•Structural and molecular changes occurred in fresh noodles during deterioration.•Proteins and starch were partially depolymerized with progression of deterioration.•Original noodle structure was damaged and water–solid interactions were weakened.•The TPC, L∗ value, and pH can indicate the deterioration of fresh noodles.In this study, changes in fresh noodles during storage were evaluated at the physico-chemical, structural, and molecular levels. An increase in TPC and decrease in L∗ value mostly occurred during the first 24 h; the pH value significantly decreased (P < 0.05) and proteins were partially depolymerized with the deterioration of fresh noodles, as evidenced by free amino acid determination and SDS-PAGE. Changes were also detected in the pasting and viscosity properties of the starch component. Moreover, the water sorption isotherm of fresh noodles decreased during storage, and the NMR transverse relaxation peak shifted right with an increased peak area between 10 and 100 ms. MRI images showed that with increased storage time, the original structure was damaged and water distribution became non-uniform and migrated to the surface. TPC, pH, and L∗ value were selected as the visualized parameters to characterize the fresh noodle deterioration, based on the correlation and factor analyses.

•Wheat bran was fermented at solid state for saving energy in dry process.•Water extractable arabinoxylans were 3–4 times higher than in raw bran.•Total dietary fiber and soluble dietary fiber increased after fermentation.•Hydration properties of fermented brans were improved.•Flavor of fermented brans differed greatly from raw bran.To improve the nutritional, physical and flavor properties of wheat bran, yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were used for fermenting wheat bran in solid state. Appearance properties, nutritional properties, microstructure, hydration properties and flavor of raw bran and fermented bran were evaluated. After treatments, water extractable arabinoxylans were 3–4 times higher than in raw bran. Total dietary fiber and soluble dietary fiber increased after solid state fermentation. Over 20% of phytic acid was degraded. Microstructure changes and protein degradation were observed in fermented brans. Water holding capacity and water retention capacity of fermented brans were improved. Results suggest that solid state fermentation is an effective way to improve the properties of wheat brans.

•Microwave treatment largely inhibited the microbial growth and PPO activity in WWF.•WWF dough stability and resistance were improved by microwave treatment.•Starch viscosity was increased and glutens were limitedly polymerized.•Moderate microwave treatment induced no visible starch gelatinization.•WWF fresh noodle darkening was significantly reduced and shelf-life was extended.In this study, the effects of microwave treatment on the microorganism mortality and PPO activity in whole-wheat flour (WWF) and storage stability of WWF fresh noodles were investigated, as well as the rheological properties of WWF, viscosity and gelatinization properties of starch component, and polymerization and conformational changes of protein. TPC and PPO activity were largely reduced in WWF treated for over 60s. Moreover, it was amazing that microwave treatment significantly increased (P < 0.05) dough stability and the resistance to extension. Peak and final viscosity of starch were increased after microwave treatment, with no observable loss of birefringence; SDS-extractable proteins were limitedly decreased and protein aggregating occurred mainly on the large and medium glutenin polymers as shown by the SE–HPLC profiles. In addition, microbial growth and darkening rate of WWF fresh noodles were significantly inhibited, shelf-life of the samples was extended for 3 times after treating for 90 s.

•Aqueous ozone treatment significantly reduced the initial TPC in SBWN.•Aqueous ozone remained the major bioactive compounds of SBWN.•MAP significantly retarded both microbial growth and acidification in SBWN.•MAP maintained the textural and sensorial quality of SBWN during storage.•Aqueous ozone and MAP develop a novel method for preservation of SWBN.The present study investigated the combined effects of aqueous ozone treatment and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on prolonging the shelf-life of semi-dried buckwheat noodles [SBWN; moisture content (22.5 ± 0.5%)] at 25 °C. Firstly, the different concentrations of ozonated water were used to make SBWN. Subsequently, SBWN prepared with ozonated water were packaged under six different conditions and stored for 11 days. Changes in microbial, chemical-physical, textural properties and sensorial qualities of SWBN were monitored during storage. Microbiological results indicated that adopting 2.21 mg/L of ozonated water resulted in a 1.8 log10 CFU/g reduction of the initial microbial loads in SBWN. In addition, MAP suppressed the microbial growth with a concomitant reduction in the rates of acidification and quality deteriorations of SBWN. Finally, the shelf-life of sample packed under N2:CO2 = 30:70 was extended to 9 days, meanwhile textural and sensorial characteristics were maintained during the whole storage period.

