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PubMed2006

Advances in cereal genomics and applications in crop breeding.

Recent advances in cereal genomics have made it possible to analyse the architecture of cereal genomes and their expressed components, leading to an increase in our knowledge of the genes that are linked to key agronomically important traits. These studies have used molecular genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) of several complex traits that are important in breeding. The identification and molecular cloning of genes underlying QTLs offers the possibility to examine the naturally occurring allelic variation for respective complex traits. Novel alleles, identified by functional genomics or haplotype analysis, can enrich the genetic basis of cultivated crops to improve productivity. Advances made in cereal genomics research in recent years thus offer the opportunities to enhance the prediction of phenotypes from genotypes for cereal breeding.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Electrophoresis of cereal storage proteins.

Cereal proteins have been studied by a number of analytical techniques over the years. One of the major methodologies utilized by cereal chemists has been electrophoresis. Starting with moving boundary electrophoresis and progressing to slab gels and high-performance capillary electrophoresis, innovative methods have been developed to provide high resolution separations of difficult to separate proteins. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), acid-PAGE, isoelectric focusing, free zone CE, and even high-resolution two-dimensional HPLC-HPCE methods have been developed to separate cereal proteins. This review focuses on electrophoretic methods for separating and characterizing cereal storage proteins.

Edible Grain↗
PubMed1995

Immunologic cross-reactivity among cereal grains and grasses in children with food hypersensitivity.

BACKGROUND: Because of a lack of clinical data from food challenges, allergists often recommend dietary restriction of all cereal grains in patients with sensitivity to at least one grain. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to assess the degree of intrabotanical cross-reactivity among cereal grains and related grasses, to better define the prevalence of multiple grain hypersensitivity, and to define the protein fractions associated with wheat hypersensitivity. METHODS: One hundred forty-five patients evaluated by food challenges and skin prick tests were divided into three groups: group 1, cereal grain and grass allergies; group 2, wheat allergy alone; and group 3, grass allergy alone. Fifteen patients were further selected from groups 1 to 3. Sodium dodecylsulfate--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblot analyses were performed on six grains and four related grasses with sera from these patients. RESULTS: Only 21% of patients had symptomatic reactivity as determined by food challenge; 80% had reactivity to only one grain. As determined by immunoblot analyses, patients in groups 1 and 2 showed extensive cross-reactivity (within each group) among grains but little cross-reactivity among grasses, whereas patients in group 3 showed cross-reactivity between the grains and grasses. Patients with wheat allergy had specific IgE binding to wheat fractions 47 kd and 20 kd, bands not recognized by patients with grass allergy. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically insignificant cross-reactivity exists among cereal grains and grasses; therefore, elimination of all grains from the diet of a patient with grain allergy is unwarranted. Further purification and characterization of the 47 kd and 20 kd wheat fractions is needed to provide more specific in vitro testing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Food-aid cereals to reduce neurolathyrism related to grass-pea preparations during famine.

Neurolathyrism is a spastic paraparesis that can be caused by excessive consumption of the drought-resistant grass pea (Lathyrus sativus). Devastating neurolathyrism epidemics have occurred during major famine crises in various parts of the world. We investigated in a case-control study the effects of food aid on risk of paralysis. Risk increased with consumption of boiled grass pea (adjusted odds ratio 2.78, 95% CI 1.09-7.13 with cereals; 5.22, 2.01-13.55 without cereal) and raw unripe green grass pea (1.96, 1.16-3.31; p=0.011), but not with the fermented pancake, unleavened bread, and gravy preparations. In a correlational study there was an inverse relation between the number of new cases and the amount of food-aid cereals distributed per person. During famine, cereals and nutritional information should reach people before they have grass pea as the only food.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2000

Cereal aversion in behaviourally resistant house mice in Birmingham, UK.

