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EMN Dissertation 0720253.25 MB
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Dissertation
EXAMINATION OF BUCKWHEAT AND PROSO MILLET AS EMERGING GRAINS, FOR THEIR PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES, PROTEIN, AND END USER APPLICATIONS
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
07/2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000007892
Abstract
The consumption of alternative grains has been on the rise in the last couple of years due to their nutritional value, allergen-friendly properties, and sustainability. However, these crops are unable to match wheat flour functionality. Therefore, this dissertation attempts to understand which buckwheat and proso millet properties are prominent influencers on flour functionality or how they could be enhanced to increase product quality. The findings indicated that many variables, such as weather, soil fertility, growing location, and variety, are all factors influencing the flour functionality. Protein extraction has been another revenue stream in the industry, employed to increase nutrition in food products and aid with ingredient functionality. Due to the many barriers associated with the integration of alternative grains into the food system, buckwheat and proso millet proteins have not been widely evaluated. Therefore, this dissertation assessed different extraction methods and their suitability for protein extraction for each grain, based on their protein fraction types. These protein extraction methods for the buckwheat protein influenced the polymeric protein structure to a larger extent than the secondary structure. Deep eutectic solvents, a novel protein extraction technique, proved to have unique protein properties when compared to the alkaline precipitate and water extraction methods. Glutathione and sodium metabisulfite were successful agents aiding in protein extraction. The last part of the dissertation evaluated how flour functionality influences product quality and how differences in the macromolecular composition of the flour, within the alternative grain space, are an integral part in selecting ingredients for optimizing food formulations. When integrating buckwheat flour into focaccia, both whole and dehulled buckwheat impacted product quality. However, larger inclusions of dehulled buckwheat compared to whole buckwheat could be incorporated into the formulation without significantly impacting focaccia quality. In pancake applications, proso millet exhibited a higher gelatinization temperature than other alternative grains, which impeded pancake functionality. Therefore, pregelatinized proso millet flour aided in increasing pancake quality.
The findings in this dissertation highlight the opportunity for buckwheat and proso millet crops as emerging ingredients.
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Details
- Title
- EXAMINATION OF BUCKWHEAT AND PROSO MILLET AS EMERGING GRAINS, FOR THEIR PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES, PROTEIN, AND END USER APPLICATIONS
- Creators
- Elizabeth Murray-Nalbandian
- Contributors
- Girish M Ganjyal (Chair)Kevin M. Murphy (Committee Member)Sean Finnie (Committee Member)Carolyn F. Ross (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- School of Food Science
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 300
- Identifiers
- 99901299292801842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation