Physicochemical properties, structural properties and gels 3D printing properties of wheat starch.

The relationships between the physicochemical properties of wheat starch and the characteristics of 3D printing were studied by extracting wheat starch from three kinds of wheat flour with different gluten contents. The results showed that wheat starch extracted from high-gluten wheat flour (MS) and medium-gluten wheat flour (ZS) exhibited more accurate printing and better quality than wheat starch extracted from low-gluten wheat flour (JS). ZS had moderate final viscosity and setback value, indicating good extrusion performance and high elasticity. Therefore, the printing quality of ZS was the best, with obvious and unbroken printing lines. The 3D-printed sample made from ZS had dimensions closest to the designed CAD model. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the functional groups of native starch, gelatinized starch, and post-3D-printed starch among the three types. ZS exhibited the most regular microstructure. Therefore, wheat starch extracted from medium-gluten wheat flour was determined to be the most suitable for 3D printing. This research could provide a new theoretical basis for the application of wheat starch in 3D-printed food and offer new technical support for practical production.

Interactions among the composition changes in fungal communities and the main mycotoxins in simulated stored wheat grains.

BACKGROUND: There are significant food safety risks associated with wheat spoilage due to fungal growth and mycotoxin contamination. Nevertheless, a few studies have examined how stored wheat grain microbial communities and mycotoxins vary in different storage conditions. In this study, changes in deoxynivalenol (DON) and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (D3G) content were measured with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), and an amplicon sequence analysis of fungi was performed on stored wheat grains from different storage conditions using high-throughput sequencing. The detailed interactions among the composition changes in the fungal community and the DON content of simulated stored wheat grains were also analyzed. RESULTS: Alternaria, Fusarium, Mrakia, and Aspergillus were the core fungal taxa, and the fungal communities of samples stored under different conditions were observed to be different. Aspergillus relative abundances increased, whereas Fusarium decreased. This led to an increase in the content of DON. The content of DON increased about 67% with 12% moisture and at 25 °C after 2 months of storage, which was influenced by the stress response of Fusarium. Correlations in fungal and mycotoxins changes were observed. There may be potential value in these findings for developing control strategies to prevent mildew infestations and mycotoxins contamination during grain storage. CONCLUSION: In storage, the more the fungal community composition and the relative abundance of Fusarium change, the more mycotoxins will be produced. We should therefore reduce competition between fungal communities through pre-storage treatment and through measures during storage. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Modification of Soft Wheat Protein for Improving Cake Quality by Superheated Steam Treatment of Wheat Grain.

Many varieties of soft wheat in China cannot fully satisfy the requirements of making high-quality cakes due to their undesirable protein properties, which leads to shortages of high-quality soft wheat flour. Therefore, a modification of soft wheat protein is essential for improving the quality of soft wheat and thus improving cake quality. In order to modify the protein properties of soft wheat used for cake production, superheated steam (SS) was used to treat soft wheat grains at 165 °C and 190 °C for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 min, respectively, followed by the milling of wheat grains to obtain refined wheat flour. The properties of proteins and cakes were analyzed using refined wheat flour as materials. First, changes in the structures of wheat proteins were analyzed by determining the solubility, molecular weight distribution and secondary structure of proteins in wheat flour. Secondly, changes in the functional properties of proteins were analyzed by determining the foaming properties and emulsifying properties of proteins in wheat flour. Finally, the specific volume and texture of cakes with wheat flour milled from SS-treated wheat were analyzed. At the initial stage of SS treatment, some of the gliadin and glutenin aggregated, and the gluten macro-polymer (GMP) contents increased. This allowed a more stable gluten network to form during dough kneading, leading to an improvement in dough elasticity. In addition, a short time period (1-3 min) of SS treatment improved the emulsifying properties and foaming ability of wheat protein, which helped to improve the specific volume and texture of cakes. Increasing the SS temperature from 165 °C to 190 °C reduced the optimal treatment time needed to improve cake quality from 3 min to 1 min. SS treatment for longer time (>3 min) periods led to severe protein aggregation and a decrease in the foaming ability and emulsifying properties of protein, which led to a deterioration in the cake quality. Thus, SS treatment at 165 °C for 1-3 min and 190 °C for 1 min could be a suitable method of improving the physicochemical properties of soft wheat used to make cakes with high specific volumes and good texture.

Structure-activity relationship between gluten and dough quality of sprouted wheat flour based on air classification-induced component recombination.

