Food

Aim: Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes) not responding to dietary treatment alone in patients with non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis is characterized by high postprandial hyperglycaemia. The control of postprandial hyperglycaemia in such patients, is generally achieved by the means of progressively higher doses of insulin, with an increasing risk of hypoglycaemia in the late postprandial period. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of acarbose for the control of postprandial hyperglycaemia in 100 patients with wellcompensated liver cirrhosis and type 2 diabetes treated with insulin. Methods: The study was double blind with randomization of treatments into acarbose (52 patients) vs. placebo (48 patients) with parallel branches over a period of 28 weeks. Results: All patients tolerated the treatments well and no signi®cant variations in liver function tests were observed (< 5% vs. pretreatment). A signi®cant reduction of several parameters was observed only after acarbose treatment: fasting glycaemia (173 T 28 vs. 146 T 19 mg/dl; p < 0.01), postprandial glycaemia (230 T 24 vs. 148 T 20 mg/dl; p < 0.01), mean glycaemia (206 T 20 vs. 136 T 13 mg/dl; p < 0.01), mean variation (180 T 14 vs. 51 T 10 mg/dl; p < 0.01), HbA 1c (8.9 T 0.8 vs. 7.2 T 0.5; p < 0.05), C-peptide 2 h after a standard meal (4.5 T 1.9 vs. 2.8 T 1.7 ng/ml; p < 0.05), whereas the parameters did not change signi®cantly after the placebo. After acarbose treatment a signi®cant increase of intestinal voiding/week (+ 116% vs. + 10%; p < 0.01) and a parallel reduction of blood ammonia levels (± 52 T 9% vs. ± 9 T 5%; P < 0.01) were observed. Conclusions: The results clearly document the good tolerability and the absence of toxic effects of acarbose on liver, due to the lack of both intestinal absorption and hepatic metabolism of the drug at doses in the therapeutic range. In fact, acarbose increases the peristalsis movements of the gut, stimulates the proliferation of the saccarolytic bacteria and simultaneously reduces the proliferation of proteolytic bacteria, thus resulting active in the reduction of blood ammonia levels. These effects of acarbose may be advantageously exploited in the treatment of type 2 diabetic patients with well-compensated non-alcholic liver cirrhosis.

The protein and starch fractions of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) are potentially a source of novel ingredients for food processing. As part of research to elucidate the functional properties of field pea proteins, the pilot scale extraction of proteins has been undertaken. Two different approaches have been used and the recoveries of protein compared. The first involved extraction with a salt solution followed by decanting and clarification to remove solids. The solution was then further concentrated and salt removed by ultrafiltration and diafiltration. The second procedure was based upon alkaline extraction followed by decanting and recovery by isoelectric precipitation and neutralisation. Both spray drying and freeze drying methods were employed. The protein isolates have been compared and characterised with respect to solubility, chemical composition and to electrophoretic patterns. Overall, the proteins extracted with salt exhibited better physical properties than proteins extracted with alkali, in terms of colour and particle size. The solubilities showed little variation and the electrophoretic patterns were similar. Freeze drying resulted in isolates with darker colour compared with spray drying.

Consumers are becoming increasingly health conscious and therefore more discerning in their food choices. The production of fermented food products with elevated levels of B-vitamins increase both their commercial and nutritional value, and eliminate the need for subsequent fortification with these essential vitamins. Such novel products could reduce the incidence of inadequate vitamin intake which is common in many parts of the world, not only in developing countries, but also in many industrialised countries. Moreover, the concept of in situ fortification by bacterial fermentation opens the way for development of food products targeted at specific groups in society such as the elderly and adolescents. This review looks at how vitamin overproduction strategies have been developed, some of which have successfully been tested in animal models. Such innovative strategies could be relatively easily adapted by the food industry to develop novel vitamin-enhanced functional foods with enhanced consumer appeal.

Dodol is a popular traditional food that has great potential to be commercialized. The physico-chemical characterization of dodols such as proximate analysis, pH, moisture content, protein, fat, carbohydrate, ash and fibre contents are investigated. The rheological characterization of dodols were modelled by several models such Bingham, Power Law and Casson models. Regression analysis shows good agreements for all three models applied in this study. Dodol exhibits pseudoplastic behaviour under the conditions tested, as indicated by flow behaviour indices (n) ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 and is further confirmed with the data of decreasing apparent viscosity with increasing shear rate, indicating strong shear-thinning behaviour.

Background: This study examined the use of wild plants in the food, medicinal and veterinary areas within a small territory limited to one village council in the Liubań district of Belarus. The objectives of the research were to document the current and past uses of wild plants in this region for food and human/animal medication; to analyse the food, medicinal and veterinary areas in the context of wild plants; and to qualitatively compare the results with relevant publications concerning the wild food plants of Belarus. Methods: Fieldwork was carried out as a practical part of a development cooperation project in May 2016 in 11 villages of the Liubań district. One hundred thirty-four respondents were selected randomly. Information about local uses of wild plants was obtained via semi-structured interviews and the folk-history method. Interview records were digitalized and the data structured in Detailed Use Records (DUR), which were divided into food, medicinal and veterinary areas...

