PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Cereals”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

[Cadmium and lead levels in milk, milk-cereal and cereal formulas for infants and children up to 3 years of age].

Cd and Pb contents were determined in milk formulae, milk-cereal formulae and cereal formulae produced by Okregowe Zakłady Koncentratów Spozywczych (OZKS) (Regional Food Concentrates Processing Plants) for infants and children up to 3 years of age. The major parts of the assortments were found to contain products whose cadmium and/or lead contents exceeded the admissible norms. These contents were as follows: in milk formulae: from less than 2 to 8 micrograms Cd/kg and from less than 20 to 180 micrograms Pb/kg; in milk-cereal formulae: from less than 2 to 20 micrograms Cd/kg and from less than 20 to 180 micrograms Pb/kg; in cereal formulae from less than 2 to 70 micrograms Cd/kg and from less than 20 to 400 micrograms Pb/kg. Contents of Cd and Pb were the highest in cereal formulae mainly in those produced of wheat flour and buckwheat-rice flour. Determinations of Cd and Pb contents in raw materials and in some cereal intermediate products revealed that the occurrence of excessively high Cd and Pb contents in the cereal-containing formulae was due to contamination of the cereal raw materials with these metals.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

[Field test for determination of mercury in cereals and cereal products].

By means of the method described, rapid semiquantitative mercury determinations may be performed without energy supply in cereals and cereal products. The mercury ions which are liberated by digestion with concentrated H2SO4 and KMnO4 are determined with the aid of a colorimetric method which is based on the formation of a coloured complex of mercury with di-beta-naphthyl-thiocarbazone. The method permits visual comparison of mercury concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 13 mug, revealing concentration differences up to 0,1 mug. The rate of recovery is 76%.

Edible Grain↗
PubMed1991

Construction of a chloroplast DNA library from rye (Secale cereale), a cereal plant of temperature-inducible chloroplast ribosome deficiency.

The chloroplast genomes of flowering plants are circular DNA molecules, 120 to 160 kilobase pairs long, encoding the rRNA, all tRNAs, and 21 r-proteins of the chloroplast translational apparatus as well as key protein components of the photosynthetic and carbon reduction cycle reactions. In this paper we describe some characteristics of the rye chloroplast (plastid) genome and the construction and characterization of a clone library of 93% of its DNA in a plasmid and a cosmid vector. The size of rye chloroplast DNA is estimated at 135 kbp, similar to that for wheat and rice but slightly smaller than the estimate for maize (139 kbp). Chloroplast ribosome deficiency is induced in rye seedlings by germination and growth at 32 degrees-34 degrees C; therefore these clones would be useful for analyzing the regulation of chloroplast ribosome synthesis in higher plants, a process that requires coordinate expression of genes located in the nucleus and the chloroplast.

Chloroplasts↗
PubMed1977

The nutritional and physiological impact of cereal products in human nutrition.

There is a need for reeducation of the population, especially in developed countries, as to the value of cereals in the diet. Cereals provide calories and important nutrients to the diet. Refined cereal products and unrefined cereals have certain advantages and disadvantages. With refinement, some nutrients and fiber are removed, but the body is better able to make use of certain nutrients. Essential nutrients are being replaced through fortification to compensate for losses in processing. The high fiber content of unrefined cereal products is believed to aid in the prevention of certain diseases. Special dietary bakery products have been introduced for the treatment of conditions generally exacerbated by standard food items. The increased consumption of cereal products appears warranted as a means of decreasing the saturated fat and cholesterol consumption. Cereals and cereal products have been mentioned in connection with allergies, celiac disease, schizophrenia, obesity, dental caries, cancer, atherosclerosis, goiter, and diverticulosis. This review discusses the possible role of cereals in the prevention or cause of these health problems.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1991

16-kilodalton rice protein is one of the major allergens in rice grain extract and responsible for cross-allergenicity between cereal grains in the Poaceae family.

