Variation in the Content and Composition of Tocols in a Wheat Population.

Wheat is a well-known source of B vitamins but also contains significant amounts of vitamin E and related tocols, which have a number of positive health benefits. However, there are no reports on increasing the tocol content of wheat. A prerequisite for increasing the tocol content is the identification of variation in its amount within wheat and related cereals.

A novel approach to the characterization of old wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties by complex rheological analysis.

Background: Lines of the internationally recognized old Hungarian Bánkúti 1201 variety are important genetic resources for breeding programmes. Their protein composition and gluten dependent technological traits have been comprehensively studied, however, little information is available about their carbohydrate dependent viscous properties. The aim of this work was to obtain comprehensive rheological characterization of all sublines of Bánkúti 1201 maintained at Martonvásár and to investigate their variability if the carbohydrate dependent viscous behaviour was also included in the analyses.

Stability analysis of wheat lines with increased level of arabinoxylan.

Plant breeders have long sought to develop lines that combine outstanding performance with high and stable quality in different environments. The high-arabinoxylan (AX) Chinese variety Yumai-34 was crossed with three Central European wheat varieties (Lupus, Mv-Mambo, Ukrainka) and 31 selected high-AX lines were compared for physical (hectolitre weight, thousand grain weight, flour yield), compositional (protein content, gluten content, pentosan) and processing quality traits (gluten index, Zeleny sedimentation, Farinograph parameters) in a three-year experiment (2013-2015) in the F7-F9 generations. The stability and heritability of different traits, including the relative effects of the genotype (G) and environment (E), were determined focusing on grain composition.

Identification of a major QTL and associated molecular marker for high arabinoxylan fibre in white wheat flour.

Dietary fibre (DF) has multiple health benefits and wheat grains are major sources of DF for human health. However, DF is depleted in white wheat flour which is more widely consumed than wholegrain. The major DF component in white flour is the cell wall polysaccharide arabinoxylan (AX).

Drought stress affects the protein and dietary fiber content of wholemeal wheat flour in wheat/Aegilops addition lines.

Wild relatives of wheat, such as Aegilops spp. are potential sources of genes conferring tolerance to drought stress. As drought stress affects seed composition, the main goal of the present study was to determine the effects of drought stress on the content and composition of the grain storage protein (gliadin (Gli), glutenin (Glu), unextractable polymeric proteins (UPP%) and dietary fiber (arabinoxylan, β-glucan) components of hexaploid bread wheat (T.

Addition of U and M Chromosomes Affects Protein and Dietary Fiber Content of Wholemeal Wheat Flour.

Cereal grain fiber is an important health-promoting component in the human diet. One option to improve dietary fiber content and composition in wheat is to introduce genes from its wild relatives and . This study showed that the addition of chromosomes 2U, 4U, 5U, 7U, 2M, 5M, and 7M of and 3U, 2M, 3M, and 7M of into bread wheat increased the seed protein content.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Yield in Europe: Allelic Effects Vary with Drought and Heat Scenarios.

Assessing the genetic variability of plant performance under heat and drought scenarios can contribute to reduce the negative effects of climate change. We propose here an approach that consisted of (1) clustering time courses of environmental variables simulated by a crop model in current (35 years × 55 sites) and future conditions into six scenarios of temperature and water deficit as experienced by maize (Zea mays L.) plants; (2) performing 29 field experiments in contrasting conditions across Europe with 244 maize hybrids; (3) assigning individual experiments to scenarios based on environmental conditions as measured in each field experiment; frequencies of temperature scenarios in our experiments corresponded to future heat scenarios (+5°C); (4) analyzing the genetic variation of plant performance for each environmental scenario.

Differentially penalized regression to predict agronomic traits from metabolites and markers in wheat.

Background: Genomic prediction of agronomic traits as targets for selection in plant breeding programmes is increasingly common. The methods employed can also be applied to predict traits from other sources of covariates, such as metabolomics. However, prediction combining sets of covariates can be less accurate than using the best of the individual sets.

(1)H-NMR screening for the high-throughput determination of genotype and environmental effects on the content of asparagine in wheat grain.

Free asparagine in cereals is known to be the precursor of acrylamide, a neurotoxic and carcinogenic product formed during cooking processes. Thus, the development of crops with lower asparagine is of considerable interest to growers and the food industry. In this study, we describe the development and application of a rapid (1)H-NMR-based analysis of cereal flour, that is, suitable for quantifying asparagine levels, and hence acrylamide-forming potential, across large numbers of samples.

