A fast and reliable method for the quantitative determination of benzimidazoles and metabolites in milk by LC-MS/MS with on-line sample treatment

A method to detect the presence of common wheat in durum wheat flour samples was developed and tested. Flour samples, or ground wheat samples, were digested by pepsin and chymotrypsin, and the peptide mixture obtained was analyzed by LC/ESI-MS and LC/ESI-MS/MS, which led to the identification of two marker peptides. One peptide was coded only in the DD genome, and thus present only in common wheat; the second was present in all wheat samples (both common and durum), so it was used as marker of the total wheat content. The ratio of the chromatographic areas of these two peptides, as determined by LC/ESI-MS, was related to the proportion of common wheat in the sample using a calibration curve that was constructed with standards of known composition. The proportions of common wheat in samples obtained by mixing different common and durum wheat varieties were accurately determined by this method. Finally, the method was applied in a survey of several durum wheat flour brands present on the Italian market. The results of the survey revealed that contamination of durum wheat flour with common wheat is commonplace.     

Optimization of a chemical modifier in the determination of selenium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and its application to wheat and wheat flour analysis.

A method for the determination of total selenium in wheat and wheat flour using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) with palladium/ascorbic acid as a chemical modifier was studied. The effects of nickel nitrate, palladium/ascorbic acid, and palladium/magnesium nitrate as chemical modifiers on the sensitivity in the determination of selenite, selenate and selenomethionine by GFAAS were compared. The palladium/ascorbic acid modifier was used for the determination of total selenium in wheat and wheat flour, because the oxidation states of the selenium ion are not important in the determination. The detection limit was estimated to be 1 microg L(-1) (calculated as 3sigma of the blank); the calibration curve was linear for the concentration range 5 - 50 microg L(-1) and the recovery range was 96.66 - 101.80%. The optimal ashing and atomizing temperatures were 1300 degrees C and 2250 degrees C, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of total selenium in wheat and wheat flour.     

离心沉淀气相色谱法测定面粉中过氧化苯甲酰含量的研究

建立了离心沉淀,气相色谱氢火焰离子化检测器测定面粉中过氧化苯甲酰含量的方法。考察了不同提取时间和采用不同工作曲线对过氧化苯甲酰测定的影响。试样在石油醚中被冰乙酸还原成苯甲酸,经HP-5（30m×0．25mm×0．25μm）毛细管气相色谱柱分离,氢火焰离子化检测器测定。方法的线性范围为0．005～0．08g／L（r=0．9992）,检出限（S／N=3）为2mg／kg。在添标水平为0．06、0．18和0．30g／kg时的平均回收率为82．70％～89．46％,相对标准偏差为3．77％～6．93％。该方法仪器设备简单,测定结果灵敏、准确,适合面粉中过氧化苯甲酰的测定。     

Separation and quantification by high-performance liquid chromatography with light scattering detection of the main wheat flour phospholipids during dough mixing in the presence of phospholipase

Phospholipids (PL) are minor components of wheat flour involved in baking quality and exogenous phospholipids are used as emulsifiers giving better loaf volume and crumb grain. Few biochemical data are available on the phospholipid evolution during mixing, probably because of the time-consuming methods proposed for their extraction, separation and quantification. In the present study, the extraction, separation and quantification of the main wheat flour phospholipids were carried out. Total lipids (2% dry mass of wheat flour) were extracted from flour or dough by a mixture of chloroform-methanol-water (1:1:1 (v/v)). The phospholipids were separated from the lipid extract on silica cartridge by solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure under a 1.5-4 mmHg vacuum, at a 0.8 mL min(-1) flow rate (1 mmHg = 133.322 Pa). The recovery of the lipid extract was 100%, whereas the SPE yield for the PLs was 50%. The resulting fraction was then submitted to HPLC with evaporative light scattering detection on a Diol stationary phase allowing the separation and quantification of each class of phospholipids, in less than 16 min. The developed method allowed to quantify the phospholipid amounts from eight wheat flours as well as their evolution during mixing in the presence of phospholipase.     

