Germ

Abstract: Wheat germ, a nutrient dense by-product has a very poor shelf life. In order to improve its keeping quality, so that it can be used into different products, various heat treatments were tried and studied to investigate their influence on proximate composition as well as on the rheological characteristics of wheat flour dough. Different heat treatments have shown insignificant effect on proximate composition of wheat germ. Retention of vitamin E was greater in steamed and dried germ. Except for fluidized bed dried germ, all the heat treatments employed completely inactivated the lipase enzyme, whereas the lipoxygenase enzyme was inactivated to an extent of 80–92%. Quality evaluation of germ samples during 60 days storage indicated that steamed and dried germ retained the sensory attributes to a greater extent. Rheological study of wheat flour blends with germ upto 20%, showed marginal increase in water absorption and over-pressure values. However incorporation of treated wheat germ caused dough weakening in terms of reduction in dough stability and rupture at abscissa values.

Abstract: Several new processes for milling corn have been developed recently specifically to isolate germ as a value-added co-product and improve the profitability of dry-grind ethanol production. The present work used modified and conventional corn milling technologies to recover germ fractions from corn kernels using either wet or dry separation processes. This study determined the quality, composition, and yield differences among the corn germ produced and compared these properties with those of the conventional wet- and dry-milled germ. A method for calculating the estimated market value for germ produced by the alternative processing methods is given. There were significant differences in the oil, protein, starch, and ash compositions and in the estimated market values among germ fractions produced by the alternative milling processes. The different germ fractions produced (including the traditional wet-and dry-milled) were found to contain 18-41% oil, 13-21% protein, and 6-21% starch, depending on the milling process used. The estimated value of germ from these processes varied from as low as $0.058/lb ($0.128/kg) to a maximum of $0.114/lb ($0.251/kg), showing that the specific process used to produce the germ will have the major impact on the overall economics of the ethanol process.

Abstract: ABSTRACT We examined the developmental ability of enucleated eggs receiving embryonic nuclei and male primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the mouse. Reconstituted eggs developed into the blastocyst stage only when an earlier 2-cell nucleus was transplanted (36 %) but very rarely if the donor nucleus was derived from a later 2-cell, 8-cell, or inner cell mass of a blastocyst (0–3%). 54–100%, 11–67 %, 6–43 % and 6–20 % of enucleated eggs receiving male PGCs developed to 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell and blastocyst stage, respectively, in culture. The overall success rate when taking into account the total number of attempts at introducing germ cells was actually 0-6 %. Live fetuses were not obtained after transfer of reconstituted eggs to recipients, although implantation sites were observed. The developmental ability of reconstituted eggs in relation to embryonic genome activation and genomic imprinting is discussed.

Abstract: Abstract From an evolutionary view the primary purpose of an individual in a population is to reproduce and test the relative fitness of his or her phenotype. If sufficient, the corresponding genotype will then be passed on to the next generation. The vehicle for this process is the germ cell. Unlike all other cell lineages in the body (collectively known as the soma or somatic cells), the germ cell line does not face death as a mandatory endpoint. Rather, by contributing genetic information to the next generation, including that required for the development of new germ cells, the germ-cell line can be viewed as a potential continuum from generation to generation.