Experience with wheat flour reference material

The Chemical Section of the National Office of Measures, Hungary (OMH) [1] embarked on the preparation of a wheat sample series as a Certified Reference Material [2] (CRM) in 1992. The practical implementation of the wheat sample series has shown that test- ing laboratories are in great need of easy-to-use flour reference samples to objectively and independently qualify wheat. To fill this need, we have developed a three-term flour reference sample series. The certification process was car-ried out according to ISO recommendations. Investigations of the long-term stability [3] and the application of wheat and flour CRMs are continuing. Wheat is one of the most widely grown crops in Hun- gary and it is one of the major determinative factors in the economy. Its uniform and objective qualification is of outstanding importance. There are well-equipped laborato-ries with sufficient experience to assess wheat flour quality, howev- er, proficiency testing has shown that certified samples need to be used to achieve exact and uniform measuring results. Received: 12 November 1999 Accepted: 16 August 2000     

Determination of deoxynivalenol in whole wheat flour and wheat bran

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed for determining deoxynivalenol (DON) in whole wheat flour and wheat bran. A 15 g test sample was extracted with acetonitrile-water (84 + 16, v/v) and applied to a Romer MycoSep cleanup column. The eluate was dried and then reconstituted in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, and applied to a Vicam DONtest-LC cleanup column. The methanol eluate was chromatographed with a methanol-water (17 + 83, v/v) mobile phase on a C18 column with UV detection at 220 nm. Five replicates at each of 5 fortification levels (0.25, 0.50, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 ppm), plus 5 controls, were determined for both whole wheat flour and wheat bran. For flour, the average recoveries were 72.2-91.5% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 4.9-18.4%. The intra-assay flour recovery was 82.4% with 9.8% RSD. A 5 replicate sample of naturally incurred wheat had an average of 1.1 ppm DON with 6.7% RSD. For bran, average recoveries of fortified samples were 69.5-99.7% with RSDs of 1.7-18.8%. The intra-assay bran recovery was 81.5% with 8.9% RSD. The limit of detection (about 3x noise) for the method is 0.05 ppm; the correlation coefficient (linearity) was >0.9995. The DON peak was clearly identified and easily integrated in the chromatograms.     

Gamma irradiation influence on wheat flour gelatinisation

Differences were detected by DSC between gelatinisation and amylose-lipid complex transition occurring in suspensions of control and irradiated with 30 kGy wheat flour characterised by a dry matter to water ratio equal to ca. 1:1 and the dependence of the results on the heating rate. Two steps viscosity was discovered using of Brabender viscograph for the wheat flour irradiated with 1-30 kGy dose (apart to an essential decrease in maximum viscosity) while a one step process occurs in the case of the control one. It was compared to one step viscosity jump observed in the case of rye flour, both control and irradiated. The results are discussed in terms of radiation induced changes in starch granules. Storage of the suspensions at -20°C led to an additional exothermic effect, preceding well-recognised gelatinisation effect. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

ESR detection of wheat flour before and after irradiation

We revealed free radicals in wheat flour before and after gamma-ray irradiation and their thermal behavior during heat-treatment using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The ESR spectrum of wheat flour before irradiation consists of a sextet centered at g = 2.0 and a singlet signal at the same g-value position. The first one is attributable to a signal with hyperfine (hf) interactions of Mn2+ ion (hf constant: 7.4 mT). The second is originated from carbon-centered radical. Upon gamma-ray irradiation, however, a new signal with two triplet lines at the low and high field ends was detected in wheat flour on top of the Mn2+ sextet lines. We analyzed the triplet ESR lines as powder spectra (rhombic g-tensor symmetry) with nitrogen (14N) hyperfine interactions. This indicates that a new organic radical was induced in the conjugated protein portion of wheat flour by the gamma-ray irradiation. Intensity of the organic free radical at g = 2.0 detected in irradiated wheat flour increased monotonically by the thermal treatment. The analysis of the time-dependent evolution and decay process based on the theory of transient phenomena as well as the nonlinear least-squares numerical method provided a unique time constant for the radical evolution and decay in wheat flour during the heat-treatment.     

