HEALTHY FOODS HEALTHY LIFE Ilaria Marcotuli University of Bari Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science (Di.S.S.P.A.) Section of Genetics and plant breeding PHD student
Main studies about the aleurone compound underline their role in prevention of cholesterol [4], obesity, diabetes [5] and related diseases, colon cancer, gout, bronchial asthma and spina bifida. A recent study [6] has investigated whether fermented wheat aleurone beneficially modulates cancer progression and enzymes involved in detoxification of carcinogens. They also have a probiotic [7][8], immune-modulatory and immune-stimulants [9], anticoagulants and antioxidants actions. An important step to a healthy eating and disease prevention could be allocated foods added by natural products (aleurone) to general consumers on a large scale. This would also provide a vehicle to get important nutrients integral to the general population.
ABSTRACT: YOUR IDEA An increase interest of functional food is observed following a rise in cardiovascular and degenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes and obesity related with a poor diet and incorrect lifestyle. This is because some chemical components of food are shown a beneficial effect on health and/or reduces the risk of chronic disease. Cereal and cereal component-based food products offer opportunities to include bioactive components and micronutrients in the human diet. In particular, the wheat grain contains aleurone, a single cell layer at the inner site of the bran, which contains most of the minerals, vitamins, phenolic antioxidants, and lignin of the kernel. The present project plan to introduce cereal foods enriched with bioactive molecules from aleurone for nutritional or medicinal purposes, as well as for the creation of value-added products in agriculture. The healthy foods, enriched with aleurone, will be introduced firstly in the canteens of hospital, schools and company to allow for a rapid large-scale consumption.
Categories and Subject Descriptors Food for health.
Keywords
Figure 1 Main components of wheat grain
Aleurone, Functional food, Diet.
2. DESCRIPTION
1. INTRODUCTION: AIMS AND BACKGROUND
The aleurone layer is tightly bound to the seed coats, so it is rather difficult to sunder this fraction from the rest of the bran. Different methods, chemical and mechanical, can be used to separate the two fractions, but not all allow obtaining high concentrations of aleurone. In order to obtain purer aleurone fractions (95% purity), processes based on the electrostatic properties of the different bran layers have been developed. Electrostatic separation involves first the tribocharging of the particles (by making them impact against each other or against the walls of the charging device), followed by a second step in which the charged particles are separated in an electric field, depending on their acquired charge. Wheat bran was first hammer-milled to obtain a blend of aleurone cells, testa, and pericarp particles; then sieved to collect a fraction composed of particles with a diameter of 130 to 290 mm. This sized fraction was electrostatically charged in an elutriator column, and the charged particles were separated by passing them through an electric field.
Wheat is the most commonly cultivated agricultural cereal crops: on more than 240,000,000 hectares are grown every year. Cereal grains contain starchy endosperm surrounded by the aleurone, a thin layer between the bran and the endosperm, seed coat and pericarp [1]. Aleurone layers are very rich sources of vitamins essential for human health and which may be deficient in our diet. It is common practice abroad when very white flour is milled and these layers lost, to add synthetic vitamins to make up the deficiency. The aleurone layer contains cells in one row for wheat [1] and these cells are filled with proteins containing globoids which are composed mostly of beta-glucans, arabinoxylan, phytic acid, ferulic acid, vitamins B and E and coumaric acid [2][3]. Aleurone cell walls also contain some proteins, cellulose and heteromannans [1] (Fig. 1).
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Using the biochemical marker method is possible to quantify the singular aleurone compounds using specific biochemical marker associated with each part of the grain (pericarp, intermediate layers, aleurone cell walls, aleurone intracellular compounds, and endosperm). With this separation, the concentrations of those nutrients respect to the total amount of the kernel are the following [10] [11]:
of whole grains to products without some of the color and appearance factors that have inhibited the desirability of whole grain products to date, especially in children. Additionally, it allows the creation of more nutrient dense foods for individuals that have low energy intakes such as the elderly.
proteins 15.3%; lipids 23.6%, starch 0, pentosans 43.8% , cellulose 7.6%, minerals 43–61%, niacin 82%, riboflavin 37%, piridoxin 61%,
Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli AlimentiSezione di genetica e miglioramento genetico - Universitá degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”. ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls - The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus - Wine Innovation Central.
Acknowledgments:
The aleurone extract adding in cereal product, especially in baked goods (like bread), allows obtaining not only enriched food but also added flavour and good and homogenous crumb structure. In fact, the high contents of vitamins (in particular vitamin B) and minerals in the aleurone layer are the perfect substrate for lactic acid bacteria during the natural leavening process (with natural yeast). Using special mixture of lactic acid bacteria and a rising of 16 hours, it’s possible to obtain baked goods with wheat flour enriched in aleurone and also gluten free.