同位素稀释-液相色谱-串联质谱法在小麦粉细交链孢菌酮酸和腾毒素标准物质制备和定值中的应用

建立了小麦粉中细交链孢菌酮酸（TeA）和腾毒素（TEN）标准物质的研制和定值方法,为开展粮食中交链孢霉毒素基体标准物质的研制提供重要方法学借鉴。该标准物质样品为天然污染交链孢霉毒素的小麦籽粒,定值目标物为TeA和TEN,采用同位素稀释-液相色谱-串联质谱法（ID-LC-MS/MS）进行定值测量,多个实验室合作定值。所研制的标准物质具有常温避光保存、定值不确定度小等特点。该标准物质是目前国际上唯一一种天然污染TeA和TEN的小麦粉标准物质,可用于食品安全风险监测、产品质量检测等领域相关分析方法的评价和测量质量控制等。     

Measurement of water absorption capacity in wheat flour by a headspace gas chromatographic technique

The purpose of this work is to introduce a new method for quantitatively analyzing water absorption capacity in wheat flour by a headspace gas chromatographic technique. This headspace gas chromatographic technique was based on measuring the water vapor released from a series of wheat flour samples with different contents of water addition. According to the different trends between the vapor and wheat flour phase before and after the water absorption capacity in wheat flour, a turning point (corresponding to water absorption capacity in wheat flour) can be obtained by fitting the data of the water gas chromatography peak area from different wheat flour samples. The data showed that the phase equilibrium in the vial can be achieved in 25 min at desired temperature (35°C). The relative standard deviation of the reaction headspace gas chromatographic technique in water absorption capacity determination was within 3.48%, the relative differences has been determined by comparing the water absorption capacity obtained from this new analytical technique with the data from the reference technique (i.e., the filtration method), which are less than 8.92%. The new headspace gas chromatographic method is automated, accurate and be a reliable tool for quantifying water absorption capacity in wheat flour in both laboratory research and mill applications.     

23种中国和法国小麦样品及小麦面粉样品中九种元素的分析

采用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱对１０种法国小麦样品,２种中国小麦样品,７种法国小麦面粉样品以及４种中国面粉样品进行了钙,镁,锌,铁,锰,铜,钼,钾及磷共９种微量和常量元素的含量分析。     

Determination of proline and hydroxyproline in wheat flour by spectrophotometry and measurement of radioactivity of proline-14C and hydroxyproline-14C

Proline and hydroxyproline are two amino acids which due to their analogous chemical structures give similar reactions and often appear together. In view of the high percentage of proline in wheat gluten we have investigated the presence of hydroxyproline in wheat flour. We have developed a method to separate the two amino acids after separation from other interfering amino acids which are present in flour. The method of separation utilizes an ion-exchange column/Dowex 50 X-8, 100–200 resin/. The separated amino acids are determined either by spectrophotometry or isotope dilution /¹⁴C/ The latter method is more rapid and more sensitive than the spectrophotometric method.     

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.     

Horizontal attenuated total reflection applied to simultaneous determination of ash and protein contents in commercial wheat flour

Partial least-squares (PLS) regression was used to generate various models for the determination of both the protein and the ash contents of wheat flours by using spectroscopic data in the mid-infrared region obtained with a horizontal attenuated total reflectance (HATR) accessory. One hundred samples of wheat flour were used as purchased in the market: 55 for constructing the calibration model and 45 as external samples. The protein content varied between 8.85 and 13.23% and the ash content, between 0.330 and 1.287%, as determined by reference methods. Raw spectra and those corrected by multiplicative signal correction (MSC), first and second derivative spectra, were used as data for building the models. Different pre-treatments, such as mean centered and/or variance scaled (VS) methods, were tested and compared. Very good models were built as judged by the correlation coefficients (R²), root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), root mean square error of validation (RMSEV) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) that were obtained. Best results were achieved with MSC treated spectra.     

正交实验法在小麦粉中甲醛振荡提取条件的应用研究

小麦粉中甲醛的提取问题是一个比较复杂的多因素问题。采用正交实验法,选用L9(34)正交实验表,在提取试剂、提取温度、提取时间等多个因素和水平中优选小麦粉中甲醛振荡提取的最佳条件。实验中甲醛提取量采用Nash试剂柱前衍生高效液相色谱法测定。结果表明,提取温度是小麦粉中甲醛提取的最主要因素,最佳的提取条件为提取温度30℃、提取液为硫酸钠、提取时间为40min。     

Influence of Proteins on the Mechanical Properties of Agro-Based Materials

Summary : A new biodegradable thermoplastic material based on a wheat flour by-product has been developed. The influence of protein content in wheat flour on the mechanical properties of the material has been investigated. For protein content between 4% and 10%, no influence of the protein content was evidenced, whereas beyond 10% w/w of proteins in the wheat flour, the mechanical properties of agro-based materials decrease, thus confirming the advantage of using a wheat flour by-product (i.e. with protein content below 8% w/w).     

