Incorporation of pea peel powder: Effect on dough quality, physical properties and shelf life of the cookies.

The present study was conducted to utilize the commonly discarded pea processing industrial waste (pea pods) for the development of popularly consumed food as cookies. Sweet and salted cookies were prepared by substituting refined and whole wheat flour with pea pod powder at the levels of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The effect of incorporation of pea pod powder on pasting properties of flour, dough characteristics, physical properties and organoleptic attributes of cookies was studied. With the increase in the level of incorporation of pea peel to wheat flour, water absorption capacity increases by 11-14% and dough development time by 1.8 to 2.3 min but decreased final viscosity by 39-49% and dough stability time by 3 min. Addition of pea peel powder to wheat flour improved the physical properties of cookies. On the basis of organoleptic score and physical properties, 10% substitution of whole wheat flour with pea peel powder was accepted. Addition of 10% pea peel powder to the cookies increased fiber content by 49%, insoluble fiber by 118% and soluble fiber by 77.5%. The optimized sweet and salty cookies were packed in different packaging materials and were stored at ambient conditions for 4 months. Cookies packed in aluminum laminate had shelf life beyond 4 months than other packaging materials. The cookies were organoleptically acceptable among the consumers and were rich in fiber. Thus, pea processing waste could be utilized as an ingredient for the development of nutritionally enriched cheap food products. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05780-6.

Pyramiding of genes for grain protein content, grain quality, and rust resistance in eleven Indian bread wheat cultivars: a multi-institutional effort.

Improvement of grain protein content (GPC), loaf volume, and resistance to rusts was achieved in 11 Indian wheat cultivars that are widely grown in four different agro-climatic zones of India. This involved use of marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB) for introgression and pyramiding of the following genes: (i) the high GPC gene Gpc-B1; (ii) HMW glutenin subunits 5 + 10 at Glu-D1 loci, and (iii) rust resistance genes, Yr36, Yr15, Lr24, and Sr24. GPC increased by 0.8 to 3.3%, although high GPC was generally associated with yield penalty. Further selection among high GPC lines allowed identification of progenies with higher GPC associated with improvement in 1000-grain weight and grain yield in the backgrounds of the following four cultivars: NI5439, UP2338, UP2382, and HUW468. The high GPC progenies (derived from NI5439) were also improved for grain quality using HMW glutenin subunits 5 + 10 at Glu-D1 loci. Similarly, progenies combining high GPC and rust resistance were obtained in the backgrounds of following five cultivars: Lok1, HD2967, PBW550, PBW621, and DBW1. The improved pre-bred lines developed following multi-institutional effort should prove a valuable source for the development of cultivars with improved nutritional quality and rust resistance in the ongoing wheat breeding programmes. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-022-01277-w.

High acid invertase activity for a prolonged period in developing seeds/podwall of wild chickpea is detrimental to seed filling.

In the present study factors responsible for low seed biomass in wild Cicer species has been investigated. Cicer judaicum and chickpea cultivar PBG-1 were investigated to compare activities of some enzymes involved in carbon metabolism in podwall and seeds during crop development. Seed filling duration in wild species was about 15 days shorter than that of cultivated varieties due to rapid loss of moisture content and hence resulted in earlier maturity and reduced seed biomass. Longer seed filling duration appeared to be an important factor responsible for greater biomass of chickpea seeds. Because of absence of phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase from 25-35 days after flowering and low sucrose synthase activities, the podwall of C. judaicum is not in a position to contribute significantly to the sink filling capacity of seeds. High acid invertase, low sucrose synthase activities during seed storage phase cause detrimental effect on seed filling and resulting in highly reduced sink strength and productivity of wild species. Successful transfer of stress tolerance from wild Cicer species to chickpea cultivars need to prevent the transfer of these observed unfavourable biochemical factors so that the productivity of chickpea crop remains unaffected during utilization of wild Cicer species in chickpea improvement.

Role of tryptophan content in determining gluten quality and wheat grain characteristics.

Gluten protein makes 75-80% of the wheat protein and is of utmost importance because of its unique visco-elastic properties which have significant role in development of various food products especially the baked ones. The quality of gluten protein is determined by its subunit (glutenin and gliadin) number and composition. To determine the effect of amino acid tryptophan on gluten strength and other quality parameters, a set of 34 bread wheat genotypes consisting of 19 lines and 15 checks were estimated in the present study. As per the results obtained in this study, tryptophan, although present in low amounts in gluten, accorded positively with gluten strength. The study also highlights the relation between wheat grain protein, gluten strength and tryptophan content.

Assessment of nutritional and quality traits in biofortified bread wheat genotypes.

Cereal crops are the rich source of nutritional components that play an important role in micronutrient malnutrition. Biofortification is one of the most successful approaches to enhance the level of micronutrients, mainly targeted in bread wheat. Bread wheat is one of main sources of calories and proteins in the developing countries. In the present study, 50 bread wheat genotypes characterized for the zinc and iron content, the most important micronutrients. On the basis of the results, the nineteen genotypes were selected and evaluated for biochemical as well as quality parameters. The protein content, gluten quantity and quality found to be reduced in high zinc containing genotypes, whereas the total soluble sugars, total carotenoids, proline and grain hardness found to be in positive relation with high micronutrient content. These results could be useful to generate bread wheat varieties rich in micronutrients as well as better nutritional and quality traits.

Digging deep into diabetes: achieving better glycemic control in diabetic patients in a resident-run clinic.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects over 30 million Americans with an estimated annual cost of $327 billion in 2017. Patients with diabetes, especially with financial and/or social hardships, pose challenges in achieving target hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values. Understanding patient-specific barriers offer opportunities to improve outcomes in patient care. Objective: We aimed to improve a patient's glycemic control by reducing barriers to care. Furthermore, we evaluated the impact that a resident quality improvement effort had on providing high value diabetic care. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with HbA1c >9.0% in an underserved, resident-run clinic. Patients were surveyed on their knowledge of diabetes and reported obstacles to achieve diabetic control. We then implemented a 12 -month customized, patient-directed, multi-modal, multidisciplinary intervention. Results: Ninety-four patients with HbA1c >9.0% were identified, 65 surveyed, and 51 included in the intervention phase. After the intervention phase, re-evaluation of HbA1c in a paired sample comparison showed that the average HbA1c had decreased by 1.41% (11.28% vs. 9.87%, p < 0.01). Among the patients included in the intervention group, approximately 8% had their HbA1c reduced by ≥50% from their baseline, 23% had their HbA1c reduced by ≥25% from their baseline and 49% had their HbA1c reduced by ≥10% from their baseline. Conclusions: A strategically designed, a patient-centered customized intervention can have a positive impact on a patient's diabetic control.