Allele frequencies in the -, - and - vernalization response and - and - photoperiod sensitivity genes, and their effects on heading in a diverse set of wheat cultivars ( L.).

Heading of cereals is determined by complex genetic and environmental factors in which genes responsible for vernalization and photoperiod sensitivity play a decisive role. Our aim was to use diagnostic molecular markers to determine the main allele types in -, -, -, - and - in a worldwide wheat collection of 683 genotypes and to investigate the effect of these alleles on heading in the field. The dominant -, - and - alleles were present at a low frequency.

Effect of heat and drought stress on the structure and composition of arabinoxylan and β-glucan in wheat grain.

The effects of heat (H), drought (D) and H+D (from 12th day after heading for 15 days) on the dietary fiber content and composition (arabinoxylan (AX) and β-glucan) of three winter wheat varieties (Plainsman V, Mv Magma and Fatima 2) were determined. Results showed that H and D stress decreased the TKW, the β-glucan contents of the seeds and the quantity of the DP3+DP4 units, while the protein and AX contents increased. The highest amounts of AX and proteins were in the H+D stressed samples with heat stress also increasing the water extractability (WE) of the AX.

Natural variation in grain composition of wheat and related cereals.

The wheat grain comprises three groups of major components, starch, protein, and cell wall polysaccharides (dietary fiber), and a range of minor components that may confer benefits to human health. Detailed analyses of dietary fiber and other bioactive components were carried out under the EU FP6 HEALTHGRAIN program on 150 bread wheat lines grown on a single site, 50 lines of other wheat species and other cereals grown on the same site, and 23-26 bread wheat lines grown in six environments. Principal component analysis allowed the 150 bread wheat lines to be classified on the basis of differences in their contents of bioactive components and wheat species (bread, durum, spelt, emmer, and einkorn wheats) to be clearly separated from related cereals (barley, rye, and oats).

Contents of dietary fibre components and their relation to associated bioactive components in whole grain wheat samples from the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen.

A large and diverse material collection of whole grain wheat samples (n=129) was analysed for total dietary fibre (TDF) content and composition, including fructan (11.5-15.5%).

FR-H3: a new QTL to assist in the development of fall-sown barley with superior low temperature tolerance.

Fall-sown barley will be increasingly important in the era of climate change due to higher yield potential and efficient use of water resources. Resistance/tolerance to abiotic stresses will be critical, and foremost among the abiotic stresses is low temperature. Simultaneous gene discovery and breeding will accelerate the development of agronomically relevant fall-sown barley germplasm with resistance to low temperature.

Effects of genotype and environment on the contents of betaine, choline, and trigonelline in cereal grains.

This study examined the environmental and genetic variation in methyl donor contents and compositions of 200 cereal genotypes. Glycine betaine, choline, and trigonelline contents were determined by (1)H NMR, and significant differences were observed between cereal types (G) and across harvesting years and growing locations (E). Glycine betaine was the most abundant methyl donor in all of the 200 lines grown on a single site, and concentrations ranged from 0.

Postprandial glycemia, insulinemia, and satiety responses in healthy subjects after whole grain rye bread made from different rye varieties. 1.

Rye products typically induce low insulin responses and appear to facilitate glucose regulation. The objective of this study was to investigate differences in postprandial glucose, insulin, and satiety responses between breads made from five rye varieties. Breads made from whole grain rye (Amilo, Rekrut, Dankowski Zlote, Nikita, and Haute Loire Pop) or a white wheat bread (WWB) were tested in a randomized cross-over design in 14 healthy subjects (50 g available starch).

Genotype and environment effects on the contents of vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6 in wheat grain.

The total contents of thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (B2), and pyridoxine (B6) and the bioavailable forms of niacin (B3) were determined on wholemeal flours of 24 winter wheat varieties grown on four sites (United Kingdom, Poland, France, and Hungary) in 2007 and of two spring varieties grown on the same sites with the exception of Poland. The contents of vitamins B1 (5.53-13.

Spectroscopic analysis of diversity of Arabinoxylan structures in endosperm cell walls of wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum) in the HEALTHGRAIN diversity collection.

