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At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Cadmium and lead contents in rice and other cereal products in Japan in 1998-2000.

Cereals, especially rice, are a major source of cadmium (Cd) intake for general Japanese populations. In 1998-2000, rice (polished), bread (loaf), noodle and (wheat) flour samples (4113 samples in total) were collected in 63 cities all over Japan, and analyzed for Cd by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Another pollutant element of lead (Pb) was determined in parallel. The grand geometric mean for Cd in polished raw (uncooked) rice was 50 ng/g, whereas it was 19 ng/g for flour. The value for Pb was 2-3 ng/g in rice and flour. Calculation for daily Cd intake via rice, taking advantage of the present findings on Cd contents in rice and wheat together with administrative area-specific daily consumptions of rice and wheat showed that Cd via rice is much more than Cd via wheat and that Cd via rice is highest in an area alongside the sea of Japan among the whole country, the observation being in agreement with the results from a previous food duplicate-based field survey.

Cadmium↗
PubMed1986

Adult thiamine requirements and the continuing need to fortify processed cereals.

Erythrocyte transketolase activity as measured by a new fluorimetric method was used to define the tissue thiamine status of an age-stratified sample of 42 adults. Concurrent 7-day dietary assessments were made. 26% of subjects (6/21 men, 5/21 women) were biochemically abnormal. Subjects who were biochemically normal had mean daily thiamine intakes that were 41% (for men) and 36% (for women) greater than those for biochemically abnormal subjects. Differences in absolute thiamine intake (mg/day) were greater and more significant (p = 0.007 and 0.005) than the corresponding differences in thiamine intake expressed as mg/1000 kcal (p = 0.04). Absolute daily thiamine requirement (1.22 mg for men, 1.03 mg for women) was more useful in predicting biochemical thiamine status than thiamine intake expressed as mg/1000 kcal. The withdrawal of thiamine fortification of processed cereals would have serious implications for public health.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Survey of Fusarium moniliforme (F. verticillioides) and production of fumonisin B1 in cereal grains and oilseeds in Zimbabwe.

In a national survey carried out in 1995 and 1996, the distribution of Fusarium moniliforme (= F. verticillioides) and fumonisin B1 (FB1) levels in cereals and oilseeds from Zimbabwe were analyzed. The results of this study showed that the incidence of F. moniliforme and other Fusarium species and levels of FB1 generally decreased from regions with high rainfall and annual moderate temperatures to low rainfall regions. There was no Fusarium contamination and FB1 was not detected in sunflowers and soybeans. The incidence of F. moniliforme and its metabolite exhibited a substrate preference with high incidences of Fusarium species and high FB1 levels being recorded for maize followed by wheat, rapoko and sorghum.

Arachis↗
PubMed2003

Fermentation by Lactobacillus fermentum Ogi E1 of different combinations of carbohydrates occurring naturally in cereals: consequences on growth energetics and alpha-amylase production.

