Randomised controlled trial of lifestyle interventions for abdominal obesity in primary health care.

AIM: Assess effects on waist circumference from diet with or without cereal grains and with or without long-term physical exercise. BACKGROUND: Elevated waist circumference is an indicator of increased abdominal fat storage and is accordingly associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. This is likely due to the association between lifestyle-induced changes in waist circumference and cardiovascular risk factors. Reductions in waist circumference may be facilitated by diet without cereal grains combined with long-term physical exercise. METHODS: Two-year randomised controlled trial with factorial trial design in individuals at increased risk of cardiovascular disease with increased waist circumference. Participants were allocated diet based on current Swedish dietary guidelines with or without cereal grains (baseline diet information supported by monthly group sessions) and with or without physical exercise (pedometers and two initial months of weekly structured exercise followed by written prescription of physical activity) or control group. The primary outcome was the change in waist circumference. FINDINGS: The greatest mean intervention group difference in the change in waist circumference among the 73 participants (47 women and 26 men aged 23-79 years) was at one year between participants allocated a diet without cereal grains and no exercise and participants allocated a diet with cereal grains and no exercise [M = -5.3 cm and -0.9 cm, respectively; mean difference = 4.4 cm, 4.0%, 95% CI (0.0%, 8.0%), P = 0.051, Cohen's d = 0.75]. All group comparisons in the change in waist circumference were non-significant despite the greatest group difference being more than double that estimated in the pre-study power calculation. The non-significance was likely caused by too few participants and a greater than expected variability in the change in waist circumference. The greatest mean intervention group difference strengthens the possibility that dietary exclusion of cereal grains could be related to greater reduction in waist circumference.

Effect of gastrointestinal digestion on the stability, antioxidant activity, and Caco-2 cellular transport of pigmented grain polyphenols.

Grain polyphenols are known to possess several health properties. However, their digestive stability and intestinal absorption have not been fully elucidated. This study investigated the fate of pigmented grain polyphenols in the digestive system. Purple rice, purple barley, purple wheat, and blue wheat extracts were subjected to simulated gastric and intestinal phase digestion, followed by Caco-2 cellular transport. Phenolic profiling and antioxidant activity were determined using benchtop assays and an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid free radical) (UHPLC-ABTS•+) system. The results demonstrated a decrease in the total phenolic content of extracts after digestion, with purple rice extract retaining the highest phenolic content (79%) and ABTS•+antioxidant activity (31%). Antioxidant activity was retained the most during the gastric phase; however, dominant antioxidant compounds were not detected after intestinal digestion. Significant variations in phenolic composition and radical scavenging activity were detected after digestion. Protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, apigenin, and chrysoeriol were all transported across the intestinal barrier. The findings of this study provide novel insights into the in vitro stability and antioxidant activity of cereal grain polyphenols after simulated digestion.

Interactive effects of a stimbiotic supplementation and wheat bran inclusion in corn- or wheat-based diets on growth performance, ileal digestibility, and expression of nutrient transporters of broilers chickens.

