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This paper aims to study the impact of combination Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Heriz I and Beta glucan on quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer (BC) patients receiving chemotherapy.

In all, 30 women with BC were enrolled in this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Intervention group received either daily one capsule of L. rhamnosus strain Heriz I (2 × 10⁷ CFU) and two 10-mg capsules of soluble1–3,1–6,D-beta glucan and the placebo group receiving placebo, interval between two courses of chemotherapy. Health-related QOL was evaluated at baseline and end of the trial using the EORTC QOL Questionnaire version.3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30).

The results showed that combination of L. rhamnosus Heriz I and Beta glucan supplementation in BC patients during chemotherapy improved functional scales score from 37.3 ± 12.1 to 39.8 ± 6.8 and this increase in comparison with placebo was significant after adjusting baseline value (p = 0.015). Changes in symptoms scores were not significant after intervention (p = 0.05) but the decreased score (66.1 ± 12.9 to 60.6 ± 9.4) was considerable clinically. As well as, changes in global health status/QOL score in intervention group in comparison with the placebo group was not significant (p = 0.93).

The findings suggest that combination of L. rhamnosus Heriz I and Beta glucan may be associated for improving functional scales and symptoms in patients with BC who underwent chemotherapy. To prove positive effect of supplements on other aspects of QOL, further studies are needed.

Dietary fiber is not traditionally considered to have anti-inflammatory actions in skeletal muscle. This study aims to test the hypothesis that oat β-glucans fiber intake can inhibit exercise-induced inflammation.

Young adult males (age 18-30 years) consumed either oat bran β-glucans (2 × 1.5 g fiber/day) or placebo for 4 weeks (Trial 1: N = 11 for placebo, N = 9 for glucan; Trial 2: N = 7 for placebo, N = 8 for glucan). Muscle inflammatory stress was induced at baseline and post-intervention using a leg extension regimen.

Ingestion of β-glucans, but not placebo, protected against inflammation based on subjective soreness scores (two trials), as well as on plasma myeloperoxidase readings (one trial). Scores were subject ratings from 0 (no soreness) to 10 (injury that impairs movement). Mean soreness score was lower at 48 h after exercise stress: post-glucan treatment vs pre-treatment: Trial 1: 1.9 + 2.4 vs 3.3 + 2.2 (p = 0.05); Trial 2: 1.2 + 0.7 vs 3.9 + 2.7 (p < 0.05). Myeloperoxidase just after exercise stress increased for both groups pre-treatment, but only for the placebo group post-treatment: 62 + 12 vs 81 + 15 (p < 0.05).

This pilot study found that at least one type of dietary fiber can exert anti-inflammatory effects in skeletal muscle.

The purpose of this paper is to utilise market-oriented methodologies and simulation analysis to generate information regarding consumers’ attitudes, opinions and preferences towards novel β-glucan-enriched breads.

Focus Groups and In-depth interviews were used to generate consumer information on potentially suitable attributes that would maximise consumer acceptance. The approach involved the creation of a set of realistic product concepts from a combination of attribute levels and the presentation of these product concepts to consumers. A fractional factorial design generated an orthogonal array of 22 hypothetical products that were presented to consumers for rating while K-means cluster analysis was used to segment consumers into four specific consumer segments. The simulation analysis then identified β-glucan-enriched bread concepts targeted specifically at these four market segments.

The simulation analysis identified β-glucan-enriched bread concepts targeted specifically at these four market segments.

This research can assist manufacturers who wish to optimally design foods with novel ingredients and aid in the development of product concepts which maximise consumer acceptance and increase the likelihood of product success.

The enrichment of bread with non-digestible prebiotic ingredients may exert health-promoting effects and provide healthier food choices for those suffering from metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ß-glucan and resistant starch incorporation on the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of white bread.

Seven different formulations of prebiotic bread were produced using different proportions of ß-glucan (0.8, 1 and 1.2 per cent), resistant starch (5.5, 8 and 10.5 per cent) and the combination of resistant starch and ß-glucan in a ratio of 4:0.5.