In 1986, house mice in a small defined area of inner Birmingham were reported as not taking a variety of rodenticides from bait containers, a phenomenon labelled 'behavioural resistance'. This study investigated behavioural resistance by comparing the food preferences of West Midlands behaviourally resistant (WMBR) mice with those of normal (BC) mice. Nine bait boxes each containing one of nine different foods (cheese, chicken, tuna fish, peanut butter, canary seed, Cat stars, wheat, PCD (MOD) pellets and Non-tox) were introduced to 12 WMBR and seven BC sites (Experiment 1). The experiment was repeated in the laboratory with six pens of WMBR and six of BC mice (Experiment 2), and to investigate whether the preferences had a genetic basis the offspring were similarly assayed (Experiment 3). In each experiment the consumption of each food was measured over 7 days and the droppings around the bait boxes were counted to assess mouse activity. Food neophobia was noted in some populations of BC mice. Tested in the wild and in the laboratory WMBR mice showed an aversion to foods containing cereals, as did their offspring. These results, with other lines of evidence, strongly suggest that cereal aversion in WMBR mice has a physiological/genetic basis. Since cereal aversion allows WMBR mice to survive cereal-based rodenticidal baits, we conclude that WMBR mice have genetically based behaviours that allow them to survive poisoning regimes that kill other strains.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

A rapid and sensitive cytotoxicity screening assay for trichothecenes in cereal samples.

The application of a bioassay for toxicity screening of cereal samples has been studied. The sensitive Swiss mouse 3T3 fibroblasts (3T3 cells) were used to determine the cytotoxicity of Fusarium trichothecenes T-2 toxin (T-2), HT-2 toxin (HT-2), deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV) in cereal samples. Clean-up of the sample extracts was performed using the MycoSep #225 column and the cytotoxic effects of the samples were determined using the 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) bioassay assessing DNA-synthesis. Trichothecene-free samples of wheat, wheat bran and barley had no toxic effect on the 3T3 cells at sample concentrations up to 400 mg/ml cell culture medium while a few oat samples had an inhibiting effect on the DNA-synthesis. IC(50) values (50% response compared with untreated cells) of trichothecene-free wheat and oats spiked with T-2, HT-2, DON and NIV were similar to IC(50) values of pure toxins. A cytotoxicity screening of 33 different cereal samples showed that all samples contaminated with a trichothecene concentration higher than the IC(50) values of T-2, HT-2, DON and NIV had a clear inhibiting effect on DNA-synthesis of the 3T3 cells. The culture of 3T3 cells on microtiter plates in combination with the simple and rapid sample clean-up using the MycoSep #225 column provides a sensitive and easy method for the screening of trichothecenes in cereal samples.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed2003

The genetic colinearity of rice and other cereals on the basis of genomic sequence analysis.

Small segments of rice genome sequence have been compared with that of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and with several closer relatives, including the cereals maize, rice, sorghum, barley and wheat. The rice genome is relatively stable relative to those of other grasses. Nevertheless, comparisons with other cereals have demonstrated that the DNA between cereal genes is highly variable and evolves rapidly. Genic regions have undergone many more small rearrangements than have been revealed by recombinational mapping studies. Tandem gene duplication/deletion is particularly common, but other types of deletions, inversions and translocations also occur. The many thousands of small genic rearrangements within the rice genome complicate but do not negate its use as a model for larger cereal genomes.

Chromosome Walking↗
PubMed1999

Alternative futures for world cereal and meat consumption.

Fundamental changes in the global structure of food demand will lead to an extraordinary increase in the importance of developing countries in global food markets. Economic growth in developing countries is changing consumption patterns, with slower growth (and in many countries actual declines) in per capita food consumption of grains and rapidly growing per capita and total meat consumption, combined with induced growth in cereal feed consumption. The present paper examines the hypothesis, suggested by some researchers, that high-meat diets in developed countries limit improvement in food security in developing countries. These analysts argue that reduced meat consumption in developed countries would release cereals from livestock feed to food for poorer populations, thus improving food security in developing countries. Using the International Food Policy Research Institute (Washington, DC, USA) global food projections model, the international model for policy analysis of agricultural commodities and trade (see Rosegrant et al. 1995), we first analyse the implications for future global cereal and meat supply and demand resulting from changes in global income, population growth and other structural changes, then simulate alternative scenarios to examine the effect of large reductions in meat consumption in developed countries on food consumption and food security in developing countries. The paper shows that while the long-term prospects for food supply, demand and trade indicate a strengthening of world cereal and livestock markets, the improvement in food security in the developing world will be slow, and changes in the dietary patterns in developed countries are not an effective route to improvement in food security in developing countries.