Glucose, fructose, sucrose and starch are naturally present in cereals. Fermentation of different combinations of these carbohydrates by Lactobacillus fermentum Ogi E1, a sourdough heterofermentative lactobacillus, was investigated to determine effects on fermentation kinetics, growth energetics and alpha-amylase production. Irrespective of the substrate combination, the strain was able to simultaneously produce alpha-amylase and consume starch, glucose, fructose and sucrose. In mixtures of starch with either sucrose or fructose or with both fructose and glucose, yields of alpha-amylase from biomass (Y(amy/x)) were similar to those observed for starch. However, for starch and glucose or starch, glucose, fructose and sucrose mixtures, both Y(amy/x) and the specific rate of alpha-amylase production decreased markedly. In fructose- or sucrose-containing mixtures, mannitol was formed stoichiometrically indicating that fructose served as electron acceptor, and acetate was produced at constant yield from biomass (Y(ac/x)) (1 g acetate g biomass(-1)). Acetate production was expected to confer to the strain a competitive advantage during natural fermentation by improving biomass formation and growth through an increase in the ATP gain. Y(ATP) varied depending on the carbohydrate mixture, indicating different effects of substrate mixtures on the efficiency in ATP coupling to biomass formation. Compared to starch fermentation, the highest value of Y(ATP) (29 g biomass mol ATP(-1)) was estimated for the starch/fructose mixture but no increase in mu(max) was observed. The lowest value (16 g biomass mol ATP(-1)) was obtained for the starch, glucose and fructose mixture, whereas for the mixture of all carbohydrates, Y(ATP) was similar to that obtained with starch alone (20 g biomass mol ATP(-1)) and it was intermediary for the starch and sucrose mixture (17 g biomass mol ATP(-1)). It is concluded that competitiveness of the strain cannot be based on expected energy gain in mixed substrate fermentation involving fructose and sucrose with glucose and starch, but rather on its ability to simultaneously use carbohydrates while producing alpha-amylase and to produce acetic acid. Acetic acid production could enhance the strain capacity to inhibit nonacid-tolerant, competitive microflora at the earlier stage of natural fermentation.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed2004

The lactobin A and amylovorin L471 encoding genes are identical, and their distribution seems to be restricted to the species Lactobacillus amylovorus that is of interest for cereal fermentations.

Lactobin A and amylovorin L471 are two bacteriocins produced by the phenotypically different strains Lactobacillus amylovorus LMG P-13139 and L. amylovorus DCE 471, respectively. A 110-bp PCR fragment of the structural gene of lactobin A was obtained from total genomic DNA of L. amylovorus LMG P-13139, which was used as a probe to isolate a 3.6-kb HindIII chromosomal fragment for sequencing. PCR amplification revealed that both the structural genes of both the bacteriocins lactobin A and amylovorin L471 were identical. These bacteriocins will be further referred to as amylovorin L. Amylovorin L can be defined as a small, strongly hydrophobic, antibacterial peptide consisting of 50 amino acids. It is synthesized as a precursor peptide of 65 amino acids processed at a characteristic double-glycine proteolytic cleavage site. Amylovorin L hence belongs to the class II bacteriocins. It has a narrow inhibitory spectrum, being most active towards Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus LMG 6901(T). Among 38 strains of the Lactobacillus acidophilus DNA homology group, another 6 L. amylovorus strains were also inhibitory towards the L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus LMG 6901(T) strain. The lactobin A or amylovorin L471 structural genes could be detected in the genomes of three of these L. amylovorus strains, but only after extensive PCR amplification, indicating that the inhibitory substances were slightly different. The bacteriocins were characterized as small (approximately 4800 Da), heat-stable peptides that were active in a wide pH range (2.2-8.0). Finally, preliminary experiments indicated that the production of amylovorin L by L. amylovorus DCE 471 took place during a natural rye fermentation, indicating its potential importance in the development of a functional (probiotic) starter culture for cereal fermentations.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Inhibition by wheat bran cereals of the development of aberrant crypt foci and colon tumours.

As variation in both type of fibre and its physical properties can influence physiological effects, the effects of different dietary levels (1, 4, 8%, w/w) of unprocessed wheat bran (WB) were compared with those of two of its processed commercial formulations used in breakfast cereals, on the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and colon tumours in Fischer 344 rats following azoxymethane (AOM) administration. All diets were high in fat (20 g/100 g) and low in calcium (0.2%, w/w). The rats were fed the experimental diets for 2 wk before receiving two sc injections of AOM (15 mg/kg body weight/wk). 8 wk following the first injection of AOM, five rats per group were killed and the formation of ACF was measured. 23 wk following the first injection of AOM, 12 rats per group were killed and the colon tumour incidence in different dietary groups was measured. The results showed that increasing the dietary concentration of fibre from 1 to 8% (w/w), using all the wheat bran formulations, significantly reduced the number of ACF per rat. None of the diets showed any significant effect on the normal growth of rats. No statistically significant differences were observed between the protective properties of WB and the two commercial formulations under investigation in terms of the reduction of the number of ACF, or in terms of the reduction of the colon adenocarcinoma incidence. The results suggest that wheat bran and its two commercial formulations can offer protection against colon cancer even when they are consumed with a high-fat/low-calcium diet. The addition of any of these formulations of wheat bran fibre is likely to be equally effective in the prevention of colon cancer in human populations that habitually consume high-fat/low-fibre Western-style diets.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Fumonisin B1, a mycotoxin contaminant of cereal grains, and inducer of apoptosis via the tumour necrosis factor pathway and caspase activation.

