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Phosphine is a widely used fumigant for controlling insects in stored grain, but fumigation effectiveness is often compromised by suboptimal distribution of the gas. Leaks in the grain bin wall and roof, foreign material in the grain, and phosphine placement contribute to regions of insufficient concentration of fumigant, resulting in insect survival and leading to phosphine-resistant insect populations. Phosphine distribution was studied during field tests in temporarily sealed bins to compare distribution from conventional probed tablets to the distribution using a closed-loop recirculation system. The results showed uneven distribution patterns and leakage over time with conventional probed tablets, which resulted in some areas in the lower half of the grain mass receiving no phosphine and some other locations remaining below the target phosphine concentration for the entire period of fumigation. The closed-loop fumigations with the same phosphine dosage yielded much more uniform phosphine concentrations, but suffered from equal or greater phosphine leakage losses.

Background and Objectives: Heat treatment, as a pathogen reduction step, could compromise flour quality. Plasma‐activated water (PAW) is a novel pathogen reduction treatment for foods. Combining these treatments could improve pathogen inactivation during wheat tempering and maintain flour quality. This study evaluated the effects of PAW and mild heating on Escherichia coli inactivation during wheat tempering and wheat flour quality. Findings: E. coli was inoculated into wheat grains at 6.0 ± 0.1 log CFU/g. A 5‐log reduction was achieved after 6 h of tempering with PAW and heating (55°C), whereas 12 h were needed when using heating and deionized water (DI). Tempering with DI (control) and PAW alone only produced a 1‐log reduction after 24 h. The PAW and PAW + heat tempering treatments produced flours with comparable yield, physicochemical, dough rheology, and bread characteristics compared to the control treatment. Conclusion: Mild heating and PAW tempering demonstrated a synergistic effect as it produced greater E. coli reductions at shorter tempering times compared to the individual treatments. The hurdle approach used in this study did not compromise flour quality. Significance and Novelty: The demonstrated hurdle approach can be a viable pathogen mitigation step in wheat milling which could help improve food safety of wheat‐based foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a gluten‐free cereal with high nutritional properties, pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] has been increasingly regarded as an alternative dryland resilient food crop with enriched grain nutritional value. This paper explores the potential of single‐kernel near‐infrared (SKNIR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis for rapid and non‐destructive evaluation of protein, moisture, fat, fiber, and ash contents of pearl millet grains. Samples harvested from two consecutive years (2021 and 2022) were evaluated under dryland and irrigated conditions in Kansas State University, Agricultural Research Center, Hays (ARCH), KS and were analyzed using SKNIR and conventional laboratory methods. Model calibrations were developed using partial least squares regression. Results showed satisfactory performance of models with standard errors cross‐validation of 1.04%, 0.17%, 0.39%, 0.21%, and 0.16%, respectively, for protein, moisture, fat, fiber, and ash content. The findings suggest that SKNIR can be a potential tool for high‐throughput pearl millet composition screening efficiently, which will assist breeders and grain processors to optimize grain properties and enhance the grain quality and products. Core Ideas: Efficiency in grain quality evaluation: high throughput and non‐destructive methods for rapid and reliable assessment of grain composition.Bridging analytical gaps: developing methods for the analysis of pearl millets and potentially other minor grains.Streamlining agricultural processes: leveraging NIR spectroscopy and machine learning to minimize cost and enhance agricultural efficiency. Plain Language Summary: Pearl millet, a gluten‐free cereal with high nutritional value, is gaining recognition as a promising crop for dryland farming. However, traditional laboratory methods for analyzing its nutritional content, such as protein, fat, fiber, and ash, are labor‐intensive, expensive, and destructive to the grain. This study examines the potential of single‐kernel near‐infrared (SKNIR) spectroscopy, a quick, reliable, and non‐invasive method for measuring these nutritional qualities. Grain samples from 2021 and 2022, grown under dry and irrigated Kansas conditions, were analyzed using SKNIR. The findings suggest that SKNIR is a practical tool for breeders and grain processors to efficiently and cost‐effectively evaluate the nutritional quality of pearl millet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extrusion processing of food powder relies heavily on its moisture content to aid in flow and proper cooking, shaping, and/or puffing. This study focused on the impact of the moisture content on the dynamic