Zafar Iqbal , Azhar Hussain , Maqshoof Ahmad , Abubakar Dar , Moazzam Jamil , Usman Zulfiqar , Hossam S. El-Beltagi , Muneera A. Saleh , P.V. Vara Prasad , Ivica Djalovic
{"title":"Enhancing maize grain nutritional quality through combined application of Zn-enriched compost and rhizobacteria under natural arid conditions","authors":"Zafar Iqbal , Azhar Hussain , Maqshoof Ahmad , Abubakar Dar , Moazzam Jamil , Usman Zulfiqar , Hossam S. El-Beltagi , Muneera A. Saleh , P.V. Vara Prasad , Ivica Djalovic","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104309","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Zinc deficiency in cereal grains reduces their nutritional quality and dietary value. This study evaluated the impact of zinc-enriched compost and zinc-solubilizing rhizobacteria (ZSB), applied individually and in combination, on maize growth, yield, and grain composition under both pot and field conditions. Ten treatments were tested, including compost, ZSB, zinc oxide (ZnO), zinc sulfate (ZnSO<sub>4</sub>), and their combinations. The integrated treatment (T10: compost enriched with 2 % ZnO plus ZSB) performed best, significantly improving root length (15 %), plant height (18 %), root dry biomass (19 %), shoot dry biomass (13 %), and grain yield (10–15 %) compared with the control. Nutrient uptake of N (11 %), P (13 %), K (10 %), Fe (12 %), and Zn (10 %) also increased under T10. Compost with ZSB (T9) moderately enhanced plant performance, while individual applications of ZnO or ZSB showed limited effects. Field trials confirmed T10 as superior, showing 23 % higher shoot biomass, 7 % higher 1000-grain weight, and 15 % greater microbial populations. Principal Component Analysis and correlation analyses supported the synergistic interaction among ZSB, ZnO, and compost. The integrated use of ZSB and Zn-enriched compost effectively improved maize productivity, grain quality, and soil microbial activity, providing an eco-friendly, low-cost strategy for sustainable agriculture. Broader field validation is recommended for wider adoption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104309"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145462614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mingming Hu , Qiuqiu Zhang , Guangyi Chen , Xingmei He , Congmei Li , Hong Yang , Yao Zhang , Ziyu Li , Tian Li
{"title":"Drought stress at different growth stages and intensities alters lipid metabolism and eating quality in rice","authors":"Mingming Hu , Qiuqiu Zhang , Guangyi Chen , Xingmei He , Congmei Li , Hong Yang , Yao Zhang , Ziyu Li , Tian Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study clarifies the effects of drought stress at different growth stages and intensities on rice lipid metabolism and eating quality. Three levels of drought stress—light (LD), moderate (MD), and severe (SD)—were imposed at booting, flowering, and filling stages, respectively. Conventional flooding throughout the growth period served as the control (CK). Measurements included lipid content, fatty acid composition, key lipid synthesis enzyme activities, taste value, RVA profile and yield. Results showed that drought stress at booting and flowering stages reduced lipid accumulation, increased free fatty acid (FFA) and saturated fatty acid (SFA) contents, and deteriorated eating quality and yield. In contrast, light drought stress at filling stage activated key lipid synthesis enzymes, leading to an increases in lipid content, unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), linoleic acid and yield by 5.24 %, 0.85 %, 5.64 %, and 9.73 %, respectively, while decreasing FFA and SFA contents by 13.52 % and 2.72 %. Additionally, light drought stress enhanced peak viscosity and breakdown values while reducing setback values. Higher lipid and UFA contents, along with enhanced lipid synthesis enzyme activity, contributed to better eating quality. These results indicate that light drought stress at filling stage can optimize lipid synthesis and fatty acid composition, thereby improving rice eating quality and yield.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104317"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145516559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Su Zhang , Yan Zhuang , Junqiang Jia , Qiongying Wu , Zihao Zhang , Min Jia