A 42-day experiment was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of a stimbiotic (STB) and wheat bran (WB) in broiler chickens receiving diets (DT) based on corn or wheat. A total of 960 Cobb 500 male broiler chicks at zero-day old were allocated to 64 pens with 8 treatments, 8 replicates per treatment, and 15 birds per replicate. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with 2 × 2 × 2 factorial, with the factors as diet (corn-soybean meal or wheat-soybean meal), STB (with or without), and WB (0 or 50 g/kg). Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and mortality-corrected FCR data were collected for the starter (d 0-10), grower (d 10-28), and finisher (d 28-42) phases. Ileal digesta and jejunal tissue were collected on d 18 and 42. Data were analyzed as a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial using a mixed model of JMP. There was no significant 3-way interaction for growth performance and expression of nutrient transporters. There was a significant SB × WB for FCR (P < 0.05) in the grower phase. Stimbiotic supplementation and WB inclusion individually improved (P < 0.05) FCR regardless of cereal type, but this effect was not observed when the two were combined. In the overall phase (d 0-42), birds receiving corn-based diets had higher (P < 0.05) FI and BWG than those receiving wheat-based diets. There was a significant 3-way interaction for ileal digestible energy (IDE) (P < 0.05) and N digestibility (ND) on d 18 and 42 (P < 0.05). There was no effect of STB or WB in corn-based diets, whereas WB inclusion decreased IDE in wheat-based diets, but STB supplementation increased IDE with or without WB. In corn-based diets, WB inclusion increased ND, whereas ND was decreased in wheat-based diets. Supplementation with STB had no effect on ND, but STB increased ND in wheat-based diets with and without WB. Ileal DE was greater (P < 0.05) for wheat- than corn-based diets on d 42. Wheat bran inclusion increased ND in corn-based diets whereas, with STB supplementation, there was no difference in ND with or without WB. There was no difference in ND with or without STB or WB in wheat-based diets. There was a significant STB × DT on the expression of GLUT-1 (P < 0.05). In corn-based diets, STB produced an upward expression of GLUT-1, whereas in wheat-based diets, STB supplementation had no effect. On d 42, stimbiotic supplementation produced upward (P < 0.05) expression of SGLT-1. In conclusion, STB supplementation in wheat- or corn-based diets and with WB inclusion improved energy digestibility. On the other hand, WB inclusion in wheat-based diets decreased nutrient digestibility especially on d 18, thus making room for a positive response to STB supplementation in wheat-based diets compared to the marginal response to STB supplementation observed in corn-based diets.

Corrigendum: Development of sandwich dot-ELISA for specific detection of Ochratoxin A and its application on to contaminated cereal grains originating from India.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00511.].

Mycotoxins in Cereal-Based Products and Their Impacts on the Health of Humans, Livestock Animals and Pets.

Cereal grains are the most important food staples for human beings and livestock animals. They can be processed into various types of food and feed products such as bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, cake, snacks, beer, complete feed, and pet foods. However, cereal grains are vulnerable to the contamination of soil microorganisms, particularly molds. The toxigenic fungi/molds not only cause quality deterioration and grain loss, but also produce toxic secondary metabolites, mycotoxins, which can cause acute toxicity, death, and chronic diseases such as cancer, immunity suppression, growth impairment, and neural tube defects in humans, livestock animals and pets. To protect human beings and animals from these health risks, many countries have established/adopted regulations to limit exposure to mycotoxins. The purpose of this review is to update the evidence regarding the occurrence and co-occurrence of mycotoxins in cereal grains and cereal-derived food and feed products and their health impacts on human beings, livestock animals and pets. The effort for safe food and feed supplies including prevention technologies, detoxification technologies/methods and up-to-date regulation limits of frequently detected mycotoxins in cereal grains for food and feed in major cereal-producing countries are also provided. Some important areas worthy of further investigation are proposed.

Novel infrared puffing: Effect on physicochemical attributes of puffed rice (Oryza sativa L.).

The effect of novel infrared (IR) puffing and various IR powers (350, 450, and 550 Watts [W]) at various distances (10, 20, and 30 cm) on physicochemical characteristics of puffed rice (puffing properties, color, total phenolic content [TPC], antioxidant activity, peroxide value, and morphology) was investigated. By reducing the distance and increasing the IR power, the volume puffing was significantly increased (p < .05), and bulk density was significantly decreased (p < .05) but there was no significant difference in the length/breadth ratio. The IR puffing effect on color, the TPC, antioxidant activity, and food compounds' analysis through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were significant (p < .05) during IR puffing. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that by increasing the IR power and decreasing the sample distance from the IR source, the size of protrusions was increased (the volume of the protrusions). The maximum increase in the protrusions size was observed in 10 cm distance and 550 W power of IR. This is the first report on the IR puffing of rice and according to the results, the IR puffing technology has a high efficiency at the rice puffing.

Rapid determination of protein digestibility in sorghum before and after cooking.