Child↗
PubMed2006

Structural basis for the slow digestion property of native cereal starches.

Native cereal starches are ideal slowly digestible starches (SDS), and the structural basis for their slow digestion property was investigated. The shape, size, surface pores and channels, and degree of crystallinity of starch granules were not related to the proportion of SDS, while semicrystalline structure was critical to the slow digestion property as evidenced by loss of SDS after cooking. The high proportion of SDS in cereal starches, as compared to potato starch, was related to their A-type crystalline structure with a lower degree of perfection as indicated by a higher amount of shortest A chains with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 5-10. The A-type amorphous lamellae, an important component of crystalline regions of native cereal starches, also affect the amount of SDS as shown by a reduction of SDS in lintnerized maize starches. These observations demonstrate that the supramolecular A-type crystalline structure, including the distribution and perfection of crystalline regions (both crystalline and amorphous lamellae), determines the slow digestion property of native cereal starches.

Amylopectin↗
PubMed2002

Glucosylisomaltol, a new indicator of browning reaction in baby cereals and bread.

Glucosylisomaltol is proposed as a new indicator of the browning reaction in baby cereals and bread. The glucosylisomaltol was synthesized from maltose and proline, purified by semipreparative HPLC, and characterized by NMR, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and GC-MS analysis. Analysis of glucosylisomaltol, previously separated from cereals by centrifugation, was carried out by reversed-phase HPLC with UV detection in isocratic elution with water/acetonitrile (95:5). Mean recovery of glucosylisomaltol by the standard addition method was 96.9%. The relative standard deviation and detection limit were 1.56% and 0.14 mg/kg, respectively. This compound was identified in samples by the similarity of the t(R) and UV spectra to those of synthesized glucosylisomaltol. Moreover, the glucosylisomaltol from samples, previously separated by semipreparative HPLC, was acetylated and then separated and confirmed by GC-MS. Glucosylisomaltol was determined in baby cereals stored at 32 and 55 degrees C for 1 year and at 25 and 55 degrees C for 1 month at a water activity of 0.65. The amount of this indicator increased during storage from 0.48 to 7.7 mg/kg. The glucosylisomaltol was also determined in prebaked bread by heating at 190 degrees C for 30 min. The amount of this compound increased from nondetectable to 20.9 mg/kg after 30 min of baking. Glucosylisomaltol is a useful indicator to control the browning reaction during baby cereal storage and the baking of bread.

Bread↗
PubMed2003

Determination of the chromium content in commercial breakfast cereals in Spain.

Chromium (Cr) is an essential element, but the content of this element in many foodstuffs, including breakfast cereals, is still unknown. For this reason, the Cr content in different types of commercially available breakfast cereals in Spain (n = 36) was determined by GFAAS following acid mineralization using HNO(3)-H(2)SO(4)-HClO(4). On validation, the method yielded a recovery rate of 99 +/- 1.08%. Results indicated that breakfast cereals are rich in Cr, with contents ranging between 0.09 +/- 0.04 and 0.55 +/- 0.08 microg.g(-)(1) and a mean content of 0.23 +/- 0.12 microg.g(-)(1). Consumption of breakfast cereals by children and adolescents in Spain could supply a Cr intake of 6.9 microg/d, i.e., 3.45-13.8% of the ESSADI and 19.72% of the RDI.

Acids↗
PubMed2003

TAXI type endoxylanase inhibitors in different cereals.