Gas chromatographic determination of amino acids via one-step phase-transfer catalytic pentafluorobenzylation-preconcentration

The gas chromatographic determination of amino acids via their simultaneous extraction, preconcentration and pentafluorobenzylation is reported. Using phase-transfer catalysis (PTC), the amino acids under study were transformed to their pentafluorobenzyl adducts. The method was tested for different catalysts and tetrabutylammonium bromide provided favorable features in comparison to the other PTCs. The derivatization procedure was optimized and the best reaction conditions are given. With the exception of arginine, 19 amino acids were converted to volatile derivatives and analyzed with GC/MS and GC/FID at low concentration levels with acceptable sensitivity and good reproducibility. The LODs were found to range from 0.7 to 2.3microM for the GC/MS analyses and from 1.7 to 6.9microM for GC/FID analyses. The method practicability and applicability were confirmed by the analysis of urine, fruit juice and wheat flour for the determination of the amino acids under study. Protein-bound amino acids were analyzed after an alkaline hydrolysis step with 5M NaOH applying this method to wheat flour with an overall procedure duration less than 12h. The optimized protocol was applied to these samples without any pretreatment and their amino acid concentrations were calculated from the appropriate calibration plots.     

Immunoreactivity and detection of wheat proteins by commercial ELISA kits

Wheat proteins are responsible for sensitivities, including baker's asthma, immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic reaction, wheat-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis, and celiac disease. The detection of gluten/wheat traces in foods is important to safeguard the health of wheat-sensitive individuals and comply with food labeling. Many immunoanalytical-based commercial kits are available for the quantification of gliadin/gluten/wheat proteins. We compared the immunoreactivity of wheat fractions with wheat-allergic human serum IgE and antibody conjugates used in six commercial immunoassay kits. Moreover, the performance of the kits was tested using corn flour spiked with gluten (5, 10, 25, and 50 ppm) and wheat flour (50, 100, 250, and 500 ppm). The albumin, globulin, gliadin, and glutenin fractions reacted with IgE from nine, eight, two, and eight patients' sera, respectively, out of nine wheat allergic patients tested. Among the antibodies from commercial kits, those from R-Biopharm, Morinaga, and Romer Labs reacted strongly with the gliadin fraction, whereas those from BioKits, ALLER-TEK, and ELISA Systems reacted strongly with the glutenin fraction. All kits showed minimal or no reactivity with albumin and globulin fractions. All kits detected the gluten and wheat flour in a corn flour matrix at the lowest spiked levels of 5 and 50 ppm, respectively. However, there was wide variation among the kits when comparing the recovery of gluten and wheat flour. The recovery was also dependent on the source material (gluten or wheat flour) used for spiking the corn flour matrix.     

Incorporation of the Dry Blossom Flour of Sambucus nigra L. in the Production of Sponge Cakes

The present study aims to develop recipe compositions and technology for producing sponge cakes from wholemeal flour, partially replaced with a functional plant component dry blossom flour of Sambucus nigra L. Three designs of sponge cakes with 5, 10, and 15% content of flour of Sambucus nigra L. corrected up to 100% with whole-grain oat flour were studied. Their characteristics were compared with sponge cakes of 100% wheat flour/control. The obtained new products were characterized by reduced carbohydrates, increased content of dietary fiber, and preserved volume compared to the control. The physicochemical parameters of sponge cake and marshmallows with different concentrations of dry flowers of Sambucus nigra L. included in them differed from the control with lower water absorption, pH, and moisture, while having a higher relative mass and ash content and retaining the original size. Pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., and Staphylococcus aureus, and common coliforms were not detected in the control and experimental samples when determining the microbiological parameters. Therefore, the developed formulations are an excellent alternative to wheat flour, significantly improving some nutritional characteristics such as smell, taste, dietary fiber, and lower carbohydrate content.     