{"title":"Impact of stachyose on frozen dough quality: dough properties, mechanistic insights, and starch digestion resistance","authors":"Su Zhang , Yan Zhuang , Junqiang Jia , Qiongying Wu , Zihao Zhang , Min Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104297","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104297","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, the effects of stachyose on the properties of frozen dough and its starch digestion <em>in vitro</em> were investigated. Incorporating stachyose decreased hardness alongside of frozen dough and increased its springiness, cohesiveness and resilience. Notably, frozen dough with 1.5 % stachyose gained the highest springiness, cohesiveness and resilience and lower hardness. Incorporating stachyose led to elevated G′ and Gʺ values as well as reduced tan δ value in frozen dough. This dough displayed lower freezable water content and starch crystallinity, and maintained higher S-S and β-sheet contents. Molecular mechanism revealed that stachyose exhibited strong binding affinities with gliadin and glutenin by hydrogen bonding, thereby enhancing the protein network matrix of frozen dough. When 1 % stachyose was supplemented, the highest resistant starch fraction and the lowest C<sub>∞</sub> in frozen dough were observed. Therefore, stachyose exhibits positive effects on frozen dough and can be used to develop frozen dough products with slow starch digestion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104297"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding wheat dough behavior through prediction of quality profiles with explainable Machine Learning","authors":"Melanie Munch , Kamal Kansou , Flavien Alonzo , Luc Saulnier , Cedric Baudrit","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104292","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104292","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While technological measurements help anticipate dough behavior during breadmaking, expert sensory evaluations remain the main quality indicator. Due to their subjective nature, predicting these test outcomes is challenging, but recent advances have simplified this by identifying a limited number of consistent data patterns known as Quality profiles (QPs).</div><div>This study explores the prediction of wheat QPs using Machine Learning based on standard technological measurements. The goal is both practical (to assist in decision-making) and analytical (to identify the most relevant indicators and their optimal value ranges).</div><div>A dataset of 287 wheats samples was analyzed, using 14 commonly used parameters (eg. protein content, damaged starch, hardness, falling number, gluten index, farinograph® and alveograph® parameters). Among tested models, the Support Vector Machine model (SVM) delivered the best results. To interpret model outputs, the SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) approach was used, revealing each variable's influence. The Alveograph Elasticity Index (Ie) parameter was the most informative for predicting extreme QPs. However, for Ie values between 40 and 60 %, results were less clear, suggesting the need for additional indicators and further research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104292"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zixuan Wang , Siyu Lu , Tong Wu , Ting Hu , Gong Chen
{"title":"HS-SPME/GC-MS-based multivariate statistics to discriminate differences in volatile flavors, amino acids, and fatty acids during oat fermentation","authors":"Zixuan Wang , Siyu Lu , Tong Wu , Ting Hu , Gong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104286","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104286","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of microbial (<em>Monascus anka</em>) fermentation on the volatile flavor compounds (VFCs), free amino acids (FAAs) and free fatty acids (FFAs) in oats (<em>Avena sativa</em> L.). The key volatile components were identified by HS-SPME-GC-MS technique combined with multivariate analysis. 55 VFCs in unfermented oats (UFO) and 82 VFCs in solid-state fermented oats (SSFO) were detected. Moreover, 8 key volatile compounds in UFO and 11 key volatile compounds in SSFO with OAV>1 were identified respectively, of which esters and terpenes could be used as potential volatile flavor markers to distinguish UFO and SSFO. The proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (dominated by linoleic acid and linolenic acid) increased 14.76 % in SSFO, compared in UFO. Fermentation significantly increased the FAAs content in SSFO, which was 18.18 times higher than that of UFO. Interestingly, FAAs and FFAs were closely (r<sup>2</sup> > 0.97, <em>p</em> < 0.01) related to the VFCs in SSFO. Therefore, microbial fermentation changed the types and contents of VFCs and non-VFCs in oats, which enriched a special flavor of functional oat-foods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104286"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Minhao Xu , Hongjin Ning , Zhijun Wu , Hong Chen , Wen Qin , Derong Lin
