Seed color and size are the major traits influencing consumer's acceptability and market class of lentils worldwide. In this paper we assessed the in vitro antioxidant capacity of whole seeds, hulls, and cotyledons of five lentil varieties in relation to their phenolic profile. The samples were evaluated for total polyphenol content and different phenolic classes, such as condensed tannin content, total monomeric anthocyanins, and phenolic acids. Individual phenolic compounds, including flavonols, flavanols, flavones, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids, were further quantitatively investigated by HPLC-DAD. Total antioxidant capacity was evaluated by ABTS and ORAC assays, and a direct measurement (ABTSdir) was used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the bioactive compounds present in the whole-meal flours without extraction. The five genotypes showed considerable variations in their phenolic content and profile as well as antioxidant activities. The results showed a preferential accumulation of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity in the hulls compared to cotyledons. Delphinidin and cyanidin were the most abundant flavonoids in the hulls, while epicatechin and catechin were the most concentrated in the cotyledons. A highly significant correlation was observed between ABTS, ORAC and ABTSdir and total polyphenols. The antioxidant capacities were highly correlated with several individual phenolics detected in hulls and cotyledons. The overall results showed that the lentil fractions and extracts with higher phenolics had also higher antiradical activity which was independent on seed size and color. Identifying lentil genotypes with diverse phenolic profile in cotyledons and whole seeds could meet diverse consumers preferences and health requirements.

In the past decades, many studies have widely examined the effects of dietary polyphenols on human health. Polyphenols are well known for their antioxidant properties and for their chelating abilities, by which they can be potentially employed in cases of pathological conditions, such as iron overload. In this review, we have highlighted the chelating abilities of polyphenols, which are due to their structural specific sites, and the differences for each class of polyphenols. We have also explored how the dietary polyphenols and their iron-binding abilities can be important in inflammatory/immunomodulatory responses, with a special focus on the involvement of macrophages and dendritic cells, and how they might contribute to reshape the gut microbiota into a healthy profile. This review also provides evidence that the axes "polyphenol-iron metabolism-inflammatory responses" and "polyphenol-iron availability-gut microbiota" have not been very well explored so far, and the need for further investigation to exploit such a potential to prevent or counteract pathological conditions.

Pigmented cereal grains with high levels of flavonoid compounds have attracted the attention of nutritional science backing the development of functional foods with claimed health benefits. In this study, we report results on the genetic factors controlling grain pigmentation in durum wheat using a segregant population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between an Ethiopian purple grain accession and an Italian amber grain cultivar. The RIL population was genotyped by the wheat 25K SNP array and phenotyped for total anthocyanin content (TAC), grain color, and the L*, a*, and b* color index of wholemeal flour, based on four field trials. The mapping population showed a wide variation for the five traits in the different environments, a significant genotype x environment interaction, and high heritability. A total of 5942 SNP markers were used for constructing the genetic linkage map, with an SNP density ranging from 1.4 to 2.9 markers/cM. Two quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified for TAC mapping on chromosome arms 2AL and 7BS in the same genomic regions of two detected QTL for purple grain. The interaction between the two QTL was indicative of an inheritance pattern of two loci having complementary effects. Moreover, two QTL for red grain color were detected on chromosome arms 3AL and 3BL. The projection of the four QTL genomic regions on the durum wheat Svevo reference genome disclosed the occurrence of the candidate genes Pp-A3, Pp-B1, R-A1, and R-B1 involved in flavonoid biosynthetic pathways and encoding of transcription factors bHLH (Myc-1) and MYB (Mpc1, Myb10), previously reported in common wheat. The present study provides a set of molecular markers associated with grain pigments useful for the selection of essential alleles for flavonoid synthesis in durum wheat breeding programs and enhancement of the health-promoting quality of derived foods.