5. REFERENCES [1] Fincher G.B., Stone B.A., 1986. Cell walls and their components in cereal grain technology. In: Y. Pomeranz (ed), Advances in Cereal Science and Technology, American Association of Cereal Chemists, Minnesota, VIII 207-296. [2] Antoine C., Peyron S., Mabille F., Lapierre C., Bouchet B., Abecassis J., Rouau X., 2003. Individual contribution of grain outer layers and their cell wall structure to mechanical properties of wheat bran. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51, 2026-2033. [3] Hernanz D., Nunez V., Sancho A.I., Faulds C.B., Williamson, G., Bartoloé B., Gómez- Cordoves C., 2001. Hydroxycinnamic acids and ferulic acid dehydrodimers in barley and processed barley. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 49, 4884-4888. [4] Reimer A. R., Thomson A.B.R., Rajotte R.V., Basu T.K., Ooraikul B., McBurney, M.I. 2000. Proglucagon messanger ribonucleic acid and intestinal glucose uptake are modulated by fermentable fibre and food intake in diabetic rats. Nutrition Research 20, 851-864. [5] Beer M. U., Wood,P. J., Weisz, J. 1997. Molecular weight distribution and (1→3)(1→4)-β-D-glucan content of consecutive extracts of various oat and barley cultivars. Cereal Chemistry 74(4), 476-480. [6] Stein K, Borowicki A, Scharlau D, Glei M. 2010. Fermented wheat aleurone induces enzymes involved in detoxification of carcinogens and in antioxidative defence in human colon cells. Brit. J. Nutr. 104:1101-1111. [7] Williams B.A., Mikkelsen D., Le Paih L., Gidley M.J. 2010. In vitro fermentation kinetics and end-products of cereal arabinoxylans and (1,3;1,4)-β-glucans by porcine faeces. Journal
3. APPLICATION AND RESULTS In bread production (packaging and daily consumption) and sweet oven product (muffin and cake) the 10% of durum wheat flavours will be substitute with aleurone flour. In order to obtain products pleasing to the customer, the pre-hydration of the fraction rich in fibre (before added to the mixture) is required to obtain a better quality of baked goods and the process of fermentation will provide for half an hour of time for the absorption of CO2 produced by fermentation necessary for the hydration of the gluten. Finally, the quality of the product will still be strongly influenced by the final process of cooking. In pasta and dried goods (such as crackers and cookies) the addition of aleurone fractions could be increase to 20-25%. In this kind of products, in fact, the development of the gluten structure typical of the fermented product is not important; in fact the crunchiness is the predominant feature. Specifically pasta enriched with 25% of aleurone fiber retains an excellent quality measured in terms of viscosity, bulkiness, texture and loss of starch during cooking. Begin distribution of these healthy foods in hospital, schools and company canteens is a good start up for the spread of such foods on a large scale and also represent a fundamental contribution to the recommended daily intake of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber (20-25 g per day for healthy adult population) for people (from child to adult) who usually have lunch away. For example, the addition of wheat flour with around 20% of fractions of aleurone increases, the amount of total β-glucans from 0.2 g to 3g, of soluble β-glucans from 0.09 g to 1.43 g and of arabinoxylans from 2.4 g to 4.2 g per serving. Moreover, as already noted, the digestion of starch content in foods "fortified" and the liberation of the simple sugars are delayed due to the components of the fibres which, adhering to the starch granules, increase in viscosity during the digestive phase with positive effects on satiety.
of cereal science. [8] Hughes S.A., Shewry P.R., Gibson G.R., McCleary B.V., Rastall R.A. 2008. In vitro fermentation of oat and barley derived β-glucans by human faecal microbiota. FEMS Microbiology 64, 482–493. [9] Dongowski, G., Huth M., Gebhardt E., Flamme, W. 2002. Dietary fibre rich barley products beneficially affect the intestinal tract of rats. Journal of nutrition 132, 3704-3714. [10] Feillet, P. (2000). Le grain de ble’, Composition et utilisation. INRA Editions,Paris, pp 208. [11] Betschart, A.A. (1988).Nutritional quality of wheat and wheat foods. Wheat Chemistry and Technology, vol. 2, pp. 99– 130.
4. CONCLUDING REMARKS Wheat aleurone is a new natural ingredient for healthy foods. It has a high micronutrient content and antioxidant capacity. Aleurone allows product developers to bring the natural goodness
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