Quantifying the digestibility of proteins in cereal grain is important for assessing and improving the nutritional quality of the grain after ingestion. This trait is particularly important for sorghum since the grain protein is known to be less digestible after wet cooking compared to other cereals. The reduced digestibility contributes to malnutrition in regions where sorghum is consumed as a staple food. We describe here a modified, high-throughput protocol to quantify pepsin-digestible proteins in sorghum grain before and after cooking. The protocol includes three basic steps: •grinding and cooking the sorghum into a small porridge for 20 min,•digesting the porridge with pepsin for at least 2 h,•extracting and assaying the protein extract. This method closely resembles the reality of sorghum usage as food and feed, can be scaled to process large numbers of samples and can be adapted for use with other cereal crops. This protocol requires only basic lab equipment and expertise, and one person can easily process 280 samples (140 accessions) in 7-8 h.

Barley, Triticale, or Rye? The Type of Grain Can Affect the Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Sustainable Raised Pigs.

The effect of high level of barley, triticale, or rye as base of complete mixtures for growing-finishing pigs on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and fatty acid profile in meat and backfat was investigated. The 100-day experiment involved 72 pigs, assigned into three groups (24 animals each). Pigs of each group were kept in six pens (two gilts and two barrows per pen). Diets offered to pigs differed in the proportion of cereals as the leading ingredients in the mixture formulation: I-barley, II-triticale, III-rye. The results showed diversified grain influence on the production results and meat quality. Triticale- and barley-based diets ensured better weight gain and lower carcass fatness than rye (p ≤ 0.05). The basic nutrients digestibility of mixtures containing triticale was comparable to that containing barley and higher than that of rye (p ≤ 0.05). The meat and backfat of pigs receiving diet with triticale or barley was characterized by more favorable fatty acids profile in respect to the health-promoting indicators (atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indexes; hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio). The cholesterol level in various tissues was the lowest in pigs fed with rye diet, and their meat characterized by better water holding capacity and more SFA. Higher fat saturation indicate better resistance to oxidation during storage and longer meat shelf life. It seems that the supplementation of triticale to diet may improve the growth efficiency of pigs and the health-promoting value of meat, while the supplementation of rye may be better for the production of traditional or long-matured meat products.

Effect of treatment of Fusarium head blight infected barley grains with hop essential oil nanoemulsion on the quality and safety of malted barley.

Fusarium mycotoxin contamination of malting barley has been a persistent food safety issue for malting companies. In this study, the effect of hop essential oil (HEO) nanoemulsion on fungal biomass and mycotoxin production during the malting process was evaluated. Furthermore, the localization of fungal hyphae on the surface and inside the tissue of barley and malts was observed. The application of HEO nanoemulsion reduced fungal biomass and deoxynivalenol (DON) contents at each stage of the malting process as compared to control. During malting process, the fungal hyphae on kernel surfaces was reduced appreciably after steeping. However, the increment of hyphae was observed between the husk and testa layer of barley after germination than raw barley grains. In addition to its antifungal activity, the antioxidant activity of HEO in the treated malts suppressed the formation of aldehydes. This study lays the foundation for the utilization of HEO in the malting industry.