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium moniliforme, a prevalent fungus which infects corn or other cereal grains. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is the most common mycotoxin produced by F. moniliforme, suggesting that it has toxicological significance. The structure of FB1 resembles sphingoid bases and it inhibits ceramide synthase. As sphingoid bases regulate cell growth, differentiation, transformation and apoptosis, it is reasonable to hypothesize that FB1 can also regulate these activities. Previous studies concluded that FB1 induced apoptosis or cell-cycle arrest in CV-1 cells (African green monkey kidney fibroblasts). In this study, we have identified genes that inhibit FB1-induced apoptosis in CV-1 cells and in two primary human cell types (lung fibroblasts and neonatal kidney cells). A baculovirus gene. inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP), protected CV-1 and the human cells from apoptosis. IAP blocks apoptosis which is induced by the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) pathway. Inhibition of interleukin converting enzymes (ICE proteases or caspases) by the baculovirus gene p35 also inhibited FB1-induced apoptosis. FB1 treatment led to cleavage of Rb (retinoblastoma protein) at its C-terminus in CV-1 or human lung cells. As the C-terminus of Rb is cleaved by ICE proteases during apoptosis, this supports an active role for ICE proteases in FB1-induced apoptosis. The tumour suppressor gene p53 was not required for FB1-induced apoptosis because p53-/- primary mouse embryo fibroblasts underwent apoptosis following FB1 treatment. Furthermore, Bcl-2 was not an effective inhibitor of FB1-induced apoptosis in CV-1 or IMR-90 cells. In summary, these results demonstrate that the TNF pathway and caspases plays an important role in FB1-induced apoptosis.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Comparison of urinary bromide levels among people in East Asia, and the effects of dietary intakes of cereals and marine products.

Groups of people with no occupational exposure to Br-containing chemicals (29-54 year old, mostly women) in Japan, China and Korea, respectively, offered spot urine samples. Those in China and Korea offered 24 h duplicates of foods of the day. Urine samples were analyzed for Br by ECD-gas chromatography (ECD-GC) after derivatization to methyl bromide, and the Br-U was adjusted for a specific gravity of 1.016. Food intake data were based on national statistics and supplemented by the food duplicate data. Mean Br-U was 5.4 and 6.5 mg/l for Japanese men and women, respectively. Mean levels were in a range of 1.8-2.8 mg/l for four groups of Chinese, and 8-12 mg/l for the four groups of women in Korea. Br-U levels among Korean women were close levels reported for occupational exposure to 1- or 2-bromopropane, or methyl bromide. Regression analyses showed that Br-U levels were influenced by the intake of marine products (such as sea algae, sea fish and shellfish) and fruits, and inversely relate to intakes of cereals and potato.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

gamma-Linolenic acid production by solid-state fermentation of Mucorales strains on cereals.

Oleaginous fungi of the genus Mucorales were screened for gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) production on solid substrates containing moistened cereals. Cunninghamella elegans CCF 1318 produced the highest yields of GLA when cultivated on barley. Substrate moisture and cultivation temperature proved critical for effective GLA production. Vegetable oil supplied to the cultures improved GLA production. Rotating bottles and plastic bags were used as cultivation vessels to reproduce the conditions found in rotating drums and tray bioreactors, respectively. After 11 days of cultivation at 21 degrees C, C. elegans produced 14.2 mg of GLA per gram of dry substrate, composed of a mixture of barley, spent malt grains (SMG) and peanut oil. GLA represented 15.6% of the total fatty acids in the lipid extract.