•Less depolymerization of gluten was observed during dough processing of CSB.•SDS extractability of gluten decreased significantly during steaming of CSB.•Microstructure of gluten network was investigated by CLSM.•Glutenin depolymerization led to weakening of GMP gels in G′ and G″.•Gluteinin depolymerization negatively correlated with GMP quantity and subunits.Polymerization of gluten and the changes of glutenin macropolymer (GMP) during the production of Chinese steamed bread (CSB) were investigated, providing a theoretical basis to improve and regulate the quality of CSB. Protein extractability and free sulfhydryl (SH) contents increased to some degree during the dough preparation stage, but significantly (P < 0.05) decreased during steaming. Remarkable protein aggregates were observed in sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) patterns. The microstructure study of the gas cell and the protein network by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) further revealed the formation of a continuous and three-dimensional gluten network. The loss and recovery of GMP wet weight during dough processing were significant (P < 0.05). Glutenin depolymerization negatively correlated with GMP wet weight and the contents of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS). Gluten polymerization led to a decrease in G′ and G″ of GMP while gluten depolymerization induced a slight recovery in G′ and G″ of GMP.

•HTST imparted enhanced storage stability and cooking quality to semi-dried noodles.•Starch gelatinization and protein aggregation were partly induced for HTST noodles.•More compact inner and surface structure was observed in HTST dehydrated noodles.•HTST dehydration was more suitable for the production of semi-dried noodles.Based on the critical water content (for noodle deterioration) concluded previously, high-temperature–short-time (HTST; 105–135 °C) and medium-temperature–long-time (MTLT; 45–75 °C) dehydrations were introduced in this study to produce semi-dried noodles. The effects of HTST and MTLT on the quality parameters of semi-dried noodles, as well as noodle structure, storage stability, and changes in starch and protein components were thoroughly investigated. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and birefringent analysis presented few starch gelatinization (approximately 30%) in HTST dehydrated noodles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed more compact noodle surface, with uniform pores in the cross section, probably due to enhanced protein–starch combination after HTST dehydration. Meanwhile, HTST induced protein polymerizations in semi-dried noodles, mainly by –SH–S–S interchange, and resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) reduced cooking loss. Furthermore, HTST noodles showed higher microbial and color stability. Shelf-life of dehydrated samples at 120 °C was extended to 5 days from 1 day of the control.

The fermentation process for maximizing the flavonoid and methoxy-ρ-benzoquinone (MBQ) + 2,6-dimethoxy-ρ-benzoquinone (DMBQ) content of wheat germ was modeled and optimized. First, agitation speed, initial pH, fermentation temperature and fermentation time were used to construct a 4-8-2 ANN model with back-propagation (BP) and extended Kalman filter (EKF) learning algorithms. The regression coefficients (R2) between experimental and predicted values indicated that EKF-ANN models had better accuracy. Second, a multi-objective optimization procedure using non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) was performed to create non-dominated optimal solutions which gave an insight on the optimum fermentation parameters for maximum flavonoid and MBQ + DMBQ content. Third, an approach based on LINMAP was utilized for finding the final compromise solution from the obtained non-dominated optimal solutions. The optimization results show a 13.34% increase in flavonoid content and a 7.92% increase in the total content of MBQ and DMBQ simultaneously, compared with the highest values in original design.

