Multivariate Analysis on the Properties of Intact Cereal Kernels and Their Association with Viscoelasticity at Different Moisture Contents.

The viscoelastic properties of cereal kernels are strongly related to their quality, which can be applied to the development of a more selective and objective classification process. In this study, the association between the biophysical and viscoelastic properties of wheat, rye, and triticale kernels was investigated at different moisture contents (12% and 16%). A uniaxial compression test was performed under a small strain (5%), and the increase in viscoelasticity at 16% moisture content corresponded to proportional increases in biophysical properties such as the appearance and geometry. The biophysical and viscoelastic behaviors of triticale were between those of wheat and rye. A multivariate analysis showed that the appearance and geometric properties significantly influenced kernel features. The maximum force showed strong correlations with all viscoelastic properties, and it can be used to distinguish between cereal types and moisture contents. A principal component analysis was performed to discriminate the effect of the moisture content on different types of cereals and to evaluate the biophysical and viscoelastic properties. The uniaxial compression test under a small strain and the multivariate analysis can be considered a simple and non-destructive tool for assessing the quality of intact cereal kernels.

Electron paramagnetic resonance study of hydrogen peroxide/ascorbic acid ratio as initiator redox pair in the inulin-gallic acid molecular grafting reaction.

Gallic acid (GA) was grafted onto inulin using the free radicals method, generated by the hydrogen peroxide/ascorbic acid (H2O2/AA) redox pair. Molar ratios of H2O2/AA at 9, 20, 39 and 49 were evaluated by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance in order to find the effect of the oxidation of the inulin and the efficiency in the inulin-gallic acid grafting (IGA). The highest concentration of the inulin macro-radical was obtained with H2O2/AA molar ratios of 20 and 49 with the removal of a hydrogen atom from a methyl group of the inulin fructose monomers. The highest grafting ratio (30.4 mg GA eq/g IGA) was obtained at 9 M of H2O2/AA. UV-Vis, FT-IR-ATR and XDR results confirmed a successful IGA grafting. The efficiency of the grafting reaction depends on the concentration of the macro-radical, it depends on the molar ratio of H2O2/AA, being affected by simultaneous reactions between components of the mixture (H2O2, AA, inulin, GA and eventually atmospheric oxygen) as well.