Weanling pigs consume more feed if hybrid rye replaces corn in diets, but average daily gain and fecal scores are not impacted by hybrid rye.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that growth performance and health status of pigs will not be reduced if hybrid rye is included in diets at the expense of corn during the initial 5 wk post-weaning. A total of 128 weanling pigs (5.6 ± 0.5 kg) were randomly allotted to 32 pens and 4 dietary treatments. Pigs were fed experimental diets for 35 d in three phases with days 1 to 7 being phase 1, days 8 to 21 being phase 2, and days 22 to 35 being phase 3. Within each phase, a control diet primarily based on corn and soybean meal was formulated, and three additional diets were formulated by including 8.0, 16.0, or 24.0% (phase 1), 16.0, 32.0, or 48.0% (phase 2), and 20.0, 40.0, or 60.3% (phase 3) hybrid rye in the diet at the expense of corn. Pig weights were recorded at the start and conclusion of each phase, fecal scores were visually assessed every other day on a pen basis, and blood samples were obtained from 1 pig per pen on days 21 and 35. Results indicated that average daily gain (ADG) in phase 1 increased (linear, P < 0.05) as the inclusion of hybrid rye increased, but no other differences in ADG were observed. Average daily feed intake linearly increased in phase 1, phase 3, and overall (P < 0.05) as hybrid rye inclusion increased in the diets, and gain:feed was negatively impacted by the inclusion of hybrid rye in the diet (phase 1, linear, P < 0.05; phases 2, 3, and overall, quadratic, P < 0.05). No differences in average fecal scores or diarrhea incidence were observed. On days 21 and 35, blood urea N increased (linear, P < 0.05) as hybrid rye increased in the diets; and on day 21, serum total protein also increased (linear, P < 0.05) with increasing hybrid rye inclusion in the diet. Mean blood hemoglobin concentration on day 35 increased and then decreased as hybrid rye inclusion increased (quadratic, P < 0.05). On day 21, interleukin (IL) 2 and IL 10 decreased and then increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) as hybrid rye inclusion increased. On day 35, IL 8 and IL 12 increased and then decreased (quadratic, P < 0.05) and interferon-gamma decreased and then increased (quadratic, P < 0.01) as hybrid rye inclusion increased. In conclusion, the ADG of pigs was not different among treatments, but at the highest hybrid rye inclusion level, pigs consumed more feed than if corn was fed and gain:feed was reduced with increasing hybrid rye in diets. Differences in blood serum cytokines indicate the immune system was affected differently when hybrid rye instead of corn was fed.

Selenium in drinking water and cereal grains, and biomarkers of Se status in urine and fingernails of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley population.

BACKGROUND: Selenium (Se) plays an important role in human health, yet Se overexposure or deficiency can lead to deleterious health effects. This study aims to determine the concentration of Se in drinking water and staple cereal grain (maize, wheat, and teff) samples from the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) Valley, and correspondingly, assesses Se biomarkers and their status as measured in the urine and fingernails of 230 individuals living in 25 MER communities. METHOD: The concentration of Se in drinking water and cereal grain (maize, wheat, and teff) samples, and urine and fingernail samples were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Demographic, anthropometric, and elemental concentrations were described by their quartiles and mean ± standard deviations. The 5th and 95th percentiles were used to describe the concentrations Se biomarkers ranges. The Se biomarker distributions in different study communities were further characterized according to Se levels found in drinking water, sex, and age using ANOVA, and multivariate regression. We conducted a correlation analysis (with Pearson correlation coefficient) and fitted a regression to evaluate the associations between these variables. RESULTS: The mean concentration of Se in the drinking water samples was 0.66 (range: 0.015-2.64 µg/L; n = 25), and all samples were below the threshold value of 10 µg/L for Se in drinking water set by the World Health Organiation (WHO). In Ethiopia, most rural communities rely on locally produced cereal grains. We found mean Se concentrations (µg/kg) of 357 ± 190 (n = 14), 289 ± 123 (n = 14), and 145 ± 100 (n = 14) in wheat, teff, and maize, respectively. Furthermore, Se concentrations in drinking water showed no significant correlation with biomarker measures, indicating that the primary source of dietary Se is likely from local foods including staple grains. The mean±SD (5th-95th percentiles) of Se concentrations in fingernails and urine among study subjects were 1022 ± 320 (624-1551 µg/kg), and 38 ± 30 (1.9-100 µg/L), respectively. CONCLUSION: A sizeable share of study participants (31%) fell below the lower limits of what is considered the currently accepted Se range of 20-90 µg/L in urine, though relatively few (only 4%) had similarly low fingernail levels. On the other hand, none of the samples reached Se toxicity levels, and the biomarker levels in this study are comparable to results from other studies that find adequate Se. Our results show that Se toxicity or deficiency is unlikely in the study population.

Production, health-promoting properties and characterization of bioactive peptides from cereal and legume grains.

The search for bioactive components for the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals has received tremendous attention. This is due to the increasing awareness of their therapeutic potentials, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, anti-cancer properties, etc. Food proteins, well known for their nutritional importance and their roles in growth and development, are also sources of peptide sequences with bioactive properties and physiological implications. Cereal and legume grains are important staples that are processed and consumed in various forms worldwide. However, they have received little attention compared to other foods. This review therefore is geared towards surveying the literature for an appraisal of research conducted on bioactive peptides in cereal and legume grains in order to identify what the knowledge gaps are. Studies on bioactive peptides from cereal and legume grains are still quite limited when compared to other food items and most of the research already carried out have been done without identifying the sequence of the bioactive peptides. However, the reports on the antioxidative, anticancer/inflammatory, antihypertensive, antidiabetic properties show there is much prospect of obtaining potent bioactive peptides from cereal and legume grains which could be utilized in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Correlation patterns prevalence, and co-occurrence of ergot alkaloids in cool-season adapted cereal grains revealed with molecular spectroscopy and LC-MS/MS equipped HPLC system.

It is necessary to obtain more recent data on the prevalence and co-occurrence of mycotoxins in feed and food to minimize risks. This study examined the recent presence, co-occurrence, and correlation patterns of six major ergot alkaloids (EAs; i.e. ergocornine, ergocristine, ergocryptine, ergometrine, ergosine, and ergotamine) in cool-season adapted barley (n = 57) and wheat (n = 80) submitted by livestock producers and industries for testing ergot alkaloids/mycotoxins by liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry method. Overall, 91% industry-submitted barley samples and 84% industry-submitted wheat samples tested positive for at least one ergot alkaloid and 33% industry-submitted barley and 38% industry-submitted wheat samples were found to be co-contaminated with all six major EAs. The content of total EAs in 9 industry-submitted barley (16%) and 18 industry-submitted wheat (23%) samples exceeded the recommended maximum allowable level for lactating or pregnant animals (250 ppb). All the barley and wheat samples that contained detectable ergosine were found to co-occur with other EAs. Overall, the content of individual EAs was positively correlated with each other and strong correlations (r > 0.8, P < 0.01) were detected between the content of individual EAs and total EAs. These results implied that the industry and producers submitted cool-season adapted barley and wheat samples contaminated with a single EA is likely to contain high levels of other major EAs. The patterns of individual EAs in this study were distinct from previous studies that focus on samples from European countries. Ergocristine was remained as the predominant EAs in the industry-submitted cool-season adapted barley and wheat samples at levels up to 9438.8 and 12416.2 ppb, respectively. While the mean contents of ergosine were the lowest (68.5 and 50.6 ppb for the industry-submitted cool-season adapted barley and wheat samples, respectively). The high prevalence and co-occurrence of EAs indicated that ergot contamination is still posing a significant threat to food and feed industry and more research is expected to reduce the contamination level and explore the toxicological significance of various co-occurrence profiles. A full scale of investigation for all barley and wheat samples is needed to obtain a full picture of mycotoxin contamination.

Health Benefits of Cereal Grain- and Pulse-Derived Proteins.

Pulses and whole grains are considered staple foods that provide a significant amount of calories, fibre and protein, making them key food sources in a nutritionally balanced diet. Additionally, pulses and whole grains contain many bioactive compounds such as dietary fibre, resistant starch, phenolic compounds and mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids that are known to combat chronic disease. Notably, recent research has demonstrated that protein derived from pulse and whole grain sources contains bioactive peptides that also possess disease-fighting properties. Mechanisms of action include inhibition or alteration of enzyme activities, vasodilatation, modulation of lipid metabolism and gut microbiome and oxidative stress reduction. Consumer demand for plant-based proteins has skyrocketed primarily based on the perceived health benefits and lower carbon footprint of consuming foods from plant sources versus animal. Therefore, more research should be invested in discovering the health-promoting effects that pulse and whole grain proteins have to offer.