An affinity-based purification procedure with the immobilized family 11 Bacillus subtilis endoxylanase XynA allowed us to obtain high yields of highly pure endoxylanase inhibitor fractions from rye, barley, and durum wheat. In contrast, no inhibitors interacting with the B. subtilis endoxylanase affinity column are present in corn, buckwheat, rice, and oats. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and inhibitor specificity showed that the isolated inhibitors belonged to the TAXI endoxylanase inhibitor family, thus providing a view on the diversity of this cereal inhibitor family. The isolated inhibitors are basic proteins of ca. 40 kDa, occurring in two molecular forms, with pI values of ca. 8.5 (durum wheat) and ca. 9.0 (rye, barley). They are, in general, strong inhibitors of family 11 endoxylanases but not of family 10 endoxylanases. Because cereal endogenous endoxylanases belong to the latter family, this probably indicates that they do not influence cereal metabolic processes. For the first time, endoxylanase inhibitors, similar to TAXI I and TAXI II from wheat, were isolated from durum wheat and characterized. For each cereal, high-resolution cation exchange chromatography revealed the presence of multiple isoinhibitors, each of which occurs in two molecular forms. However, in durum wheat and barley, a single isoform is predominantly present.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed2005

Total and reactive lysine contents in selected cereal-based food products.

The aim of the study was to determine and compare reactive and total lysine contents in a range of breakfast cereal products. Crude fiber, fat, ash, and crude protein contents of 20 breakfast cereal products ranged from 4 to 38, 14 to 144, 7 to 32, and 52 to 253 g/kg, respectively. The concentrations of glutamic acid (18.7-32.1 g/100 g protein) and proline (4.7-10.8 g/100 g protein) were high while those of the amino acids methionine (1.2-2.0 g/100 g protein) and histidine (1.2-3.3 g/100 g protein) were relatively low. There was a strong relationship between reactive lysine determined using the guanidination and fluorodinitrobenzene methods (R = 0.99). The total lysine content, determined after conventional acid hydrolysis, ranged from 0.8 to 3.7 g/100 g protein, while the reactive lysine content (guanidination) ranged from 0.4 to 2.8 g/100 g protein. Reactive lysine was 20-54% lower than total lysine in the cereal products. The large differences between total and reactive lysine suggest a considerable loss of lysine in the breakfast cereals tested.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2000

Cereal crops as viable production and storage systems for pharmaceutical scFv antibodies.

This report describes the stable expression of a medically important antibody in the staple cereal crops rice and wheat. We successfully expressed a single-chain Fv antibody (ScFvT84.66) against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a well characterized tumor-associated marker antigen. scFv constructs were engineered for recombinant antibody targeting to the plant cell apoplast and ER. Up to 30 microg/g of functional recombinant antibody was detected in the leaves and seeds of wheat and rice. We confirmed that transgenic dry seeds could be stored for at least five months at room temperature, without significant loss of the amount or activity of scFvT84.66. Our results represent the first transition from model plant expression systems, such as tobacco and Arabidopsis, to widely cultivated cereal crops, such as rice and wheat, for expression of an antibody molecule that has already shown efficacy in clinical applications. Thus, we have established that molecular pharming in cereals can be a viable production system for such high-value pharmaceutical macromolecules. Our findings provide a strong foundation for exploiting alternative uses of cereal crops both in industrialized and developing countries.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Effect of process improvement on the physico-chemical properties of infant weaning food from fermented composite blends of cereal and soybeans.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 10776 were used as starters to ferment various composite blends of cereals and legumes produced through malting and toasting of two varieties of maize--Zea mays (DMR-LSR white & DMR-ESR yellow), sorghum--Sorghum bicolor (Dawa white & Dawa red) and one variety of soybeans (Glycine ax). Compared to the untoasted and unmalted fermented blends, a relatively lower pH (3.6), highly sour product was obtained with 12 h of fermentation. Results also showed that cereal and soybean toasting brought about a better reconstitution indices (B25, 84 ml; B45, 87 ml), water holding capacities (B25, 0.68 ml/g; B45, 0.62 ml/g), bulk densities (C15, 11.6; C35, 10.8) and gross energy (B15, 501.5 k cal/100g; B45, 508.5 kcal/100g) at the end of fermentation. Furthermore, reductions in total polyphenol and tannin contents were observed with fermentation of toasted and malted cereal blends supplemented with toasted and malted soybeans while porridges from the same blends displayed desirable starch stability and consistent gelling tendency, although B15 (a ferment of malted, toasted white maize supplemented with toasted and malted soybean) fell within acceptable limits. In all, the physical characteristics were affected by varieties of cereal and soybeans.

