Comprehensive assessment of the anti-obesity effects of highland barley total, insoluble, and soluble dietary fiber through multi-omics analysis.

The impact of different forms of dietary fiber (total, insoluble or soluble) derived from the same source on health remains incompletely understood. In this study, the effects of total, insoluble, and soluble dietary fiber extracted from highland barley (HDF, HIDF, and HSDF) on combating obesity were evaluated and compared. A high-fat diet (HFD) was used to induce obesity in a murine model, followed by gavage administration of HDF, HIDF, or HSDF, and a comprehensive multi-omics approach was utilized to assess and compare the effects of these dietary fibers on obesity-related parameters. The results showed that all three dietary fibers significantly reduced body weight, modified blood lipid profiles, and ameliorated tissue damage in HFD-fed mice. Additionally, 16S rRNA sequencing analysis of mice feces showed that three types of dietary fiber exerted varying degrees of impact on the composition and abundance of gut microbiota while simultaneously promoting the biosynthesis of short-chain fatty acids. Specifically, HDF supplementation remarkably enhanced the abundance of Coprococcus, while HIDF and HSDF supplementation elevated the levels of Akkermansia and Allobaculum, respectively. Transcriptomic and proteomic results suggested the PPAR signaling pathway as a central regulatory mechanism influenced by these fibers. HDF and HIDF were particularly effective in modulating biological processes related to triglyceride and fatty acid metabolism, identifying Abcc3 and Dapk1 as potential targets. Conversely, HSDF primarily affected processes related to membrane lipids, ceramides, and phospholipids metabolism, with Pck1 identified as a potential target. Collectively, HDF, HIDF, and HSDF demonstrated distinct mechanisms in exerting exceptional anti-obesity properties. These insights may inform the development of personalized dietary interventions for obesity.

In-vitro and In Silico Assessment of Anti-inflammation Properties of Saponarin Extracted from Hordeum Vulgare.

BACKGROUND: Hordeum vulgare, commonly known as Barley grass, is a historically significant cultivated plant with profound implications for societies, agricultural sciences, and human nutrition. It has been valued for both sustenance and its potential medicinal properties. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to comprehensively investigate the medicinal properties of Hordeum vulgare, focusing on its potential therapeutic benefits and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, we seek to quantify and compare the phytochemical content of two distinct extracts: Barley Grass Hexane Extract (BGHE) and Barley grass aqueous extract (BGAQ). METHODS: We quantified the phytochemical contents of BGHE and BGAQ and evaluated their anti-inflammatory effects using UV spectroscopy at 560 nm, coupled with the RBC membrane stabilization technique. Subsequently, we conducted in silico studies to assess the in vitro anti-inflammatory potential of Barley grass leaf extracts. RESULTS: Both BGHE and BGAQ demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on inflammation compared to the control group. However, BGHE exhibited superior anti-inflammatory efficacy when compared to BGAQ, suggesting its role as a potential anti-inflammatory agent. In silico studies further supported the anti-inflammatory potential of Barley grass leaf extracts. CONCLUSION: Hordeum vulgare, or Barley grass, offers a wealth of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-acne, and anti-depressant properties. These properties contribute to improved immunity, reduced cardiovascular disorders, and alleviation of fatigue. The distinct extracts, BGHE and BGAQ, both exhibit promising anti-inflammatory capabilities, but BGHE shows better anti-inflammatory activity. This research sheds light on the therapeutic potential of Barley grass, making it a valuable candidate for further exploration in the field of natural medicine.

Assessment of green lentil malt as a substrate for gluten-free beer brewing.

The aim of this study was to analyze whether it is possible to brew beer without using cereals so that the produced beverage could be easily accessible for the population suffering from celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders. Green lentil seeds were malted and then mashed using a congress mashing procedure to assess their advantages and disadvantages in the brewing process. Based on the congress mashing procedure, the mashing process needed to produce beer was developed, and beers were produced from the lentil malts germinated during malting for 96 h, 120 h and 144 h. It was possible to produce beers from the lentil malts; however, they were characterized by a lower alcohol content, lower degree of attenuation and some discrepancies between the concentrations of various volatiles (such as acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, and 1-propanol) compared to the control beer produced from barley malt.

Daily assessment of malting-induced changes in the volatile composition of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.).

