الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 89 |  |  |
| | | from | 89 | | |
Abstract
Wheat is an annual plant that follows the Poaceous family, it belongs to the group of cereals or cereal grains and is the most important food crop in the world. Hundreds of millions of people around the world depend on food made from the grain of the wheat plant. Wheat kernels are ground and made into flour for making bread, biscuits, cakes, pasta, and other foods. Wheat covers - in parts of the Earth’s surface - more than any other food crop. The major wheat producing countries in the world are: Canada, China, France, India, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. In recent years there has been a gradual development in the improvement of wheat varieties. During the twentieth century, scientists devised new varieties of wheat, producing large quantities of grains that can resist frozen, diseases, insects and other factors that threaten the wheat crop. As a result, wheat production increased significantly, reaching about 730 million metric tons globally.
Wheat is infected with many diseases that affect its nutritional properties, including the ergot fungus, whose scientific name is Clavisps purpurea, which is a product of mycotoxins (alkaloids), which have a direct effect on human health in addition to their effect on food products. The study aimed to determine the effect of ergot-infected wheat on potential chemical and rheological changes in flour and dough. The ergot contains minerals at a rate of 2- 10% and consists of phosphates, calcium, magnesium, potassium and selenium, as well as sugar such as glucose and other substances, which, if exposed to ultraviolet rays, turns into vitamin (D2). It also contains amino acids and amino alcohols, the most famous of which is choline.
The important components in ergot, which have a pharmacological effect, are the alkaloids, the most important of which are Alargometrin and Argotamine. These alkaloids are derived from the chemical formula of Lysergic acid.
The study aimed to determine the effect of ergot-infected wheat on potential chemical and rheological changes in flour and dough.
The effect of ergot on the chemical properties of the flour, which is its effect on the percentage of moisture, protein content, minerals, fats and carbohydrates, was analyzed on four different types of Egyptian and imported wheat, after adding different concentrations of ergot sclerotia to the flour (0% - 0.05% - 0.5% - 2% - 3%). The same concentrations were also added to measure the rheological changes of the dough by measuring the wet and dry gluten, gluten index, sedimentation, test weight, falling number, and other milling properties.
Plan of the study:
A total of 20 samples of 4 different varieties of wheat (5 samples each) were used for preparing the samples of the flour and the mixture with ergot sclerotia bodies. Different varieties of imported wheat (Polish - Russian – U.S. - Egyptian wheat) were used. The wheat used in this study was collected and analyzed according to the recommendations of the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) of The Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA).
The following main results were obtained from the study:
Analysis of Polish wheat samples showed the following:
• Significant change in moisture, Carbohydrates starts with 0.05% ergot concentration
• Significant change in protein starts with 2% ergot concentration
• Significant change in ash starts with 0.5% ergot concentration.
• There were insignificant changes in fat in Polish wheat.
• Significant change in Wet gluten, Zeleny and falling number starts with 2% ergot concentration.
• Significant change in Gluten index starts with 0.05% ergot concentration.
• Significant change in Test weight (kg/hl), Deformation energy (joule) and Pressure/ Rupture Extension (P/L) starts with 0.50% ergot concentration.
• There was insignificant change in dry gluten % in Polish wheat.
Analysis of Russian wheat samples showed the following:
• Significant change in moisture, protein and Carbohydrates starts with 0.05% ergot concentration
• Significant change in fat starts with 2% ergot concentration
• Significant change in ash starts with 0.5% ergot concentration
• Significant change in Wet gluten, gluten index, dry gluten and Zeleny starts with 2% ergot concentration.
• Significant change in Deformation energy (joule) starts with 0.50% ergot concentration.
• Significant change in Pressure/ Rupture Extension (P/L) starts with 3% ergot concentration.
• There were insignificant changes in falling number and test weight in Russian wheat.
Analysis of U.S. wheat samples showed the following:
• Significant change in moisture and protein starts with 0.5% ergot concentration
• Significant change in fat starts with 2% ergot concentration
• Significant change in ash and carbohydrates starts with 0.5% ergot concentration
• Significant change in Wet gluten, gluten index, Deformation energy and falling number starts with 2% ergot concentration.
• Significant change in dry gluten and Pressure/ Rupture Extension starts with 3% ergot concentration.
• There were insignificant changes in Zeleny and test weight in U.S. wheat.
Analysis of Egyptian wheat samples showed the following:
• Significant change in moisture, protein and fat starts with 0.05% ergot concentration
• Significant change in Carbohydrates starts with 0.5% ergot concentration
• There was insignificant change in ash in Egyptian wheat.
• Significant change in Wet gluten, Deformation energy and Pressure/ Rupture Extension starts with 3% ergot concentration.
• Significant change in Gluten index starts with 0.50% ergot concentration.
• Significant change in Zeleny and falling number starts with 2% ergot concentration.
• There were insignificant changes in dry gluten and test weight in Egyptian wheat.
5.2 Conclusion
Based on the results received, we can conclude the following:
When adding 0.05% concentration of ergot (the limitation of import), Polish wheat was affected by a decrease in the percentage of moisture, with a mean of 12.17 ± 0.01%, and an increase of the percentage of carbohydrates with a mean of 72.35 ± 0.01%. Egyptian wheat was affected by increasing of the percentage of moisture with a mean of 12.14 ± 0.01%, decrease in percentage of protein with a mean of 12.24 ± 0.01%, increase the percentage of fat with a mean of 1.40 ± 0.00%; It is followed by Russian wheat, where it was affected by the decrease the percentage of moisture with a mean of 11.54 ± 0.00% and increase of percentage of protein with a mean of 11.65 ± 0.01%; While American wheat had the least effect (increase protein percentage only, with a mean of 12.12 ± 0.01%) compared to control samples.
The rheological analyzes showed that when adding 0.05% concentration of ergot fungus (the permissible limit of import), Polish wheat was affected by a decrease (gluten index only) with a mean of 80.33 ± 0.58 compared to the control sample with a mean of 86.67 ± 0.58. Russian, American and Egyptian wheat were not affected except when the concentration was increased to 0.5% of ergot.
Gluten, the main structure-forming protein the flour that was responsible for the elastic and extensible properties needed to produce good quality flour changed as wheat was replaced with the body of ergot sclerotia. Interactions between gluten (specifically gliadin), starch, and other components of the flour were responsible for the viscosity properties that contributed to characterized the dough. The ergot bodies that were used to replace the flour contents. These therefore altered the pasting characteristics and other rheological (farinograph and alveograph) properties of the blends especially at substitution levels beyond 0.05 % and made them to be significantly different from that of control samples. These also resulted in adverse changes in baking qualities.
5.3 Recommendations
Based on the previous results, we recommend the following:
1. It is recommended that substitution should be limited to a range from 0.0 to 0.05%. More so, when results have showed that this effort can be replicated at industrial level without significant alteration in baking quality indices or human health.
2. It is recommended that more research be conducted in this field to complete the measurement of the effect of ergot bodies on other varieties of wheat around the world, and the need to expand the scope of research to know the effect of ergot fungus on food products after baking.
3. Dependence on Egyptian wheat cultivation and gradually reduce imports.
4. Raising awareness of the dangers of mycotoxins in general that found in food products to improve public health.
5. Existence of analytical measures to detect the presence of ergot fungus traces in food products after processing.