The GI and GL of the prebiotic bread prepared with 1 per cent ß-glucan (w/w) were 55.7 and 7.8, respectively, whereas those of the prebiotic bread prepared with 8 per cent resistant starch (w/w) were 64.8 and 8.42, respectively, with both breads having significantly lower GI and GL values than the control (P < 0.05). It was concluded that the incorporation of 1 per cent ß-glucan may be beneficial in producing prebiotic bread with both low GI and low GL.

Although white bread is a main food source in human diet, its high GI and GL make it an unhealthy food choice. The incorporation of ingredients with prebiotic effects, such as ß-glucan and resistant starch, can improve the nutritional value of this product by lowering its GI and GL.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of different dietary fibers on color, nutritional, physico-chemical, sensory and textural properties of fresh sausage.

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of partial beef meat substitution (15, 10.5 and 6 percent) at different combinations: barley beta-glucan concentrate (BBC at 1 percent) alone, carrot fiber (ID809 at 1 percent) alone and a mixture of both fibers (BBC and ID809 at 0.5 percent of each), on the quality of fresh sausage.

Results revealed that the supplementation of dietary fibers generally decreased protein contents and increased moisture. Color parameters were significantly affected by the addition of dietary fibers. Meat substitution with dietary fibers tended toward red coloration, which enhanced sensory properties of fresh sausages, especially general acceptability. Fresh sausages formulated with a mixture of dietary fibers recorded good firmness. Indeed, it increased extrusion force values and provided a greater hardness at sensory level. This manuscript reports that beef sausage formulated with a mixture of BBC and ID809 and reduced beef meat rate improved acceptability to consumer.

The paper approaches a new subject that may be relevant to functional food. There are few research works to evaluate consumer preferences of new product developments and to achieve healthier and more economic fresh sausages formulated with a mixture of two fibers after reducing beef meat content.

Sorghum is a vital cereal crop and staple food for many peoples around the globe having good nutritional and health-promoting bioactive compounds and recently received great attention as gluten-free food. However, sorghum grains contain low β-glucans contents, dietary fibre polysaccharides with great technological and disease prevention properties, and improving the concentration of these compounds in sorghum is very important. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the physicochemical and starch properties of high β-glucan sorghum inbred line (Tabat-NL) in comparison with two commercial cultivars (Wadakar and Tabat-C).

Grain samples of sorghum cultivars: white colour and low tannin cultivar (Tabat-C), red colour and high tannin sorghum, and new inbred line of white sorghum cultivar (Tabat-NL) were carefully cleaned, examined for physical properties (colour, hectolitre and 1,000 kernel weights, and endosperm texture), and ground to flour and assessed for chemical composition (moisture, protein, ash, carbohydrate, sugars, fibre and β-glucan contents). The starch was extracted and investigated for morphological characteristics and functional properties.

The results showed that Tabat-NL grains contain significantly (p=0.05) higher values of 1,000 kernel weight, hectolitre weight, total carbohydrate, amylopectin, dietary fibre and β-glucan compared to Tabat-C and Wadakar. Tabat-NL starch had greater (p=0.05) gelatinization temperature, viscosity, bulk density, and water and oil holding capacities and lower (p=0.05) acidity compared to Tabat-C and Wadakar.

The outcomes of this study demonstrated that Tabat-NL grains had an excellent marketing and milling properties, health-promoting and disease-preventing potentials, and technological features for uses in functional and speciality foods.

To the best of our understating, this is the first study on the evaluation of sorghum cultivar with high β-glucan content and could thus provide the bases for further development and application of this important food grains.

The purpose of this paper is to compare and evaluate for quality characteristics and β‐glucan analysis during different stages of the oat flour and/or oat bran based bread baking process.

A 100 per cent wheat flour (WF) formulation was substituted with 30, 50 and 70 per cent oat flour (OF) or oat bran (OB) to improve its nutritional quality characteristics of bread. The flour blends were evaluated for quality characteristics (loaf volume, texture profile analysis) and β‐glucan analysis during different stages of the bread baking process.