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the traditional malting cereal and is primarily used for beverages, whereas rye (Secale cereale L.) is mainly used in baked goods. Conversely, quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a gluten-free pseudocereal, rich in starch and high-quality proteins, and can be used in a similar manner to cereals. The sharp bitterness of unprocessed rye and the earthy aroma of native quinoa interfere with the acceptance and development of food products. Malting of barley is known to improve its processing properties and enhance its sensory quality. Therefore, the effect of germination and kilning on malt quality (e.g., viscosity) as well as the volatile composition of barley, rye, and quinoa were monitored. Moreover, temporal changes on the volatile patterns of rye and quinoa at the different stages of malting were compared to barley. In total, 34 volatile compounds were quantified in the three (pseudo)cereals; the alcohol group dominated in all unprocessed samples, in particular, compounds contributing grassy notes (e.g., hexan-1-ol). These grassy compounds remained abundant during germination, whereas kilning promoted the formation of Maillard reaction volatiles associated with malty and roasted notes. The volatile profiles of kilned barley and quinoa were characterized by high concentrations of the malty Strecker aldehyde, 3-methylbutanal. In contrast, green, floral notes imparted by phenylacetaldehyde remained dominant in rye malt. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the volatile data discriminated the samples into the different stages of malting, confirmed the similarities in the volatile patterns of barley and rye, and indicated clear differences to the quinoa samples. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, the effect of germination and kilning on the chemical and volatile composition of barley, rye, and quinoa was examined. Temporal changes on the volatile patterns of rye and quinoa at different stages of malting were compared to barley. Understanding the differences among the (pseudo)cereals as well as the influence of processing on malt quality and aroma development can help find new food applications.

Rapid assessment of enniatins in barley grains using near infrared spectroscopy and chemometric tools.

Barley is an important crop worldwide, and it can be affected by various fungi, among them Fusarium is one of the most relevant due to the economic losses caused by mycotoxin contamination. Enniantins (ENNs) are one of the emergent group of mycotoxins that have been found in grains around the world. Nowadays, the main analytical tools available to evaluate these contaminants are based on chromatographic techniques that are efficient but time-consuming and expensive. In this context, the present study aimed to assess the performance of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to detect and/or classify the enniatin (ENN) content on barley grains. Sixty samples of barley grains from three different regions of Brazil were investigated and the ENN content determined by UPLC-MS/MS. The levels found were then used to develop multivariate models based on infrared spectral data. The results indicated high incidence off ENN presence in the samples (>70 %) and the PLS-DA model determined by NIR data showed adequate values of sensitivity and sensibility (100 % and 94.2 %, respectively) distinguishing between contaminated and non-contaminated barley samples, demonstrating NIR as a promising tool to monitoring this emergent mycotoxin.

Comparative Quality Assessment of Five Bread Wheat and Five Barley Cultivars Grown in Romania.

Cereals whole grains contain vitamins, phytochemicals, antioxidants, resistant starch, and minerals with potential benefits to human health. The consumption of whole grains is correlated with a lowered risk of the most important chronic diseases, including type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers. This study aimed to characterize and evaluate the content of five cultivars of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and five cultivars of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) obtained by conventional plant breeding using crossing and selection methods. The novelty and the purpose of this research was to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze these ten cultivars from Romania and to show the importance of, and the changes produced by, crossing and selection methods when these are aimed at the physiological or morphological development of the cultivars. Studies based on gluten dosing; spectrophotometry using Bradford, fructan and protein dosing; Kjeldahl protein dosing; GC-MS/MS-protein and amino acid dosing; and identification of protein fractions using polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic method were conducted. This study demonstrates the possibility of developing future cultivars using conventional methods of improvement to modify the content and composition of nutrients to increase their health benefits.

Assessment of biochemical compounds and antioxidant enzyme activity in barley and wheatgrass under water-deficit condition.

