Data_Sheet_1_Comprehensive improvement of nutrients and volatile compounds of black/purple rice by extrusion-puffing technology.docx

IntroductionBlack/purple rice is a pigmented rice variety that contains high levels of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and other valuable bioactive compounds. Owing to its robust anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, black/purple rice exerts a beneficial effect on human health. Extrusion puffing technology has emerged as a promising means of improving rice flavor with lesser effect on nutrient content. In this study, metabolomics approach was used to conduct comprehensive metabolomics analyses aimed at examining the impact of extrusion puffing on black/purple rice nutritional value and flavor.MethodsFirstly, the basic nutrient composition contents and extrudate characteristics of black/purple rice and Extrusion puffed black/purple rice were conducted. Then metabolomics profiling analyses of black/purple rice samples were performed to explore the impact of the extrusion puffing process on nutrient content and bioactive properties, in which we quantitatively determined the flavonoids and evaluated relative contents of volatile compounds.ResultsThese analyses revealed that following extrusion puffing, black/purple rice exhibited significant improvements in the content of nutrients including flavonoids, minerals, and proteins together. Extrusion puffing additionally increased the diversity of volatile compounds within black/purple rice.DiscussionThese results suggest that extrusion puffing represents an effective means of substantially improving the functional and nutritional properties of black/purple rice, offering beneficial effects on consumer health. Overall, these data provide novel insights into the quality of extrusion puffed black/purple rice that will guide future efforts to establish how extrusion puffing can alter the nutrient content in a range of foods, thereby supporting the further development of a range of healthy food products.</p

Image_1_Comprehensive improvement of nutrients and volatile compounds of black/purple rice by extrusion-puffing technology.JPEG

IntroductionBlack/purple rice is a pigmented rice variety that contains high levels of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and other valuable bioactive compounds. Owing to its robust anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, black/purple rice exerts a beneficial effect on human health. Extrusion puffing technology has emerged as a promising means of improving rice flavor with lesser effect on nutrient content. In this study, metabolomics approach was used to conduct comprehensive metabolomics analyses aimed at examining the impact of extrusion puffing on black/purple rice nutritional value and flavor.MethodsFirstly, the basic nutrient composition contents and extrudate characteristics of black/purple rice and Extrusion puffed black/purple rice were conducted. Then metabolomics profiling analyses of black/purple rice samples were performed to explore the impact of the extrusion puffing process on nutrient content and bioactive properties, in which we quantitatively determined the flavonoids and evaluated relative contents of volatile compounds.ResultsThese analyses revealed that following extrusion puffing, black/purple rice exhibited significant improvements in the content of nutrients including flavonoids, minerals, and proteins together. Extrusion puffing additionally increased the diversity of volatile compounds within black/purple rice.DiscussionThese results suggest that extrusion puffing represents an effective means of substantially improving the functional and nutritional properties of black/purple rice, offering beneficial effects on consumer health. Overall, these data provide novel insights into the quality of extrusion puffed black/purple rice that will guide future efforts to establish how extrusion puffing can alter the nutrient content in a range of foods, thereby supporting the further development of a range of healthy food products.</p

Predicted targets of novel miRNAs identified by the degradome sequencing in maize.

<p>Predicted targets of novel miRNAs identified by the degradome sequencing in maize.</p

Differential expression of newly identified miRNAs in response to N deficiency in shoots (A) and roots (B).

<p>Only miRNA genes with > 2-fold relative change were shown. Selected miRNAs from shoots and roots were validated by small RNA northern blot (C). A 40 µg small RNA was loaded per lane and hybridized with corresponding ³²P-labeled probes. 5s/tRNA is shown as a loading control.</p

Who will follow the leader? Managers' perceptions of management development activities: an international comparison: SKOPE Research Paper No. 51, Autumn 2004

This article contributes to the on-going debate surrounding management education and development through an examination of the development experiences of managers studying for an MBA by distance learning at Warwick Business School. It analyses the extent to which management development opportunities, both formal and informal, are seen to support managers in their day-to-day roles and deliver those skills necessary for the future. The research also provides the opportunity to compare responses from UK managers with those from managers in other countries. The survey evidence shows that in some respects the experience of UK and Overseas respondents are quite similar; they both receive large amounts of training and development from their employers and show a preference for more ‘non-formal’ routes of learning. In other ways their experiences are quite different: UK managers take up their first full-time job and their first managerial appointment earlier than the overseas respondents and overseas respondents placed much more emphasis on networking and learning from outside their own organisations than did UK managers. The research also suggests that integrating management development activities with other human resource policies and practices, such as performance evaluation and reward remains problematic and that there is a strong perception amongst managers both in the UK and overseas that their organisations do not view management development in a strategic way. When looking at future development needs respondents from both the UK and overseas highlighted the need for leadership skills as a priority for themselves but focused on more general management and operational skills as the main priority for their colleagues. One possible explanation for this is that the respondents were only to well aware of the fact that that leaders need followers. This is, however, a view at which is at odds with current policy arguments in the UK where leadership skills are seen to be necessary for all managers

Detection of novel miRNA candidate identified by small RNA library (A) or degradome (B) sequencing.

<p>Plants were grown hydroponically with full-strength Hoagland's nutrient solution for 2 weeks and then transferred to the N-free or N-replete medium for 2 days before small RNA was isolated from leaves and roots. Five micrograms of small RNA from each sample was loaded and hybridized with corresponding ³²P-labeled probes. 5s/tRNA is shown as a loading control.</p

Differential expression of conserved miRNAs in response to N deficiency in shoots (A) and roots (B).

<p>Only miRNA genes with > 2-fold relative change are shown. Selected miRNAs from roots were validated by Real time RT-PCR (C) or small RNA northern blot (D). Maize seedlings were grown hydroponically with full-strength Hoagland's nutrient solution for 2 weeks and then transferred to the N-free or N-sufficient medium for 2 d before total/small RNA was isolated. Real-time RT-PCR quantifications were normalized to the expression of <i>ZmGAPC2</i>. The results represent SD of three replicates. A 40 µg small RNA was loaded per lane and hybridized with corresponding ³²P-labeled probes. 5s/tRNA is shown as a loading control.</p

miRNA* mediated mRNA cleavage detected by degradome sequencing in maize.

<p>miRNA* mediated mRNA cleavage detected by degradome sequencing in maize.</p

Size distribution of redundant (A) and unique (B) small RNA sequences.

<p>nt, nucleotides.</p

A possible functional network of N-limitation responsive miRNAs in maize seedlings.

<p>− represents negative regulation; + represents positive regulation.</p