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Glume removal is the preliminary operation to make hulled wheats suitable to human consumption. Traditionally glumes are separated from kernels by means of stone mills, simultaneously causing kernel crushing, a loss of kernel parts and associated phytochemicals. The aim of this study was to compare bioactive compound retention of hulled wheat products obtained by traditional processing still used in Turkey and Armenia, with a more update plant located in Italy. On-plant samplings were carried out in two einkorn wheat bulgur processing plants in Turkey, and one emmer wheat processing plant, in Armenia and Italy. Whole and crushed kernels sampled at different processing stages were analysed for their phytochemical compound content. For the Italian plant, also the pearling process was considered. Whole kernels showed higher contents of lipid and phytochemical compounds than the correspondent processed fractions, with special respect for tocopherols and phytosterols. Carotenoid content was mainly affected by genotype. Pearling had a lower effect on the content of phytochemicals; however the correspondent waste fraction showed very high amounts of lipids and other compounds. All the plants showed similar retention of phytochemicals upon processing, with higher losses occurring in smaller kernel crushed fractions, mainly because of the loss of the germ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Kales are primitive leafy Brassica oleracea L. forms, widespread in local farming systems of several European countries and employed in the preparation of traditional recipes. Kales are also potential sources of healthy bioactive phytochemical components. The present study compared the bioactive compound content of kale populations from Italy, Portugal, and Turkey, either from local sources or grown in an experimental field. RESULTS Total phenolics, glucosinolates ( GLS), carotenoids, and chlorophylls were in the ranges 8310-38 110, 755-8580, 135-2354, and 1740-16 924 mg kg−1 dry matter, respectively. On average, locally harvested samples showed a total GLS content about twice as high as populations from the experiment. Conversely, pigments were significantly more abundant in experimental than in local kales, owing to the higher soil fertility. Portuguese samples showed higher phenolic and GLS amounts than Italian and Turkish kales, whereas some of the Italian samples were the richest in carotenoids. CONCLUSION This paper represented the first cross-country comparison of local kale accessions with respect to bioactive compound amounts. Both geographic origin and growing environment appeared to be remarkable and discriminating factors in determining bioactive levels in leafy kales, with possible effects on their health-promoting and sensorial attributes. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND In recent years there has been a considerable interest in the consumption of ancient wheats, often referred to as having superior health-promoting properties than modern cultivars. The BaSeFood project allowed us to explore the use of primitive wheats in the Black Sea area region and in Italy, with special regard to emmer ( Triticum dicoccum) and einkorn ( T. monococcum), and to collect seed samples to be grown and compared for their bioactive content, together with some other primitive wheat genotypes ( T. timopheevi, T. palaeo-colchicum, T. macha). RESULTS The data show that genotype was an important factor controlling phytochemical content. Variability ranges were as follows: lipids (18.0-28.5 g kg−1), tocols (26.6-72.8 mg kg−1), carotenoids (1.6-8.4 mg kg−1), sterols (441-929 mg kg−1) and phenolic compounds (819-1465 mg kg−1) content (dry matter basis). The fraction of individual components, within each class, was also variable; however, the species were well discriminated by their overall composition. CONCLUSIONS The present research represents a further contribution to the available literature about the analytical composition of primitive wheats, including the complete range of relevant bioactives and lesser investigated species. The data do not support an overall superiority of primitive forms, but evidenced interesting, potentially exploitable, between- and within-species variability. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banana passion fruit (Passiflora tripartite L.H. Bailey) is a lesser known species of the genus Passiflora. This fruit typically grows in the Andean region of Ecuador and it is locally known as tumbo, taxo or curuba. The juice of this fruit is highly appreciated in South America. Extracts of banana passion fruit were characterized for their content levels of free and bound phenolic compounds by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry detector (HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS). A total of 82 polar compounds classified as phenolic acid derivatives, organic acids, benzophenones, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and flavones were detected in the extracts. The total phenolic content was 2356 mg 100 g−1 dry matter, with the bound phenolic fraction representing 37.7% of total amounts. Flavan-3-ols, such as (epi)catechin, (epi)azfelechin and their derivatives, were the main phenolic compounds in the free phenolic fraction; however, phenolic acids represented the most abundant class of bound phenolic extracts. The antioxidant and hypoglycemic capacities reported for banana passion fruit were higher than for other fruits. To our knowledge, this is the first time that bound phenolic compounds have been described in banana passion fruit pulp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Einkorn wheat bulgur is a traditional food deeply rooted in some areas of Turkey, since ages. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of simulated traditional bulgur preparation on einkorn wheat bioactive compound content. A local einkorn wheat grain sample from Turkey was boiled for 2, 3 and 4 h, then dried in a thermo-ventilated oven. Tocols, carotenoids, phytosterols and phenolics, determined as free (FPC) and bound (BPC) phenolic compounds, were analysed in hulled (spikelets) and dehulled (kernels) bulgur samples, to highlight also glumes' contribute to their content and evolution. Kernel carotenoid and tocol content significantly decreased following bulgur preparation, to an extent of 42–58% and 15–30%, respectively. Phytosterols slightly decreased in cooked (12–19%), with respect to raw kernels. Phenolics showed different patterns, highlighting glumes' contribute: kernel FPC increased (+87%) after 4 h of boiling, whereas no significant variations were observed for BPC. A drastic decrease of total and BPC (20.5–28.0%), was observed in spikelets following bulgur preparation. Ferulic and p -coumaric acid resulted the most abundant phenolic acids, respectively, in kernels and spikelets. Decreases in tocol, carotenoids and phytosterol contents were observed whereas an increase of kernel FPC content was calculated after cooking. Image 1 • Bulgur popularity and consumption recently increased in Western countries. • Traditional bulgur preparation was simulated to evaluate its impact on bioactives. • Tocol and carotenoid content was significantly reduced in cooked kernels. • Free phenolic contents increased following bulgur preparation. • Boiling hulled grains could enhance sterol and phenolic compounds retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]