Chemical composition and nutritional profile of cicada (Meimuna opalifera Walker) at different developmental stages: Implications for functional food applications.

This investigation explored chemical changes in cicadas during their developmental stages (nymph, late nymph, and adult). Tocopherols (α, δ, γ) were found at a total content of 13.7 mg/g, while γ-oryzanol was observed at 2.6 mg/g, with nymphs having the highest levels, followed by late nymphs and adults. Essential amino acids increased progressively with maturation, with methionine being the predominant amino acid in all samples. The index of essential amino acids in each tissue was as follows: adult (0.36), late nymph (0.33), and nymph (0.12). Eicosapentaenoic acid concentrations varied from 230 mg/100 g in adults to 880 mg/100 g in nymphs. Protein analysis using the Protein Simple Jess system revealed a molecular weight distribution ranging from 10 to 75 kDa, accounting for approximately 70 % of the total protein content. These findings offer valuable insights for incorporating cicadas as functional food ingredients, diversifying food product formulations.

Evaluation of Roasting and Grilling Effects on Chemical Composition, Volatile Profiles, and Toxicity of Stink Bugs (Tessaratoma papillosa): Implications for Utilization as Functional Food Ingredients.

The stink bug (Tessaratoma papillosa) is a highly popular edible insect in Thai traditional cuisine, but little research has investigated the effects of heat treatment on the quality of stink bugs. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of roasting and grilling on the chemical changes and volatile compounds of late nymph and adult stink bugs. In general, all treated samples showed increases in phenolic acid, tocopherols, and amino acid contents and a decrease in the content of fiber compared with raw stink bugs (p < 0.05). Cinnamic acid significantly increased by over 200% in late nymph insects and 30% in adult insects after roasting, whereas syringic acid decreased after cooking (p < 0.05). The most predominant volatile compound found in all samples was 5-methyl-octadecane and it decreased after cooking, while volatile alkane compounds increased after cooking. The processed sample extracts showed higher toxicity on oral cancer KB and cervical cancer Hela cells than on Vero cells. We have demonstrated that different cooking methods affected the chemical components which may result in quality attributes if stink bug is to be used as a functional ingredient/food. It may be helpful to improve the nutritional and functional values of stink bugs during deep processing.

Amino Acid Profile and Biological Properties of Silk Cocoon as Affected by Water and Enzyme Extraction.

We compared the efficacy for protein extraction of water versus enzymatic extraction. The amino-acid composition, inhibitory activity against enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase, and anti-glycation activities of silk protein extract (SPE) were determined. We used water extraction (100 °C, six hours) and protease-enzymatic extraction. The microstructure of silk fibers was obviously different after extraction. The results showed that enzymatic extraction gave the greater values of protein content, amino acids, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC), as well as all biological activities parameters tested, but it also provided a more bitter taste in the extract-contributing amino acids of 51% (arginine, phenylalanine, histidine, valine, tryptophan, isoleucine, and leucine) and less sweet and umami taste contributing amino acids than did water extraction, which could be more suitable to be used as concentrated nutraceuticals.

Influence of Gene Expression on Hardness in Wheat.

Puroindoline (Pina and Pinb) genes control grain texture or hardness in wheat. Wild-type/soft alleles lead to softer grain while a mutation in one or both of these genes results in a hard grain. Variation in hardness in genotypes with identical Pin alleles (wild-type or mutant) is known but the molecular basis of this is not known. We now report the identification of wheat genotypes with hard grain texture and wild-type/soft Pin alleles indicating that hardness in wheat may be controlled by factors other than mutations in the coding region of the Pin genes. RNA-Seq analysis was used to determine the variation in the transcriptome of developing grains of thirty three diverse wheat genotypes including hard (mutant Pin) and soft (wild type) and those that were hard without having Pin mutations. This defined the role of pin gene expression and identified other candidate genes associated with hardness. Pina was not expressed in hard wheat with a mutation in the Pina gene. The ratio of Pina to Pinb expression was generally lower in the hard non mutant genotypes. Hardness may be associated with differences in Pin expression and other factors and is not simply associated with mutations in the PIN protein coding sequences.