Bioreactors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Purification, biochemical characterisation and partial primary structure of a new alpha-amylase inhibitor from Secale cereale (rye).

Plant alpha-amylase inhibitors show great potential as tools to engineer resistance of crop plants against pests. Their possible use is, however, complicated by the observed variations in specificity of enzyme inhibition, even within closely related families of inhibitors. Better understanding of this specificity depends on modelling studies based on ample structural and biochemical information. A new member of the alpha-amylase inhibitor family of cereal endosperm has been purified from rye using two ionic exchange chromatography steps. It has been characterised by mass spectrometry, inhibition assays and N-terminal protein sequencing. The results show that the inhibitor has a monomer molecular mass of 13,756 Da, is capable of dimerisation and is probably glycosylated. The inhibitor has high homology with the bifunctional alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitors from barley and wheat, but much poorer homology with other known inhibitors from rye. Despite the homology with bifunctional inhibitors, this inhibitor does not show activity against mammalian or insect trypsin, although activity against porcine pancreatic, human salivary, Acanthoscelides obtectus and Zabrotes subfasciatus alpha-amylases was observed. The inhibitor is more effective against insect alpha-amylases than against mammalian enzymes. It is concluded that rye contains a homologue of the bifunctional alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitor family without activity against trypsins. The necessity of exercising caution in assigning function based on sequence comparison is emphasised.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Developmental biology of the cereal endosperm.

The recent application of immunohistochemistry and molecular techniques has revealed that endosperm development depends on a genetic program that combines an ancient process for cellularization (similar to that seen in late Paleozoic seed ferns) with a mechanism for specifying asymmetric cell fates that has parallels to signaling processes in mammals. Progress has been further accelerated by the recent realization that the conserved nature of nuclear endosperm development extends beyond the grass species, to include dicots, such as Arabidopsis. It is anticipated that these ongoing studies will provide invaluable tools for the improvement of yield and grain quality in cereal crops.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Rice as a model for cereal genomics.

Over the past two years, selected regions of the rice genome have been sequenced and shown to be colinear at the sequence level with limited regions of other cereal genomes. A large number of expressed gene sequences and molecular markers have accumulated in the public databases. Large insert clone libraries of the rice genome have been constructed, and rice has become an increasingly attractive candidate for whole genome sequencing.

Computational Biology↗
PubMed1999

Defence signalling pathways in cereals.

The combination of mutational and molecular studies has shed light on the role of reactive oxygen intermediates and programmed cell death in cereal disease resistance mechanisms. Rice Rac1 and barley Rar1 represent conserved disease resistance signalling genes, which may have related functions in animals. The analysis of non-pathogenic Magnaporthe grisea mutants may provide novel tools to study host defence pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Glycaemic responses to cereal-based Indian food preparations in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and normal subjects.

The in vivo glycaemic responses to six cereal-based foods traditionally consumed in South India were evaluated in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and healthy volunteers. All foods contained 50 g carbohydrate and were compared with a 50 g glucose load. Also studied were the in vitro starch digestibility and nutrient composition of the foods. The postprandial responses to the foods at 30, 60 and 120 min were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those to the reference glucose, in both groups. The peak glucose responses for three foods, i.e. chapatti, idli and poori, occurred 60 min postprandially in both groups. The glycaemic index (GI) values ranged from 67 to 90 in NIDDM and from 44 to 69 in healthy subjects with no significant differences within the groups. Significant relationships were observed between peak responses and area under the curve for foods in patients with NIDDM and in vitro rate of starch hydrolysis (r 0.83, r 0.85, P < 0.05). The GI values predicted using in vitro data were found to be similar to the GI values observed in patients with NIDDM. The GI concept is useful for identifying foods in the habitual Indian diet with attributes of the desired glycaemic effect such as delayed peak rise and low area under the curve.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Effect of cereal grain and fibre supplements on the fatty acid composition of milk fat of grazing dairy cows in early lactation.

