Phenolic Compounds and Bioaccessibility Thereof in Functional Pasta.

Consumption of food products rich in phenolic compounds has been associated to reduced risk of chronic disease onset. Daily consumed cereal-based products, such as bread and pasta, are not carriers of phenolic compounds, since they are produced with refined flour or semolina. Novel formulations of pasta have been thus proposed, in order to obtain functional products contributing to the increase in phenolic compound dietary intake. This paper aims to review the strategies used so far to formulate functional pasta, both gluten-containing and gluten-free, and compare their effect on phenolic compound content, and bioaccessibility and bioavailability thereof. It emerged that whole grain, legume and composite flours are the main substituents of durum wheat semolina in the formulation of functional pasta. Plant by-products from industrial food wastes have been also used as functional ingredients. In addition, pre-processing technologies on raw materials such as sprouting, or the modulation of extrusion/extrusion-cooking conditions, are valuable approaches to increase phenolic content in pasta. Few studies on phenolic compound bioaccessibility and bioavailability in pasta have been performed so far; however, they contribute to evaluating the usefulness of strategies used in the formulation of functional pasta.

Bioactive compounds in rice on Italian market: pigmented varieties as a source of carotenoids, total phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, before and after cooking.

The aim of this study was to fully characterize the main pigmented rice varieties, available to consumers on the Italian market, in terms of carotenoids, total phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, and to investigate the effect of cooking on these components. Lutein was the main carotenoid in all samples under investigation (0.33-4.11 µg/g d.m.), while anthocyanins were observed only in black genotypes. Phenolic compounds were found mainly in free form, and values ranged between 544.1 and 1508.3 mg/100 g (d.m.) in raw samples. Cooking decreased significantly (p < 0.05) total lutein, free phenolic compound and anthocyanin content. In contrast, the increase of insoluble-bound phenolic compounds was observed in some samples, after cooking. The study provides data contributing to gain a better knowledge in novel food composition and enabling the estimation of dietary intake of health-promoting components.

Health-Promoting Compounds in Pigmented Thai and Wild Rice.

Organic pigmented Thai rice and wild rice are commonly available in specialized Italian markets and food shops, and they are gaining popularity among consumers demanding healthy foods. Indeed, the typical colour of kernels, which is the unique characteristic of pigmented cereals, is due to the accumulation of pigments that are also responsible for a number of healthy effects. The aim of this study was to provide a portrait of two organic pigmented Thai rice varieties from Thailand and one wild rice variety from Canada, imported into Italy and at Italian consumers' disposal. To this end, the proximate composition and the content of health-promoting compounds, such as carotenoids, anthocyanins and phenolic compounds, were determined in Thai and wild rice. Moreover, the effect of cooking on phytochemicals was assessed, in order to provide reliable data on the dietary intake of bioactive compounds by samples under investigation. Results show that studied samples have a content of phytochemicals higher than white rice and comparable to other cereals. The cooking process determined a decrease of bioactive compounds in all varieties under investigation. However, some samples were found more resistant to cooking stress, and some phytochemicals were little affected by this process. Therefore, pigmented Thai and wild rice may represent a valuable source of healthy compounds and an alternative to other wholesome foods required by consumers.

Evaluation of Antioxidant Properties in Cereals: Study of Some Traditional Italian Wheats.

Whole grain cereals contain a wide range of phytochemicals and it is often difficult to ascribe protective effects on metabolic health to any one particular constituent. The interactions among bioactive components, which contribute highly to the total antioxidant capacity of cereals, represent the first step in the evaluation of food potential health benefits. This research focused on the determination of antioxidant properties in grains and whole flours of some traditional Italian wheats. Results showed that hydrolysable polyphenols in grains are 85% of total polyphenols and contribute 95% of the total antioxidant properties, which indicates that hydrolysable polyphenols represent an important fraction of polyphenols in cereals. The distinction between extractable and non-extractable antioxidants was shown to be of paramount importance for an adequate determination of antioxidant capacity in cereals and represents a key element in the definition of potential nutritional value of the food matrix under consideration.

Bioactive molecules and antioxidant activity in durum wheat grains and related millstream fractions.