flow and shear properties of coarse food powders (corn meal, wheat farina, and granulated sugar). The dynamic flow properties explored were the specific basic flowability energy (SBFE), specific energy, stability index, and flow rate index. The shear properties were the angle of internal friction, unconfined yield strength, major principal stress, wall friction angle, flow factor (FF), and compressibility. Corn meal exhibited an increase in SBFE as the moisture content increased (6.70 mJ/g at 13.13% to 9.14 mJ/g at 19.61%) but no change in FF (4.94 to 5.11); wheat farina also showed an increase in energy requirement as the moisture increased (5.81 mJ/g at 13.73% to 9.47 mJ/g 19.57%) but a marked decrease in FF ratings (18.47 to 6.1); granulated sugar showed a decrease in energy requirements as the moisture increased (51.73 mJ/g at 0.06% moisture content to 13.58 mJ/g at 0.78% moisture content) and a decrease in FF ratings (8.53 to 3.47). Overall, upon the addition of moisture, corn meal became cohesive yet free-flowing; wheat farina became less compressible and more cohesive; and granulated sugar became more cohesive and compressible and less free-flowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing world population requires the production of nutrient-rich foods. Protein is an essential macronutrient for healthy individuals. Interest in using plant proteins in foods has increased in recent years due to their sustainability and nutritional benefits. Dry and wet protein fractionation methods have been developed to increase protein yield, purity, and functional and nutritional qualities. This review explores the recent developments in pretreatments and fractionation processes used for producing pulse protein concentrates and isolates. Functionality differences between pulse proteins obtained from different fractionation methods and the use of fractionated pulse proteins in different food applications are also critically reviewed. Pretreatment methods improve the de-hulling efficiency of seeds prior to fractionation. Research on wet fractionation methods focuses on improving sustainability and functionality of proteins while studies on dry methods focus on increasing protein yield and purity. Hybrid methods produced fractionated proteins with higher yield and purity while also improving protein functionality and process sustainability. Dry and hybrid fractionated proteins have comparable or superior functionalities relative to wet fractionated proteins. Pulse protein ingredients are successfully incorporated into various food formulations with notable changes in their sensory properties. Future studies could focus on optimizing the fractionation process, improving protein concentrate palatability, and optimizing formulations using pulse proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this milieu, ozone technology has emerged as an avant-garde non-thermal mode of disinfection with potential applications in the food industry. This eco-friendly technology has a comprehendible adeptness in replacing alternative chemical sanitizers and is recognized as a generally safe disinfectant for fruits and vegetables. Several researchers have been focusing on the biochemical impacts of ozone on different quantitative and qualitative aspects of fruits and vegetables. A collection of those works is presented in this review highlighting the effect of ozone on the functional, antioxidant, and rheological properties of food. This can be a benevolent tool for discovering the processing states of ozone applications and ensuing influence on safety and quality attributes of previously studied foods and opening further research areas. It extends shelf life and never leaves any harmful residues on the product since it decomposes to form oxygen. It was seen that the impact on a specific property of food was dependent on the ozone concentration and treatment time, and the adverse effects of ozone exposure can be alleviated once the processing conditions are optimized. The present review can be used as a baseline for designing different food processing operations involving ozone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Wheat is one of the most produced cereal grains in the world, predominantly consumed as bread and other baked products. The roller mill system, which produces different stream flours, is the most commonly used size reduction method for wheat. This study aims to comprehensively examine the physicochemical properties, rheological behavior, and bread‐baking performances of individual mill streams. Flours from 15 different mill streams, along with straight‐grade flour, were collected from a pilot‐scale flour mill and thoroughly analyzed. Findings: The results showed that the protein and ash content of the flours increased as they passed from the first to last pairs of rolls, while the moisture content decreased. All the flours collected showed poor bulk flowing properties. Rheology analysis revealed that flours from the break system had better mixing properties compared to that from the reduction system, and this trend was also observed in bread‐baking quality. Rheological properties of 4M (4th middling's) and 5M (5th middling's) flours