{"title":"Exploring the modification of dietary fiber from black highland barley bran based on machine learning and metabolomics","authors":"Minhao Xu , Hongjin Ning , Zhijun Wu , Hong Chen , Wen Qin , Derong Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104277","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104277","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study systematically investigated the impact of different treatment parameters on dietary fiber components and their underlying modification mechanisms concerning functional properties through machine learning and metabolomics. A Random Forest (RF) model was established to conduct a comprehensive analysis on multi-parameter optimization, achieving superior predictive performance (test set R<sup>2</sup> = 0.9602) and identifying optimal soluble dietary fiber (SDF) production conditions: microwave power at 550 W, microwave duration at 3 min, inoculation volume at 11 %, fermentation temperature at 36 °C, and fermentation time at 30 h. Metabolomic profiling revealed that organic acids produced during microbial fermentation altered the structure of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF), thereby affecting its physicochemical properties. This study successfully constructed a mathematical relationship model between dietary fiber components and functional characteristics, providing mechanistic insights into dietary fiber modification processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104277"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145096897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hui Zhang , Jing Wang , Yan Gao , Chunhui Huang , Shengbao Feng , Ding Liang , Ning Zhang , Baoguo Sun , Haitao Chen
{"title":"Unveiling Qingke Daqu: Key aroma-active compounds and physicochemical properties drive quality enhancement","authors":"Hui Zhang , Jing Wang , Yan Gao , Chunhui Huang , Shengbao Feng , Ding Liang , Ning Zhang , Baoguo Sun , Haitao Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104321","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104321","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Qingke (Highland barley) baijiu is a characteristic alcoholic beverage in plateau regions. It has garnered significant attention owing to its unique brewing technology, distinctive flavor profile and potential health benefits. Qingke Daqu is not only a saccharifying agent and fermenting agent for Qingke baijiu, but also an important raw material and microbial source. Additionally, it serves as a key source of flavor substances and their precursor substances. In this work, a total of 38 aroma-active compounds were identified in Qingke Daqu by gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS) and aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). Among these aroma-active compounds, 2,3-butanedione, vanillin and isovaleric acid exhibited the highest FD values. After quantification, 15 aroma-active compounds had odor activity values (OAVs) > 1 in Qingke Daqu. Among them, 2,3-butanedione, hexanal and ethyl caproate were identified as the critical aroma-active compounds in Qingke Daqu. In addition, the physicochemical indicators of Qingke Daqu were determined. Among these, the content of starch was the highest, while content of fatty acid was the lowest. Correlation analysis further reveals that, starch has the strongest association with key aroma-active compounds in Qingke Daqu, with the largest number of compounds exhibiting a positive correlation. This work can provide data support for the scientific expression of Qingke Daqu.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104321"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145568522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adjustment of dough hydration to achieve standardised volume in gluten-free breads","authors":"Silvia de Pablo, Diogo Salvati, Manuel Gómez","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104322","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104322","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although research on gluten-free breads has expanded considerably over the past decades, quality control of gluten-free flours and doughs remains challenging, and variability in loaf volume have yet to be effectively minimised. In studies on wheat breads, dough hydration is commonly adjusted to reduce the influence of dough consistency on specific loaf volume, thereby eliminating confounding effects on quality attributes such as texture and staling. However, this practice is seldom applied in gluten-free bread research. In the present study, the farinograph was proposed as a tool for both the quality assessment of flours and doughs and for adjusting formulations according to flour characteristics, with the aim of improving the consistency of loaf volume. Seven commercially available rice flours and one control were evaluated. Water absorption capacity, particle size distribution, and pasting properties were measured to assess flour heterogeneity. Both the flours and their corresponding doughs were analyzed using the farinograph, and baking trials were conducted at constant and adjusted hydration levels. Farinograph parameters proved to be reliable predictors of bread volume, showing significant correlations at the 95 % and 99 % confidence levels. Adjustment of hydration based on farinograph data successfully reduced mean volume differences from 21 % to 3 %. This methodology may enhance research on gluten-free breads. It helps mitigatethe influence of variations in dough consistency and loaf volume on other bread quality attributes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104322"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145568523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Danny Tagle-Freire , Markus Stieger , Ciarán G. Forde , Maarten A.I. Schutyser
