Production of innovative gluten-free breakfast cereals based on red and black rice by extrusion processing technology.

The transformation of black and red, broken or not, whole rice grains, into breakfast cereals is an interesting way to add value to these snacks for some reasons. Firstly, broken kernels hardly achieve a high market value; whole rice is healthy not only for their nutrient contents but also for their phytochemical profile, rich in phenolic compounds; breakfast cereals from pigmented rice are colored by themselves, and any additional colorant is unneeded; finally, rice is naturally gluten-free and suitable for those with conditions like celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. The objective of this study was to optimize some extrusion parameters that account for the physicochemical properties of extrudates by using response surface methodology.

Functional foods for coronary heart disease risk reduction: a meta-analysis using a multivariate approach.

Background: It has been difficult to identify the appropriate bioactive substance for the development of new functional foods associated with coronary heart disease, because the results of many clinical studies are contradictory.

Objective: The objective of this study was to use the multivariate statistical approach known as principal component analysis (PCA) followed by a mixed model to process data obtained from a meta-analysis aimed at evaluating simultaneously the effect of ingestion of 1 of 3 types of bioactive substances (n-3 fatty acids, soluble fibers, and phytosterols) on 1 or more of 4 biomarkers (plasma total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol).

Design: Five independent variables (number of patients per study, dose, age, body mass index, and treatment length) and 4 dependent variables (percentage change in blood total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triacylglycerol) from 159 studies and substudies were organized into a matrix.

Effect of harvesting and drying conditions on chlorophyll levels of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr).

Chlorophyll in soybean represents a downgrading factor for the crops. Five Brazilian cultivars were harvested between R(6) and R(8) stage of development (Fehr & Caviness scale) and dried at 25 degrees and 40 degrees C. The effect of maturity stages and two drying conditions after harvest were studied to achieve reduction of moisture and chlorophylls to acceptable levels.

Relationship between color (instrumental and visual) and chlorophyll contents in soybean seeds during ripening.

The correlation between chlorophyll content and quantitative color parameters was investigated in order to find an indirect method for predicting green pigment in ripening soybean seeds. Five Brazilian soybean varieties harvested at different maturity stages (R(6) to R(8) according to the scale of Fehr & Caviness) and dried under two conditions (in oven at 40 degrees C with circulating air and at ambient temperature around 25 degrees C) were analyzed in two consecutive years. The slow-dried seeds at 25 degrees C lost chlorophyll faster, whereas drying at 40 degrees C did not result in yellowing of seeds.