Cereal grain fiber composition modifies phosphorus digestibility in grower pigs.

Increased fermentable carbohydrates (e.g., ß-glucan, amylose) may increase endogenous losses including for P, and thereby reduce apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P. The present study assessed effects of barley cultivars varying in fermentable starch and fiber on apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and ATTD of P, myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis (dihydrogen phosphate; InsP6) and Ca, and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P and the presence of lower inositol phosphates (InsP) compared to wheat. In a 6 (period) × 5 (diet) Youden square, seven ileal-cannulated barrows (initial BW, 27.7 kg) were fed diets containing 80% of one of five cereal grains differing in amylose, ß-glucan, and fiber content: 1) high-fermentable, high-ß-glucan, hull-less barley (HFB); 2) high-fermentable, high-amylose, hull-less barley (HFA); 3) moderate-fermentable, hull-less barley (MFB); 4) low-fermentable, hulled barley (LFB); and 5) low-fermentable, Canadian Western Red Spring wheat (LFW). On dry matter (DM) basis, cereal grains contained between 0.32% to 0.53% total P and 0.24% to 0.50% InsP6-P. The InsP6-2-P was calculated as the sum of all detected InsP-P (InsP6-P to InsP2-P) in the sample. The P release of degraded InsP-P was calculated by using the following equation: sum InsP6-2-Pdiet (g/kg DM) × (AID or ATTD sum InsP6-2-P (%)/ 100). Data were analyzed using a mixed model with diet as fixed effect, and pig and period as random effects. On DM basis, diets contained 41.4% to 50.6% starch, 0.88% to 8.54% ß-glucan, 0.81% to 0.89% total P, and 0.19% to 0.35% InsP6-P. The MFB, LFB, and LFW had greater (P < 0.05) diet AID of P than HFB and HFA, and MFB had greater (P < 0.05) diet ATTD and STTD of P than HFB. The ATTD of InsP6-P was greater (P < 0.05) for HFB than LFB and the ATTD of the sum InsP6-2-P was greater (P < 0.05) for HFB and HFA than LFB. Total tract P release was greater (P < 0.001) for HFB, HFA, and LFW than MFB and LFB. The LFW had greater (P < 0.05) ATTD of Ca than LFB. Diet ß-glucan content was not correlated with STTD of P (R2 = 0.03) or ATTD of InsP6 (R2 = 0.05). In conclusion, cereal grains high in fermentable fiber, e.g., amylose and ß-glucans included in specific hull-less barley cultivars, had lower diet AID, ATTD, and STTD of P, but greater ATTD of InsP6-P and sum InsP6-2-P. Carbohydrate fermentation, thus, results in greater total tract P release from InsP-P hydrolysis.

Increased fermentable carbohydrates (e.g., ß-glucan, amylose) may increase intestinal endogenous phosphorus (P) losses and thereby reduce P digestibility. The study assessed effects of cereal grains varying in fermentable carbohydrates on non-phytate-P and phytate-P. Phytate is the major binding form of P in plant seed and is incompletely degraded. Seven barrows cannulated at the terminal ileum were fed diets containing 80% of one of five cereal grains: 1) high-fermentable, high-ß-glucan, hull-less barley; 2) high-fermentable, high-amylose, hull-less barley; 3) moderate-fermentable, hull-less barley; 4) low-fermentable, hulled barley; and 5) low-fermentable wheat. Diet ileal digestibility of P was greater for low- and moderate-fermentable grain than high-fermentable grain, and diet total tract digestibility of P was greater for moderate-fermentable barley than high ß-glucan barley. Total tract digestibility of phytate-P was greater for high ß-glucan than low-fermentable barley. Total tract P release was greater for high-fermentable barley, and wheat than moderate- and low-fermentable barley. In conclusion, cereal grains high in fermentable fiber had lower diet ileal and total tract digestibility of P resulting in greater excretion of P, but greater total tract digestibility of phytate-P. Carbohydrate fermentation, thus, increases total tract P release from phytate-P degradation.