Cross-allergenicity between five cereal grains including rice, wheat, corn, Japanese millet (Panicum crus-galli L. var. frumentaceum Trin.) and Italian millet (Setaria italica Beauv. var. germanica schrad.) was examined by radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and RAST inhibition assay. There were significant close correlations between every combinations of RAST values for the five cereal grain extracts. RAST inhibition assay of each extract against RAST discs coupled with other cereal grain extracts indicated marked cross-reactivity of IgE binding between these cereal grain extracts. Rice protein 16KD (RP16KD) was shown to be one of major allergens in rice grain extracts by immunoblotting analysis, histamine release assay from human leukocytes and RAST inhibition. Next, the involvement of RP16KD in the cross-allergenicity between these cereals was investigated. RAST values for RP16KD significantly correlated with that for Italian millet as well as rice but not with those for corn and wheat. There was a trend of positive correlation between RAST values for RP16KD and Japanese millet. In the RAST inhibition assay using sera with positive RAST for these five cereal grain extracts and RP16KD, RP16KD inhibited IgE binding to these all cereal discs in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, all of the five cereal grain extracts showed an effective decrease in IgE binding to the RP16KD disc. These results indicated possible participation of IgE binding structure on RP16KD in cross-allergenicity between these cereal grain extracts in the Poaceae family.

Allergens↗
PubMed2026

Heat stress in cereal crops: reproductive development and grain filling.

Increasingly frequent extreme heat events threaten cereal production and food security under a changing climate. The reproductive-to-grain formation continuum of cereals is particularly vulnerable to elevated temperatures, as heat stress disrupts developmental processes from inflorescence formation and fertilization to grain filling and quality establishment. These disruptions reduce reproductive success, impair yield formation, and compromise grain quality. A comprehensive understanding of the developmental, physiological, molecular, and genetic basis of cereal heat tolerance is therefore essential for developing climate-adapted crops. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding heat stress during cereal reproduction and grain filling across major cereal crops. We first discuss how heat stress affects sequential developmental processes, including inflorescence development, gametophyte development, flowering and pollination, fertilization, and grain filling. We then integrate emerging evidence on cross-cutting mechanisms that connect stage-specific heat responses, focusing on hormonal and redox homeostasis, carbohydrate metabolism and source-sink coordination, proteostasis and endomembrane organization, and genome stability and multilayered gene regulation. Finally, we summarize the genetic basis of cereal heat tolerance by highlighting genetic determinants, favorable alleles, and their potential applications in breeding. We further discuss current bottlenecks and future opportunities for breeding heat-tolerant cereals.

Cereals↗
PubMed1991

Niacin status of humans as affected by eating decorticated and whole-ground sorghum (Sorghum gramineae) grain, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.

Niacin utilization to humans from whole grain ground sorghum flour and decorticated grain ground sorghum flour was studied. During two, randomly-arranged experimental periods of 14 days each, the 10 healthy adult subjects ate constant, laboratory controlled diets which included 28 g per day of either a ready-to-eat cereal prepared from whole-ground-sorghum flour or one prepared from decorticated (polished) sorghum flour. All subjects received both experimental treatments, made complete collections of urine and stools, and gave fasting blood samples at the ends of both experimental periods. Although the whole ground cereal contained higher amounts of niacin than did the decorticated cereal, urinary losses of N-methylnicotinamine were higher when the decorticated cereal was fed than when the whole ground cereal was used. Blood serum levels of nicotinamide and N-nicotinamide were higher when the whole ground cereal was fed than the feeding of the decorticated cereal was given. Therefore, it appears that the niacin of whole ground sorghum is absorbed but then the need for niacin is either increased or its urinary excretion is inhibited.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Growth and ascorbic acid metabolism in rats and guinea pigs fed cereal diets.

The nutritional values of the whole grain principal cereals, namely, wheat, rice, corn, and a millet bajra, were investigated by growth studies and studies on ascorbic acid metabolism in rats and guinea pigs. Growth was markedly retarded by feeding the rats unfortified whole grain cereals. Among the whole grain cereals, rice provided the lowest nutritional value, and the cooking of rice affected the nutritional value further. In weanling rats, ascorbic acid synthesis at the subcellular level was inhibited, and tissue storage of ascorbic acid was decreased in rats fed whole grain cereals. In guinea pigs fed whole grain cereals, the utilization of ascorbic acid was increased. Ascorbic acid supplementation at various levels indicated that the requirement for ascorbic acid increased five times in guinea pigs fed whole grain cereals. The increased intake of the vitamin was not needed when the whole grain cereals were enriched with 15% casein.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗
PubMed1978

Methods for improving cereal protein quality.

