Premium
Molecular Weight of β‐Glucan Affects Physical Characteristics, In Vitro Bile Acid Binding, and Fermentation of Muffins
Author(s) -
Kim Hyun Jung,
White Pamela J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
cereal chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.558
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1943-3638
pISSN - 0009-0352
DOI - 10.1094/cchem-06-10-0084
Subject(s) - chemistry , food science , glucan , fermentation , wheat flour , beta glucan , biochemistry
Muffins containing different amounts and molecular weights (MW) of β‐glucan were evaluated for the effect of β‐glucan on the physical characteristics of the muffins and on in vitro bile acid binding and fermentation with human fecal flora. Wheat flour muffins were prepared with the addition of β‐glucan extracts with high‐, medium‐, or low‐MW. For oat flour muffins, the native oat flour contained high‐MW β‐glucan; the oat flours were treated to create medium‐ and low‐MW β‐glucan within the prepared muffin treatments. For each 60‐g muffin, the amounts of β‐glucan were 0.52, 0.57, and 0.59 g for high‐, medium‐, and low‐MW β‐glucan wheat flour muffins, and 2.38, 2.18, and 2.23 g for high‐, medium‐, and low‐MW β‐glucan oat flour muffins, respectively. The lower the MW of the β‐glucan in muffins, the lower the height and volume of the muffins. The oat flour muffins were less firm and springy than the wheat flour muffins as measured on a texture analyzer; however, MW had no effect on muffin texture. The oat flour muffins bound more bile acid than did the wheat flour muffins. The muffins with high‐MW β‐glucan bound more bile acid than did those with low‐ and medium‐MW β‐glucan. Muffin treatment affected the formation of gas and total short‐chain fatty acids (SCFA) compared with the blank without substrate during in vitro fermentation. There were no differences in pH changes and total gas production among muffin treatments. The high‐MW β‐glucan wheat flour muffins produced greater amounts of SCFA than did the wheat flour muffin without β‐glucan and the oat flour muffins; however, there were no differences in SCFA production among muffins with different MW. In general, the β‐glucan MW affected the physical qualities of muffins and some potential biological functions in humans.