Edible Grain↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Molecular genetics of heat tolerance and heat shock proteins in cereals.

Heat stress is common in most cereal-growing areas of the world. In this paper, we summarize the current knowledge on the molecular and genetic basis of thermotolerance in vegetative and reproductive tissues of cereals. Significance of heat stress response and expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in thermotolerance of cereal yield and quality is discussed. Major avenues for increasing thermotolerance in cereals via conventional breeding or genetic modification are outlined.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2002

Edible oil crops and their integration with the major cereals in North Shewa and South Welo, Central Highlands of Ethiopia: an ethnobotanical perspective.

A total of 1050 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and tef (Eragrostis tef) fields distributed in six study sites within north Shewa and south Welo (Central Highlands of Ethiopia) were systematically surveyed to examine the status of integration of edible oil crops into the cereal-based farming system. Farmers' criteria for, and perception on, integration between edible oil crops and the major cereals at field level as well as integration between the cereal grains and the oilseeds in food making at home were studied and analyzed based on formal semi-structured interview and informal discussion with local expert farmers as key informants. Farmers' traditional space optimization technique has been instrumental in rightly fitting edible oil crops (as intercrops and border crops) into the cereal-based system. Six species of edible oil crops are integrated (70.3%) in various proportions in fields of sorghum and tef. At least one oil crop was significantly intercropped and/or border cropped in sorghum fields. Noog (Guizotia abyssinica) and sesame (Sesamum indicum) were the most important edible oil crops of the study area having strong integration with sorghum both at field and home level. On average, noog was more frequently intercropped with sorghum (8.3%) than with tef (4.5%), while it was more frequently border cropped with tef (32.4%) than with sorghum (19%). Sorghum was more frequently inter/border cropped with sesame (39/2%) than with tef (10.1/0.5%). The stronger the integration of a given oilseed with sorghum-based foods, the higher the companionship between sorghum fields and the oil crop in the landscape. This cultural practice by farmers has positive contributions to on-farm conservation of oil crops along with tef and specific sorghum landraces. The central theme of this paper therefore converges on the issue of on-farm in-situ agrobiodiversity conservation that was shaped by successive ancestral generations and passed on to the present.

Crops, Agricultural↗
PubMed1998

Low cereal intake in Estonian infants: the possible explanation for the low frequency of coeliac disease in Estonia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the intake of coeliac disease (CD) inducing, gluten containing cereals (wheat, rye, barley and oats) in Estonian infants diet and compare these results with neighbouring countries with different CD incidence rate. DESIGN: Study group consisted of 32 healthy full term infants of Estonian origin. SETTINGS: Study was carried out in Tartu University Women's Hospital and in Tartu University Children's Hospital. These are both primary care facilities. SUBJECTS: Infants were recruited to the study group according to their health parameters and parents agreement to take part of this study. Material of this article is based on one part of Estonian infants dietary habits investigation. RESULTS: The total amount of gluten containing cereals in Estonian infants diet was lower than in Sweden and Finland. We found that there is a certain parallelism between CD incidence and cereal intake. Wheat intake of Estonian infants was very close to Finnish infants, but almost twice lower than in Swedish infants. CONCLUSION: Data from the study is consistent with the hypothesis that gluten intake during infancy play role in development of CD. The quality of gluten-containing cereals may have important part in the development of the disease.

Celiac Disease↗