Pioneering studies were carried out on red-to-black pigmented grains for brewing beers. Together with pigmented cereals, the use of pulses was also proposed for making low-alcohol, gluten-free beers with improved contents of health-promoting compounds. So far, a new concept of beer is emerging among scientists, brewers, and consumers by expanding the assortment of conventional beer's ingredients. Coloured (red, purple, blue, black) cereal grains and legume grains are an untapped resource of functional compounds. each denoting different and complementary beneficial effects on human health. Among others, polyphenols contribute to protect against non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, heart diseases, cancers, diabetes and obesity. In this review, we summarized the improvement in terms of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of beers obtained by using pigmented cereal grains and pulses as raw ingredients versus traditional beers. We examined the influence of these alternative materials on the qualitative properties of the beers. Moreover, we reviewed the contribution of traditional and non-conventional yeasts on the flavour and quality of these new functional beers. Finally, we discussed the use of different and complementary chemical methods for monitoring the composition, organoleptic profile, safety, and authentication issues with the aim to highlight the most promising to protect and promote novel beer products.

An important target of research is the improvement of the health benefits of traditional Mediterranean durum wheat-based foods using innovative raw materials. In this study, we characterized the whole-meal flours obtained from a traditional durum wheat cv. Svevo, two innovative durum wheat varieties (Svevo-High Amylose and Faridur), the naked barley cv. Chifaa and the elite lentil line 6002/ILWL118/1-1, evaluating them for targeted phytochemicals, untargeted metabolomics fingerprints and antioxidant capacity. To this aim, individual phenolic acids, flavonoids, tocochromanols and carotenoids were identified and quantified through HPLC-DAD, and the antioxidant capacities of both the extracts and wholemeals were detected by ABTS assays. An untargeted metabolomics fingerprinting of the samples was conducted through NMR spectroscopy. Results showed that the innovative materials had improved phytochemical profiles and antioxidant capacity compared to Svevo. In par-ticular, Svevo-HA and Faridur had higher contents of ferulic acid and sinapic acid, ?-Tocotrienol and lutein. Moreover, Chifaa resulted a rich source of phenolic acids, ?-tocopherols, lutein and zeaxanthin, and lentil of flavonoids (i.e. chatechin and procyanidin B2). The NMR profiles of Svevo-HA and Faridur showed a significant reduction of sugar content, malate and tryptophan when compared to Svevo. Finally, substantial differences characterized the lentil profiles especially for citrate, trigonelline and phenolic resonances of secondary metabo-lites, such as catechin-like compounds. Overall, the present results support the potential of the above innovative materials to renewing the health value of traditional Mediterranean durum wheat based products.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is one of the major pulse crops cultivated worldwide. However, in the last decades lentil cultivation decreased in many areas surrounding the Mediterranean Countries due to low yields, new lifestyles and changed eating habits. Thus, many landraces and local varieties disappeared, while local farmers are the only custodians of the treasure of lentil genetic resources. Recently, lentil has been rediscovered to meet the needs of a more sustainable agriculture and food systems. Here we propose an image analysis approach that besides being rapid and non-destructive method can characterize seed size grading and seed coat morphology. Results indicated that image analysis can give much more detailed and precise descriptions of grain size and shape characteristics than can be practically achieved by manual quality assessment. Lentil size measurements combined with seed coat descriptors and colour attributes of the grains allowed us to develop an algorithm able to identify 64 red lentil genotypes collected at ICARDA with an accuracy approaching 98% for seed size grading and close to 93% for classification of seed coat morphology respectively.

Pathogenetically characterized by the absence of celiac disease and wheat allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a clinical entity triggered by the consumption of gluten-containing foods that relieved by a gluten-free diet. Since it is very difficult to maintain a complete gluten-free diet, there is a high interest in discovering alternative strategies aimed at reducing gluten concentration or mitigating its toxic effects. Plant-based dietary models are usually rich in bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, recognized to prevent, delay, or even reverse chronic diseases, including intestinal disorders. However, research on the role of polyphenols in mitigating the toxicity of gluten-containing foods is currently limited. We address the metabolic fate of dietary polyphenols, both as free and bound macromolecule-linked forms, with particular reference to the gastrointestinal compartment, where the concentration of polyphenols can reach high levels. We analyze the potential targets of polyphenols including the gluten peptide bioavailability, the dysfunction of the intestinal epithelial barrier, intestinal immune response, oxidative stress and inflammation, and dysbiosis. Overall, this review provides an updated overview of the effects of polyphenols as possible dietary strategies to counteract the toxic effects of gluten, potentially resulting in the improved quality of life of patients with gluten-related disorders.