•WGPH prepared by Alcalase FG 2.4L had strong metal chelating ability of 69.62 ± 0.96%.•A novel zinc-chelating peptide (HNAPNPGLPYAA) was isolated and purified from WGPH.•HNAPNPGLPYAA had a high zinc chelating capacity of 91.67 ± 0.81%.•HNAPNPGLPYAA possessed higher zinc bioavailability than ZnSO4 in Caco-2 cells.The enzymatic hydrolysis of defatted wheat germ protein was carried out by using Alcalase, Flavourzyme and papain. The hydrolysates prepared by Alcalase under optimal conditions for 200 min had the highest degree of hydrolysis (DH) of 15.61 ± 0.09% and metal chelating ability of 69.62 ± 0.96%. The zinc-chelating peptides were isolated and purified from Alcalase hydrolysates using immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC-Zn2+) and macroporous adsorption resin DA 201-C. Two major zinc-chelating peptides identified by MALDI TOF/TOF were Asn-Ala-Pro-Leu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Leu-Lys-His (NAPLPPPLKH) and His-Asn-Ala-Pro-Asn-Pro-Gly-Leu-Pro-Try-Ala-Ala (HNAPNPGLPYAA). HNAPNPGLPYAA had a high zinc chelating capacity of 91.67 ± 0.81% and possessed higher zinc bioavailability than ZnSO4 in Caco-2 cells (P<0.05). The results of this study suggest that wheat germ zinc-chelating peptides might be useful in zinc fortification of foods for increasing mineral bioavailability.

Wheat bran contains a significant amount of the anti-nutritional factor phytate. This study is the first to explore the effectiveness of activating endogenous phytase and further reducing phytate content through resulting programmed cell death (PCD). Effects of solid–liquid ratio (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:6), incubation temperature (4, 20, 38, 55, and 70 °C), metal ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), gibberellin concentration (0, 5, 50, 500, 2000, and 5000 mg/L), hydrogen peroxide concentration (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0%), and incubation time (30, 80, 180, and 360 min) on activation of endogenous phytase activity and phytate degradation in wheat bran samples are discussed in this study. It was found that when the wheat bran was incubated with distilled water at 55 °C for 80 min, its endogenous phytase activity was dramatically increased 4-fold from 12.96 to 53.54 FTU/g, whereas the phytate content was reduced by about 70% from 45.20 to 13.52 mg/g. By comparison of photomicrographs of raw wheat bran sample and sample incubated with distilled water for 360 min at 55 °C, a conclusion could be drawn that PCD in aleurone cells had occurred.

Oxidative stress has been considered as a major cause of cellular injury in a variety of clinical abnormalities. One of popular methods to inhibit reactive-oxygen-species (ROS)-induced cellular injury is dietary or pharmaceutical augmentation of the endogenous antioxidant defense capacity. In this study, the resistance effects of wheat bran polyphenols extracts (WBPE) against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in HEK293 cells were investigated. The phenolic components of WBPE were analysed using UPLC/TQD, and the presence of ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, o-coumaric acid and gallic acid components were confirmed. The cytotoxicity of such contents and their effects on cell morphology were also evaluated. The results demonstrated that the incubation of WBPE-N9-4 with cells prior to H2O2 exposure could significantly improve cell viability corresponding with increased catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels. Moreover, reduction in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and ROS generation were observed. The presence of WBPE-N9-4 inhibited H2O2-induced apoptosis in HEK293 cells, which was confirmed by the flow cytometry of sub-G1 DNA content and an Annexin V assay. It is reasonable to assume that WBPE-N9-4 has an excellent ability to prevent HEK293 cells from oxidative-damage. Our studies, for the first time, reveal that WBPE-N9-4 has resistance effects against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in HEK293 cells.

In the present study, polyphenol-rich extracts of wheat bran (PEWB) were prepared via adsorption on macroporous resins and desorption with ethanol. Extraction was performed using aqueous ethanol and four different types of macroporous adsorbent resins for isolation. Specifically, the properties of the macroporous resins were investigated by adsorption and desorption tests. Total polyphenolic content of PEWB was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method, and its resistance effects against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidation on HEK293 cells were assessed by cell viability and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay. The results indicate that resin NKA-9 displayed excellent adsorption and separation ability, as well as provided insight into the generation of PEWB from wheat bran extracts. In addition, these results suggest that pretreating HEK293 cells with PEWB prior to H2O2 exposure exhibited a significantly increased survival ratio and reduced the ROS levels. Further investigation involving the phenolic content of PEWB identification and quantification demonstrated that ferulic acid was the most abundant phenolic compound in a number of extracts, which was also confirmed with MTT and ROS assays. Our study revealed that PEWB can prevent HEK293 cells from H2O2-induced oxidative damage.