Three methods for improving cereal protein quality are discussed. Two older methods are supplementation with limiting essential amino acids and with protein concentrates high in those amino acids. The most recent method (since 1964) is the replacement of the normal cereal grain with its high lysine mutant counterpart. Three high lysine cereals are now available, corn, barley, and sorghum. In animal feeding, least cost formulas will determine which of the three improvement methods will be used. In human nutrition, cost, availability, palatability and acceptance are all equally important factors. In animals, pounds of gain per pound of feed will be the final measure of cereal protein quality. In humans, especially preschool children, the most important criterion will be the ability of the improved cereal protein to build a strong immune defense system. Animal studies show that protein quality is more important than calories when calories are restricted to less than ad libitum consumption. It is therefore essential that children restricted in their total energy intake have the best cereal protein quality possible to protect their immune system.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Comparison of cereal-based diet with purified diet by short-term feeding studies in rats, mice and hamsters, with emphasis on toxicity characteristics.

Animal diets used in toxicity studies are prepared either from natural ingredients (cereal-based diet) or from more refined products (purified diet). The type of diet may influence both the outcome of the study and the values obtained with the various parameters in test and control animals. To detect the parameters sensitive to changes in diet composition, short-term (4-wk) studies were conducted in rats, mice and hamsters fed either a cereal-based diet or the AIN-76A purified diet supplemented with vitamins and minerals at the highest recommended levels for each of the species used. Although the purified diet was more palatable to rats and showed a higher protein quality, growth rate and food intake were generally slightly higher with the cereal-based diet in each of the species examined. The haematological values of the two diet groups were generally comparable. On the cereal-based diet the production of faeces was considerably higher than on the purified diet and was accompanied by a higher weight of the caecum. These findings were attributed to the relatively high level and mixed composition of the fibre fraction in the cereal-based diet. Blood levels of cholesterol and phospholipids were clearly lower on the cereal-based diet than on the purified diet. Because the differences were probably due to the level and composition of the fibre fraction, they support the suggestion to replace the 5% cellulose of the AIN-76A diet by a higher level of a more composite but well defined source of dietary fibre.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1979

Ergot on cereal grains.

Ergot is caused by a fungus (Claviceps species) which has been found on hundreds of plants in almost every country of the world. The fungus can adapt itself to form many different varieties. New species of the fungus and new hosts are still discovered today. The alkaloids in ergot have caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in the Middle Ages after consumption of contaminated cereal grains, but during the last two decades there has not been a recorded outbreak of ergotism. Grain standards in most countries are very strict and do not permit grain which contains ergot to reach commercial food channels. All involved in cereal grain production and ulilization should be cognizant of the potential danger, however, since ergot contamination at levels above those permitted by grain standards cannot necessarily be detected by the normal evaluation of a flour sample in the cereal chemistry laboratory. There always have been and always will be ergot infections and a possible danger to human health, but man has learned to minimize the potential problem by using proper agricultural practices. Futhermore, techniques for the removal of ergot from contaminated grains have been developed. While human ergotism is a disease of the past, ergotism in animals still occurs frequently. The problem is not a simple one because of many unanswered questions. What is the tolerance of different breeds or species of livestock to ergot? What are the effects of low-level long-term ingestion of ergot on livestock? What is the difference in toxicity to animals of ergot from different cereal ingestion of ergot on livestock? What is the difference in toxicity to animals of ergot from different cereal grain varieties? What is the effect of storage and processing of cereal grain products on the potential ergot toxicity? The last and most important chapter in the history of ergot concerns ergot as a source of pharmacologically useful alkaloids which have found applications in internal medicine and obstetrics. The future promises to bring some new ergot alkaloids and some new uses. Recent research data indicate the possibility of using ergot alkaloids in contraceptives, which would be truly remarkable.