BACKGROUND: Air classification can separate sprouted wheat flour (SWF) into three types: coarse wheat flour (F1), medium wheat flour (F2) and fine wheat flour (F3). The gluten quality of SWF can be indirectly improved by removing inferior parts (F3). In order to reveal the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon, the composition and structural changes of gluten, as well as the rheological properties and fermentation characteristics of gluten in recombinant dough in the process of air classification of all three SWF types, were analyzed in this study. RESULTS: Overall, sprouting significantly reduced the content of high-molecular-weight subunits, such as glutenin subunit and ω-gliadin. It also destroyed the structural content, such as disulfide bonds, α-helix and ß-turn contents, which maintained the stability of gluten gel. Air classification made the above changes in F3 more severe but reversed them in F1. Moreover, rheological properties were more affected by gluten composition, whereas fermentation characteristics were more affected by gluten structure. CONCLUSION: After air classification, particles rich in high molecular weight subunits from SWF are enriched in F1, and the gluten of F1 has more secondary structure that maintain gel stability, which ultimately lead to improved rheology properties and fermentation characteristics. F3 relatively exhibits the opppsite phenomenon. These results further reveal the potential mechanism of improvement of SWF gluten by air classification. Moreover, Thus, this study provides new perspectives for the utilization of SWF. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Superheated steam processing of cereals and cereal products: A review.

The concept of superheated steam (SS) was proposed over a century ago and has been widely studied as a drying method. SS processing of cereals and cereal products has been extensively studied in recent years for its advantages of higher drying rates above the inversion temperature, oxygen-free environment, energy conservation, and environmental protection. This review provides a brief introduction to the history, principles, and classification of SS. The applications of SS processing in the drying, enzymatic inactivation, sterilization, mycotoxin degradation, roasting, and cooking of cereals and cereal products are summarized and discussed. Moreover, the effects of SS processing on the physicochemical properties of cereals and the qualities of cereal foods are reviewed and discussed. The applications of SS for cereal processing and its effects on cereal properties have been extensively studied; however, issues such as the browning of cereal foods, thermal damage of starch, protein denaturation, and nutrition loss have not been comprehensively studied. Therefore, further studies are required to better understand the mechanism of the quality changes caused by SS processing and to expand the fields of application of SS in the cereal processing industry. This review enhances the understanding of SS processing and presents theoretical suggestions for promoting SS processing to improve the safety and quality of cereals and cereal products.

An Optogenetic-Controlled Cell Reprogramming System for Driving Cell Fate and Light-Responsive Chimeric Mice.

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) hold great promise for cell-based therapies, disease modeling, and drug discovery. Classic somatic cell reprogramming to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is often achieved based on overexpression of transcription factors (TFs). However, this process is limited by side effect of overexpressed TFs and unpredicted targeting of TFs. Pinpoint control over endogenous TFs expression can provide the ability to reprogram cell fate and tissue function. Here, a light-inducible cell reprogramming (LIRE) system is developed based on a photoreceptor protein cryptochrome system and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/nuclease-deficient CRISPR-associated protein 9 for induced PSCs reprogramming. This system enables remote, non-invasive optogenetical regulation of endogenous Sox2 and Oct4 loci to reprogram mouse embryonic fibroblasts into iPSCs (iPSCLIRE ) under light-emitting diode-based illumination. iPSCLIRE cells can be efficiently differentiated into different cells by upregulating a corresponding TF. iPSCLIRE cells are used for blastocyst injection and optogenetic chimeric mice are successfully generated, which enables non-invasive control of user-defined endogenous genes in vivo, providing a valuable tool for facile and traceless controlled gene expression studies and genetic screens in mice. This LIRE system offers a remote, traceless, and non-invasive approach for cellular reprogramming and modeling of complex human diseases in basic biological research and regenerative medicine applications.

Reduction of Aflatoxin B1 and Zearalenone Contents in Corn Using Power Ultrasound and Its Effects on Corn Quality.

The degradation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and zearalenone (ZEA) is investigated using power ultrasound to identify suitable methods to reduce the mycotoxin content of corn. AFB1 and ZEA in corn are simultaneously degraded via power ultrasound; thus, this method has a significant effect on corn quality. The power intensity, solid-liquid ratio, and ultrasonic treatment modes significantly affect the degradation rates of AFB1 and ZEA. The dissolution of AFB1 and ZEA in water also facilitates their degradation. At the initial stage of ultrasonic treatment, power ultrasound promotes the dissolution of mycotoxins in water, whereupon they are partially oxidized by free radicals. With a treatment time of 10 min, the reduction rates decreased owing to the dissolution of combined-state mycotoxins. After ultrasonic treatment, the contents of the essential amino acids, the total number of amino acids, and the fatty acids in corn decreased; however, ΔH values decreased during starch gelatinization. In contrast, the amylose content and viscosity of corn significantly increased during gelatinization. Therefore, this method is potentially suitable for the reduction of AFB1 and ZEA contents in corn.

