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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.

The health benefits of whole grains are well established, yet intake remains below recommendations. Knowledge and familiarity with whole grains may increase short-term intake, but sensory properties can limit consumption. These factors usually are researched separately, thus, this study aims to explore the relationships among sensory liking, knowledge, attitudes and intake.

This cross-sectional study had 69 college students participate in four tasks: sensory liking of whole vs refined grain bread, rice, pasta and tortillas; bitter taster status; knowledge and attitudes; and intake of whole grains.

Whole wheat bread and tortillas were liked, as well as their refined grain counterparts. However, white rice and pasta were liked significantly more than the whole grain products (p < 0.05), which are less familiar to most people. Higher consumers of whole grain foods preferred those samples to the refined product for some sensory attributes (p < 0.05). Bitter taster status was not related to sensory preferences. Understanding and recognition of whole grains was low, but attitudes were generally positive. Whole grain intake was overestimated by the food frequency questionnaire because of problems with the instrument and also subjects’ lack of understanding about these foods.

The link between preference and consumption warrants further study. The survey used to measure whole grain intake was a limitation and demonstrates the need for an accurate and efficient tool. Although knowledge about whole grains is limited, the positive attitudes expressed by participants can strategically inform outreach. If people believe that they consume more whole grains than they actually do, they may have a false sense of security. Further research with different age groups and a wider variety of foods is needed.

Participants overestimated their consumption of whole grain foods, indicating that consumers may think that they are meeting recommended amounts but they are actually deficient in whole grain intake; thus, improved education and promotional efforts are needed.

Few studies examine the inter-relationships among sensory preference, bitter taster status, knowledge, attitude and intake of whole grains.

This study aims to explore the facilitators that could help to improve the consumption of whole grains in the Malaysian adult population.

A total of 30 individual in-depth interviews were conducted online. Malaysian adults aged a minimum of 18 years old and responsible for grocery shopping and food preparation at home were included in the study. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.

More than half of the participants were females (63.3%), with a mean age of 39.2 years old, and from urban areas (76.7%). Whole-grain cookbook development was the most commonly mentioned facilitator (100%), followed by cost reduction (86.7%), whole grains education (83.3%), awareness of whole grains (53.3%) and enhanced accessibility and availability of whole grains (63.3%). The least mentioned facilitator was improving product labelling (23.3%), creating a habit/lifestyle that encourages the consumption of whole grains in daily life (23.3%) and peer encouragement (10%).

This study addresses the facilitators that should be emphasised in future nutrition intervention studies. The cookbook was perceived to be an effective facilitator to improve the consumption of whole grains in Malaysia. The researchers anticipate that the study findings may improve whole-grain consumption among the Malaysian population.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to outline the facilitators to improve the consumption of whole grains amongst Malaysian adults.

The paper aimed to explore the factors leading to lower rates of whole grain consumption amongst the Malaysian adult population according to the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) model.

This paper employed a qualitative approach to explore the factors that influence whole grain consumption. Individual interviews were conducted online amongst Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above who purchase groceries and are responsible for food preparation at home. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using the NVivo version 12 software.

A majority of the respondents (N = 30; mean age = 39.2 years old) were females (n = 19, 63.3%) and lived in urban areas (n = 23, 76.7%). Even though over 86.7% of respondents (n = 26) had consumed whole grain products, a majority of them had inadequate knowledge surrounding whole grains (n = 25, 83.3%). Predominant barriers to whole grain consumption were perceived cost (n = 30, 100%), dislikes towards the sensory aspects of whole grain foods (n = 28, 93.3%), inadequate knowledge in identifying whole grains in foods (n = 25, 83.3%), poor awareness (n = 25, 83.3%), lack of knowledge in preparation of whole grain foods (n = 25, 83.3%), a wide variety of other tasty cuisine alternatives in Malaysia (n = 25, 83.3%), low availability and accessibility of whole grain products (n = 18, 60%), cultural eating behaviours (n = 17, 56.7%) and family influence (n = 16, 53.3%). Besides that, having a longer preparation time, restrictive diets and social influences were minor barriers.