Whole wheat flour contains many nutrients which is mainly located in wheat bran, but it has a poor bioavailability because of the massive presence of antinutritional factor phytate. To improve the bioavailability, steam flash explosion (SFE) was first employed to phytate degradation in wheat bran. Five levels of steam pressure (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 MPa) and six levels of residence time (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 s) were used to investigate the phytate and color changes of wheat bran treated by SFE. The optimum process was determined at steam pressure of 2.5 MPa and residence time of 60 s. Under this process, the satisfactory phytate degradation (around 87 %) could be obtained, whereas the degree of color deepening of treated wheat bran is proportional to the phytate degradation. Observation of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the structure of wheat bran was completely destroyed by SFE. This destruction causes the phytate to be exposed to high temperature and high pressure and consequently degraded. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results indicated that SFE could effectively change phytate into low inositol phosphate salts. As shown in the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis, this change was attributed to the decomposition of phytate by interrupting the P–O–C group. Overall, phytate degradation in wheat bran during SFE attributed to the interaction of high pressure, high temperature, and acid hydrolysis.

The application of antioxidants has been considered as an important and effective approach against conditions in which oxidative stress occurs. Especially, ferulic acid (FA) is an important antioxidant which exerts potency against cellular damage in the presence of oxidants. In the current study, the resistance effect of FA on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-stressed human embryonic kidney 293 cells (HEK293) in vitro was investigated. FA (1 mM) increased HEK293 cells’ viability and significantly reduced H2O2-induced cellular apoptosis, which was confirmed with flow cytometry and morphological results. Cell cycle analysis indicated low percentage of sub-G0 population of FA-treated HEK293 cells that confirmed its resistance effect. The FA-treated HEK293 cells followed by H2O2 exposure resulted in decreased ROS levels compared to control (H2O2-treated only). The results indicated that pretreatment of FA on cell prior to H2O2 exposure could significantly improve cell survival and increase catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. On the other hand, reduction in the levels of MDA and ROS was obvious. It can be concluded that FA may protect HEK293 cells from injury induced by H2O2 through regulation of intracellular antioxidant enzyme activities and cell cycle distribution. The reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential was also inhibited by FA treatment. These results suggested the importance of naturally occurring antioxidants such as FA in therapeutic intervention methodology against oxidative stress-related diseases.

Defatted wheat germ (DWG) is the main by-product of the wheat germ oil extraction process. Its nutritional value has well been accepted. In this study, the antioxidant properties of 30% ethanol, 50% ethanol, 70% ethanol, 100% ethanol, and aqueous extracts of DWG were measured using various in vitro assays. Among the DWGEs (DWG extracts) tested, the 70% ethanol extract showed the best DPPH radical scavenging power while the 100% ethanol extract showed the highest ABTS radical scavenging activity and reducing power. In addition, both the 70% ethanol extract and the 50% ethanol extract exhibited relatively higher antioxidant activity in linoleic acid system. The extracts in question exhibited total phenolic contents ranging from 13.98 to 16.75 mg GAE/g. DWG, as a source of natural antioxidants, can be used to formulate nutraceuticals with potential applications to reducing the level of oxidative stress. The antioxidant potency of the DWG extracts could be the basis for its health promoting potential.Research highlights► 70% ethanol extract showed the best DPPH radical scavenging power. ► 100% ethanol extract showed the highest ABTS+ scavenging activity and reducing power. ► Total phenolic contents of DWGEs were inconsistent with their antioxidant activities.

Sesame sprouts are consumed as vegetables in Asian folk. In this study, the nutritional evaluation and antioxidant activity of sesame sprouts were investigated. As seeding days progressed, the free amino acids, γ-aminobutyric acid and total phenolic compounds in the sprouts were rapidly increased while sesamin was reduced. Although a fatty acid composition analysis showed that sesame sprouts were abundant in unsaturated fatty acids, the crude fat content was gradually reduced during sprout growth. In the antioxidant assays, it was found that the DPPH radical scavenging activity and the reducing power of the sprouts increased as the seeding days progressed, which was positively related to the total phenolic content. Sesame sprouts can be recommended for functional ingredients, as well as being an excellent dietary source of natural antioxidants.Highlights► Most of the free amino acid contents were increased as seeding days progressed. ► The crude fat content significantly reduced during seeding. ► γ-Amino-n-butyric acid and total phenolic compounds were rapidly increased. ► Sesamin in sprouts was significantly reduced during seeding. ► Antioxidant activity of sprouts was positively related to the total phenolic content.

