Iva Burešová

BACKGROUND: This study tested the hypothesis that anthocyanin content and grain characteristics in pigmented wheat are influenced by genotype (G), nitrogen (N) fertilization, growing season (GS), and their interactions. Purple wheat (cv. PS Karkulka) and blue wheat (cv. Skorpion) were grown for three consecutive seasons (2016–2019) at Velký Týnec, Czech Republic, using a randomized block design (three replications) with two N rates (150 and 210 kg ha ⁻¹ ). RESULTS: Skorpion accumulated approximately 3–6× higher total anthocyanin concentrations than PS Karkulka. Across cultivars, delphinidin derivatives – especially delphinidin‐3‐ O ‐rutinoside and delphinidin‐3‐ O ‐glucoside – were major contributors to the profile, while cyanidin‐3‐ O ‐glucoside became the most abundant anthocyanin in PS Karkulka in several treatments in the second and third seasons. Analysis of variance indicated that G (10.41–71.70%) and GS (10.07–33.89%) explained most of the variation in anthocyanin traits, whereas N had a smaller but significant positive effect (0.37–7.70%); most N‐related interactions were not significant. For grain traits, G and GS strongly affected yield (41.13% and 44.34%, respectively), 1000‐kernel weight (18.45% and 74.06%), grain‐size fractions (3.68–20.24% and 56.00–76.09%), sedimentation volume (4.39% and 71.17%), and protein content (4.39% and 71.17%), with a significant G × GS interaction (1.20–29.92%) indicating cultivar‐specific seasonal responses. N had limited effects on yield and kernel size but increased protein content and sedimentation volume. CONCLUSION: The hypothesis was supported. Genotype and growing season were the dominant drivers of both anthocyanin profiles and grain traits, while nitrogen fertilization primarily improved protein‐related technological quality rather than yield or kernel size. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Inulin may be widely used in in the food industry due to its many health benefits. It has the potential to increase the insufficient nutritional quality of gluten-free bread. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the applicability of inulin in rice baking. The impact of added inulin (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) on the dough’s rheological, bread’s textural and sensory characteristics was evaluated. The extensibility of rice dough during uniaxial deformation tests (8.5 mm) was improved by the added inulin (10.2–12.3 mm). The presence of inulin softened the dough and shifted the gelatinization temperature toward higher values. The added inulin also increased the loaf’s specific volume (1.16–1.48 mL/g), tenderized the breadcrumbs, increased the crumb porosity (36–58%), and generally improved the crumb structure. The panelists favored the sensory characteristics of breads with inulin. However, baking losses were increased in these breads as well (15.1–18.5%). The effect of the added inulin on the dough and bread characteristics generally rose with an increasing addition of inulin, reaching the maximum in samples with 30% inulin. The presence of 40% inulin deteriorated some characteristics of the bread. Therefore, the addition of up to 30% of inulin seemed to be optimal for rice bread.

This study focuses on an applicability of the device designed for monitoring dough fermentation. The device combines a complex system of thermodynamic sensors (TDSs) with an electronic nose (E-nose). The device’s behavior was tested in experiments with dough samples. The configuration of the sensors in the thermodynamic system was explored and their response to various positions of the heat source was investigated. When the distance of the heat source and its intensity from two thermodynamic sensors changes, the output signal of the thermodynamic system changes as well. Thus, as the distance of the heat source decreases or the intensity increases, there is a higher change in the output signal of the system. The linear trend of this change reaches an R² value of 0.936. Characteristics of the doughs prepared from traditional and non-traditional flours were successfully detected using the electronic nose. To validate findings, the results of the measurements were compared with signals from the rheofermentometer Rheo F4, and the correlation between the output signals was closely monitored. The data after statistical evaluation show that the measurements using thermodynamic sensors and electronic nose directly correlate the most with the measured values of the fermenting dough volume. Pearson’s correlation coefficient for TDSs and rheofermentometer reaches up to 0.932. The E-nose signals also correlate well with dough volume development, up to 0.973. The data and their analysis provided by this study declare that the used system configuration and methods are fully usable for this type of food analysis and also could be usable in other types of food based on the controlled fermentation. The system configuration, based on the result, will be also used in future studies.

This paper discusses the possible use of 3D fused deposition modeling (FDM) to fabricate capillaries for low-cost chemiresistive gas sensors that are often used in various applications. The disadvantage of these sensors is low selectivity, but 3D printed FDM capillaries have the potential to increase their selectivity. Capillaries with 1, 2 and 3 tiers with a length of 1.5 m, 3.1 m and 4.7 m were designed and manufactured. Food and goods available in the general trade network were used as samples (alcohol, seafood, chicken thigh meat, acetone-free nail polish remover and gas from a gas lighter) were also tested. The “Vodka” sample was used as a standard for determining the effect of capillary parameters on the output signal of the MiCS6814 sensor. The results show the shift of individual parts of the signal in time depending on the parameters of the capillary and the carrier air flow. A three-tier capillary was chosen for the comparison of gas samples with each other. The graphs show the differences between individual samples, not only in the height of the output signal but also in its time characteristic. The tested 3D printed FDM capillaries thus made it possible to characterize the output response by also using an inexpensive chemiresistive gas sensor in the time domain.