Wheatgrass and barley grass are freshly sprouted leaves of wheat and barley seeds and are rich sources of phytochemicals. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of drought stress on the biochemical compounds and antioxidant activities of barley grass and wheatgrass extracts. The grass was cultivated in an organic soil growing medium with different levels of drought stress (a control with 100% water holding capacity (WHC), mild drought stress with 75% WHC, moderate drought stress with 50% WHC, and severe drought stress with 25% WHC) in a growth chamber by controlling temperature (20/15 °C, day/night), light (12/12 h, light/dark; intensity 150 µmol m-2  s-1 with quantum dot light-emitting diodes), and relative humidity (60%) for 7 days. The drought stress showed increased levels of biochemical compounds, especially phenolics, flavonoids, and vitamin C, in both barley grass and wheatgrass extracts. The wheatgrass extracts showed 1.38-1.67 times higher phenolics, flavonoids, and vitamin C contents than the barley grass extracts did. The antioxidant (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity, and nitrite-scavenging activity) and antioxidant enzymes (guaiacol peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione reductase) were the highest under severe drought stress in both barley grass and wheatgrass extracts; and the wheatgrass extracts showed 1.20-5.70 times higher antioxidant enzyme activities than the barley grass extracts did. Proper drought-stress treatment of barley grass and wheatgrass may be a convenient and efficient method to increase biochemical compounds and antioxidants in our diet to exploit the related health benefits. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evaluation of residue management practices on barley residue decomposition.

Optimizing barley (hordeum vulgare L.) production in Idaho and other parts of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) should focus on farm resource management. The effect of post-harvest residue management on barley residue decomposition has not been adequately studied. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of residue placement (surface vs. incorporated), residue size (chopped vs. ground-sieved) and soil type (sand and sandy loam) on barley residue decomposition. A 50-day(d) laboratory incubation experiment was conducted at a temperature of 25°C at the Aberdeen Research and Extension Center, Aberdeen, Idaho, USA. Following the study, a Markov-Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) modeling approach was applied to investigate the first-order decay kinetics of barley residue. An accelerated initial flush of residue carbon(C)-mineralization was measured for the sieved (Day 1) compared to chopped (Day 3 to 5) residues for both surface incorporated applications. The highest evolution of carbon dioxide (CO2)-C of 8.3 g kg-1 dry residue was observed on Day 1 from the incorporated-sieved application for both soils. The highest and lowest amount of cumulative CO2-C released and percentage residue decomposed over 50-d was observed for surface-chopped (107 g kg-1 dry residue and 27%, respectively) and incorporated-sieved (69 g kg-1 dry residue and 18%, respectively) residues, respectively. There were no significant differences in C-mineralization from barley residue based on soil type or its interactions with residue placement and size (p >0.05). The largest decay constant k of 0.0083 d-1 was calculated for surface-chopped residue where the predicted half-life was 80 d, which did not differ from surface sieved or incorporated chopped. In contrast, incorporated-sieved treatments only resulted in a k of 0.0054 d-1 and would need an additional 48 d to decompose 50% of the residue. Future residue decomposition studies under field conditions are warranted to verify the residue C-mineralization and its impact on residue management.

Assessment of phytochemical compounds in functional couscous: Determination of free and bound phenols and alkylresorcinols.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the content of free and bound phenols and alkylresorcinols in functional couscous enriched with barley coarse fraction obtained by air classification. Two different levels of enriched barley flour (20 and 30%) were used for the formulation of couscous and they were compared with a control couscous made with 100% of semolina. HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS was used to determine the phenolic composition in couscous samples. Total free phenolic compounds content in control couscous was 182 µg/100 g d.m. This amount increases significantly when coarse barley flour is added reaching value of 2273 µg/100 g d.m. and 2978 µg/100 g d.m. when 20 and 30% of barley coarse fraction was used, respectively. Moreover, the main free phenolic compounds in enriched barley samples are represented by flavan-3-ols. Bound phenols ranged from 5242 µg/100 g d.m. for control couscous to 27,092 µg/100 g d.m. for couscous with 30% of barley coarse fraction with a strong prevalence of phenolic acids. Finally, regarding alkylresorcinol compounds, they ranged from 1.01 mg/g d.m. for control couscous to 2.46 mg/g d.m. for couscous with 30% of barley coarse fraction. In conclusion, on the basis of obtained results, barley coarse fraction can be considered a good ingredient to develop functional couscous naturally enriched of phenolic compounds and alkylresorcinols.

Assessment of the Phenolic Profiles, Hypoglycemic Activity, and Molecular Mechanism of Different Highland Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Varieties.