Amines↗
PubMed1979

Bioavailability of zinc in infant cereals.

The bioabailability of zinc in three cereals was determined by a rat assay, using total femur zinc as the indicator. The basal diet contained 25% egg white solids and 0.6 microgram zinc per gram. The infant cereals were included in the diets at three graded levels to supply 3--12 microgram zinc per gram. Zinc sulphate was used as a standard source, with and without supplemental iron (185, 370, 555 microgram/g, respectively) at 3, 6 and 9 microgram zinc per gram with a view to determine the effect of excess iron on zinc availability. Added iron from sodium iron pyrophosphate was not found to have any effect on the bioavailability of zinc from zinc sulphate. The responses for the three cereals were linear but the regression lines representing them and the standard source did not have a common intercept. However, the ratio of the slope of the regression line for the test source to that of the standard indicated that the cereal containing soy protein was a better source of zinc (ratio = 0.49) than the barley cereal (9.10) or the rice cereal (0.32). These ratios did not show any correlation with the actual iron-precipitable phytate phosphorus content or the reported crude fibre content.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Transposable element-driven expansion of enhancer RNA repertoires underlies regulatory innovation and polyploid adaptation in cereal crops.

Cereal genomes have undergone repeated polyploidization and transposable element (TE) proliferation, collectively generating complex regulatory landscapes. However, the evolutionary trajectories and functional implications of these landscapes remain largely unexplored. Using chromatin-bound RNA sequencing across seven cereal species, we systematically mapped 45,952 regulatory element transcripts (RETs), including 32,867 distal RETs corresponding to enhancer RNAs (eRNAs). Our analysis revealed that 56% of lineage-specific eRNAs originated from TE expansions, indicating that TEs serve as major reservoirs of species-specific regulatory innovation in cereals. Notably, we identified remarkable conservation in defense-related functions, root-specific expression, and TE-derived origins of eRNAs across both ancient and recent evolutionary layers of Triticeae, suggesting recurrent recruitment of TE-derived, root-associated regulatory elements throughout Triticeae evolution. Furthermore, we found that young eRNA pairs in hexaploid wheat with high sequence similarity, many originating from RLG_famc8.3 and DTC_famc4.3, exhibited pronounced root specificity and coordinated expression, suggesting targeted amplification and refinement of successful ancestral regulatory strategies established after Triticeae divergence. To facilitate community access, we developed Cereal-eRNAdb (http://bioinfo.cemps.ac.cn/Cereal-eRNAdb/), a comprehensive database integrating 69,426 eRNAs with functional annotations across 296 samples. Our findings suggest that TE-mediated innovation of root-specific eRNAs may contribute to Triticeae adaptation and provide a foundational resource for exploiting regulatory variation in cereal crop breeding.

Enhancer RNAs↗
PubMed1979

Zinc nutritional status of young middle-income children and effects of consuming zinc-fortified breakfast cereals.

The effects of consuming zinc-fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereals were determined in a double-blind controlled study. The 96 healthy young children who participated (mean age 58 months) consumed either zinc-fortified cereal, providing 25% United States Recommended Dietary Allowance per 1 ounce serving (test children) or nonzinc-fortified cereals (controls) for a 9-month period. The test children were calculated on average to receive an additional 2.57 mg of zinc per day from this fortification program. This increment increased their mean daily zinc intake to a level that approached the Recommended Dietary Allowance (10 mg) of the National Academy of Sciences for children less than 10 years of age. By the end of the period, the test children (combined sexes) had a mean increment of plasma zinc that was 6.5 micrograms/dl greater than that of the control children (P less than 0.02). The test girls had a greater increment (28.5 micrograms/g) in hair zinc content than controls girls (P less than 0.05). There were no significant differences in other biochemical parameters including plasma copper and serum cholesterol. No significant differences in food intake or growth velocity were associated with the consumption of the zinc-fortified cereal. Multiple sex and time related differences occurred in plasma, hair, urine, and parotid saliva zinc concentrations that were unrelated to the type of cereal consumed.