Assessment of Antimicrobial Properties of Phenolic Acid Extracts from Grain Infected with Fungi from the Genus Fusarium.

Problems related with biological contamination of plant origin raw materials have a considerable effect on prevention systems at each stage of food production. Concerning the antimicrobial action of phenolic acids, studies were undertaken to investigate antibacterial properties against bacterial strains of Escherichia coli (EC), Pseudomonas fluorescence (PF), Micrococcus luteus (ML) and Proteus mirabilis (PM), as well as antifungal properties targeting microscopic fungi Fusarium spp., extracts of phenolic compounds coming from inoculated grain from various genotypes of cereals. This study evaluated the antimicrobial action of phenolic acids extracts obtained from both naturally infested and inoculated with microorganisms. For this purpose a total of 24 cereal cultivars were selected, including 9 winter and 15 spring cultivars. The analyses showed a bactericidal effect in the case of 4 extracts against Micrococcus luteus (ML), 14 extracts against Pseudomonas fluorescence (PF), 17 extracts against Escherichia coli (EC) as well as 16 extracts against Proteus mirabilis (PM). It was found that 3 out of the 24 extracts showed no antibacterial activity. In turn, fungicidal action was observed in the case of 17 extracts against Fusarium culmorum (FC) (NIV), 16 extracts against FC (3AcDON), 12 extracts against Fusarium graminearum (FG) (3AcDON), while 12 other extracts showed antifungal action against FG (NIV) and 19 extracts against Fusarium langsethiae (FL). Based on the conducted analyses it was found that grain of small-grained cereals exposed to fungal infection is a source of bioactive compounds exhibiting antimicrobial properties. It was observed that the qualitative and quantitative profiles of polyphenols vary depending on the cereal cultivar. This extracts may be used to develop an antimicrobial preparation applicable in organic farming.

Development of isotope dilution-liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for the accurate determination of zearalenone and its metabolites in corn.

A method using isotope dilution-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC/MS/MS) was developed for the accurate determination of zearalenone (ZEN) and its five major metabolites in corn. 13C- or 2H-labeled analogues of the target mycotoxins were used as internal standards. As the immunoaffinity columns used demonstrated selectivity to a specific chiral isomer of a racemic mixture of zearalanone-d6, a clean-up cartridge without stereoselectivity (Mycosep 226 column) was selected for the same recovery of the analyte and its internal standard with adequate elimination of matrix interferences. The method demonstrated sufficient selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy and precision over a concentration range of 20-400 µg/kg. The limit of detections and limit of quantifications were 0.14-0.33 µg/kg and 0.45-1.11 µg/kg, respectively. The accuracy values were 96.7%-103.6%, with intra and inter-day precisions of less than 3% and 4%, respectively. The expanded measurement uncertainty was less than 7% (with a 95% confidence level).

Preservation characteristics and bacterial communities of crimped ensiled barley grains modulated by moisture content and additive application.

