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Bread is one of the most popular foods worldwide. Aerial parts of sweet potato (SP) are rich in dietary fiber and phytochemicals. The SP powder (cv. Simon No.1) was used to substitute 5%, 10%, and 15% (w/w) of flour to produce breads. Crude protein, fat, ash and dietary fiber of SP powder were higher than those of flour. Total phenols, caffeoylquinic acid derivatives and antioxidant properties of SP were higher than those of flour. Crude protein, fat, ash, h, ΔE values, hardness, gumminess, chewiness, total phenols, and antioxidant properties of baked breads increased with increased SP powder level, while volume, specific volume, water activity, crust L*, a* values, crumb L*, WI values, cohesiveness, springiness, and resilience showed a reverse trend. The hedonic sensory results of control and 5–10% substituted breads were comparable. Overall, SP bread could be developed as a novel food with more functional components and effective antioxidant activity.

To identify the effects of grain phytic acid (PA) mutant on rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain filling and grain weight, the accumulating patterns of grain PA, total starch contents and also in relation with the carbohydrate translocation in different organs (leaf, culm, and sheath), and the activities of some enzymes involved in starch synthesis metabolism were investigated using 2 early indica genotypes differing in grain PA content-namely Xieqingzao and its low PA mutant (Os-lpa1). Compared with Xieqingzao, os-lpa1 had higher starch content and more carbohydrate accumulations in flag leaf, culm, and sheath, but much lower activities of ADPG pyrophosphorylase (ADPG-Ppase) and starch phosphorylase (SPase) in grains at filling stage, leading relatively decreasing grain weight, low grain starch accumulation and poor plumpness for os-lpa1. The activities of phosphate synthase (SP) and fructose biphosphorylase (FBPase) in sheath were generally lower at filling stage for os-lpa1 than those for Xieqingzao, despite relatively high starch content and sucrose accumulations in culm and sheath being shown for os-lpa1, implying that an obstacle of carbohydrate translocation from culm and sheath to grain at rice filling stage could be caused by grain PA mutagenesis, which might be one of major reasons for its poor plumpness and the reducing yield levels of os-lpa1.

The variation of amylose content (AC) among grains within a panicle and its relation to panicle morphology were investigated using 44 japonica rice cultivars differing in grain density (GD), panicle bending degree (BD) and palatability. Morphological traits of the rice panicle were poorly associated with mean grain AC on the average of the whole panicle, but closely related to AC variation and spatial distribution within a panicle, with the compact-panicle cultivars (GD>6.5 grain/cm and BD 70°). The extent of AC differences among the rachides within a panicle was also cultivar-dependent, and greater differences were found between middle and top rachides for the compact-panicle cultivars, and between middle and bottom rachides for the loose-panicle cultivars. The difference in spatial distribution of AC variation between Bing110 (a compact-panicle cultivar) and XS11 (a loose-panicle cultivar) indicated that grains with low AC were principally distributed on interior rachis of middle branches for Bing110, but on bottom-rachis for XS11. Such a distribution is basically associated with the difference in the timing procedure of floret initiation and development, and final grain weight.