Engineering antiviral immune-like systems for autonomous virus detection and inhibition in mice.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that viral diseases represent an enormous public health and economic threat to mankind and that individuals with compromised immune systems are at greater risk of complications and death from viral diseases. The development of broad-spectrum antivirals is an important part of pandemic preparedness. Here, we have engineer a series of designer cells which we term autonomous, intelligent, virus-inducible immune-like (ALICE) cells as sense-and-destroy antiviral system. After developing a destabilized STING-based sensor to detect viruses from seven different genera, we have used a synthetic signal transduction system to link viral detection to the expression of multiple antiviral effector molecules, including antiviral cytokines, a CRISPR-Cas9 module for viral degradation and the secretion of a neutralizing antibody. We perform a proof-of-concept study using multiple iterations of our ALICE system in vitro, followed by in vivo functionality testing in mice. We show that dual output ALICESaCas9+Ab system delivered by an AAV-vector inhibited viral infection in herpetic simplex keratitis (HSK) mouse model. Our work demonstrates that viral detection and antiviral countermeasures can be paired for intelligent sense-and-destroy applications as a flexible and innovative method against virus infection.

Comparison and mechanism analysis of the changes in viscoelasticity and texture of fresh noodles induced by wheat flour lipids.

To understand the functionality of wheat flour starch lipids (SLs), non-starch lipids (NSLs), glycolipids (GLs), phospholipids (PLs), and neutral lipids (NLs) in non-leavened wheat-based products, their independent influence on noodle dough viscoelasticity and noodle texture were compared and the underlying mechanism was elucidated. Defatting caused slightly improved hydration, marginally promoting dough viscoelasticity and noodle springiness and adhesiveness but the resulting absence of starch-lipid complexes and few B-starch granules signally reduced the noodle hardness. Independently adding 2.50 g of these five lipids back into 100 g of defatted flour, GLs showed the most improved effects, followed by PLs, SLs, NSLs, and NLs. These lipids associated with gluten proteins and enhanced water-solids interplay, resulting in a significantly decreased SDS-soluble gluten proteins and further producing dough with increased ß-turn, moderate protein aggregation, and properly intensive microstructures. Consequently, the resultant noodle dough exhibited an optimal viscoelasticity and the cooked noodle had a desirable texture.

Interactions between wheat globulin and gluten under alkali or salt condition and its effects on noodle dough rheology and end quality.

The influences of wheat globulin on dough and noodle quality under alkali or salt conditionwere investigated, and the protein interactions were revealed. Results indicated that dough viscoelasticity, noodle hardness, springiness and extensibility of samples with globulin added were remarkably increased under alkali condition. However, the corresponding enhancement was less significant under salt condition. In dough system, added globulin decreased the protein surface hydrophobicity by 38.71%, implying the enhancement of hydrophobic interactions. Under salt and alkali conditions, added globulin further increased the ß-sheets structure by 1.68% and 3.17%, respectively, indicating the enhancement of hydrogen bonds interaction. In addition, disulfide bonds interactions between globulin and gluten have also been demonstrated induced by alkali. The results were accountable for protein network polymerization observed in micro-structures. This paper provides new insights into the structural properties of wheat globulin, and demonstrates the excellent potential to improve noodle processing quality under alkali condition significantly.

Impact of wheat globulin addition on dough rheological properties and quality of cooked noodles.

Impact of globulin addition on the functional and protein structural properties of dough and cooked noodles were investigated. The underlying mechanism was explored through analyzing the interaction between globulin and gluten by using SDS-PAGE, size exclusion chromatography, free sulfhydryl/disulfide bond analysis, laser scanning confocal microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that the stiffness/hardness and maximum resistance of dough and cooked noodles were both increased when globulin addition was 1.5% or higher. Besides, extensibility of cooked noodles was also improved when the addition up to 3.0%. The addition of globulin facilitated weakening the S-S bonds in the gluten network and cross-linked with SDS-soluble gluten mainly through non-covalent interactions, especially hydrophobic interactions. Meanwhile, a more rigid protein network structure was observed. Additionally, following cooking, globulin addition accelerated the aggregation of protein molecules. When the addition reached 3%, the protein conformation was transformed from ß-sheets and random coils to ß-turns.