Two experiments were undertaken to determine the effects of cereal grain and fibre (hay or straw) supplements on the fatty acid composition of milk fat of grazing dairy cows in early lactation. In both experiments, grain supplements significantly increased (P < 0.05) the proportion of the endogenously synthesized 10:0-16:0 fatty acids. Of the C18 acids, the proportion of 18:0 and 18:3 was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) by grain supplementation, while that of 18:2 was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Irrespective of diet, 18:1 trans-11 was the most dominant trans 18:1 isomer in milk fat. In the first experiment, the proportions of the 18:1 trans-11 isomer and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, 18:2 cis-9, trans-11) were highest for the pasture-only diets, and significantly (P < 0.05) decreased with grain supplementation. The opposite result was observed in the second experiment, conducted in a different dairy region, suggesting that factors such as the quality of pasture on offer and the physiological state of the cow could affect the content of CLA and trans fatty acids in milk fat. In both experiments, there was a significant positive linear relationship between CLA and 18:1 trans-11. Fibre supplements had little effect on the fatty acid composition of the milk.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Molecular genetic variability of Australian isolates of five cereal rust pathogens.

Rust fungi cause economically important diseases of cereals, and their ability to rapidly evolve new virulent races has hindered attempts to control them by genetic resistance. PCR-based molecular tools may assist in understanding the genetic structure of pathogen populations. The high multiplex DNA fingerprinting techniques, amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP), selectively amplified microsatellites (SAM) and sequence-specific amplification polymorphisms (S-SAP) were assessed for their potential in investigations of the genetic relationships among isolates of the wheat rust pathogens, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), Puccinia triticina (Pt), and P. striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), the oat stem rust pathogen P. graminis f. sp. avenae (Pga), and a putative new P. striiformis special form tentatively designated Barley grass yellow rust (Bgyr). Marker information content, as indicated by the number of species-specific fragments, polymorphic fragments among pathotypes, percentage of polymorphic loci, and the marker index, was highest for the SAM assay, followed by the AFLP and S-SAP assays. UPGMA analysis revealed that all marker types efficiently discriminated the five different taxa and Mantel tests revealed significant correlations between the marker types. Within pathogen groups, the marker types differed in the amount of variation detected among isolates; however, the major differences were consistent and polymorphism was generally low. This was reflected by the AMOVA analysis that significantly partitioned 90% of the genetic variation between taxa. Of the three marker types, SAMS were the most informative, and have the potential for the development of locus-specific microsatellites.

Avena↗
PubMed2005

Array biosensor for detection of ochratoxin A in cereals and beverages.

Contamination of food by mycotoxins occurs in minute quantities, and therefore, there is a need for a highly sensitive and selective device that can detect and quantify these organic toxins. We report the development of a rapid and highly sensitive array biosensor for the detection and quantitation of ochratoxin A (OTA). The array biosensor utilizes a competitive immunoassay format. Immobilized OTA derivatives compete with toxin in solution for binding to fluorescent anti-OTA antibody spiked into the sample. This competition is quantified by measuring the formation of the fluorescent immunocomplex on the waveguide surface. The fluorescent signal is inversely proportional to the concentration of OTA in the sample. Analyses for OTA in buffer and a variety of food and beverage samples were performed. Samples were extracted with methanol, without any sample cleanup or preconcentration step prior to analysis. The limit of detection for OTA in several cereals ranged from 3.8 to 100 ng/g, while in coffee and wine, detection limits were 7 and 38 ng/g, respectively.

Beverages↗