Shear stress relaxation of wheat flour dough and gluten

Measurements of shear stress relaxation of wheat flour dough and its corresponding gluten in cone-plate geometry are reported. The range of shear strains used is 0.1–1.0. It is found that the relaxation function is separable into a function of strain and a function of time for shear strains up to 0.4 for dough and 1.0 for gluten. The strain function is non-linear for both dough and gluten. Typically the observed half relaxation time is 1.5 seconds for both dough and gluten. The data suggest the existence of two separate flow processes. The observed time-dependence of the relaxation function has been analysed in terms of a theory of flow as a cooperative phenomenon. In this analysis the process which occurs at short times (0.1–10 s), is characterized by a four-fold coordination of flow units. This process is similar in dough and gluten. The second process, occurring at longer times (10–10⁴ s), is different for dough and gluten and the coordination numbers found are two and one, respectively. This second flow process has to our knowledge not been reported previously.     

Multielement analysis with ICP-AES-possibilities for quality control with CRMs

Summary An analysis using Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) together with routine samples is by far the best approach for quality control in multielement analysis of environmental samples. The selection of the correct CRM is thus the first important step for all reliable analysis. The chosen material should have a similar matrix, similar concentration of the element(s) of interest and a sufficient number of well-certified elements. For the analysis of samples from the Environmental Specimen Bank only a few CRMs could be successfully used. These were analyzed for a considerable period of time, together with the routine samples for quality control. The results of these analyses were compared with the certified values.     

高效液相色谱-二极管阵列检测法测定小麦粉及面粉改良剂中福美双

福美双是重要的二硫代氨基甲酸酯(DTC)杀菌剂,在小麦中使用限量以1 mg/kg二硫化碳(CS2)计.目前我国相关检测方法是针对二硫代氨基甲酸酯一类的化合物,二硫代氨基甲酸酯通过与酸反应生成CS2,采用光谱法或色谱法测定CS2,间接实现二硫代氨基甲酸酯测定.该方法无法特异性实现对福美双的检测,因此开展小麦粉中福美双检测...     

Estimation of the uncertainty of CRMs in accordance with GUM: Application to the certification of four enzyme CRMs

Uncertainties of four enzyme-CRMs that have recently been certified in a co-operation between the IRMM and the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry were estimated. Estimation was based on the sum of the uncertainties of characterization, homogeneity and stability. Data from the certification collaborative study were used to estimate laboratory uncertainties, which form the basis for the uncertainty of characterization. Estimations for the uncertainty of homogeneity were derived from classical homogeneity studies. The estimations of uncertainty of stability caused the most difficulties. Realistic uncertainties fitting the needs of customers while being derived from measurement data based on theoretical considerations were obtained. Received: 11 May 2000 / Revised: 21 June 2000 / Accepted: 27 June 2000     

Distribution of deoxynivalenol in wheat,wheat flour,bran, and gluten,and variability associated with the test procedure

Analytical data obtained on deoxynivalenol (DON) concentration in naturally contaminated wheat during processing in an industrial mill were statistically analyzed, and the distribution functions of DON concentration in lots of wheat, bran, wheat flour, and gluten were estimated. The analytical method had acceptable precision (HORRAT 0.25-0.32) for each test sample. The total variance combined sampling, sample preparation, and analytical variances were 0.188, 0.033, 0.42, and 0.0014 ppm2 for wheat, 1.93; flour, 0.99; bran, 4.68; and gluten, 0.29, respectively. The distribution function of DON contamination presented an asymmetric tail for high values of concentration in wheat grains and wheat flour; in bran it seemed to be bimodal with 2 separated peaks of different concentrations; in gluten the normal distribution function gave a reasonably good fit to empirical data. The function eta(c) = -In(-Inp), where p (c) is the cumulative distribution function was linear with c in the so-called extreme-value type I distribution and could be fitted by a cubic polynomial in c in the distributions determined for all the products. This variability and distributional information contributes to the design of better sampling plans in order to reduce the total variability and to estimate errors in the evaluation of DON concentration in lots of wheat and wheat products.     

Estimation of the uncertainty of CRMs in accordance with GUM: application to the certification of four enzyme CRMs

Uncertainties of four enzyme-CRMs that have recently been certified in a co-operation between the IRMM and the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry were estimated. Estimation was based on the sum of the uncertainties of characterization, homogeneity and stability. Data from the certification collaborative study were used to estimate laboratory uncertainties, which form the basis for the uncertainty of characterization. Estimations for the uncertainty of homogeneity were derived from classical homogeneity studies. The estimations of uncertainty of stability caused the most difficulties. Realistic uncertainties fitting the needs of customers while being derived from measurement data based on theoretical considerations were obtained.     