were extremely poor, comparable to gluten‐free flour characteristics. The bread loaves produced by 3BK (3rd break) and 4BK (4th break) showed larger volumes, while 4M and 5M yielded poor‐quality bread. Principal component analysis indicated that lactic acid ‐SDS‐retention capacity can serve as a better predictor of the baking property of wheat flour compared to current methods. Conclusion: Our study shows that different flour streams have significantly different dough properties and baking application functionalities. Appropriate flour streams may be pooled for specific end‐uses (e.g., pizza, bread, noodles, pretzels, and cookies). Significance and Novelty: This study highlights the significance of better understanding wheat flour characteristics for enhancing the overall baking quality, specific end uses, and consumer satisfaction. This study will serve as a blueprint to improve wheat flour testing for baking purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: In the last decade, the incidence of foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls connected with wheat flour and flour‐based goods infected with enteric bacteria such as Salmonella has increased. In this study, the activity of sodium bisulfate (SBS) as an antibacterial agent against four different serovars of Salmonella enterica is investigated. Findings: The dose‐dependent, anti‐Salmonella concentration of SBS revealed a minimum inhibitory activity of 0.32%. At this concentration, SBS induced the production of reactive oxygen species, demonstrating that lysis of bacterial cells has occurred. SBS tempering (1.5% SBS, w/v) reduced wheat Salmonella load by 4.3 log CFU/g after 24 h of tempering. Additionally, tempering at 0% (control) and 1.5% SBS (17% moisture, 24 h) showed similar (p >.05) flour functionality (rheology and composition) and baking characteristics (volume, texture, and crumb structure). Conclusion: These results suggest that SBS is a viable antibacterial tempering agent to reduce Salmonella contamination in wheat before milling. Significance and Novelty: Acidic water tempering, as opposed to the traditional water tempering method, may result in milled products with improved microbiological quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the efficacy of an acidulant, sodium bisulfate (SBS) against Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium graminearum in a simulated wheat storage model. The broth microdilution method was used to determine the MIC of SBS against the molds. Sterile wheat samples were inoculated with mold culture, followed by a 30-min attachment and the application of SBS treatment (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%, w/v). Positive and negative controls were maintained. The final moisture in wheat was consistent with the tempering process (16%). The treatments were incubated at 25°C, and microbiological analyses were performed at predetermined times (0, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 h). The MIC of SBS against A. flavus and F graminearum was 0.31 and 0.16%, respectively. In wheat, the highest concentration of SBS used (1.5%) reduced (P ≤ 0.05) ~1.0 and 1.3 log of A. flavus after 18 and 48 h, respectively, whereas all three concentrations of SBS lowered (P ≤ 0.05) F. graminearum to a nondetectable level within 18 h. Overall, the addition of SBS in tempering water during the wheat tempering process seemed effective in controlling F. graminearum and partly effective against A. flavus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sorghum is a unique natural food source of 3-deoxyanthocyanidins (3-DA) polyphenols. This work evaluated the effect of acidification on sorghum extracts post pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and its ability to increase the identification and quantification of 3-DA. The sorghum genotypes included Sumac and PI570366 (bran only) and SC991 (leaf and leaf sheath tissue). The acidification of the PLE extracts was carried out with methanol–HCl solutions at various concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4%, v/v). Changes in color were determined using L*a*b*. The overall phenolic composition was estimated with the total phenolic content and the DPPH free radical scavenging assays. Quantitative and qualitative chromatographic methods determined the phenolic profile. Color analysis showed that the redness and color saturation increased after acidification. No statistical difference was found in the total phenolic content of the acidified extracts, except for SC991, which was increased. There were no differences in the antioxidant capacity following acidification in all samples. For chromatographic analysis, luteolinidin was predominant in the extracts and the 3-DA content increased after acid treatment. However, some flavonoid and phenolic acid concentrations decreased following acid treatment, including taxifolin, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid. Interestingly, 0.5% v/v HCl acidification was sufficient to increase the color, allow the detection of 5-methoxyluteolinidin, and to increase luteolinidin and 7-methoxyapigenidin by at least twofold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]