This study addresses the barriers that should be highlighted in future health educational interventions, and presents a challenge to the food industry to develop whole grain foods which are easily accepted by consumers.

This is the first paper to outline the factors associated with poor consumption of whole grains amongst the Malaysian adult population.

The purpose of this paper is to establish implicit consumer attitudes towards whole grain foods, following criticisms of explicit enquiries revealing an attitude-behaviour gap. For products considered to have social desirability (e.g. ethical and “health” products) bias may be observed, as respondents may provide responses that present them in a positive light, rather than those reflecting their actual attitudes, intentions or behaviours.

The research employed an indirect measure, the shopping list method, analysed quantitatively in this case using factor analysis and regression, to examine the impression respondents form of whole grain consumers, using three discrete shopping lists and two discrete cover letters. Following a pilot survey to 79 people using Snowball sampling, the survey instrument was distributed to 3,000 UK households using a purchased mailing list.

The findings demonstrated that respondents considered whole grain consumers to exhibit positive attributes of respectability and self-efficacy compared to their counterparts. These findings countered the negative, product attribute-based views of respondents when queried explicitly about their attitudes to whole grain foods.

The research provides an original perspective on whole grain consumer attitudes, using a methodology which – whilst well-established – has been used less frequently in a quantitative manner. It provides particular value to food retailers and manufacturers looking to promote whole grain products, but also to policy makers seeking to change consumption habits towards whole grains – which have established health benefits compared to refined alternatives.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of delivering healthy eating messages through an interactive health corner (HC) on improving healthy dietary habits in participants.

Self-administered questionnaires were administered to participants after the education session. In total, 5,292 valid questionnaires were obtained, yielding a response rate of 93.3 per cent. In the last three months of the pilot study, a random sample of 305 from 1,493 participants was chosen and followed up six months later. Bivariate analysis was used to study the association of knowledge gained and attitude. Behavioural change was measured in terms of whether participants had reported an increase in their consumption of healthier food.

Majority (>98 per cent) of participants reported that the HC corner was useful, and had helped increase their awareness and knowledge of creating healthier meals and making healthier food choices. 95.7 per cent were willing to make changes after visiting the HC. At six months follow-up, 84 per cent of the participants reported positive changes in their dietary habits. Those who made positive changes were younger (mean age: 58.0 years) compared with those who did not (mean age 61.0 years, p=0.035).

Incorporating cooking demonstrations as part of nutrition education is effective in inculcating healthy eating practices and changing self-reported eating habits in the short term. Further research is needed to verify actual change in eating habits and to determine if this change is sustainable in the long run.

Currently, no similar initiative has been implemented and studied to evaluate the effectiveness of this mode of health promotion in a primary care setting. This study will help the authors to evaluate if the intervention was effective in changing attitudes and behaviours after an education session at the HC.

Wheat flour (whole grain or white wheat flour) is a major ingredient for production of baked goods and confectionery products in Nigeria. However, due to unfavourable climatic and soil conditions, there is over-dependence on importation of wheat having a negative impact on the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). This has therefore spurred increasing popularity of partial or full replacement of wheat flour with other flour types for economic or nutritional reasons. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of partial substitution of whole wheat flour with indigenous, underutilized crops.

Whole wheat flour was partially (0–40%) replaced with acha and/or pigeon pea flours in ratios of 100:0:0 (WAPK), 90:10:0 (WAPL), 80:20:0 (WAPM), 70:30:0 (WAPN), 80:10:10 (WAPO), 70:20:10 (WAPP), 70:15:15 (WAPQ) and 60:20:20 (WAPR). The study evaluated the effects of supplementation on rheological, functional properties of composite flours and nutritional composition of composite bread.

Results showed that dough development and stability time, values of most pasting properties (peak viscosity, final viscosity, setback and pasting temperature) were significantly higher in the composite flours than in WAPK. However, incorporation of acha and pigeon pea flours resulted in significant decrease in breakdown value. Composite flours produced protein-enriched breads with improved essential amino acids exceeding WHO/FAO reference for adults. Composite flours from blends of whole wheat, acha and pigeon pea flours may serve as a potential raw material suitable for production of nutritious and functional baked products.

