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Adding beta-glucans, arabinoxylans improves cereal health profiles.


You can improve the health profile of many cereal products by adding beta-glucans and increasing the content of soluble arabinoxylans. These soluble fibers lower blood cholesterol levels, a risk factor for coronary heart disease coronary heart disease: see coronary artery disease.
coronary heart disease
 or ischemic heart disease

Progressive reduction of blood supply to the heart muscle due to narrowing or blocking of a coronary artery (see atherosclerosis).
. They also reduce the postprandial postprandial /post·pran·di·al/ (-pran´de-al) occurring after a meal.

post·pran·di·al
adj.
Following a meal, especially dinner.
 glycemic Glycemic
The presence of glucose in the blood.

Mentioned in: Cholesterol, High


glycemic

pertaining to the level of glucose in the blood.
 response--blood sugar level. This capability is potentially beneficial in controlling the adverse effects of diabetes.

Beta-glucans are present in many cereals. They are found in high levels in oat oat

member of the plant genus Avena in the family Poaceae.


oats
see avenasativa.

oat grain
seed of Avena sativa, and as 'oats' the favored grain for the feeding of horses.
 and barley. Arabinoxylans and other xylans are also found in a number of plant tissues, for instance in wheat, where they improve the baking strength of the flour.

In Europe, researchers have been focusing on new hull-less and waxy waxy (wak´se)
1. composed of or covered by wax.

2. resembling wax, especially denoting some combination of pliability, paleness, and smoothness and luster.
 barley varieties that have high beta-glucan content. They also have examined the milling of these grains in order to optimize beta-glucan-rich fractions that can be used to supplement wheat flour. Their research also has considered other health-related or functional components in the barley fractions: arabinoxylan, tocopherols, tocotrienols, flavonoids flavonoids,
n.pl common plant pigment compounds that act as antioxidants, enhance the effects of vitamin C, and strengthen connective tissue around capillaries.
, beta-glucanases, endoxylanases and endoxylanase inhibitors.

The scientists have optimized the barley fractions. The investigators evaluated the baking characteristics of mixed wheat flour and barley fractions. There was an apparent weakening of the mixes compared with basic wheat flour. The lower baking strength of the mixes is probably influenced by xylanases and their inhibitors. For that reason, scientists began a study of the xylanases and the xylanase inhibitors. Bread-making experiments showed that xylananses were able to reduce the negative effects of adding hull-less barley to flour.

Such a product will be useful in bread-making and other food applications in which increased soluble fiber levels are desired. These will have a significant added value in terms of health-promoting effects that can be achieved by increasing the levels of both soluble beta-D-glucan and arabinoxylan of high molecular weight.

Further information. Jan Delcour, Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Catholic University of Leuven The Catholic University of Leuven is the largest and most prominent university in Belgium. It was founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V, which makes it the oldest Catholic university still active. , Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium; phone: +32 16 321581; fax: + 32 16 321997; email: Jan.Delcour@biw.kuleuven.be.
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Publication:Emerging Food R&D Report
Date:Jul 1, 2007
Words:324
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