抑制褪色光度法测定油炸面制食品中痕量铝

建立抑制褪色光度法快速测定食品中痕量铝的方法。在硫酸介质中,一定量的铝离子对溴酸钾氧化罗丹明B褪色有抑制作用,据此建立了抑制褪色光度法快速测定食品中痕量铝的新体系,最大吸收波长为550 nm。在1 mol/L硫酸介质中,铝含量在0.07~0.4μg/mL范围内与吸光度具有良好的线性关系,相关系数r=0.9995,检出限为0.02μg/mL。用该方法测定油炸面制食品中痕量铝,测定结果的相对标准偏差为1.3%~3.1%(n=11),加标回收率为99.3%~103.5%。该方法测定结果准确可靠,可用于食品中痕量铝的测定。     

Calorimetric and rheological properties of wheat flour suspensions and doughs: Effects of wheat types and milling procedure

Three types of wheat were submitted to two different milling procedures, giving rise to six flours which differed by some physico-chemical characteristics such as particle size, level of damaged starch and protein content. Differential scanning calorimetry was used for monitoring heat-induced structural changes in flour aqueous dispersions 80% water and in doughs 45% water. Differences between the thermal behaviour of the flour dispersions and doughs were explained mainly by differences in protein content. This result was confirmed after partial substitution of flour by gluten. Dynamic mechanical analysis performed at 20°C on the flour doughs indicated, as expected, a linear increase in the elastic modulus with increasing protein content. The results did not bring any evidence that, under these experimental conditions, starch damage might affect gluten hydration.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gamma radiation influence on technological characteristics of wheat flour

This study aimed at determining the influence of gamma radiation on technological characteristics of wheat (Triticum sativum) flour and physical properties of pan breads made with this flour. The bread formulation included wheat flour, water, milk, salt, sugar, yeast and butter. The α-amylase activity of wheat flour irradiated with 1, 3 and 9 kGy in a Gammacell 220 (AECL), one day, five days and one month after irradiation was evaluated. Deformation force, height and weight of breads prepared with the irradiated flour were also determined. The enzymatic activity increased—reduction of falling number time—as radiation dose increased, their values being 397 s (0 kGy), 388 s (1 kGy), 343 s (3 kGy) and 293 s (9 kGy) respectively, remaining almost constant over the period of one month. Pan breads prepared with irradiated wheat flour showed increased weight. Texture analysis showed that bread made of irradiated flour presented an increase in maximum deformation force. The results indicate that wheat flour ionizing radiation processing may confer increased enzymatic activity on bread making and depending on the irradiation dose, an increase in weight, height and deformation force parameters of pan breads made of it.     

有机成分标准物质的研究

列出了国家标准物质研究中心最近研制的有机成分标准物质。高纯度、定值准确可靠、良好的溯源性和系列性是这些标准物质的特点。对其应用作了介绍,并指出了将来的研究方向。     

Whole wheat flour coating with antioxidant property accelerates tissue remodeling for enhanced wound healing

As a daily food for billions of people for thousands of years,whole grain is rich in phenolic compounds and may have huge potentials to provide natural antioxidants.Herein,owing to the significant biomedical potential,the effect of whole wheat flour solution as antioxidant wound coating for enhanced wound healing has been studied.The results show that the low concentration of whole wheat flour solutions have good biocompatibility and can scavenge radical and intracellular ROS in vitro,accelerating tissue remodeling in vivo to promote wound healing.This kind of whole wheat flour solution has great potential application for cutaneous wound repair.     

小麦粉中甲醛(吊白块)的测定方法研究

对小麦粉中甲醛提取方法、甲醛与2,4-二硝基苯肼的衍生化反应条件以及甲醛衍生物的提取净化方法进行了研究, 建立了一种小麦粉中甲醛(吊白块)的高压液相色谱测定方法.该方法在甲醛浓度为0.026～0.832 μg/mL范围内与其衍生物的色谱峰面积呈显著线性相关, 相关系数r=0.9986. 小麦粉中甲醛不同添加量的平均回收率＞99%;吊白块不同添加量的平均回收率＞94%(以甲醛量计). 重复测定相对标准偏差平均为4.5%, 甲醛的检出限为9.6 μg/L, 相当于小麦粉中甲醛的最小检出量为0.24 mg/kg.     

