Endogenous factors responsible for the textural characteristics of buckwheat products.
Endogenous factors responsible for the textural characteristics of buckwheat products were studied. An analysis with various buckwheat samples showed that there were variations in protein, starch, amylose and amylopectin contents among the various buckwheat flours examined. The protein contents of the buckwheat flours were significantly negatively-correlated to the starch, amylose and amylopectin contents of buckwheat. A texturometric analysis showed that the springiness of heated-dough made from buckwheat flour was positively correlated to its starch content and amylopectin content, and the springiness and chewiness was negatively correlated to the protein content. Experiments adding isolated buckwheat protein or starch to buckwheat dough confirmed the above-mentioned correlation between texture and components. This study suggests that both the protein and starch present in buckwheat flour may be important factors responsible for the textural characteristics of buckwheat products.
The Possible Role of Starch in Oral Calcification: The In Vitro Formation of Hydroxyapatite is Regulated by a Combination of Protein and Mineral Content in Dietary Starch Flour
The effects of twelve kinds of dietary starch flour, i.e. rice (non-glutinous and glutinous), wheat (soft, medium, and hard), barley (roasted), buckwheat (inner layer and straight), corn, sweet potato, kudzu, and tapioca on in vitro cal- cium phosphate precipitation were investigated using the pH drop method. The induction time was elongated by the addi- tion of all of the kinds of flour. Although the rate of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) formation was not affected, the rate of transformation of ACP to hydroxyapatite (HAP) was either stimulated or inhibited by the different types of flour. The following observations were made: (1) When the lipid content below 0.2% (w/w), any of the types of starch had a stimulatory effect on the transformation of ACP to HAP. (2) When the lipid content around or above 1.0% (w/w), the value of the product of (protein content) � (mineral content) seems to determine the effect of starch.
Spatial distribution of root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) in a long-term no-till cropping system and their relationship with soil and landscape properties
The Cook Agronomy Farm of Washington State University is a long-term precision agriculture study site. Since 2000, the farm has been in various three-year no-till rotations with winter wheat, spring wheat, and various rotation crops such as barley, canola, peas, lentils, and chickpea. The spatial distribution of root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) and their relationships with soil and terrain variables were studied by collecting soil samples at 127 and 124 geo-referenced points in two 12-ha fields during the spring of 2010 and 2011, respectively. Pratylenchus spp. were detected in more than 85% of the sampled locations in both fields. Nematode densities spatially mapped using ArcGIS software occurred in an aggregated pattern. Previous rotation crops had no effect on the spatial distribution. Classification and regression tree analysis (CART) using soil and terrain variables, and nematode density, explained 61 and 34% of the variability associated with nematode density in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Soil edaphic factors, such as organic matter, were stronger predictors of nematode populations than rotation effects.