The present study confirms effective supplementation of whole grain wheat flour with either acha or both acha and pigeon pea flours. Composite flours showed improved functional and pasting properties; thus, it may be suitable for production of baked products such as bread and biscuits.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the nutrient and sensory properties of dambu, a steamed granulated dumpling product produced from maize (Zea mays), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and acha (Digitaria exilis), grains. It is a popular midday meal of the Fulanis of Nigeria, normally sprinkled into fermented skimmed milk or whole milk and sugar may be added to taste.

Dambu was prepared in the laboratory using decorticated clean cereal grains, which were pulverized into coarse particles, mixed with spices and water, and steamed for 20 min. Analysis was carried out on the products following document and established procedures.

Data obtained indicated that dambu contained an appreciable amount of protein (10.1‐10.7 per cent) and fat (2.2‐3.4 per cent). The moisture and ash contents were found to range from 35 to 38 per cent and 0.5 to 1.2 per cent, respectively; crude fibre ranged from 1.8 to 2.1 per cent; carbohydrate ranged from 45 to 49 per cent and the energy ranged from 247 to 264 kcal/100 g. The amino acid profiles of the dambu showed that the different dambu products contain both essential and non‐essential amino acids. The mineral contents were found to be high in potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and magnesium. The mean scores of aroma, chewiness, and overall acceptability for the products were not significantly different (p > 0.05) but difference existed in the texture and appearance.

The consumption of dambu from different cereal grains is encouraged; especially where a particular cereal is off season, the other grains could be used as a substitute and complementary.

The findings here suggested that dambu is necessary to cereal industry and baby foods (weaning foods).

The results of this research contribute to the knowledge of cereal meals, especially those that are indigenous to Nigeria and West Africa.

This research aims to examine the effects of varying front-of-package (FOP) nutrition information type on parents' food product choices for children.

A 3(FOP nutrition information: nutrient specific system vs food group information system vs summary indicator system) × 3(Perceived healthiness of the product: high vs moderate vs low) mixed-design experiment and content analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings suggest that summary indicator systems were effective in positively impacting parents' choices for healthier food options, however not as effective as food group information systems – which includes specific nutrient content claims complementing less familiar health nutrient symbols.

Implications for marketers, consumer welfare advocates and product brand managers are provided.

Bambara groundnut is a hard-to-cook grain and this has limited its utilisation to some extent. However, the grain is a good source of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties. This study investigated the total phenol content, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial potentials of hot-water extract of four Bambara groundnuts differentiated by their seed coats (cream, black, maroon and brown).

Bambara grains were heated in water at a ratio 1:20 (w/v) and the grains brought to boiling in a controlled water bath. As soon as boiling started, the temperature was reduced to 90 °C to reduce the evaporation rate. The extracts were withdrawn within 30 min, which was chosen from a preliminary study where beyond this time, the extract was drying off and the amount of solution obtained was not sufficient for the initial run. Grain colour and composition and antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of the extract were determined using standard methods.

Protein (20.57–26.31%) and carbohydrate (55.43–61.09%) were the major components of the grain. Grain type and boiling time generally affected the total phenolic content of the extract. Cream Bambara displayed substantially lower total phenolic content at all boiling times compared with the maroon, brown and black Bambara groundnuts. The total flavonoid contents and total phenolic contents of the Bambara groundnut extracts were dependent on the boiling time and type of grain. The extracts showed no activity against Candida albicans, but the maroon coat Bambara demonstrated a peak inhibition of 6.00 mm against Escherichia coli. The total phenolic, flavonoid contents and the antioxidant properties of the grains generally followed the order Maroon > Black > Brown.

This study has demonstrated the possibility of promoting the use of Bambara groundnut beyond the current level of usage by using simple processing method of boiling to extract phytochemicals with medicinal properties.