Individual or mixing extrusion of Tartary buckwheat and adzuki bean: Effect on quality properties and starch digestibility of instant powder

IntroductionTartary buckwheat and adzuki bean, which are classified as coarse grain, has attracted increasing attention as potential functional ingredient or food source because of their high levels of bioactive components and various health benefits.MethodsThis work investigated the effect of two different extrusion modes including individual extrusion and mixing extrusion on the phytochemical compositions, physicochemical properties and in vitro starch digestibility of instant powder which consists mainly of Tartary buckwheat and adzuki bean flour.ResultsCompared to mixing extrusion, instant powder obtained with individual extrusion retained higher levels of protein, resistant starch, polyphenols, flavonoids and lower gelatinization degree and estimated glycemic index. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (35.45%) of the instant powder obtained with individual extrusion was stronger than that obtained with mixing extrusion (26.58%). Lower levels of digestibility (39.65%) and slower digestion rate coefficient (0.25 min−1) were observed in the instant powder obtained with individual extrusion than in mixing extrusion (50.40%, 0.40 min−1) by logarithm-of-slope analysis. Moreover, two extrusion modes had no significant impact on the sensory quality of instant powder. Correlation analysis showed that the flavonoids were significantly correlated with physicochemical properties and starch digestibility of the instant powder.DiscussionThese findings suggest that the instant powder obtained with individual extrusion could be used as an ideal functional food resource with anti-diabetic potential

Changes in bio-accessibility, polyphenol profile and antioxidants of quinoa and djulis sprouts during in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion

This study aimed to evaluate the bio-accessibility of the phenolics and flavonoid, the polyphenolic profile and the antioxidant activity of sprouts obtained from four different quinoa genotypes and one djulis cultivar during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Compared to their content in sprouts, the bioavailable phenolics after the oral phase, the gastric phase, the intestinal phase, and in the dialyzable fraction were in the ranges of 45.7%–63.5%, 87.6%–116.7%, 89.6%–124.5%, and 7.4%–10.9%, respectively. The trend in flavonoid bio-accessibility was similar to the polyphenols. The dialyzable flavonoid recoveries varied between 4.2% and 12.4%. Correspondingly, the free radical scavenging activity of the dialyzable phase decreased significantly from 84.7% to 96.5%. The main phenolic acids were vanillic acid, caffeic acid, and syringic acid during digestion. The results suggest that gastrointestinal digestion greatly affected the absorption of polyphenols and flavonoid of quinoa and djulis sprouts, as well as their antioxidant capacity

Changes in bio‐accessibility, polyphenol profile and antioxidants of quinoa and djulis sprouts during in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion

This study aimed to evaluate the bio-accessibility of the phenolics and flavonoid, the polyphenolic profile and the antioxidant activity of sprouts obtained from four different quinoa genotypes and one djulis cultivar during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Compared to their content in sprouts, the bioavailable phenolics after the oral phase, the gastric phase, the intestinal phase, and in the dialyzable fraction were in the ranges of 45.7%–63.5%, 87.6%–116.7%, 89.6%–124.5%, and 7.4%–10.9%, respectively. The trend in flavonoid bio-accessibility was similar to the polyphenols. The dialyzable flavonoid recoveries varied between 4.2% and 12.4%. Correspondingly, the free radical scavenging activity of the dialyzable phase decreased significantly from 84.7% to 96.5%. The main phenolic acids were vanillic acid, caffeic acid, and syringic acid during digestion. The results suggest that gastrointestinal digestion greatly affected the absorption of polyphenols and flavonoid of quinoa and djulis sprouts, as well as their antioxidant capacity

Yield, Agronomic and Forage Quality Traits of Different Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Genotypes in Northeast China

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) grain is well known as a source of nutritious human food, but the nutritional properties of quinoa as animal fodder has not been well explored. Fifteen quinoa accessions were assessed for grain and forage yields, and morphological and quality traits during anthesis and grain filling, with the aim of selecting superior genotypes for greater production and quality traits that are well adapted to northeastern China. Variations were significant among the tested genotypes for all traits. The highest grain weight was recorded in Rainbow (27.51 g plant−1), followed by the local Chinese genotypes Longli 3, YY28 and Mengli 1. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive association of grain yield with branches and a negative association with culm thickness and inflorescence length, whereas more branches and moderate plant height were the main yield components affecting yield. Forage shoot weight was 37.2–81.6 g plant−1, with JQ3 and ZQ1 exhibiting the highest yields. Forage yield was strongly and positively correlated with most of the morphological traits, except plant height, and was negatively associated with chlorophyll content and the fresh/dry matter ratio. Quality traits and the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of quinoa were significantly lower than alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), oats (Avena sativa L.) or Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel, and the crude protein (CP) content was significantly higher than all three species, reaching above 20%. The saponin content of the whole plant was higher during anthesis than during grain filling. In conclusion, genotypes having more branches and shorter and more compact main inflorescences achieved higher grain yields, whereas genotypes possessing thick stems, more branches and moderate plant height produced more forage. Hence, the results indicate that superior quinoa genotypes have great potential to solve fodder shortages in China

Preparation, physicochemical properties, and formation mechanism of quinoa self-assembled peptide-based hydrogel

peer reviewedCurrently, self-assembly peptides with hydrogel properties that are used in various applications are being chemically synthesized. These peptides not only have safety and environmental problems but are also expensive and cumbersome to prepare. The present study established a convenient and efficient method for producing plant-based peptides with decent gel-forming ability from quinoa proteins. After alkaline protease treatment, hydrogels made with quinoa protein hydrolysis exhibited potent self-assembly capacity, enhanced gel hardness, and improved rheological properties. Moreover, the microstructure results revealed that the quinoa peptide hydrogels had regular, uniform, and interconnected porous structures. These observations were primarily attributed to the hydrogen bonding force and hydrophobic aggregation caused by hydrophobic group exposure. Amino acid and proteomics analysis suggested that the amino acid composition and sequence of quinoa peptides significantly influenced the formation of self-assembled hydrogels. Overall, this study provided a cost-effective approach to improve the gelling ability of quinoa protein and could potentially replace the use of chemically synthesized peptides in various applications, laying the theoretical basis for the development of novel natural plant-based foods

Supplementation of quinoa peptides alleviates colorectal cancer and restores gut microbiota in AOM/DSS-treated mice.

peer reviewedQuinoa protein hydrolysate has been previously reported to exert anti-cancer effects in cultured colon cancer cells. Here, we investigated the effect of quinoa protein and its hydrolysate on an azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced mouse model of colorectal cancer (CRC) and examined its underlying mechanism using gut microbiota analysis and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production analysis. Our results showed that quinoa protein or its hydrolysate mitigated the clinical symptoms of CRC and increased SCFAs contents in colon tissues. Moreover, administration of quinoa protein or its hydrolysate partially alleviated gut microbiota dysbiosis in CRC mice by decreasing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria and increasing the abundance of probiotics. Additionally, PICRUSt analysis revealed that the functional profile of gut microbiota in the quinoa protein treated groups was more similar to that of the control group. These findings indicated that the modulation of gut microbiota by quinoa protein diet intervention may ameliorate AOM/DSS-induced CRC.The Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Progra