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Quantitative Microscopic Approaches to Carbohydrate Characterization and Distribution in Cereal Grains

  • Chapter
Functionality of Food Phytochemicals

Part of the book series: Recent Advances in Phytochemistry ((RAPT,volume 31))

Abstract

Development and utilization of improved cereal varieties for domestic and international use depends upon the ability of both breeders and processors to: (a) identify potential sources of new or improved traits; (b) incorporate these traits into agronomically acceptable cultivars; and (c) exploit these characteristics in improving traditional products or developing new ones. To do so the breeder must identify and measure desirable traits in a large number of potential cultivars in a relatively rapid and simple manner, and the processor must have access to rapid and precise methods for defining grain “quality”, the combination of chemical and structural attributes which defines the utility of grains in processing conditions. In most major cereals, including wheat, rice, barley, oats, maize, and sorghum, our ability to identify and characterize these traits in phytochemical terms is quite variable depending on the history of the crop, but in all cases it is rudimentary and somewhat empirical. This is not surprising in view of the large number of molecular species which interact to contribute to the overall biochemistry of the grains. Consequently, the most important tool for identifying new cereal varieties is pilot or micro-scale processing, (e.g. pilot milling, malting, baking or extrusion) in which relatively large numbers of samples can be analyzed for their suitability for use in food systems. Although the majority of the storage reserves in cereal grains are polysaccharides (e.g. starch, pentosans, β-glucans) or carbohydrate-linked complexes (e.g. phenolic glycosides, lignin), with few exceptions (e.g., β-glucan determination1) individual chemical traits are either too costly or cumbersome to measure routinely in large numbers, or are ill-defined and inappropriate for daily use.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA

    R. Gary Fulcher & R. Roger Ruan

  2. Center for Food and Animal Research, Agri-Food and Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A OC6, Canada

    S. Shea Miller

  3. Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA

    R. Roger Ruan

Authors
  1. R. Gary Fulcher
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  2. S. Shea Miller
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  3. R. Roger Ruan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada

    Timothy Johns

  2. University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    John T. Romeo

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Fulcher, R.G., Miller, S.S., Ruan, R.R. (1997). Quantitative Microscopic Approaches to Carbohydrate Characterization and Distribution in Cereal Grains. In: Johns, T., Romeo, J.T. (eds) Functionality of Food Phytochemicals. Recent Advances in Phytochemistry, vol 31. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5919-1_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5919-1_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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