Change in Health Ingredients of Whole Tibetan Hull-Less Barley after Steam Explosion and Simulated Digestion In vitro

The potential of using steam explosion technology in whole-grain cereal processing field was investigated by comparing with traditional heat-processing method including water cooking, roasting and extrusion. Contents of post-digestive health ingredients, including total soluble carbohydrates, amino acids, phenolics, flavonoids and ferulic acids, were determined. The antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2-azinobis [3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate] free radical-scavenging ability and ferric-reducing power) and nonenzymatic browning of chyme fluid were evaluated. In this study, steam explosion can significantly increase the nutritive and bioactive compound content in fluid of chyme as compared with water cooking. In addition, the antioxidant activity of chyme fluid increased significantly after the steam explosion and extrusion as compared with water cooking. The study demonstrated the benefit of steam explosion in releasing the health ingredients from whole-grain products. Practical ApplicationsSeveral thermal techniques are used to produce whole-grain foods. These processes can either improve or reduce the nutritional quality of whole-grain foods. Steam explosion processes can significantly increase the nutritional and bioactive content of cereal by-products. However, there are few data on the behavior of steam explosion in whole-grain processing. This study will facilitate the future development of a technology to increase the health benefits and palatability of whole-grain foods.