Durum wheat milling is a key process step to improve the quality and safety of final products. The aim of this study was to characterize three bran-enriched milling fractions (i.e., F250, G230 and G250), obtained from three durum wheat grain samples, by using an innovative micronization and air-classification technology. Milling fractions were characterized for main standard quality parameters and for alveographic properties, starch composition and content, phenolic acids, antioxidant activity and ATIs. Results showed that yield recovery, ash content and particle size distributions were influenced either by the operating conditions (230 or 250) or by the grain samples. While total starch content was lower in the micronized sample and air-classified fractions, the P/L ratio increased in air-classified fractions as compared to semolina. Six main individual phenolic acids were identified through HPLC-DAD analysis (i.e., ferulic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, syringic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids). Compared to semolina, higher contents of all individual phenolic components were found in all bran-enriched fractions. The highest rise of TPAs occurred in the F250 fraction, which was maintained in the derived pasta. Moreover, bran-enriched fractions showed significant reductions of ATIs content versus semolina. Overall, our data suggest the potential health benefits of F250, G230 and G250 and support their use to make durum-based foods.

Droughts and high temperatures are the main abiotic constraints hampering durum wheat production. This study investigated the accumulation of phenolic acids (PAs) in the wholemeal flour of six durum wheat cultivars under drought and heat stress. Phenolic acids were extracted from wholemeals and analysed through HPLC-DAD analysis. Ferulic acid was the most represented PA, varying from 390.1 to 785.6 g/g dry matter across all cultivars and growth conditions, followed by sinapic acids, p-coumaric, vanillic, syringic, and p-hydroxybenzoic acids. Among the cultivars, Cirno had the highest PAs content, especially under severe drought conditions. Heat stress enhanced the accumulation of minor individual PAs, whereas severe drought increased ferulic acid and total PAs. Broad-sense heritability was low (0.23) for p-coumaric acid but >0.69 for all other components. Positive correlations occurred between PA content and grain morphology and between test weight and grain yield. Durum wheat genotypes with good yields and high accumulation of PAs across different growing conditions could be significant for durum wheat resilience and health-promoting value.

Wheat bran is a conventional by-product of the wheat milling industry mainly used for animal feed. It is a rich and inexpensive source of phytonutrients, so is in demand for fibre-rich food products but creates quality issues when incorporated into bread. The purpose of this study was to characterize the physicochemical properties and phytochemical composition of different size durum bran fractions and show how they impact bread quality. Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) was milled to create a coarse bran fraction (CB), which was further ground into a finer fraction (FB) which was sieved using four screens with apertures 425, 315, 250, 180, and <180 ?m to create a particle size range of 1497 to 115 ?m. All fractions contained phytosterol with highest in the 180 and FB, while total phenolic acids and antioxidant capacity was highest in CB and 425. Use of the fractions in a leavened common wheat (T. aestivum L.) bread formula at 10% incorporation negatively impacted bread loaf volume, colour, and texture compared to standard loaves, with CB having the least impact. Results suggest that to combine the highest phytochemical content with minimal impact on bread quality, bran particle size should be considered, with CB being the best choice.

Background and objectives: Wheat bran is commonly used in pasta products and is an excellent source of phytochemicals, but it creates various processing and consumer acceptability issues. Proteins extracted from bran (WBPC) have potential to improve the protein content and protein quality of pasta, but their contribution to the phytochemical content of pasta is unknown. Findings: In this study WBPC was added to a spaghetti formulae at 0, 1%, 5%, 10% and 20% (w/w). Conclusion: Spaghetti enriched with WBPC has improved phytochemical content without negative changes on pasta in vitro starch digestion. Significance and novelty: WBPC is a suitable ingredient to enhance the phytochemical content of regular spaghetti with potential health benefits. The dried uncooked spaghetti were characterized for quali-quantitative composition of phytosterols and phenolic acids. Also, both the uncooked and cooked samples were evaluated for total soluble phenolics (TSP) and antioxidant activity (AO). Results showed that pasta with 20%WBPC increased total phytosterol content (~55%), and phenolic acids content (~ 57%), with ferulic acid being the main component. Cooked spaghetti had reduced TSP and AO compared to the uncooked. However, cooked 20%WBPC spaghetti had significantly higher contents of both TSP (~37%) and AO (~93%) compared to 100% durum semolina spaghetti. The in vitro starch digestion of pasta was not affected by WBPC at these levels.

