Technological and nutritional aspect of different hemp types addition: Comparison of flour and wholemeal effect
Summary Addition of non-traditional raw-materials and flours into wheat flour follows contemporary trend of manufacturing nutritionally healthier fermented bakery products. Aim of the study follows this tendency, evaluating nutritional improvement of composite flour and baking potential of prepared wheat-hemp flour composites. Hemp products addition significantly increased both protein and dietary fibre contents. Between five types of hemp flour, differences were observed according to incorporated amount (wheat flour substitution from 5% to 20%). In composites containing 20% of hemp flour and dehulled hemp wholemeal, protein content increased to 14.9% and to 15.7%, respectively (compared to 12.5% proteins in control wheat flour). Dietary fibre content change was governed unequivocally by addition level for both hemp flour and hemp wholemeal. Hemp wholemeal affected the solvent retention capacity (SRC) profile of the wheat flour used in a broader extent than hemp flour done, interacting moreover with addition level applied. Significant diminishing was measured for the sucrose and the lactic acid SRC, which describe physicochemical stage of starch and proteins in prepared composites. Addition of 5% and 20% of dehulled hemp wholemeal decreased the formed SRC from 112.0% to 102.3% and to 64.1%, and the latter SRC from 182.6% to 108.0 and to 78.3%, respectively. Smaller bread volume and worse shape were evaluated as the amount of hemp flour gradually increased; wholemeal form had more or less a positive effect. Correspondingly to that, crumb firmness measured by penetration test was found approximately half for hemp flour composite bread than for the hemp wholemeal ones.
Evaluation of the quality, nutritional value and antioxidant activity of gluten-free biscuits made from corn-acorn flour or corn-hemp flour composites
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of substituting 20–60% of corn flour with acorn or hemp flour on the quality, nutritional, pro-health value, and sensory properties of gluten-free biscuits. Partial replacement of corn flour with the mentioned above flours resulted in a significant reduction of biscuit volume and an increase of their hardness. The biscuits in the experiment were significantly darker than the control ones. Increasing the content of both studied flours resulted in a distinct trend of color variation from yellow toward red-purple. The protein content in biscuits with the addition of acorn flour did not differ significantly in comparison with the control biscuits, whereas biscuits with flour hemp contained 40–122% more protein in comparison with the control ones. The total dietary fiber content increased correspondingly with the addition of the investigated flours. The total polyphenols content (TPC) in biscuits with the acorn flour addition increased in the range of 308–801% in relation to the control, and the addition of hemp flour increased the TPC in the range of 41–143%. It was found that acorn flour contributed to higher growth (an average of 367%) of the antioxidant activity of the biscuits in relation to the control samples than the hemp flour (an average of 114%). The control biscuits obtained the highest sensory score, similarly biscuits with 20 and 40% acorn flour addition. The most favorable replacement should be that not more than a 40% substitute of corn flour with acorn flour.
Stroking different body regions of dairy cows: effects on avoidance and approach behavior toward humans.
Understanding perception of dairy cows to common human contact such as stroking is important for improving the human-animal relationship, animal welfare, and production. We hypothesized that repeated stroking of body regions licked most during social grooming, especially the ventral neck, would reduce cows' avoidance of and increase their approach to humans. Sixty tethered dairy cows were randomly allocated to 4 treatment groups that received 5 min of daily human contact 5 d/wk during 3 consecutive weeks: 3 groups were stroked on different body regions. The first group was stroked on the ventral part of the neck (neck); the second group on the withers (both licked often in social grooming); the third group on the lateral side of the chest (chest, licked rarely); and the last group (control) was exposed to simple human presence. The reactions to the person who had provided the treatment were measured using 2 tests in the home tie-stall assessing avoidance from an approaching person who tried to touch the head (approaching person test) and avoidance/approach reactions to a stationary person (stationary person test). Approach behavior was recorded in a novel environment using a standard arena test. In the home tie-stall, cows stroked on the neck showed less avoidance (median avoidance score: 3.33) in the approaching person test compared with cows stroked on the chest and the controls (both: 4.00). That is, at least 75% of the animals stroked on the neck tolerated the touching of their heads (75th percentile <or= 3.75), whereas at least 50% of the cows in the other treatment groups did not accept it. The stationary person test did not reveal any differences between the treatment groups. In the arena test, the 3 stroked groups showed more approach behavior (median latencies to contact: from 145 to 240 s) compared with simple human presence (300 s), but stroking treatments did not differ from each other. Stroking, particularly the neck, reduced avoidance of and increased approach reactions to humans in both the home tie-stall and the arena. Increasing acceptance of being touched after being stroked on the neck suggests that this procedure should be adopted to improve routine handling of dairy cattle.