Adsorption and removal of crystal violet dye from aqueous solution by modified rice husk.

An approach to removing crystal violet (CV) dye from aqueous solutions was investigated by introducing a xanthate group on charred rice husk. The newly prepared charred rice husk (CRH) and xanthated rice husk (XRH) were characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, and elemental analysis. A batch technique was used to adsorb CV dye in aqueous suspensions. Different adsorbent quantities, concentrations, pH, and contact times were investigated to find the effect of these parameters. The optimum pH for both CRH and XRH was found to be 10. The adsorption capacity of CV dye onto CRH and XRH was found to be 62.85 mg/g and 90.02 mg/g at pH10, respectively. Langmuir isotherms could be reasonably explained by the experimental data. Within 60 min, equilibrium was achieved. Similarly, the kinetic data are best suited to the pseudo-second-order model. In comparison to XRH with CRH, XRH was found more efficient and can be used as a feasible alternative for removing CV dye from aqueous solutions.

Pulse processing affects gas production by gut bacteria during in vitro fecal fermentation.

Flatulence is one barrier to pulse consumption for many people. Therefore, we examined how processing affects gas production by the microbiome in three classes of pulses. Processing did not affect gas production from Navy beans. However, in Pardina lentils and green peas, (-1.9 ± 0.3 mL/24 h, p < 0.001; -2.3 ± 0.3 mL/24 h, p < 0.001, respectively). In Pardina lentils and green peas, germination diminished carbohydrate utilization by the microbiome compared with unprocessed samples. In Pardina lentils germination reduced abundance germination resulted in the greatest reduction in gas production among six processing methods of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) from Bacteroides and Lachnospiraceae and reduced propionate production compared with unprocessed samples. In green peas, germination reduced ASVs from Lachnospiraceae, including one from Roseburia, and reduced proportion of butyrate production during fermentation. Three ASVs from Clostridium sensu stricto (cluster 1), Megasphaera elsdenii, and unclassified Veillonellaceae, were strongly associated with increased gas production across all samples (ρ = 0.67-0.69, p < 0.001). This study showed that processing can reduce gas production by the microbiome in some pulses, but also reduces saccharolytic fermentation and production of beneficial microbial metabolites.

Metabolic profiling of historical and modern wheat cultivars using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

To determine changes in the grain components between historical and modern wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, wholemeal flours from 19 wheat cultivars and 2 landraces released or introduced between 1870 and 2013 and grown over two crop years were extracted using hydroalcoholic solution and analyzed using one dimensional 1H NMR spectral profiling. Grain yield, grain volume weight (GVW), and grain protein concentration were also measured. Grain yield increased while protein concentration decreased by release year (p < 0.001). Increasing trends (p < 0.01) were observed for tryptophan, sum of the measured amino acids, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid, and sum of the measured phenolic acids. Grain yield, phenolic acids, and tryptophan were mainly associated with modern cultivars, whereas grain protein concentration and GVW were associated with historical cultivars. The findings from this study showed changes in concentration of grain components over a century of breeding that may have implications for grain quality and human health.

Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Novel Genomic Regions Associated with 10 Grain Minerals in Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat.

Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW; Triticum durum L. × Aegilops tauschii Coss.) is a means of introducing novel genes/genomic regions into bread wheat (T. aestivum L.) and a potential genetic resource for improving grain mineral concentrations. We quantified 10 grain minerals (Ca, Cd, Cu, Co, Fe, Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Zn) using an inductively coupled mass spectrometer in 123 SHWs for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). A GWAS with 35,648 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers identified 92 marker-trait associations (MTAs), of which 60 were novel and 40 were within genes, and the genes underlying 20 MTAs had annotations suggesting a potential role in grain mineral concentration. Twenty-four MTAs on the D-genome were novel and showed the potential of Ae. tauschii for improving grain mineral concentrations such as Ca, Co, Cu, Li, Mg, Mn, and Ni. Interestingly, the large number of novel MTAs (36) identified on the AB genome of these SHWs indicated that there is a lot of variation yet to be explored and to be used in the A and B genome along with the D-genome. Regression analysis identified a positive correlation between a cumulative number of favorable alleles at MTA loci in a genotype and grain mineral concentration. Additionally, we identified multi-traits and stable MTAs and recommended 13 top 10% SHWs with a higher concentration of beneficial grain minerals (Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Zn), a large number of favorable alleles compared to low ranking genotypes and checks that could be utilized in the breeding program for the genetic biofortification. This study will further enhance our understanding of the genetic architecture of grain minerals in wheat and related cereals.

Changes in enzymatic activities and functionality of whole wheat flour due to steaming of wheat kernels.

The effects of steaming wheat kernels on lipolytic degradation of resulting whole flour was studied by quantifying enzyme activities and lipid degradation products during storage. Lipase, lipoxygenase, polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase activities were decreased by up to 81%, 63%, 22%, and 34%, respectively, as the time of steaming increased up to 90 s. Steaming had no effect on starch and gluten properties. Upon storage free fatty acids decreased with respect to time of steaming. Time of steaming did not affect lipid oxidation in flour; however, total carbonyls produced in dough made from stored flour were decreased with the increase in steaming duration. Thus, steaming wheat kernels prior to milling reduced lipase activity and consequently hydrolytic rancidity during storage without affecting starch and gluten fractions. Steam treatment did not affect oxidative rancidity in flour during storage, but did reduce oxidation once the flour was made into a dough.

Genotype, environment, seeding rate, and top-dressed nitrogen effects on end-use quality of modern Nebraska winter wheat.

BACKGROUND: Fine-tuning production inputs such as seeding rate, nitrogen (N), and genotype may improve end-use quality of hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivium L.) when growing conditions are unpredictable. Studies were conducted at the Agronomy Research Farm (ARF; Lincoln, NE, USA) and the High Plains Agricultural Laboratory (HPAL; Sidney, NE, USA) in 2014 and 2015 in Nebraska, USA, to determine the effects of genotype (6), environment (4), seeding rate (3), and flag leaf top-dressed N (0 and 34 kg N ha-1 ) on the end-use quality of winter wheat. RESULTS: End-use quality traits were influenced by environment, genotype, seeding rate, top-dressed N, and their interactions. Mixograph parameters had a strong correlation with grain volume weight and flour yield. Doubling the recommended seeding rate and N at the flag leaf stage increased grain protein content by 8.1% in 2014 and 1.5% in 2015 at ARF and 4.2% in 2014 and 8.4% in 2015 at HPAL. CONCLUSION: The key finding of this research is that increasing seeding rates up to double the current recommendations with N at the flag leaf stage improved most of the end-use quality traits. This will have a significant effect on the premium for protein a farmer could receive when marketing wheat. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.