Upcycling food industry by-products has become a topic of interest within the framework of the circular economy, to minimize environmental impact and the waste of resources. This research aimed at verifying the eectiveness of using almond skins, a by-product of the confectionery industry, in the preparation of functional biscuits with improved nutritional properties. Almond skins were added at 10 g/100 g (AS10) and 20 g/100 g (AS20) to a wheat flour basis. The protein content was not influenced, whereas lipids and dietary fiber significantly increased (p < 0.05), the latter meeting the requirements for applying "source of fiber" and "high in fiber" claims to AS10 and AS20 biscuits, respectively. The addition of almond skins altered biscuit color, lowering L* and b* and increasing a*, but improved friability. The biscuits showed sensory dierences in color, odor and textural descriptors. The total sum of single phenolic compounds, determined by HPLC, was higher (p < 0.05) in AS10 (97.84 g/g) and AS20 (132.18 g/g) than in control (73.97 g/g). The antioxidant activity showed the same trend as the phenolic. The p-hydroxy benzoic and protocatechuic acids showed the largest increase. The suggested strategy is a practical example of upcycling when preparing a health-oriented food product.

In this study 7 bran fractions were produced by grinding coarse durum wheat bran followed by sieving to achieve median particle size ranges between 115 and 1497 ?m. These bran fractions were incorporated into pasta at 1, 5, 10 and 20% and the phytochemical and technological properties evaluated. Higher incorporation of bran, especially at 20%, reduced pasta quality, but a reduced impact was seen at the same degree of incorporation using finer bran. Bran increased antioxidants (by up to 65%), ferulic acid (up to 400%) and phytosterols (up to 130%) in pasta, parameters which were insensitive to bran particle size above 10% incorporation except for ferulic acid, which was higher in particles between 248 and 1497 ?m. It is recommended to use finer fractions if bran is added to pasta at 20% and higher, since they provide a better quality pasta while still delivering enhancements in phytochemical content above regular semolina pasta.

Wheat grain represents an important source of bioactive components that are associated with different health benefits, notably: dietary fibers, micronutrients and phytochemicals. However, despite the importance of these components, limited data are available on their content and composition, especially in durum wheat. In this study, 82 durum wheat landraces from Iran and Mexico were analyzed for arabinoxylan, iron, zinc, phytate and phenolic acids content. In general, wide variation was identified among landraces for these traits. Specifically, values ranging from 1.4 to 2.7% and 0.3-1.0% were detected for total and water-extractable arabinoxylans, respectively, in flour In the case of micronutrients varied from 32.7 to 46.1 mg/kg (iron) and from 46.7 to 83.9 mg/kg (zinc) in grain. Phytate, a major component limiting micronutrient bioavailability, varied from 0.7 to 1.1% in whole-meal flour and the resulting phytate:iron and phytate:zinc molar ratios were 13.7-26.6 and 11.6-21.9, respectively, with more than 70% of the landraces exhibiting a relatively high Zn bioavailability. Seven phenolic acids were identified, with a variation in total phenolic acid concentration ranging from 279 ?g/g to 845 ?g/g in whole-meal flour. Overall, these results indicate that the landraces analyzed here could serve as useful genetic resources for the improvement of wheat nutritional quality in breeding programs.

Whole wheat grains are an important source of bioactive components, particularly of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Due to the health-promoting effects of these phenolics, nowadays, the increase of their content in mature kernels is of great interest and a potential target for wheat breeding programs. The biogenesis of phenolics occurs through the general phenylpropanoid pathway, which is ubiquitous in plant cell walls and leads to the synthesis of secondary metabolites that are involved in plant defence and structural support. This chapter reviews the current knowledge in phenylpropanoid chemistry, and the genetic and molecular basis for the biosynthesis of phenolic acids and anthocyanins in wheat grains. Also, advances in assessing genetic variation in the content and composition of these components in wheat germplasm are reviewed, including the effects of different environmental conditions on their accumulation in mature kernels. The recent, ongoing genomic studies are reviewed providing updates on quantitative trait loci and genes involved in the synthesis and accumulation of phenolics in wheat kernels. Finally, the promise and limitations of breeding programs to potentially develop wheat cultivars rich in phenolic components are discussed.