The phenolic profiles, hypoglycemic activity, and molecular mechanism of the effect on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) of four highland barley varieties were investigated in the present study. The fundamental phenolics in highland barley were ferulic acid, naringin, and catechin, which mainly existed in bound form. These varieties showed favorable hypoglycemic activity via inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities, enhancement of glucose consumption, glycogen accumulation and glycogen synthase 2 (GYS2) activity, and down-regulation of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) activities. Specifically, ZQ320 variety exhibited the strongest hypoglycemic activity compared to the other varieties. Highland barley phenolics could inhibit gluconeogenesis and motivate glycogen synthesis via down-regulating the gene expression of G6Pase, PEPCK, and glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß), while activating the expression of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), serine/threonine kinase (Akt), GYS2, and glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4). Therefore, phenolics from highland barley could be served as suitable candidates for therapeutic agent in T2DM to improve human health.

Assessment of ß-glucans, phenols, flavor and volatile profiles of hulless barley wine originating from highland areas of China.

Low alcohol hulless barley wine (HW) is a popular beverage among the highland areas in China. It is known to have several health benefits due to the presence of ß-glucan and antioxidant compounds. Therefore, the total ß-glucan content, total phenols and flavonoids of HW samples from the highland areas of Sichuan province and Tibet were determined in this study. The results indicated that HW is abundant in both ß-glucan (54-76 mg/L) and phenolic compounds (131-178 mg/L). Moreover, this study also investigated the flavor and aroma characteristics of HW samples. A total of forty six volatile aroma substances were identified by GC-MS. The HWs could be classified into three distinct groups in terms of the region of origin according to the results of PCA based on the GC-MS data. These findings provide a useful foundation for further study of the health benefits and the flavor characteristics of HW in highland areas.

Assessment of Toxigenic Fusarium Species and Their Mycotoxins in Brewing Barley Grains.

Fusarium species threaten yield and quality of cereals worldwide due to their ability to produce mycotoxins and cause plant diseases. Trichothecenes and zearalenone are the most economically significant mycotoxins and are of particular concern in barley, maize and wheat. For this reason, the aim of this study was to characterize the Fusarium isolates from brewing barley and to assess deoxynivalenol and zearalenone contamination in grains. Characterization of the Fusarium strains was carried out by the phylogeny based on two loci (EF-1α and RPB2). Mycotoxin detection and quantification were performed by LC-MS. The results show that Fusarium was the predominant genus. Phylogenetic study demonstrated that the majority of the strains clustered within the Fusarium sambucinum species complex followed by the Fusarium tricinctum species complex. The results revealed high incidence of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) contamination (90.6% and 87.5%, respectively). It was observed that 86% of the samples contaminated with ZEA were above the limits set by the EU and Brazilian regulations. These results may highlight the importance of controlling Fusarium toxins in barley, mainly because of its use in the brewing industry and the resistance of various mycotoxins to food processing treatments.

Assessment of Effects of the Long-Term Exposure of Agricultural Crops to Carbon Nanotubes.

Carbon-based nanoparticles (CBNs) are nanomaterials that have been shown to be plant growth regulators. Here, we investigated the effects of long-term exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the growth of three important crops (barley, soybean, and corn). The tested species were cultivated in hydroponics supplemented with 50 µg/mL MWCNTs. After 20 weeks of continuous exposure to the nanomaterials, no significant toxic effects on plant development were observed. Several positive phenotypical changes were recorded, in addition to the enhancement of photosynthesis in MWCNT-exposed crops. Raman spectroscopy with point-by-point mapping proved that the MWCNTs in the hydroponic solution moved into all tested species and were distributed in analyzed organs (leaves, stems, roots, and seeds). Our results confirmed the significant potential of CBN in plant agriculture. However, the documented presence of MWCNTs in different organs of all exposed crops highlighted the importance of detailed risk assessment of nanocontaminated plants moving into the food chain.