Fifty bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars were selected from the HEALTHGRAIN germplasm collection based on variation in their contents of total and water-extractable arabinoxylan. FT-IR spectroscopic mapping of thin transverse sections of grain showed variation in cell wall arabinoxylan composition between the cultivars, from consisting almost entirely of low-substituted arabinoxylan (e.

Relationship between the contents of bioactive components in grain and the release dates of wheat lines in the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen.

The EU FP6 HEALTHGRAIN has generated an extensive database on the contents of phytochemicals (alkylresorcinols, tocols, sterols, phenolic acids, folates) and dietary fiber components in the grain of wheat, including analyses of 150 lines grown on a single site in Hungary in 2005 and a smaller set of lines grown under five (three lines) or six (23 lines) different environments (in Hungary in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and in France, Poland, and the United Kingdom in 2007). The lines analyzed included land races and varieties bred between the mid-19th and early 21st centuries. These results have been analyzed to determine whether the contents of these groups of bioactive components in the grain have decreased with the development of intensive plant breeding in the second part of the 20th century.

Combined meta-genomics analyses unravel candidate genes for the grain dietary fiber content in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Grain dietary fiber content in wheat not only affects its end use and technological properties including milling, baking and animal feed but is also of great importance for health benefits. In this study, integration of association genetics (seven detected loci on chromosomes 1B, 3A, 3D, 5B, 6B, 7A, 7B) and meta-QTL (three consensus QTL on chromosomes 1B, 3D and 6B) analyses allowed the identification of seven chromosomal regions underlying grain dietary fiber content in bread wheat. Based either on a diversity panel or on bi-parental populations, we clearly demonstrate that this trait is mainly driven by a major locus located on chromosome 1B associated with a log of p value >13 and a LOD score >8, respectively.

Variability in xylanase and xylanase inhibition activities in different cereals in the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen and contribution of environment and genotype to this variability in common wheat.

Endo-1,4-beta-d-xylanases (EC 3.2.1.

Environment and genotype effects on the content of dietary fiber and its components in wheat in the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen.

Within the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen, the variability of the contents of dietary fiber (DF) and components thereof was studied in wheat. Furthermore, the contribution of genotype and environment to this variability was estimated. The levels of total DF (TDF), total nonstarch polysaccharide (TOTNSP), water-extractable nonstarch polysaccharide (WENSP), total arabinoxylan (TOTAX), lignin, and beta-glucan in whole meal, flour, and/or bran varied approximately 1.

Effects of genotype and environment on the content and composition of phytochemicals and dietary fiber components in rye in the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen.

The effects of genotype and environment on the content of bioactive components in rye were determined with four varieties being grown on one site for three years and on three additional sites in the third year and a fourth variety being included in all trials except year 1. Clear differences were observed in the extent to which the contents of dietary fiber components (arabinoxylan, beta-glucan, total dietary fiber) and phytochemicals (folates, alkylresorcinols, sterols, tocols, phenolic acids) varied between varieties and between the same varieties grown in different sites (United Kingdom, France, Hungary, Poland) and years (2005-2007 in Hungary), with sterols being the most stable and phenolic acids the least. However, no single variety could be selected as having the highest overall level of bioactive components or as being more stable in comparison across environments.

The HEALTHGRAIN wheat diversity screen: effects of genotype and environment on phytochemicals and dietary fiber components.

Analysis of the contents of bioactive components (tocols, sterols, alkylresorcinols, folates, phenolic acids, and fiber components) in 26 wheat cultivars grown in six site x year combinations showed that the extent of variation due to variety and environment differed significantly between components. The total contents of tocols, sterols, and arabinoxylan fiber were highly heritable and hence an appropriate target for plant breeding. However, significant correlations between the contents of bioactive components and environmental factors (precipitation and temperature) during grain development also occurred, with even highly heritable components differing in amount between grain samples grown in different years on different sites.

Free amino acids and sugars in rye grain: implications for acrylamide formation.

Acrylamide forms from free asparagine and sugars during cooking, and products derived from the grain of cereals, including rye, contribute a large proportion of total dietary intake. In this study, free amino acid and sugar concentrations were measured in the grain of a range of rye varieties grown at locations in Hungary, France, Poland, and the United Kingdom and harvested in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Genetic and environmental (location and harvest year) effects on the levels of acrylamide precursors were assessed.