short-wave infrared spectral fingerprints of 5 malting barley varieties collected using a hyperspectral imaging system to determine the effect of germination, the influence of time and the influence of barley by means of a full factorial experimental design. ASCA indicated that there was a significant (p < 0.0001) effect of the germination status, the germination time and interaction on the spectral data for all varieties.

Environment found to explain the largest variance in physical and compositional traits in malting barley grain.

Background: Starch is the most abundant constituent (dry weight) in the barley endosperm, followed by protein. Variability of compositional and potentially related physical traits due to genotype and environment can have important implications for the malting and brewing industry. This was the first study to assess the effects of genotype, environment, and their interaction (G × E) on endosperm texture, protein content, and starch traits corresponding to granule size, gelatinization, content, and composition, using a multi-environment variety trial in California, USA.

A Review of N-Heterocycles: Mousy Off-Flavor in Sour Beer.

Beer has over 600 flavor compounds and creates a positive tasting experience with acceptable sensory properties, which are essential for the best consumer experience. Spontaneous and mixed-culture fermentation beers, generally classified as sour beers, are gaining popularity compared to typical lager or ale styles, which have dominated in the USA for the last few decades. Unique and acceptable flavor compounds characterize sour beers, but some unfavorable aspects appear in conjunction.

Proteomics and Metabolomics Reveal that an Abundant α-Glucosidase Drives Sorghum Fermentability for Beer Brewing.

Sorghum (), a grass native to Africa, is a popular alternative to barley for brewing beer. The importance of sorghum to beer brewing is increasing because it is a naturally gluten-free cereal, and climate change is expected to cause a reduction in the production of barley over the coming decades. However, there are challenges associated with the use of sorghum instead of barley in beer brewing.

Variation in quality of grains used in malting and brewing.

Cereal grains have been domesticated largely from food grains to feed and malting grains. Barley () remains unparalleled in its success as a primary brewing grain. However, there is renewed interest in "alternative" grains for brewing (and distilling) due to attention being placed on flavor, quality, and health (i.

Effect of processing on the solubility and molecular size of oat β-glucan and consequences for starch digestibility of oat-fortified noodles.

White wheat salted noodles containing oats have a slower digestion rate those without oats, with potential health benefits. Oat β-glucan may play an important role in this. Effects of sheeting and shearing during noodle-making and subsequent cooking on β-glucan concentration, solubility, molecular size and starch digestibility were investigated.

Proteomics reveals commitment to germination in barley seeds is marked by loss of stress response proteins and mobilisation of nutrient reservoirs.

Germination is a critical process in the reproduction and propagation of flowering plants, and is also the key stage of industrial grain malting. Germination commences when seeds are steeped in water, followed by degradation of the endosperm cell walls, enzymatic digestion of starch and proteins to provide nutrients for the growing plant, and emergence of the radicle from the seed. Dormancy is a state where seeds fail to germinate upon steeping, but which prevents inappropriate premature germination of the seeds before harvest from the field.

Late-Maturity Alpha-Amylase in Wheat () and Its Impact on Fresh White Sauce Qualities.

When wheat experiences a cold-temperature 'shock' during the late stage of grain filling, it triggers the abnormal synthesis of late-maturity -amylase (LMA). This increases the enzyme content in affected grain, which can lead to a drastic reduction in falling number (FN). By commercial standards, a low FN is taken as an indication of inferior quality, deemed unsuitable for end-product usage.

Influence of environmental factors on the detection of blood in sheep faeces using visible-near-infrared spectroscopy as a measure of Haemonchus contortus infection.

Background: Existing diagnostic methods for the parasitic gastrointestinal nematode, Haemonchus contortus, are time consuming and require specialised expertise, limiting their utility in the field. A practical, on-farm diagnostic tool could facilitate timely treatment decisions, thereby preventing losses in production and flock welfare. We previously demonstrated the ability of visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy to detect and quantify blood in sheep faeces with high accuracy.

Protein-starch matrix plays a key role in enzymic digestion of high-amylose wheat noodle.

Wheat flour, consisting of a complex matrix of starch and protein, is used as a representative model of whole food here to investigate the binary interaction in relation to amylose level and hydrothermal treatment in noodles as a food exemplar. Noodle made of high-amylose wheat (HAW) flour showed an eight-fold higher resistant starch content, compared to the wild type. Protein removal under simulated intestinal digestion conditions resulted in higher starch digestion rate coefficients in raw and cooked flours.

The contribution of β-glucan and starch fine structure to texture of oat-fortified wheat noodles.