Effects of tillage practice on soil structure, N2O emissions and economics in cereal production under current socio-economic conditions in central Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Conservation tillage is expected to have a positive effect on soil physical properties, soil Carbon (C) storage, while reducing fuel, labour and machinery costs. However, reduced tillage could increase soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and offset the expected gains from increased C sequestration. To date, conservation tillage is barely practiced or studied in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH). Here, we report a field study on the short-term effects of reduced (RT) and no tillage (NT) on N2O emission dynamics, yield-scaled N2O emissions, soil structure and the economics of cereal production, as compared with conventional tillage (CT). The field experiment was conducted in the Sarajevo region on a clayey loam under typical climatic conditions for humid, continental BH. N2O emissions were monitored in a Maize-Barley rotation over two cropping seasons. Soil structure was studied at the end of the second season. In the much wetter 2014, N2O emission were in the order of CT > RT > NT, while in the drier 2015, the order was RT > CT > NT. The emission factors were within or slightly above the uncertainty range of the IPCC Tier 1 factor, if taking account for the N input from the cover crop (alfalfa) preceding the first experimental year. Saturated soils in spring, formation of soil crusts and occasional droughts adversely affected yields, particularly in the second year (barley). In 2014, yield-scaled N2O emissions ranged from 83.2 to 161.7 g N Mg-1 grain (corn) but were much greater in the second year due to crop failure (barley). RT had the smallest yield-scaled N2O emission in both years. NT resulted in economically inacceptable returns, due to the increased costs of weed control and low yields in both years. The reduced number of operations in RT reduced production costs and generated positive net returns. Therefore, RT could potentially provide agronomic and environmental benefits in crop production in BH.

Extraction and Isolation of ß-Glucan from Grain Sources-A Review.

A collective report on the extraction and isolation of ß-glucan from grain sources, namely, oat, barley, and wheat is presented. An analysis on the effect of medium, pH, and temperature on the purity and yield of the ß-glucan derived under acidic/alkaline/aqueous/enzymatic conditions is also made. Water extraction and alkali extraction processes are preferred as the yield and recovery of extracted ß-glucan were good. Cost-effective development of the process for deriving high molecular weight ß-glucan is the current requirement for its wide applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of ß-d-glucan from hull-less barley: Assessment of physicochemical and functional properties.

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method on physicochemical and molecular properties of hull-less barley ß-d-glucan. With increasing sonication time, ß-d-glucan flow behavior index (n) and its extraction yield significantly increased while its consistency coefficient and lightness decreased. Sonication time had no significant effect on ß-d-glucan purity, emulsion and foam stabilizing effect and colour. Increasing pH from 5 to 9 significantly enhanced extraction yield, purity, consistency coefficient (k), emulsion stabilizing effect and yellowness of the final product. At higher pHs, flow behavior index (n) and redness and yellowness decreased. With increasing the amplitude, extracted ß-d-glucan flow behavior index (n), redness significantly increased. In contrast, ß-d-glucan purity, emulsion stability, consistency coefficient (k) and yellowness decreased as a result of increase in sound amplitude. However, sound amplitude had no significant effect on ß-d-glucan lightness. Models presented in this study were highly significant and the correlation coefficient could be used for optimization of ß-d-glucan extraction from hull-less barley. Considering the importance and desirability of the response variables, the best results were obtained when the sonication time, amplitude and pH were 4.8min, 50% and 9, respectively. ß-d-Glucans extracted by UAE had lower average molecular weight compared to those extracted by water extraction method. There was no difference between the chemical structures of ß-d-glucans extracted by UAE and conventional method. This means that short time ultrasonic extraction had no effect on chemical structure of ß-d-glucan. These results indicate that UAE method was a very effective tool for extraction of ß-d-glucan as a potential hydrocolloid agent for food industries.

Gluten-containing grains skew gluten assessment in oats due to sample grind non-homogeneity.

Oats are easily contaminated with gluten-rich kernels of wheat, rye and barley. These contaminants are like gluten 'pills', shown here to skew gluten analysis results. Using R-Biopharm R5 ELISA, we quantified gluten in gluten-free oatmeal servings from an in-market survey. For samples with a 5-20ppm reading on a first test, replicate analyses provided results ranging <5ppm to >160ppm. This suggests sample grinding may inadequately disperse gluten to allow a single accurate gluten assessment. To ascertain this, and characterize the distribution of 0.25-g gluten test results for kernel contaminated oats, twelve 50g samples of pure oats, each spiked with a wheat kernel, showed that 0.25g test results followed log-normal-like distributions. With this, we estimate probabilities of mis-assessment for a 'single measure/sample' relative to the <20ppm regulatory threshold, and derive an equation relating the probability of mis-assessment to sample average gluten content.