Reduction of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn by Water-Assisted Microwaves Treatment and Its Effects on Corn Quality.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most commonly found mycotoxin in corn, which is highly toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic for the health of humans and animals. In order to reduce the AFB1 in corn, corn kernels were processed with Water-assisted Microwaves Treatment (WMT) and the feasibility of WMT processing on AFB1 reduction and its effects on corn quality were analyzed. Increasing the treatment time and microwave power could increase the reduction of AFB1, and the maximum reduction rate could reach 58.6% and 56.8%, respectively. There was no significant correlation between the initial concentration of AFB1 and the reduction rate of AFB1. During WMT, the main toxigenic molds were sterilized completely, and the moisture content of corn climbed up and then declined to the initial level. WMT could obviously increase the fatty acid value and pasting temperature of corn and reduce the all paste viscosity of corn. However, it had little effect on the color of corn. The results indicated that WMT could reduce AFB1 effectively and avoid the vast appearance of heat-damaged kernels simultaneously. Undoubtedly, water played an important role in WMT. This result provides a new idea for the reduction of AFB1 by microwave.

A versatile genetic control system in mammalian cells and mice responsive to clinically licensed sodium ferulate.

Dynamically adjustable gene- and cell-based therapies are recognized as next-generation medicine. However, the translation of precision therapies into clinics is limited by lack of specific switches controlled by inducers that are safe and ready for clinical use. Ferulic acid (FA) is a phytochemical with a wide range of therapeutic effects, and its salt sodium ferulate (SF) is used as an antithrombotic drug in clinics. Here, we describe an FA/SF-adjustable transcriptional switch controlled by the clinically licensed drug SF. We demonstrated that SF-responsive switches can be engineered to control CRISPR-Cas9 systems for on-command genome/epigenome engineering. In addition, we integrated FA-controlled switches into programmable biocomputers to process logic operations. We further demonstrated the dose-dependent SF-inducible transgene expression in mice by oral administration of SF tablets. Engineered switches responsive to small-molecule clinically licensed drugs to achieve adjustable transgene expression profiles provide new opportunities for dynamic interventions in gene- and cell-based precision medicine.

Structures of Reaction Products and Degradation Pathways of Aflatoxin B1 by Ultrasound Treatment.

Ultrasound is an emerging decontamination technology with potential use in the global food processing industry. In the present study, we explored power ultrasound for processing aqueous aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). AFB1 was degraded by 85.1% after 80 min of ultrasound exposure. The reaction products of AFB1 were identified and their molecular formulae elucidated by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Eight main reaction products were found, and their structures were clarified by parental ion fragmentation. Two degradation pathways were proposed according to the degradation product structures: One involved the addition of H• and OH• radicals, whereas the other involved H2O2 epoxidation and H•, OH•, and H2O2 oxidation of AFB1. Ultrasound treatment significantly reduced AFB1 bioactivity and toxicity by disrupting the C8=C9 double bond in the furan ring and modifying the lactone ring and methoxy group.

Reduction of Deoxynivalenol in Wheat with Superheated Steam and Its Effects on Wheat Quality.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most commonly found mycotoxin in scabbed wheat. In order to reduce the DON concentration in scabbed wheat with superheated steam (SS) and explore the feasibility to use the processed wheat as crisp biscuit materials, wheat kernels were treated with SS to study the effects of SS processing on DON concentration and the quality of wheat. Furthermore, the wheat treated with SS were used to make crisp biscuits and the texture qualities of biscuits were measured. The results showed that DON in wheat kernels could be reduced by SS effectively. Besides, the reduction rate raised significantly with the increase of steam temperature and processing time and it was also affected significantly by steam velocity. The reduction rate in wheat kernels and wheat flour could reach 77.4% and 60.5% respectively. In addition, SS processing might lead to partial denaturation of protein and partial gelatinization of starch, thus affecting the rheological properties of dough and pasting properties of wheat flour. Furthermore, the qualities of crisp biscuits were improved at certain conditions of SS processing.

[A review of operative treatment of hypospadias in twelve years].

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between the operative methods and the therapeutic results of the patients with hypospadias. METHODS: Nine operative types and different tissue materials taken in hypospadias operations in the past 12 years were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The operative types and tissue materials had significantly effects on the therapeutic results besides the clinical experience of the operators. The cure rates of Tunneltron Urethroplasty, Preputial island flap urethroplasty and Bladder mucosa graft urethroplasty were 86.4%, 83.3% and 83.0% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: All the nine types and different tissue materials of Hypospadias operations have its own advantages and disadvantages. They are worth further study and improvement.