基于真菌毒素污染差异的液相色谱-串联质谱法鉴别板栗粉中掺假小麦粉

建立了分散固相萃取-超快速液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定板栗粉和小麦粉中43种真菌毒素的方法,对48份板栗粉和80份小麦粉样品的污染状况进行调查,筛选出5种专属于小麦粉的标志性真菌毒素.样品采用84％(v/v)乙腈水溶液提取,提取液采用C18结合增强型脂质去除净化剂(EMR-Lipid)净化,采用响应曲面-中心组合设计优...     

Determination of niacin in infant formula and wheat flour by anion-exchange liquid chromatography with solid-phase extraction cleanup

Niacin content must be included on food labels of infant formula products and bakery products containing enriched flour. Liquid chromatographic (LC) determination of niacin in complex food matrixes is complicated by the presence of endogenous compounds that absorb at the commonly used wave-length of 260 nm. Also, the presence of particulate matter in the standard sulfuric acid extraction procedure results in reduced life of LC columns and precolumns. A simple, rapid, solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure for separation and cleanup of niacin from a complex food matrix digest has been developed. By using a vacuum manifold with the SPE column system, multiple samples can be processed quickly and efficiently for LC analysis, compared with gravimetric column cleanup. Sulfuric acid sample digest is passed over an aromatic sulfonic acid cation-exchange (ArSCX-SPE) or a sulfonated Florisil SPE column. Niacin is eluted with 0.25M sodium acetate-acetic acid, pH 5.6 buffer in vacuo. LC chromatograms of the resulting eluate are free of interference from other components absorbing at 260 nm at the retention time of niacin. Validation of the method was obtained from agreement of analytical results on available reference materials. For both SPE methods, values for niacin in SRM 1846 Infant Formula (milk-based powder) were within uncertainty ranges of the certified value. Use of several calibration procedures (the LC computer program, a peak area response graphic standard curve, or the method of standard additions) with both SPE procedures resulted in niacin values for 3 RM-Wheat Flours (not certified for niacin) in agreement (90-105%) with their respective values reported in the literature. Several commercial wheat flours showed a broad 260 nm interference, resulting in high niacin values. Niacin recoveries from spiked soy-based liquid infant formulas ranged from 95-107% with the ArSCX-SPE column. Calibration curves of niacin were linear up to 400 micrograms/mL, with a detection limit of 0.2 microgram/mL.     

Development and certification of a reference material for Fusarium mycotoxins in wheat flour

Deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV) and zearalenone (ZEN) are toxic secondary metabolites produced by several species of Fusarium fungi. These mycotoxins are often found together in a large variety of cereal-based foods, which are regulated by maximum content levels of DON and ZEN. To date, suitable certified reference materials (CRM) intended for quality control purposes are lacking for these Fusarium mycotoxins. In order to overcome this lack, the first CRM for the determination of DON, NIV and ZEN in naturally contaminated wheat flour (ERM®-BC600) was developed in the framework of a European Reference Materials (ERM®) project. This article describes and discusses the whole process of ERM®-BC600 development, including material preparation, homogeneity and stability studies, and an interlaboratory comparison study for certification. A total of 21 selected expert laboratories from different European countries with documented expertise in the field of mycotoxin analysis took part in the certification study using various gas and liquid chromatographic methods. The certified values and their corresponding expanded uncertainties (k?=?2) were assigned in full compliance with the requirements of ISO Guide 35 and are as follows: 102?±?11 μg?kg^?1 for DON, 1000?±?130 μg?kg^?1 for NIV and 90?±?8 μg?kg^?1 for ZEN.     

Quality control with CRMs for trace element determination in candidate reference materials

Summary Three soil samples and five candidate materials of biological origin (bovine muscle, bovine kidney, bovine blood, rye flour and wheat flour) and one already certified RM (Bovine Liver, 12-02-01) were analyzed for their contents of Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn. Pressure digestion with nitric acid in PTFE (at 180°C) and quartz (at 290°C) vessels was used for sample decomposition. The measurements were made by graphite furnance atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and square wave voltammetry. The accuracy of analysis has been checked by simultaneous analyses of six similar CRMs. An excellent agreement between the found and certified values is illustrated by highly significant correlations.