This invention relates to kits including novel oral food challenge meal formulations. In particular, the invention also relates to kits including novel oral food challenge meal formulations, wherein the placebo dose formulation is indistinguishable from non-placebo dose formulations.

The present invention relates to a complementary nutritional composition characterized by a low glycemic load and/or index and/or comprising an ingredient characterized by a low glycemic index for use in treatment, prevention and/or reducing the risk of a metabolic syndrome disorder appearing later in life.

Described herein is a corn protein product comprising greater than about 20% corn protein on a dry weight basis and a free sulfite concentration of less than 150 ppm on an as-is basis. Also disclosed herein is a method to obtain this corn protein product including the steps of providing a protein-rich stream derived from a wet corn milling operation, wherein the protein-rich stream comprises greater than 20% corn protein on a dry weight basis, and treating the protein-rich stream with an oxidant, preferably hydrogen peroxide.

A method of reducing the asparagine content of whole grain flour for the production of baked goods includes treating whole grains by tempering the whole grains in an aqueous solution of an asparagine-reducing composition to concentrate and localize asparaginase activity in the bran and germ of the whole grains. In one approach, the asparagine-reducing composition may comprise an asparaginase enzyme. In another approach, the asparagine-reducing composition may comprise a yeast strain capable of degrading asparagine. The tempering treatment with the asparagine-reducing composition reduces asparagine in the whole grains by at least about 25%, resulting in a whole grain flour having an asparagine content of no more than about 250 ppm. Also described are baked goods having a reduced asparagine and acrylamide content comprising a whole grain flour obtained by treating whole grains with an asparagine-reducing composition during tempering.

A processing aid for an extrudable food composition includes from about 60% to about 99% by weight of at least one edible emulsifier and from about 1% to about 40% by weight of a short chain carboxylic acid. The extrudable food composition may include from about 80% to about 90% by weight of a raw material; from about 1% to about 18% by weight added moisture; from about 0.1% to about 3% of a processing aid, wherein the processing aid includes at least one edible emulsifier and at least one short chain carboxylic acid. The raw material is selected from one or more of corn meal, whole grain corn meal, rice, whole grain flour, rice pea, brown rice, wheat flour, whole wheat flour, pea flour, black bean, pinto bean flour, potato flour, and mixtures thereof.

A method is described for treating bran to improve sensory attributes in food products made with the treated bran. The method includes acidifying a bran to a pH of less than 5 for a period of time sufficient to achieve an increase in soluble protein, then increasing the pH to at least 5.5. Also described are compositions including a treated bran, and methods of using a treated bran to increase bran content in foods or to improve organoleptic qualities in foods containing bran.

A method of thermally inhibiting starch or flour is provided. The method involves thermally or non-thermally dehydrating a grain to anhydrous or substantially anhydrous, and then heat treating this dehydrated grain. The heat treated dehydrated grain is then milled, producing thermally inhibited flour and/or starch. Using this method, the shelf life of the resulting thermally inhibited whole grain flour is extended compared whole grain flours that are thermally inhibited after milling.

The invention provides synthetic nucleic acid sequences encoding proteins of interest that are particularly adapted to express well in plants. The claimed synthetic sequences utilize plant-optimized codons roughly in the same frequency at which they are utilized, on average, in genes naturally occurring in the plant species. The invention further includes synthetic DNA sequence for herbicide tolerance, water and/or heat stress tolerance, healthy oil modifications and for transformation marker genes and selectable marker genes are used. DNA construct and transgenic plants containing the synthetic sequences are taught as are methods and compositions for using the plants in agriculture.

There is described an confectionery composition comprising edible particulate material comprising from 80% to 100% by weight based on total weight of the material of a processable, microbially released, flavour acceptable bran-like material, characterized by the following parameters: (i) mean particle size by volume (Vol. MPS) of from 5 to 100 microns; (ii) volume particle size distribution (Vol. PSD) characterized by the parameters: D.sub.90,3 less than or equal to 350 microns, and D.sub.50,3 less than or equal to 50 microns, and optionally D.sub.10,3 less than or equal to 15 microns, (iii) mean particle sphericity as measured by a S.sub.mean of greater than or equal to 0.75; (iv) where processable means has oil holding capacity (OHC) of from 0.7 to 1.5; (v) where microbially released means material has common microbes below given limits (preferably free of common microbes) (vi) where flavour acceptable denotes a lipase activity (LA) and a peroxidase activity (PA) both less than or equal to 2 U/g and optionally a low degree of roasted flavour notes as defined herein. The bran-like material used in the confectionery compositions may added as a bulk ingredient to replace sugar and/or to provide confectionery fillings and/or coatings having improved hiding ability when used as layers in multilayer confectionery products.

This disclosure provides methods for producing nixtamal, in particular from corn and other grains, with an increased level of selenium, and food products produced therefrom.