Colored wheats such as black, blue, or purple wheat are receiving a great interest as healthy food ingredients due to their potential health-enhancing attributes. Purple wheat is an anthocyanin-pigmented grain that holds huge potential in food applications since wheat is the preferred source of energy and protein in human diet. Purple wheat is currently processed into a variety of foods with potent antioxidant properties, which have been demonstrated by in vitro studies. However, the health impacts of purple wheat foods in humans still require further investigations. Meanwhile, anthocyanins are vulnerable molecules that require special stabilization treatments during food preparation and processing. A number of stabilization methods such as co-pigmentation, self-association, encapsulation, metal binding, and adjusting processing conditions have been suggested as a means to diminish the loss of anthocyanins in processed foods and dietary supplements. The present review was intended to provide insights about purple wheat food product development and its roles in human health. In addition, methods for stabilizing anthocyanins during processing were briefly discussed.

Using a simulated gastrointestinal digestion model combined with a Caco-2 cell model, this study aims to assess the bioaccessibility and cellular uptake of dietary lutein, zeaxanthin, and ferulic acid from muffins and bread prepared from blends of hairless canary seed (HCS), wheat, and corn. Residual digestive enzymes damaged the Caco-2 monolayer and necessitated the requirements for the additional clean-up of the digesta. Several digesta cleanup treatments were examined, and the C18 column, along with AEBSF inhibitor, was selected as the most effective treatment. However, the cleanup treatment reduced lutein, zeaxanthin, and ferulic acid concentrations. The bioaccessibility of lutein from muffins was high at 92–94% (without clean-up) and 81–86% (with cleanup); however, the cellular uptake was low (7–9%). The bioaccessibility and cellular uptake (4–11%) of zeaxanthin were lower than lutein. Ferulic acid from muffins exhibited a wide range of bioaccessibility for non-cleanup (105–229%) and clean-up (53–133%) digesta samples; however, cellular uptake was very low (0.5–1.8%). Bread made from wheat/HCS had higher lutein bioaccessibility (47–80%) than the control bread (42%), with an apical cellular uptake ranging from 4.3 to 9.2%. Similar to muffins, the bioaccessibility of zeaxanthin from bread was lower than lutein, while ferulic acid had a fairly high bioaccessibility at 98–103% (without clean-up) and 81–102% (with cleanup); however, zeaxanthin cellular uptake was low (0.2%). These results suggest that muffins and bread could boost the daily consumption of lutein, zeaxanthin, and ferulic acid, allowing for a small portion to be absorbed in the small intestine.

Regulations allowing health claims linking consumption of food products rich in β-glucan with reduced risk of coronary heart disease have increased the interest of food companies and consumers in such products as healthy food options. Oat and barley cereal products, in particular, have garnered attention due to their high β-glucan contents. Processing oat and barley into food products may affect the physicochemical characteristics of β-glucan and subsequently its physiological effects, however. A new proposed AACCI Approved Method (32-24.01) using RVA to measure β-glucan viscosity in cereal products has been developed and validated. The objective of this method is to determine the viscosity of β-glucan that is soluble under simulated digestion conditions without requirements for pretreatments of cereal products. This viscosity measurement is obtained by mixing an aqueous suspension of ground sample with digestive enzymes in a disposable canister in the RVA. The method can be used by laboratories as a scre...

Hairless canary seed (Phalaris canariensis L.) can play significant roles in human health and nutrition due to its unique nutrient profile. It belongs to the Gramineae family similar to common cereal grains like wheat, rice and corn. On the other hand, the traditional canary seed is characterized by the presence of silicified spicules or hairs on the hulls of the kernel that could pose health hazards to humans. The hairless canary seed was developed in Canada by a conventional breeding program to mitigate the health concerns associated with the silicified hairs. The hairless grain is silica free, i.e., totally glabrous, and is granted regulatory food approvals by Health Canada and US-FDA. The hairless grain holds a great potential as a whole grain functional food ingredient due to its unique nutritional and functional attributes. As a cereal grain, it is rich in protein that is non-gluten and exceptionally high in tryptophan and bioactive peptides. The grain also contains reasonable amounts of carotenoids, polyphenols, and healthy unsaturated oil. Because of these special characteristics, it is considered a promising nutritious and therapeutic food. This review provides insights into the potential of hairless canary seed as a functional ingredient in products designed to mitigate oxidative stress, diabetes and celiac disease and/or to improve vision and cognition.