UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE VALÈNCIA Desarrollo ... - RiuNet

18 I. Introducción
large quantities and this is rich in fructo-oligosaccharides, which are
reportedly effective at stimulating the growth of Bifidobacteria and
Lactobacilli in the human intestine (Kaur et al., 2012). Besides this prebiotic
effect, their phenolic compounds have also been reported to possess gastroprotective
properties, in addition to their antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering,
anti-atherogenic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effects (Chen et al.,
2004; Dykes and Rooney, 2006; Prior and Gu, 2005). Indeed,
epidemiological studies have shown an association between increased
wholegrain consumption and reduced risks of various types of chronic
diseases, such as CVD, obesity, DM-2 and some cancers (Chan et al., 2007;
de Munter et al., 2007; Esmaillzadeh et al., 2005; Larsson et al., 2005;
Mellen et al., 2008; Murtaugh et al., 2007; Schatzkin et al., 2008; van der
Vijver et al., 2009). More specific properties and health benefits of each
cereal grain whose vegetable milk has been commercialised are summarised
in Table 2.
In order to gain the greatest benefit from the health properties of cereals,
several aspects have to be considered. For instance, it is important to use and
consume whole grain and not the refined, since most of the health
components are located in the bran and germ. So, the use of the whole grain
is highly recommended when producing the cereal milks. Another point to
consider is the anti-nutrient content in some cereals, primarily phytic acid
(mineral chelator) or saponins (toxic in high amounts and bitter tasting),
although their presence can be reduced and/or eliminated by pre-treatment
processes such as grinding, soaking, heat treatments, fermentations and
germinations (Brady et al., 2007; Sharma and Kapoor, 1996; Zhu et al.,