The present study was performed to evaluate the distribution of phytochemicals in wheat grains and millstreams and the contribution of these compounds to the antioxidant activity. Bioactive molecules, although related to genotype, were highly affected by the milling procedure applied. Carotenoids were unevenly distributed in the kernel and lutein resulted to be the main carotenoid in all samples considered. The WSB method was confirmed to be a useful tool to detect yellow color intensity of semolina but it was not suitable to get information on the true content of carotenoids of the sample. Water-methanol soluble components showed antioxidant activity which decreased from the outer to the inner parts of the kernel. Chloroform-methanol soluble compounds showed generally negligible or negative antioxidant activity due to the inadequate amount of antioxidants unable to counteract oxidative processes already in progress.

Monitoring of marine mucilage formation in Italian seas investigated by infrared spectroscopy and independent component analysis.

The aim of this study is to present and to discuss some characteristics of recalcitrant organic matter mechanism and formation. These aggregates called mucilages that are produced by the degradation reactions of several algae, have been investigated by infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR spectra of macroaggregates produced by different algal samples have been daily collected in order to investigate the steps of aggregation. Afterwards, they have been elaborated by means of Independent Component Analysis (ICA). ICA investigation of FTIR spectra showed that the global aggregation process of marine mucilage always consisted of two different phases or independent components (ICs). One IC is related to the first degradation step of algal cells leading to the production of mono and oligosaccharides with aminoacids and oligopeptides. The second IC is related to the polymerization of oligosaccharides with aminoacids and oligopeptides and to their interaction with less polar compounds such as lipids thus producing supramolecular structures. The emerging mechanisms of anomalous size aggregates of organic matter match those of natural organic matter aggregation. The approach we suggest is to use synthetic mucilages which allows to monitor the macroaggregates formation because it can hardly be performed by means of natural marine macroaggregates.

Estimation of color of durum wheat. Comparison of WSB, HPLC, and reflectance colorimeter measurements.

Color is an important parameter involved in the definition of semolina and pasta quality. This character is mainly due to natural pigments (carotenoids) that are present at different levels in cereals and cereal products, due to botanical origin, growing conditions, distribution in the kernel, and technological processes. In food industries, color measurements are usually performed by means of automatic instruments that are rapid and safe, as alternatives to the chemical extraction methods. In this study, automatic measurements (CIE, color-space system L, a, b), water-saturated butanol (WSB), and HPLC determinations have been applied to evaluate the carotenoid content in whole meals and respective semolina samples produced from wheat cultivated in the years 2001 and 2002. In whole meals, total carotenoids, determined by HPLC, were about 3.0 microg/g (2001) and 3.5 microg/g (2002) calculated on dry weight (dw) and about 3.0 and 3.2 microg/g dw in corresponding semolina samples. The b values for the same period were 19.78 and 15.75, respectively, in raw materials and 20.03-21.67 in semolina. Results have confirmed lutein and beta-carotene as the main components mainly responsible for the yellow color in wheat grains. The ability of the index b to express natural dyeing was dependent on sample characteristics as demonstrated by the relationships found between this index and pigments, although the best correlation resulted between HPLC and WSB.

Chemical, technological, and nutritional characteristics of two lines of "farro" (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum).

In recent years, the renewed interest for foods with a natural image has increased the demand for dry pasta produced from "hulled" wheat such as the Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum, also known as "farro". In order to contribute to the general knowledge, two lines of farro were considered in this study. To have a comparison, an old cultivar of Triticum turgidum ssp. durum (Senatore Cappelli) in addition to a commercial semolina were also examined. All semolina samples were used to produce pasta samples. Results showed some differences among pasta samples that seem to be due not to the presence of specific protein subunits but especially to the quantitative ratio between the different subunits. Results also reconfirmed the role played by the drying technology that is able to affect the sensory characteristics of pasta products.

Effect of okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.) addition on the technological properties of a wheat flour.

Effects of the addition of okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.) pods to wheat flour devoted to bread preparation were investigated. Results showed the effectiveness of this crop as food additive to produce bread of adequate technological and sensory characteristics.

Improvement of an ultrasound assisted method for the analysis of total carbohydrate in environmental and food samples.

The determination of the carbohydrate content of environmental and food samples, performed by spectroscopic and chromatographic methods, needs a preliminary hydrolysis which converts polysaccharides into monosaccharides prior to the analytical measurement. In this paper, a modified procedure of the ultrasound-assisted method for the determination of total carbohydrates, published by the same authors in a previous paper, is presented and discussed. The modified procedure represents an improvement with respect to the previous one because it shortens the hydrolysis time and the colorimetric determination times through the use of two acid media (formic and acetic acid) that also allows quantitative recoveries of total carbohydrates from food and environmental samples.