Genetic Background Negates Improvements in Rice Flour Characteristics and Food Processing Properties Caused by a Mutant Allele of the PDIL1-1 Seed Storage Protein Gene.

Phenotypic differences among breeding lines that introduce the same superior gene allele can be a barrier to effective development of cultivars with desirable traits in some crop species. For example, a deficient mutation of the Protein Disulfide Isomerase Like 1-1 (PDIL1-1) gene can cause accumulation of glutelin seed storage protein precursors in rice endosperm, and improves rice flour characteristics and food processing properties. However, the gene must be expressed to be useful. A deficient mutant allele of PDIL1-1 was introduced into two rice cultivars with different genetic backgrounds (Koshihikari and Oonari). The grain components, agronomic traits, and rice flour and food processing properties of the resulting lines were evaluated. The two breeding lines had similar seed storage protein accumulation, amylose content, and low-molecular-weight metabolites. However, only the Koshihikari breeding line had high flour quality and was highly suitable for rice bread, noodles, and sponge cake, evidence of the formation of high-molecular-weight protein complexes in the endosperm. Transcriptome analysis revealed that mRNA levels of fourteen PDI, Ero1, and BiP genes were increased in the Koshihikari breeding line, whereas this change was not observed in the Oonari breeding line. We elucidated part of the molecular basis of the phenotypic differences between two breeding lines possessing the same mutant allele in different genetic backgrounds. The results suggest that certain genetic backgrounds can negate the beneficial effect of the PDIL1-1 mutant allele. Better understanding of the molecular basis for such interactions may accelerate future breeding of novel rice cultivars to meet the strong demand for gluten-free foods.

Study on the Change in Powder Properties of Rice Flour by Different Milling Processes.

The aim of this study was to clarify the change in the powder properties of rice flour depending on the milling process. Rice flour samples, which have gradual mechanical shock properties, were prepared using different milling methods. Furthermore, the correlation between the starch damage, owing to mechanical shock, and powder properties of rice flour was investigated. The particle size was changed gradually through each milling process; however, the change did not clearly correlate with starch damage. The results of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of nongelatinized samples showed the typical A-type structure of starch. The crystal structure of starch in rice flour may change to a disorder state with the progress of milling; thus, in this study, instead of crystallinity, we considered the disorder index (DI) calculated from the XRD intensity of samples. Relationship between DI and starch damage was confirmed with R 2 = 0.923. Therefore, the mechanical shock caused by the milling process contributes to the crystal state of starch. The parameter q m calculated from the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) equation of each sample corresponded to the DI. This result suggested that the sorption site of rice flour decreased, and a positive correlation was observed between the parameter K and DI. Thus, the interaction between the rice flour and water molecules weakened because of the mechanical shock. In addition, the use of a SEM image supports the insight that the change in parameter K may reflect the structural change in the solid phase. These results demonstrated that the change in powder properties of rice flour caused by mechanical shock of the milling could evaluate quantitatively.

Distribution of radioactive cesium ((134)Cs plus (137)Cs) in rice fractions during polishing and cooking.

We investigated the distribution of cesium-134 ((134)Cs) and cesium-137 ((137)Cs) during polishing and cooking of rice to obtain their processing factors (Pf) and food processing retention factors (Fr) to make the information available for an adequate understanding of radioactive Cs dynamics. Polishing brown rice resulted in a decreased radioactive Cs concentration of the polished rice, but the bran and germ (outer layers) exhibited higher concentrations than brown rice. The Pf values for 100% polished rice and outer layers ranged from 0.47 to 0.48 and 6.5 to 7.8, respectively. The Fr values for 100% polished rice and outer layers were 0.43 and 0.58 to 0.60, respectively. The distribution of radioactive Cs in polished rice and outer layers was estimated at approximately 40 and 60%, respectively. On the other hand, cooked rice showed significantly lower levels of radioactive Cs than polished rice, and transfer of radioactive Cs into wash water was observed. The Pf and Fr values for cooked rice were 0.28 and 0.65 to 0.66, respectively. From these results, we can calculate that if the radioactive Cs concentration in brown rice is 100 Bq/kg, the concentrations of Cs in polished rice and cooked rice will be 47 to 48 Bq/kg and 13 Bq/kg, respectively.

A study of comparability in amplified fragment length polymorphism profiling using a simple model system.

A simple amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) model, using the bacteriophage lambda genome, was developed to test the reproducibility of this technique in an international comparative study. Using either non-selective or selective primers, nine fragments or subsets of two or three fragments, respectively, were predicted using in silico software. Under optimized conditions, all predicted fragments were experimentally generated. The reproducibility of the AFLP model was tested by submitting both "unknown" DNA template that had been restricted and ligated with AFLP linkers (R/L mixture) and corresponding primer pairs to nine laboratories participating in the study. Participants completed the final PCR step and then used either slab gel electrophoresis or CE to detect the AFLP fragments. The predicted fragments were identified by the majority of participants with size estimates consistently up to 3 base pair (bp) larger for slab gel electrophoresis than for CE. Shadow fragments, 3 bp larger than the predicted fragments, were often observed by study participants and organizers. The nine AFLP fragments exhibited relative intensities ranging from less than 3% to 22% and, apart from the two weakest fragments, with a % CV of 16 to 25. Fragments containing the highest guanine-cytosine (GC) content of 50-56% showed the greatest stability in the AFLP profiles.