The effect of botanical origin, the flour particle size, and the content of damaged starch on flour pasting properties, dough behavior during a uniaxial deformation test, and bread characteristics were evaluated on rice and buckwheat flours. The rice flour with a median particle size D(0.5) of 60.2, 70.6, 106.8, and 189.4 μm, and buckwheat flour with a D(0.5) of 56.4, 68.4, and 95.8 μm were prepared using the same milling technology. The botanical origin of the flours was the strongest factor influencing the flour pasting properties, stress accumulated in dough during the uniaxial deformation test, loaf characteristics, texture, and sensory characteristics of breads. The flour particle size significantly influenced mainly the flour pasting properties. The effect of the content of damaged starch was the weakest among the studied factors. The flour particle size and the content of damaged starch were closely related. The flour botanical origin was the strongest factor; therefore, it seems not to be possible to predict the bread-baking potential of gluten-free flours based on the results obtained for flour of a different botanical origin. More research on flours from different plants prepared by the same milling process is required to support this hypothesis.

The flours from pigmented and glutinous rice have a great potential to increase the nutritional quality of gluten-free breads. The characteristics of whole-meal fine flours, slurries, doughs, and breads prepared from black, red, and white glutinous rice were, therefore, compared with commercially used refined fine and semi-coarse white rice flours. The pasting properties of different flours were strongly influenced by the type of rice they were made from. Slurries with red and glutinous flours exhibited a shift to a lower pasting temperature T₀, lower values of η_Peak and η_Final, as well as higher values of the breakdown and setback region than the slurries with refined flours. The slurry with black flour exhibited high values of viscosity η₀ and breakdown, together with low values of η_Final, setback region and total setback. Bread characteristics were strongly correlated with the pasting properties. The presence of bran particles did not negatively impact loaf volume, crumb hardness, springiness, and chewiness. Some defects were observed in glutinous and red rice bread. Fine flour exhibited better baking performance than semi-coarse flour. Glutinous flour has the potential to become an ingredient in gluten-free baking. The applicability of various black and red rice flours may be limited by the flavor and the taste.

Dough fermentation in gluten-free bakery products is problematic due to the absence of gluten, which provides advantageous rheological properties. A thermodynamic sensor (TDS) system combined with an electronic nose was tested as an alternative to conventional methods monitoring dough development based on mechanical properties. In the first part, the configuration of the sensors in the thermodynamic system and their response to different heat-source positions, which significantly affect the output signal from the measurement system, were investigated. The practical contribution lies in the application of the measurements to the example of gluten-free doughs with and without edible insect enrichment. An optimized configuration of the thermodynamic system (one sensor on the inner wall of the container at the bottom and another in the middle of the container closer to the top of the dough) in combination with an experimental electronic nose was used for the aforementioned measurement. In some cases, up to 87% correlation between the signal from the TDS and the signals from a professional rheofermentometer Rheo F-4 (Chopin) was demonstrated. The differences between the results can be explained by the use of different techniques. Using a combination of sensor systems in one place, one time and one sample can lead to more comprehensive and robust results. Furthermore, it was shown that the fermentation activity increased in corn dough with the addition of insects compared to dough without the addition. In rice flour dough with the addition of edible insects, fermentation activity was similar to that of the flour without the addition.

The seeds and husk of Plantago origin are rich source of dietary fiber known for its medicinal use. Despite the use of both Plantago psyllium and Plantago ovata products due to their physicochemical and nutritional properties, only the effects of Plantago ovata husk have been studied. Their structure-forming properties may positively affect gluten-free bread quality only if an adequate dough hydration is used. The aim of the work is to analyze the effect of different Plantago products: Plantago psyllium seeds and Plantago ovata seeds and husk in quantities of 3, 6 and 9% share on the rheological profile of model gluten-free dough and bread and bread’s technological quality and shelf-life. The rheological parameters of the dough were determined with Mixolab protocols and uniaxial deformation test. Bread quality and its textural profile analysis after cooling and storage were determined. The addition of Plantago psyllium seeds weakened the dough. All additives contributed to a reduction in starch retrogradation, bread hardness and water loss during baking, and to the improvement of the doughs’ resistance to extension, dough energy and bread yield. This influence is strongest when the Plantago ovata husk was used. However, the consumer acceptance of the tested breads was low and, in this respect, the breads with the addition of seeds of both Plantago psyllium and ovata were considered to be better than the husk.

The impact of storage temperature (6, 12, 20, 30℃) and period (2, 6, 10, 18, 26 weeks) on the texture, color, and sensory characteristics of dark and milk‐filled chocolate bars was studied. Temperatures of 6 and 12℃ were the most suitable for bar storage; these samples were evaluated not to be significantly deteriorated by the storage period. The condition of samples stored at 20℃ started to deteriorate after 10 weeks in storage; the decline was observed mainly in meltdown rate and off‐flavors, resulting in low overall acceptability. This effect was more evident in dark chocolate bars. Keeping the bars at 24℃ for 24h immediately after production (retemperation) improved the bar resistance to fat bloom, even if the decrease in the sensory quality was observed at the beginning of the storage period.