Intake and sources of gluten in 20- to 75-year-old Danish adults: a national dietary survey.

PURPOSE: Celiac disease, an immunological response triggered by gluten, affects ~1 % of the Western population. Information concerning gluten intake in the general population is scarce. We determined intake of gluten from wheat, barley, rye and oat in the Danish National Survey of Diet and Physical Activity 2005-2008. The study population comprised a random cross-sectional sample of 1494 adults 20-75 years, selected from the Danish Civil Registration System. METHODS: Protein content in wheat, rye, barley and oat was determined from the National Danish Food Composition Table and multiplied with the amount of cereal used in recipes. Amount of gluten was calculated as amount of cereal protein ×0.80 for wheat and oat, ×0.65 for rye and ×0.50 for barley. Dietary intake was recorded daily during seven consecutive days in pre-coded food diaries with open-answer possibilities. RESULTS: Mean total gluten intake was 10.4 ± 4.4 g/day (10th-90th percentiles; 5.4-16.2 g/day), in men 12.0 ± 4.6 g/day and 9.0 ± 3.4 g/day in women. It was higher among men than among women in all age groups (20-75 years; P < 0.0001); however, this difference was eliminated when adjusting for energy intake. Intake of different gluten sources tended to be higher in men than in women with the exception of gluten from barley. Total gluten intake decreased with increasing age (P < 0.0001) as did gluten intake from wheat (P < 0.0001), whereas intake of gluten from rye (P < 0.0001) and barley (P = 0.001) increased with increasing age, also when adjusted for energy intake or body weight. CONCLUSION: This study presents representative population-based data on gluten intake in Danish adults. Total gluten intake decreased with increasing age.

Metabolomic analysis can detect the composition of pasta enriched with fibre after cooking.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated that metabolomics has a definite place in food quality, nutritional value, and safety issues. The aim of the present study was to determine and compare the metabolites in different pasta samples with fibre, and to investigate the modifications induced in these different kinds of pasta during cooking, using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach. RESULTS: Differences were seen for some of the amino acids, which were absent in control pasta, while were present both in the commercially available high-fibre pasta (samples A-C) and the enriched pasta (samples D-F). The highest content in reducing sugars was observed in enriched samples in comparison with high-fibre pasta. The presence of stigmasterol in samples enriched with wheat bran was relevant. Cooking decreased all of the metabolites: the high-fibre pasta (A-C) and Control showed losses of amino acids and tocopherols, while for sugars and organic acids, the decrease depended on the pasta sample. The enriched pasta samples (D-F) showed the same decreases with the exception of phytosterols, and in pasta with barley the decrease of saturated fatty acids was not significant as for tocopherols in pasta with oat. Principal component analysis of the metabolites and the pasta discrimination was effective in differentiating the enriched pasta from the commercial pasta, both uncooked and cooked. CONCLUSIONS: The study has established that such metabolomic analyses provide useful tools in the evaluation of the changes in nutritional compounds in high-fibre and enriched pasta, both before and after cooking. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Multiplex liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the detection of wheat, oat, barley and rye prolamins towards the assessment of gluten-free product safety.

Celiac patients should feel confident in the safety of foods labelled or expected to be gluten-free. In this context, a targeted proteomic approach based on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) technique was proposed to assess the presence of celiotoxic cereals, namely wheat, oats, barley and rye, in raw and processed food products. To this aim, unique marker peptides were properly selected in order to distinguish between the different cereal types. A revised cocktail solution based on reducing and denaturing agents was exploited for prolamin extraction from raw and processed food; in addition, defatting with hexane was carried out for sample clean-up, allowing to largely reduce problems related to matrix effect. Method validation on fortified rice flour showed good analytical performance in terms of sensitivity (limits of detection in the 2-18 mg kg(-1) range). However, poor trueness was calculated for self-made incurred bread (between 3 and 30% depending on the peptide), probably due to baking processes, which reduce gluten extractability. Thus, it is evident that in the case of processed foods further insights into sample treatment efficiency and reference materials for protein calibration are required to obtain accurate gluten determination. Finally, the developed method was applied for the analysis of market food products, offering the possibility to discriminate among cereals, with good agreement with labelled ingredients for gluten-containing foodstuffs.