J.H. Skerritt

Immunochemical and Electrophoretic Analysis of the Modification of Wheat Proteins in Extruded Flour Products

ABSTRACT Antibodies specific for wheat proteins were used to identify protein fractions modified during extrusion of Hard Red Spring wheat flour (14% protein) under four different combinations of extrusion conditions (18 and 24% feed moisture and 145 and 175°C die temperature). Antibody binding was assessed on immunoblots of proteins extracted from flour and extrudates separated by SDS-PAGE. Antibodies to high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) and to B-group low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) recognized intact subunits from both flour and extrudates. Antibodies to C-group LMW-GS had diminished binding to extruded proteins. Glutenin-specific antibodies also recognized protein in the extrudates migrating as a smear at molecular weights higher than intact subunits, indicating cross-linked proteins. Antibodies recognized albumins or globulins in flour but not in extrudates, evidence that these fractions undergo significant modification during extrusion. Acid-PAGE and antibody reaction o...

Research Organizations of the World: Europe and North America

This article describes the activities of some of the major research institutes in Europe and North America in the area of grain science. There is a deliberate bias toward provision of more detailed information on institutions in English-speaking countries, reflecting the main readership of this article. A number of trends are apparent. Over the last decade, a number of new major networks have also formed involving research investors, research institutes, and industry, such as the ‘Wheat Initiative’ ( www.wheatinitiative.org ), launched in 2011. Research carried out within such networks rather than by free-standing institutes is now the norm. Across Europe, increased coordination and funding of research through multicountry research programs and projects continue.

Research Organizations of the World: Asia-Pacific, Central–South America, and Africa–Middle East

This article describes the activities of some of the major research institutes active in grain science in regions other than North America and Europe. These countries vary significantly in their state of development and correspondingly in the development of their grains research capacity and in the level of involvement of the private sector in research. Some countries, such as Australia, have had a strong emphasis on grains research for many years, while over the last decade, China, India, and Brazil have emerged to have globally leading roles. The national agricultural research systems (NARS) of the latter three countries are now among the largest institutions internationally. On the other hand, capacity for grains research (and agricultural research in general) has fallen in several African and some Latin American and former Soviet countries. The grains research of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) international agricultural research centers and their crosscutting programs are also reviewed. While attempts are made to review organizations that carry out grains research worldwide, there is a deliberate bias toward provision of more detailed information on institutions in English-speaking countries. Further, comprehensive information on the NARS of developing countries is available at the ASTI website ( www.asti.cgiar.org ).

Facilitation of Future Research and Extension Through Funding and Networking Support

The breeding of climate-resilient crops is as complex as it is promising. Given these scientific complexities and the scale of impending climate change, research in this area will demand international collaboration in order to succeed in addressing critical challenges. This is particularly important for developing countries, which will bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change but may lack the physical and human resources to address the requirements for targeted breeding of more resilient crop varieties. Collaboration is required at many levels in genomics, germplasm collection and conservation, germplasm exchange, and breeding technologies such as phenotyping and genotyping methods. Establishing functional collaborative research networks is central to such a coordinated global approach. Because the benefits that climate-resilient crops convey to producers are often complex and stochastic in nature, facilitating the adoption and diffusion of these crops also requires strong collaboration and creativity in extension efforts, including the coordination of public and private sectors. We argue that support for networking and funding of collaborative research and extension activities will directly shape the success of global efforts to develop and disseminate climate-resilient crops and the improvements in food security they should provide.

Research organizations of the World: Global trends and the commercial sector

This article synthesizes some of the recent trends in the subject matter and institutional organizations of grains research internationally. Overarching these trends includes a greater emphasis on demand-driven rather than science-driven research. A driving factor is the much greater involvement of industry and farmer groups in setting research priorities, and in some cases, farmer groups are setting up and managing their own grains research programs – now going further than just varietal or agronomic trials. While ex ante economic impact assessment studies have shown that very significant returns on research investments have come from germplasm development, there is an increasing emphasis on grains research on topics such as production sustainability, crop–livestock systems, systems modeling, and the use of techniques from molecular and information sciences. Priority-setting processes and funding agencies have also encouraged greater collaboration – sometimes ‘enforced’ as a condition of funding – between disciplines and between research institutes and much more extensive development of public–private sector partnerships.

Research Organizations of the World: CGIAR

The CGIAR system (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, www.cgiar.org ) is a nonprofit network of 15 semiautonomous R&D centers. Recent changes have led to the formation of a more formal consortium of centers together with a fund council, representing donors and donor governments and the World Bank. The CGIAR together with the CGIAR Fund advances international agricultural research for a food-secure future by integrating and coordinating the efforts of those who fund research and those who do the research.

Global Trends and the Commercial Sector

This article synthesizes some of the recent trends in the subject matter and institutional organizations of grains research internationally. Overarching these trends includes a greater emphasis on demand-driven rather than science-driven research. A driving factor is the much greater involvement of industry and farmer groups in setting research priorities, and in some cases, farmer groups are setting up and managing their own grains research programs – now going further than just varietal or agronomic trials. While ex ante economic impact assessment studies have shown that very significant returns on research investments have come from germplasm development, there is an increasing emphasis on grains research on topics such as production sustainability, crop–livestock systems, systems modeling, and the use of techniques from molecular and information sciences. Priority-setting processes and funding agencies have also encouraged greater collaboration – sometimes ‘enforced’ as a condition of funding – between disciplines and between research institutes and much more extensive development of public–private sector partnerships.