{"title":"Protein enrichment of oat flour by fine milling and air classification","authors":"Danny Tagle-Freire , Markus Stieger , Ciarán G. Forde , Maarten A.I. Schutyser","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104315","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dry fractionation is a sustainable and mild alternative to wet extraction for producing protein-enriched ingredients. This study evaluated the dry fractionation potential of two oat cultivars through fine milling and air classification. Preliminary trials showed that conditions optimized for starch-rich pulses were not directly applicable to oats, partly due to their smaller starch granules. Therefore, in this study, we systematically varied the classifier wheel speed during milling (5000–8000 rpm) and air classification (12,000–18,000 rpm), with specific combinations applied to each cultivar, to identify optimal parameters for protein enrichment. Pre-milling and hexane-based defatting were necessary to enable fine milling. Increased classifier wheel speed during milling improved starch disentanglement and enhanced protein concentration in the fine fraction after air classification. Classifier wheel speeds of 8000 rpm for milling and 14,000 rpm for air classification produced oat protein concentrates with up to three times higher protein content (36.5–40.0 g/100 g dry matter) than the initial groats, a mass yield of 1.4–3.0 %, and protein recovery of 7.9–10.4 % across cultivars. Compositional analysis showed distinct macronutrient distributions between the fine and coarse fractions, and relative to two commercial oat protein concentrates, suggesting they could be targeted for different food applications. Although promising, dry fractionation of oats still requires a defatting step, which limits its overall sustainability. Future work should prioritize developing more sustainable defatting strategies and evaluating the techno-functional properties and protein digestibility of the resulting oat ingredients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104315"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145516555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tingting Feng , Xiaoning Li , Liping Wang , Yu Zhang , Xiaohong Tian , Bin Tan
{"title":"Effects of soaking treatment on the microstructure, gelatinization properties, thermal characteristics and cooking quality of brown rice","authors":"Tingting Feng , Xiaoning Li , Liping Wang , Yu Zhang , Xiaohong Tian , Bin Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104330","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104330","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Brown rice presents several technical challenges during cooking, such as slow water absorption, inadequate gelatinization, and an undesirable texture. Soaking pretreatment is commonly employed to address these issues. This study investigated the influence of soaking conditions - temperatures of 30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C over durations ranging from 0 to 8 h - on the microstructure, water absorption, moisture distribution, gelatinization properties, and cooking quality of brown rice. The results indicated that prolonged soaking time and elevated soaking temperatures facilitated the formation of surface wrinkles and cracks, as well as a honeycomb like structure in the cross-section. The pores between starch granules enlarged, leading to an overall more porous overall structure. Furthermore, the water absorption rate and gelatinization enthalpy of brown rice, free water content, iodine blue value and expansion rate of cooked brown rice increased significantly, whereas the gelatinization time and peak time of brown rice decreased. The water absorption rate, gelatinization enthalpy, and swelling ratio reached saturation after 4 h of soaking, beyond this duration, the changes in these parameters became less pronounced. Cooked brown rice soaked at 40 °C and 50 °C exhibited similar iodine blue values. and expansion ratios, which were both significantly higher than those soaked at 30 °C. Soaking at 40 °C for 4 h was identified as a critical point for the evaluated indicators, Considering both the effectiveness and economic factors, soaking at 40 °C for 4 h was determined to be the optimal and most economical condition for improving the processing characteristics of brown rice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104330"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145680800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}