Effect of germination temperatures on proteolysis of the gluten-free grains rice and buckwheat during malting and mashing.

This study examined the performance of rice and buckwheat when malted under various temperature conditions and for different lengths of time. The mashed malts produced from both rice and buckwheat contained a wide spectra of sugars and amino acids that are required for yeast fermentation, regardless of malting temperature. At the germination temperatures of 20, 25, and 30 °C used, production of reducing sugars and free amino nitrogen (FAN) followed similar patterns. This implies that temperature variations, experienced in different countries, will not have an adverse effect on the production and release of amino acids and sugars, required by yeast during fermentation, from these grains. Such consistency in the availability of yeast substrates is likely to reduce differences in processing when these malts are used for brewing. This study revealed that, while rice malt consistently produced more maltose than glucose, buckwheat malt gave several times more glucose than maltose, across all germination temperatures. Buckwheat malt also produced more soluble and free amino nitrogen than rice malt. Unlike sorghum, which has gained wide application in the brewing industry for the production of gluten-free beer, the use of rice and buckwheat is minimal. This study provides novel information regarding the potential of rice and buckwheat for brewing. Both followed similar patterns to sorghum, suggesting that they could play a similar role to sorghum in the brewing industry. Inclusion of rice and buckwheat as brewing raw materials will increase the availability of suitable materials for use in the production of gluten-free beer, potentially making it more sustainable, cheaper, and more widely available.

Influence of corn size distribution on the diastatic power of malted barley and its impact on other malt quality parameters.

Detailed studies were carried out on the influence of corn size distribution on the values obtained for diastatic power (DP) of commercially malted barley. Malted barley was screened using a screening box, and the DP activities of the different corns retained on the different compartments of the screening box were determined. The malt samples retained on the 2.8 mm screen had the highest DP activity, whereas the small corns (

Perception and role of fruit in the workday diets of Scottish lorry drivers.

Forty-six lorry drivers working for two haulage firms in central Scotland took part in a study to determine their perception and the role of fruit in their diets on working days. A focus group session provided initial insights, with repertory grid being used to provide further understanding. Eating while at work was characterized by a pattern of extensive and irregular snacking. The snack foods tended to be branded items obtained from garage kiosks, forecourts, motorway service areas and truck stops. Fruit as a snack, although perceived as healthy, did not feature highly because it was considered both inconvenient and expensive. The study identifies a major role to be played by the roadside catering and retailing industries in supplying healthy snacks to their customers.

Pure red cell aplasia: further evidence of T cell clonal disorder.

We report a patient with pure red cell aplasia and type I autoimmune polyglandular syndrome who also had an expansion of suppressor T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. Southern blotting of DNA from these cells suggest T cell receptor (TCR) gamma gene rearrangement. We confirmed true clonality of this by amplification of the gene rearrangement using the polymerase chain reaction and subsequent analysis of the product by gene cloning and DNA sequencing.