Child↗
PubMed1992

A novel light-regulated promoter is conserved in cereal and dicot chloroplasts.

The chloroplast psbD-psbC genes encode D2 and cp43, a reaction center protein and chlorophyll-binding antenna protein of photosystem II, respectively. We have previously shown that differential accumulation of light-induced psbD-psbC mRNAs in barley chloroplasts is due to transcription from a blue light-responsive promoter (LRP). It is hypothesized that the light-induced mRNAs help to maintain levels of the D2 polypeptide, which is photodamaged and degraded in illuminated plants. To determine if light-induced accumulation of psbD-psbC mRNAs was a conserved phenomenon in chloroplasts, the expression of psbD-psbC operons from five cereals (barley, wheat, rice, maize, and sorghum) and three dicot (tobacco, spinach, and pea) species was examined. Cereal and dicot psbD-psbC operons differ due to several DNA rearrangements that moved psbK-psbI proximal to psbD-psbC, allowing cotranscription of these genes and production of several unique transcripts in cereals. Despite differences in the structure and expression of the cereal and dicot psbD-psbC operons, the accumulation of light-induced psbD-psbC mRNAs was conserved in all species studied. An unusual feature of the light-induced mRNAs was the occurrence of 5' end microheterogeneity. The multiple 5' termini were mapped to several consecutive nucleotides (8 to 25 bp) within a highly conserved (61%) DNA region that represents the transcription initiation site for the mRNAs in barley and tobacco. The novel LRP differs in sequence from typical plastid promoters that have prokaryotic "-10" and "-35" elements and is centered 570 bp (cereals), 900 bp (tobacco, spinach), or 1100 bp (pea) upstream from the psbD translational start codon. We propose that physiological and gene regulatory demands of the chloroplast act as constraints that preserved the linkage of the LRP with psbD despite DNA inversions involving the psbD upstream region.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1975

The absorption of iron as supplements in infant cereal and infant formulas.

The absorption of iron was measured from isotopically tagged salts used in supplementing infant cereals and as the iron supplement in cow's milk and soy-based formulas. Iron as sodium iron pryophosphate and ferric orthophosphate were poorly absorbed from infant cereal (mean, smaller than 1.0%) and thus are not dependable sources of iron to meet the nutritional needs of infants. Reduced iron of very small particle size and ferrous sulfate when added to cereal was absorbed to a greater extent (mean, 4.0% and 2.7% respectively). For technical reasons, these two forms of iron had not been added to commercial cereal products because of discoloration, distribution problems of the iron in the product, and shortened shelf life. Therefore, at the present time, iron supplementation of infant cereals with sodium iron pyrophosphate, ferric orthophosphate, and reduced iron of large particle size does not provide a predictable and available source of iron to meet the needs of infants. Supplemental iron as ferrous sulfate in milk- and soy-based formulas gave a mean absorption of 3.4% and 5.4%. The iron supplements in these formulas can essentially meet the needs for dietary iron of healthy infants.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Factors related to the cariogenic potential of breakfast cereals.

Reported is a series of studies in which several breakfast cereals were tested for the following properties: sugar retained by, and plaque formed on, extracted teeth that chewed the cereals: ability of the cereals to induce acid formation when incubated with saliva and to neutralize acids when mixed with water: and, as a summary, ability to induce caries formation under mouth-simulation conditions. It was found that the cariogenic potential of the cereals tested is not dependent upon their sugar content, their retentiveness on the teeth, the amount of sugar retained by the teeth, or the amount of plaque formation they induced on the teeth. The only parameter that related well with the carcinogenic potential of the cereals was their buffering (or acid-neutralizing) ability: the greater the buffering, the lesser the carcinogenic potential. These results, which were confirmed in independent animal studies, case some doubts upon the role traditionally attributed to sugars in caries formation. At least they caution against generalizations and point out other factors that should be studied before a thorough understanding of the factors determining the cariogenicity of foods can be gained.

Acids↗