Wheat flour noodles are sometimes fortified with β-glucan for nutritional value, but this can decrease eating quality. The contributions of β-glucan and starch molecular fine structure to physicochemical properties of wholemeal oat flour and to the texture of oat-fortified white salted noodles were investigated here. Hardness of oat-fortified noodles was controlled by the longer amylopectin chains (DP ≥ 26) and amount of longer amylose chains (DP ≥ 1000).

The intrinsic and regulated proteomes of barley seeds in response to fungal infection.

Barley is an important cereal grain used for beer brewing, animal feed, and human food consumption. Fungal disease can impact barley production, as it causes substantial yield loss and lowers seed quality. We used sequential window acquisition of all theoretical ions mass spectrometry (SWATH-MS) to measure and quantify the relative abundance of proteins within seeds of different barley varieties under various fungal pathogen burdens (ProteomeXchange Datasets PXD011303 and PXD014093).

Curcumin-based photosensitization inactivates Aspergillus flavus and reduces aflatoxin B1 in maize kernels.

Different methods have been applied in controlling contamination of foods and feeds by the carcinogenic fungal toxin, aflatoxin, but nevertheless the problem remains pervasive in developing countries. Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound from the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) that has been identified as an efficient photosensitiser for inactivation of Aspergillus flavus conidia.

Molecular brewing: Molecular structural effects involved in barley malting and mashing.

Ten barley samples containing varied protein contents were subject to malting followed by mashing to investigate molecular effects of both barley starch and starch- protein interactions on malting and mashing performances, and the underlying mechanism. Starch granular changes were examined using differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The molecular fine structures of amylose and amylopectin from unmalted and malted grain were obtained using size-exclusion chromatography.

Process Proteomics of Beer Reveals a Dynamic Proteome with Extensive Modifications.

Modern beer production is a complex industrial process. However, some of its biochemical details remain unclear. Using mass spectrometry proteomics, we have performed a global untargeted analysis of the proteins present across time during nanoscale beer production.

The adsorption of α-amylase on barley proteins affects the in vitro digestion of starch in barley flour.

The conversion of barley starch to sugars is a complex enzymic process. Most previous work concerned the biotechnical aspect of in situ barley enzymes. However, the interactions among the macromolecular substrates and their effects on enzymic catalysis has been little examined.

Molecular structures and properties of starches of Australian wild rice.

Australian wild rices have significant genetic differences from domesticated rices, which might provide rices with different starch molecular structure and thus different functional properties. Molecular structure, gelatinization properties, and pasting behaviours of starch of three Australian wild rices (Oryza australiensis, taxa A (O. rufipogon like) and taxa B (O.

Tools for Defusing a Major Global Food and Feed Safety Risk: Nonbiological Postharvest Procedures To Decontaminate Mycotoxins in Foods and Feeds.

Mycotoxin contamination of foods and animal feeds is a worldwide problem for human and animal health. Controlling mycotoxin contamination has drawn the attention of scientists and other food and feed stakeholders all over the world. Despite best efforts targeting field and storage preventive measures, environmental conditions can still lead to mycotoxin contamination.

Relationships between protein content, starch molecular structure and grain size in barley.

Correlations among barley protein, starch molecular structure and grain size were determined using 30 barley samples with variable protein contents. Starch molecular structure was characterized by fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis and by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC, also termed GPC). The chain-length distributions of amylopectin were fitted using a mathematical model reflecting the relative activities of starch branching enzymes and starch synthase enzymes.

In vitro experimental environments lacking or containing soil disparately affect competition experiments of Aspergillus flavus and co-occurring fungi in maize grains.

In vitro experimental environments are used to study interactions between microorganisms, and to predict dynamics in natural ecosystems. This study highlights that experimental in vitro environments should be selected to match closely the natural environment of interest during in vitro studies to strengthen extrapolations about aflatoxin production by Aspergillus and competing organisms. Fungal competition and aflatoxin accumulation were studied in soil, cotton wool or tube (water-only) environments, for Aspergillus flavus competition with Penicillium purpurogenum, Fusarium oxysporum or Sarocladium zeae within maize grains.

Variation in caffeine concentration in single coffee beans.

Twenty-eight coffee samples from around the world were tested for caffeine levels to develop near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations for whole and ground coffee. Twenty-five individual beans from five of those coffees were used to develop a NIRS calibration for caffeine concentration in single beans. An international standard high-performance liquid chromatography method was used to analyze for caffeine content.

Estimating hydrogen cyanide in forage sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a toxic chemical that can potentially cause mild to severe reactions in animals when grazing forage sorghum. Developing technologies to monitor the level of HCN in the growing crop would benefit graziers, so that they can move cattle into paddocks with acceptable levels of HCN. In this study, we developed near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations to estimate HCN in forage sorghum and hay.