Chocolate manufacture includes a complex tempering procedure to direct the crystallization of cocoa butter towards the formation of fat crystal networks with specific polymorphism, nano- and microstructure, melting behavior, surface gloss and mechanical properties. Here we investigate the effects of adding various minor non-triglyceride lipidic components to refined cocoa butter and chocolate on their physical properties. We discover that addition of saturated phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine to neutralized and bleached cocoa butter or molten and recrystallized commercial chocolate at 0.1% (w/w) levels, followed by rapid cooling to 20 °C in the absence of shear, accelerates crystallization, stabilizes the desirable Form V polymorph and induces the formation of chocolate with an optimal microstructure, surface gloss and mechanical strength. Final chocolate structure and properties are comparable to those of a commercial tempered chocolate. Minor lipidic component addition represents an effective way to engineer chocolate material properties at different length scales, thus simplifying the entire tempering process.

Fusarium head blight, caused primarily by Fusarium graminearum (Fg), is one of the most devastating diseases of wheat. Host resistance in wheat is classified into five types (Type-I to Type-V), and a majority of moderately resistant genotypes carry Type-II resistance (resistance to pathogen spread in the rachis) alleles, mainly from the Chinese cultivar Sumai 3. Histopathological studies in the past failed to identify the key tissue in the spike conferring resistance to pathogen spread, and most of the studies used destructive techniques, potentially damaging the tissue(s) under study. In the present study, nondestructive synchrotron-based phase contrast X-ray imaging and computed tomography techniques were used to confirm the part of the wheat spike conferring Type-II resistance to Fg spread, thus showcasing the application of synchrotron-based techniques to image host-pathogen interactions. Seven wheat genotypes of moderate resistance to Fusarium head blight were studied for changes in the void space volume fraction and grayscale/voxel intensity following Fg inoculation. Cell-wall biopolymeric compounds were quantified using Fourier-transform midinfrared spectroscopy for all genotype-treatment combinations. The study revealed that the rachilla and rachis nodes together are structurally important in conferring Type-II resistance. The structural reinforcement was not necessarily observed from lignin deposition but rather from an unknown mechanism.

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S trategies to deliver mineral nutrients to susceptible populations include mineral supplementation (White and Broadley, 2005) and diet diversification (White and Broadley, 2009), but these approaches have had only moderate success. Alternative approaches include mineral fertilization, or biofortification, which refers to the development of micronutrient dense crops using traditional breeding practices and modern biotechnology (Nestel et al., 2006). Pulses are an important source of dietary minerals with a potential to provide 15 essential minerals required by humans (Wang et al., 2003). Saskatchewan, Canada, is a major pulse growing area being the major exporter of field peas to India, China, and Bangladesh (Ray et al., 2014). Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an annual, self-pollinated pulse crop and is one of the major legume crops grown in western Canada along with lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.). Peas are a rich source of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, minerals including K, Mg, Ca, and Fe (Warkentin et al., 2012), and phytochemicals such as saponins, polyphenolics, and flavonoids (Dahl et al., 2012) that have beneficial health effects. The high nutritional value of peas makes them