Information about the relationships between preservation characteristics and main bacterial communities of fermented feeds can guide decision making during feed preservation and silage additive development. The objective was to evaluate fermentation quality, aerobic stability, microbial quality and bacterial profile of crimped barley grains ensiled under three moisture contents (MC): 228 (low MC), 287 (medium MC) and 345 (high MC) g/kg fresh matter; and using four additive treatments: 1. Control (CONT), 2. Formic and propionic acid-based additive (FPA), 3. Inoculation with homofermentative and heterofermentative strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and 4. Salt-based additive (SALT). There was a quadratic effect (p < 0.05) of incremental MC on pH where greater decline happened from low (5.81) to medium (4.83) MC than from medium to high (4.28) MC, while lactic acid concentration and aerobic stability increased in a linear manner (p < 0.05). Ammonia-N and acetic acid concentrations increased quadratically (p < 0.05) with increasing levels of MC. The effects of additives depended on MC so that improvements in preservation characteristics in response to LAB and SALT were observed at medium and high MC, while FPA was effective at all MC levels. A minor shift was observed in bacterial ecology from raw material towards low MC samples, with Erwiniaceae sp., Enterobacterales spp. and Pseudomonas dominating the fermentation. A major change occurred in medium and high MC materials, where Fructilactobacillus dominated the fermentation in CONT, FPA and SALT silages. LAB-treated silages at medium and high MC resulted in a distinguished pattern with dominance of Lentilactobacillus followed by Lactiplantibacillus. Most abundant communities in the samples, such as Fructilactobacillus, Erwiniaceae sp., Enterobacterales spp. and Pseudomonas, were correlated with several fermentation characteristics. Our results showed that crimped barley grains could be successfully ensiled under various MC and additive treatments. Low MC feeds had higher risk to be aerobically unstable while high MC resulted in more extensive fermentation, with potentially poor fermentation quality. The suitable additive depends on the raw material characteristics as LAB and SALT require relatively high MC to be effective, while FPA showed consistent improvements over all MC levels used in the current study. Awareness of the MC of grain prior to ensiling allows to identify the risks to preservation quality and provides information for choosing an effective additive.

Hybrid rye may replace up to 75% of the corn in diets for gestating and lactating sows without negatively impacting sow and piglet performance.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that hybrid rye can replace a part of the corn in gestation and lactation diets without negatively affecting sow and litter performance. For each phase, a corn-soybean meal diet and three diets in which hybrid rye replaced 25%, 50%, or 75% of corn were formulated. Two hundred sows were randomly allotted by parity to the four treatments. Results indicated that diet did not affect body weight or average daily gain (ADG) of sows or number of pigs born. The number of pigs weaned, litter weaning weight, and litter ADG increased and then decreased (quadratic, P < 0.05) as hybrid rye in diets increased. Pig mortality and number of crushed pigs tended (quadratic, P < 0.10) to be reduced as hybrid rye was added to the diet. Serum cytokines did not differ among treatments on day 105 of gestation or in pigs on the day of weaning, but interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and IL-18 on day 13 of lactation increased and then decreased (quadratic, P < 0.05) as hybrid rye inclusion increased in diets. Milk urea N increased (linear, P < 0.05) as hybrid rye was included in the diet, but no other differences in milk composition were observed. Overall, replacing 25% or 50% of corn with hybrid rye resulted in improved lactation performance, and replacing 75% of corn with hybrid rye resulted in sow and litter performance that was not different from that of sows fed control diets.

Changes in physicochemical, nutritional characteristics and ATR-FTIR molecular interactions of cereal grains during germination.

The cereal grains such as wheat, barley, sorghum, millets were evaluated before and after germination (24 h, 48 h and 72 h) and compared for their proximate composition, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, pasting properties, in vitro starch digestibility and FTIR spectroscopy. Germination inversely affected the protein, fat, and ash content of different cereal grains. The germinated flours have less water content and higher oil absorption capacities along with reduced starch content. The contents of rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) in the ungerminated cereal flours ranged from 20.7 to 32.1%, 26.9 to 38.0% and 6.2 to 17.6% respectively but after germination of 72 h, the RDS content increased from 26.5 to 36.2% while SDS and RS content decreased from 26.1% (sorghum) to 16% (barley) and 14.7% (barley) to 4.6% (wheat) respectively. The drought-tolerant crops (sorghum, millets and barley) are potential sources of antioxidants and phenolic content and yielded lower hydrolysis index and estimated glycaemic index upon germination. The highest section of antiparallal ß-sheet, α-helix and ß-turns were found in wheat flour followed by sorghum flour and their proportion decreased with continuous germination. The continuous reduction of viscosity was evaluated with the progress in germination. Overall, germination is a way to get health-promoting compounds from less utilizing cereal such as millets, sorghum and barley and enhance their uses to nourish the huge population with the aim to fulfill their nutritional requirements.