Plant industrial by-products are relatively low cost and rich in organic material. Although these by-products are a good source of various nutritional compounds, they represent the main disposal problem for the food industry. Wheat bran, one of the main by-products of the wheat milling industry, contains more than 15% high-quality proteins. However, these proteins are present in a form which is poorly digested as they are enclosed within a matrix of cell wall polysaccharides. About 15.5 million tonnes of usable protein could be recovered from bran if a commercial extraction process can be made viable. The purpose of this work was to extract protein from durum wheat bran using an improved alkaline -acid method and to study its nutritional and functional properties with the goal of using it as a fortifying material in cereal-based foods such as pasta and bread.

The genetic variation for phenolic acid concentration was extensively studied in bread and durum wheat collections in Europe and in some areas of the Mediterranean Region, but a comprehensive survey in Mexican wheat materials was lacking. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the variability for individual and total phenolic acids of six durum wheat varieties developed at CIMMYT. Environmental effects, including full and reduced irrigation, mild and severe heat stress were considered to estimate potential association between phenolic acid content and different level of water-deficit and heat stress conditions. The principal component analysis of the whole dataset for the cultivars showed that different environmental conditions had a clear impact on genotypes clustering. A different response to drought and heat stress was observed among the cultivars, though a general increase of phenolic acids was observed in some varieties. A collection of Mexican durum wheat landraces available at CIMMYT was also characterized for the phenolic acid profile. A large variation for total phenolic acid content was observed among the landraces with a mean value of about 600 ?g/g d.m. Results could help durum wheat breeding for phenolic acid content to improve the antioxidant properties of durum products.

This experiment aimed to investigate the possibility to increase the carcass weight of dairy breed lambs and produce moderate-fat meat by applying inexpensive feeding strategies based on restriction and through the use of a fibrous byproduct such as the durum wheat bran (DWB). Sixty-five 45-day-old lambs of the Valle del Belice breed, divided into 6 groups, were fed alfalfa hay supplemented with concentrate feeds including DWB at 0% or 20% (DWB0, DWB20), supplied ad libitum (L) or restricted at 75% (R), and slaughtered at 90 or 120 days of age. The groups were as follows: DWB0-90L (n = 14), DWB20-90L (n = 14), DWB0-120R (n = 10), DWB20-120R (n = 9), DWB0-120L (n = 9), DWB20-120L (n = 9). The diet did not aect feed intake, growth or carcass weight of lambs fed ad libitum, whereas 120-day-old lambs fed DWB associated to restriction showed the lowest weight gain (105 vs. 170, 185 and 190 g/day in DWD20-120R, DWB0-120R, DWB0-120L and DWB20-120L; p = 0.04). The incidence of fat tissue in the hind leg increased (p < 0.0001) from 90L (5.82 and 5.45% with DWB0 and DWB20) to 120R (8.80 and 8.43% with DWB0 and DWB20) and 120L lambs (10.7 and 11.8% with DWB0 and DWB20). Older lambs' meat, compared to that of 90L lambs, showed analogous levels of intramuscular fat, higher water retention, tenderness and lightness, and a more intense red colour. In meat from 120-day-old lambs, DWB intake tended to reduce the fat level (p = 0.009) and increased polyphenol content (1.10 vs. 1.62, and 1.02 vs. 1.65 g GAE/kg dry matter (DM) in 120R and 120L lambs; p = 0.02), antioxidant capacity (12.8 vs. 14.9, and 12.8 vs. 15.7 mmol trolox eq/kg DM in 120R and 120L lambs; p = 0.02), and the presence of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (FA) (1.61 vs. 2.81, and 1.43 vs. 2.61 g/100 g FA in 120R and 120L lambs; p = 0.007), thereby improving the meat's health properties. The panelists perceived the eects of DWB inclusion as well as the feeding level with triangle tests.