Guidelines for buckwheat enriched bread

Thermal analysis was used to check the role of the main components of buckwheat flour (polysaccharides and proteins) to assess guidelines for novel recipes for bread from wheat and buckwheat flour blends with improved nutritional properties. The structure-related poor protein quality, namely, the lack of network-forming links, severely limits the use of buckwheat flours in bread-making. Data from TG and DSC analysis indicate that the introduction of a de-hulling step in the buckwheat milling diagram and the addition of some buckwheat polysaccharide fractions, isolated from the buckwheat husk, that contribute to the formation of the crumb structure thanks to their effect on the phase separation driven by the thermodynamic incompatibility with wheat gluten proteins, allows one to tune opposite effects and obtain bread from de-hulled buckweat/wheat flour blends with alveolar distribution much close that of the wheat bread.     

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 amino acid ratios in natural products by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Summary Separation of dansyl and di-dansyl derivatives of amino acids present in natural products (corn seed flour, wheat flour fraction gliadine) is described. Problems with coelution of derivatization by-products and reagent with some dansyl amino acids (DNS-AA) were solved. A preconcentration step after derivatization of real sample is described. DNS-AA peak areas for different varieties of corn seed flour were compared. Di-dansyl histidine is not separated from di-dansyl lysine and didansyl tyrosine. Additional separation mechanisms have to be introduced to achieve separation of these three species.     

Evaluation of Anthocyanin Content,Antioxidant Potential and Antimicrobial Activity of Black,Purple and Blue Colored Wheat Flour and Wheat-Grass Juice against Common Human Pathogens

The present study aimed to analyze the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of anthocyanins extracted from colored wheat flour and wheat-grass juice against human pathogens. The total anthocyanin content and antioxidant potential in colored wheat flour and wheat-grass juice extracts were significantly higher than white flour and wheat-grass juice extracts. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography showed the maximum number of anthocyanin peaks in black wheat, with delphinidin-3-o-galactoside chloride, delphinidin-3-o-glucoside chloride, and cyanindin-3-o-glucoside chloride as the major contributors. Among flour extracts, maximum zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 1934), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 1434), Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans (MTCC 227) were produced by black flour extract, having the highest anthocyanin content. It exhibited a minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC) of 200 mg/mL against E. coli and C. albicans; and 100 and 150 mg/mL against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, respectively. Black and purple flour extracts exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 50 mg/mL against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. White flour extracts did not show MMC against E. coli and C. albicans. Among wheat-grass juice extracts, black wheat-grass was most effective and showed an MIC of 100–150 mg/mL against all pathogens. It exhibited an MMC of 200 mg/mL against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Hence, anthocyanin-rich colored wheat could be of nutraceutical importance.     

Cadmium and other metals in Swedish wheat and rye flours: longitudinal study, 1983-1997.

Wheat flour (sifted), wheat bran, and rye flour were sampled annually in several different areas in Sweden for 15 consecutive years (1983-1997) for a total of 105, 90, and 30 samples, respectively. These samples were analyzed for their content of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn by atomic absorption spectrophotometry with background correction after dry ashing at 450 degrees C. As part of the quality control procedures, an in-house reference material was analyzed in parallel to the samples to ensure reliability of the results. In addition, a certified reference material was analyzed to monitor accuracy of the results. The Cd level in wheat and rye flours (mean 0.029 and 0.017 mg/kg dry wt, respectively) correlated significantly with time (p < 0.05) in 2 phases, tending to increase during the first half of the period and decrease during the latter half. In wheat bran, Cd (mean 0.15 mg/kg) levels did not correlate significantly with time. In wheat flour, Cu, Mn, and Zn (means 1.7, 6.2, and 7.6 mg/kg, respectively) showed a significant linear increase (p < 0.05) in concentration over time. In rye flour, the levels of Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn (means 3.8, 36, 30, and 28 mg/kg, respectively) all decreased significantly (p < 0.05) over time. Similarly, in wheat bran Cu (mean 14 mg/kg) increased and Pb (mean 0.027 mg/kg) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) over time, whereas Ni and Zn showed a significant curved correlation with time and peaked at about the middle of the measurement period.