A proteomic approach to the identification and characterisation of protein composition in wheat germ.

Proteome analyses were carried out on commercial wheat germ of mature grain from the biscuit-making wheat cultivar, Rosella. Wheat germ protein extracts were fractionated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis across two different immobilised pH gradients: pH 4.0-7.0 and 6.0-9.0. A total of 612 individual protein spots were excised from the gels and characterised by peptide mass fingerprinting. From these analyses, 347 individual proteins were identified from protein sequence database interrogation, and 301 different types of protein were catalogued according to protein function. The remaining 265 protein spots gave poor or no matches to proteins in the databases and were not identified in this study. Six different classes of enzymes were identified in the germ, many of them having roles in the mobilisation of energy reserves for germination. Abundantly expressed enzyme classes include the oxidoreductases, transferases and hydrolases. A comparison was also made between the major protein classes expressed in the germ and protein classes expressed in the endosperm from previous proteomic work. This study contributes significantly to our knowledge of protein expression and heterogeneity in the germ of wheat grain and forms the basis for future studies in regard to the characterisation of proteins during the initial stages of germination.

Black Point is associated with reduced levels of stress, disease- and defence-related proteins in wheat grain.

SUMMARY Black Point in wheat is a dark discoloration at the embryo end of the grain, which causes substantial financial losses to wheat growers due to down-grading of otherwise high-grade wheat. There does not appear to be a single cause for Black Point, although evidence suggests that fungal infection is the main link to Black Point symptoms. We sought to identify grain proteins from Black Point-affected and Black Point-free wheat cultivar SUN239V, which is known to be very susceptible to Black Point. The proteomes of both the germ and endosperm-bran components of Black Point-affected and Black Point-free grain were compared using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) with six replicate gels run for each protein sample. Approximately 1478 discrete protein spots were found in 2-DE gels from the germ fraction of the grain, of which 354 were identified by mass spectrometry (MS). Similarly, 1360 discrete protein spots were found from the endosperm-bran fraction, of which 303 were identified by MS. No proteins of fungal or bacterial origin were positively identified, suggesting that, at least in some cases, Black Point is not associated with microbial activity. Of the germ proteins, 252 were differentially expressed in Black Point-affected tissue, with 67 of these proteins identified by MS. Of the endosperm-bran proteins, 317 were differentially expressed in Black Point-affected tissue, with 86 identified. The largest of 12 functional classes to which the differentially abundant proteins were assigned was the 'stress' class, i.e. products of genes associated with stress, disease and defence. Higher levels of these proteins were found in Black Point-free grain, suggesting that protection from the disease might be afforded by increased levels of the 'stress' proteins.

Contrasting effects of chronic heat stress and heat shock on kernel weight and flour quality in wheat.

Phytotron studies were conducted to compare the potential effects of chronic high-temperatures (daily maxima of over 20˚C) and heat-shock conditions (a few days of over 32˚C), on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and quality, to form a basis for the selection of improved high-temperature tolerance in wheat. The series of heat-shock treatments were designed to provide similar heat loads, by varying the duration (number of days) of each treatment. Studies involved two cultivars, Lyallpur and Trigo 1. Both showed a reduction in kernel weight in response to chronic high day temperatures (i.e. above 18˚C), with Trigo 1 more tolerant than Lyallpur. Kernel weight of both cultivars was also reduced by short periods of heat shock, and this was most evident at day/night temperatures above 30/25˚C. There was no reduction in the germination of the lighter weight kernels formed under either chronic high temperature or heat-shock conditions. Dough strength, as judged by mixing time, declined in both genotypes with prolonged chronic high temperature, and also following the most extreme of the heat-shock treatments - Trigo 1 showed an ability to resist these changes better than Lyallpur. The heat-related decreases in dough strength were associated with decreases in the proportion of the larger molecular size glutenin (most 'unextractable'). This change in quality was not however, associated with changes in flour protein content.