The functional properties and secondary structures of defatted wheat germ protein separated by reverse micelles (DWGRMPI) were investigated and compared with those of defatted wheat germ protein separated by alkaline extraction and isoelectric precipitation (DWGPI). The results showed that DWGRMPI had a higher nitrogen solubility index, fat absorption capacity, foaming capacity, foaming stability and emulsifying stability compared to DWGPI, whilst water holding capacity, surface hydrophobicity and emulsifying activity of DWGRMPI were relatively lower than those of DWGPI. DWGRMPI contained high levels of threonine, histidine, alanine, arginine, glycine, serine, cysteine, proline and especially lysine compared to DWGPI. The denaturation temperature and denaturation enthalpy of DWGPI were both lower than those of DWGRMPI, and DWGPI contained more random coil and less α-helix than DWGRMPI, which suggested that DWGPI has lost its ordered secondary structure. This may possibly due to the conditions the used in protein extraction.

•Gluten polymerizes during noodle cooking by disulfide bond formation.•Addition of NaCl reduces the extent of gluten polymerization.•Addition of kansui increases intermolecular disulfide bond formation.•Addition of kansui induces dehydroalanine-derived cross-linking.•Optimal texture was observed for noodles containing 0.2–1.5% kansui or 2.0% NaCl.We investigated the impact of table (NaCl) and alkaline (kansui) salts on changes to the gluten network during fresh wheat noodle production and cooking. Noodle production did not markedly change the gluten structure. In contrast, cooking increased gluten's average molecular weight by disulfide bond formation or reshuffling as evidenced by the decrease of protein extractability. Addition of NaCl (0.5 up to 3.0 weight % on flour basis) to the recipe reduced the extent of gluten polymerization during cooking. Kansui (0.2 up to 1.5 weight %) increased intermolecular disulfide bond formation. Furthermore, amino acid analysis revealed that kansui induced the formation of dehydroalanine-derived cross-links lanthionine and lysinoalanine. Optimal firmness was observed for noodles containing either 0.2–1.5% kansui or 2.0% NaCl. However, the addition of kansui reduced noodle nutritional quality, and high levels of table (2.0–3.0%) or alkaline (1.0–1.5%) salt increased cooking losses.

In this work, the forward extraction of defatted wheat germ protein (DWGP) by reverse micelles was studied. The reverse micellar systems were formed by sulphosuccinic acid bis (2-ethylhexyl) ester sodium salt (AOT), isooctane and KCl solution. The effects of AOT concentration, pH, KCl concentration, extraction time, the amounts of defatted wheat germ flour (DWGF), W0 (the molar ratio of water to surfactant, i.e. W0 = [H2O]/[AOT]) and temperature on the forward extraction efficiency of DWGP were tested. On the basis of single-factor experiments, the optimum extraction was achieved by response surface methodology (RSM). The experimental results lead to the conclusion that the highest forward extraction efficiency of DWGP was reached at the AOT concentration 0.06 g/mL, pH 8, KCl concentration 0.1 mol/L, time 30 min, the amounts of DWGF 0.500 g, W0 25 and temperature 36 °C. Under these conditions, the forward extraction efficiency of DWGP achieved 37%.

•Artificial neural network exhibited good fitting ability in modeling the fermentation process.•A significant increase of total contents of MBQ and DMBQ was achieved.•A novel method was established to analyze two-factor interactions.Methoxy-ρ-benzoquinone (MBQ) and 2, 6-dimethoxy-ρ-benzoquinone (DMBQ) are two potential anticancer compounds in fermented wheat germ. In present study, modeling and optimization of added macronutrients, microelements, vitamins for producing MBQ and DMBQ was investigated using artificial neural network (ANN) combined with genetic algorithm (GA). A configuration of 16-11-1 ANN model with Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm was applied for modeling the complicated nonlinear interactions among 16 nutrients in fermentation process. Under the guidance of optimized scheme, the total contents of MBQ and DMBQ was improved by 117% compared with that in the control group. Further, by evaluating the relative importance of each nutrient in terms of the two benzoquinones’ yield, macronutrients and microelements were found to have a greater influence than most of vitamins. It was also observed that a number of interactions between nutrients affected the yield of MBQ and DMBQ remarkably.