A significant decrease in specific volume, number of cells and crumb brightness was observed with increasing WF substitution levels with OF or OB. The crumb hardness was observed to be negatively correlated with specific volume of OF (r =−0.90, p<0.0001) and OB (r =−0.84, p<0.0001) bread. The level of β‐glucan was significantly reduced by 37.8 −42.9 per cent in dough during 45 min fermentation time, which indicating the enzymatic action. The β‐glucan content of OF and OB bread was found to increase from 0.13 g/100 g bread (db) (control) to 1.35 and 3.61 g β‐glucan/100 g bread (db) for 70 per cent WF substitution with OF and OB, respectively. Results show that a bread of acceptable quality can be prepared by substituting WF by up to 50 per cent for OF and up to 30 per cent by OB.

Replacing white bread with oat flour/bran containing β‐glucan facilitates human consumption of soluble dietary fibre.

The paper provides a comparative evaluation of the oat flour and/or bran based bread and its critical factors influencing the level of β‐glucan during baking process, which attributes to improve the nutritional quality.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of residence time distribution in extruders along with the incorporation of nutraceuticals on the final quality of the products with respect to several pivotal responses.

Corn–rice flour blend fortified with isolated nutraceutical concentrates at two (low and high) levels was extruded at barrel temperature (110°C), screw speed (260 rpm) and feed moisture (17 percent). Extrudates were collected at an interval of 24 s followed by analysis for radial expansion (RE), bulk density (BD), water absorption index (WAI), sensory score (SS), textural hardness, colorimetric values (L*, a* and b*) and color difference (E).

The entire data were fitted to zero- and first-order kinetic models. There was a gradual decrease in RE, SS and L* value, whereas an increase in BD, textural hardness and a* value of extrudates fortified with the three nutraceutical concentrates was observed with the successive time interval of 24 s along with a more pronounced effect on color difference (E) observed during the last stages of extrusion time. The zero-order kinetic model was well fitted for BD and a* value, whereas the first-order kinetic model showed better results for RE, WAI, SS, textural hardness, L* value, a* value and b* value of fortified extrudates.

Nutraceuticals like β-glucans, lignans and γ oryzanol exhibit numerous health-beneficial effects. This study analyzes the kinetics of changes in various responses of extrudates fortified with these nutraceutical concentrates during extrusion.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the latest mounting evidence reporting associations between the important role of whole grains and fibre in lowering the risk of chronic diseases and health.

A general systematic review was conducted to locate and summarise up-to-date published studies within the field. A Medline search identified human-controlled trials and observational studies published in the past five years.

A total of 49 studies were identified. In observational studies, higher intakes of whole grain and dietary fibre were associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, abdominal adiposity and certain cancers. This was further supported by human intervention trials, which reported benefits for appetite control, blood lipid levels, glycaemic control, digestive health and secondary cancer prevention. Mechanisms may relate to the micronutrients and phytonutrients present in high fibre foods.

Practical advice is needed to help people identify foods rich in whole grains, e.g. breakfast cereals. UK fibre recommendations should be aligned with European guidelines and food labelling regulations, and a whole grain dietary recommendation, e.g. similar to the US guideline of three portions a day, could be introduced. Government and industry should play a role in communicating dietary fibre guidelines and the health benefits associated with whole grain and fibre, particularly insoluble fibre.

This paper develops knowledge about whole grains, health and the importance of establishing whole-grain dietary recommendations.

To review the evidence from high quality human intervention studies that reported links between oat consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.

Using Medline, a search was made for all randomized controlled trials published between 1990 and 2008 that met defined inclusion criteria. Studies had a minimum duration of 14 days, used oat products rather than purified extracts, and included plasma lipid levels as outcome variables.

A total of 21 eligible studies were located 13 of which reported significant reductions in total cholesterol when oats were consumed, while 14 reported significant reductions in low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. A few studies found increases in high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and more favourable cholesterol ratios when oats were consumed.

It was not possible to analyse differences in response between health and “at risk” subjects. A meta‐analysis would be a useful step forward, as would research on the long‐term impact of oats on body weight.

Intakes of oats in successful intervention studies were impractical for most consumers. However, expert bodies base approved health claims on an achievable 3 g β‐glucan per day. Additional research on portion sizes for commercially‐available foods would increase consumer awareness of how to access the cholesterol‐lowering benefits of oats. Effective portion sizes may differ by gender, age and CVD risk.

This review provides further evidence that regular oat consumption is an effective dietary strategy for helping to attenuate CVD risk and sets this within the context of claims for food stuffs.