Fifty herbed cheese samples, in which herbs (Allium spp.) were used at production, were analyzed for some microbiological quality characteristics. Cheese samples were collected from different retailers in four counties of Eastern Turkey. Presumptive coliform bacteria, generic Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, lactic acid bacteria, yeast, mold and sulfite-reducing anaerobic bacteria counts were examined as general microbiologic quality parameters, and the average bacteria counts were 2.1

Objectives: The health effects of chronic low-dose radiation exposure remains a controversial question. Monitoring after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine suggested that chronic low-dose radiation exposure was not linked to cancer mortality among the general population. However, elevated rates of birth defects in contaminated compared to uncontaminated regions suggest that exposure to radiation in utero might impact development and that chronic radiation exposure might represent an underestimated risk to human health.

There are few studies exploring factors influencing athletes' food choices, yet the demands of many sports require high energy intake.  There is some evidence to suggest food choices are influenced by factors specific to sport, such as performance.  Food choice is dynamic, complex and continually changing and more research is needed with athlete populations where food choices are likely influenced by the demands of sport.

We investigated the heat resistance of a four-strain mixture of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef in both the absence and presence of white and green tea powders and an apple skin extract. Inoculated meat was cooked using the sousvide technique, i.e., the meat was packaged in sterile bags and completely immersed in a circulating water bath at low temperature for a period of time. The bags were cooked for 1 h to an internal temperature of 55, 58, 60, or 62.5ЊC, and then held from 240 min at 55ЊC to 10 min at 62.5ЊC. The surviving bacteria were enumerated by spiral plating onto tryptic soy agar overlaid with sorbitol-MacConkey agar. Inactivation kinetics of the pathogens deviated from first-order kinetics. D-values (time, in minutes, required for the bacteria to decrease by 90%) in the control beef ranged from 67.79 min at 55ЊC to 2.01 min at 62.5ЊC. D-values determined by a logistic model ranged from 36.22 (D 1 , the D-value of a major population of surviving cells) and 112.79 (D 2 , the D-value of a minor subpopulation) at 55ЊC to 1.39 (D 1) and 3.00 (D 2) at 62.5ЊC. A significant increase (P Ͻ 0.05) in the sensitivity of the bacteria to heat was observed with the addition of 3% added antimicrobials. D-value reductions of 62 to 74% were observed with apple powder and 18 to 58% with tea powders. Thermal death times from this study will assist the retail food industry to design cooking regimes that ensure the safety of beef contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

Hydro-alcoholic extracts from leaves of Camellia sinensis (green-and black-tea leaves) were submitted to a fractionation, promoting the compound separation according to their polarity, and analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A wide range of compounds could be identified, such as catechins and their gallate (esters) or oxidation derivatives (theaflavins), glycosylated flavonoids and other phenolics, as well as lipids, saponins and alkaloids. Also have been developed, via bio-guided examination, the gastroprotective property of the compounds identified. The samples were assayed using the model of acute gastric lesions induced in rats by ethanol. Hydro-alcoholic extracts of green-tea and black-tea protected the gastric mucosa with ED 50 = 3.6 and 10.2 mg/kg, respectively, with participation of gastric mucus and reduced glutathione (GSH). The ethyl acetate fraction from green-tea and aqueous fraction from black-tea were, respectively, 6 and 10 times more effectiveness than the initial extracts. Moreover, the epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG, 0.204 mg/kg), a main component of ethyl acetate fraction from green tea, reduced the gastric lesion by 56% and restored the mucus levels, however the rutin (0.0133 mg/kg), a flavonoid found in the most active fraction of black-tea, was less significant at the natural concentrations. These results have confirmed that the different compounds present in green-and black-tea hydro-alcoholic extracts and partitioned fractions produce relevant gastroprotection mainly via maintenance of the protective factors, mucus and GSH.

A new extracellular charged polysaccharide composed mainly by galactose, with lower amounts of mannose, glucose and rhamnose, was produced by the cultivation of Pseudomonas oleovorans NRRL B-14682 using glycerol as the sole carbon source. Thermal and solid-state NMR analysis showed that this polymer is essentially amorphous, with a glass transition temperature of 155.7°C. The exopolysaccharide aqueous solutions have viscoelastic properties similar to that of Guar gum, but with affinity to salts as a result of its polyelectrolyte character. In addition, the exopolysaccharide has demonstrated good flocculating and emulsifying properties and film-forming capacity. These properties make this polymer a good alternative to more expensive natural polysaccharides, such as Guar gum, in several applications in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile, paper and petroleum industries.

Diffusion coefficient Lipid oxidation Whole milk powder a b s t r a c t Antioxidant active packaging is a promising technology for whole milk powder (WMP) protection. In this study, the migration of a-tocopherol from a multilayer active packaging (made of high density polyethylene, ethylene vinyl alcohol and a layer of low density polyethylene containing the antioxidant) to WMP was studied. A model based on the Fick's diffusion equation was used to calculate the diffusion coefficients (D) of a-tocopherol as 2.34 Â 10 À11 , 3.06 Â 10 À11 , and 3.14 Â 10 À11 cm 2 s À1 at 20, 30 and 40°C, respectively. The D at 20°C was different from those at 30 and 40°C (P < 0.05); but it was similar at 30 and 40°C. This low influence of temperature on the migration of a-tocopherol from 20 to 40°C assures the release at real storage and commercialization conditions in regions with warm/hot climate. The antioxidant delivering system delayed the lipid oxidation of WMP and it was more effective at 30 and 40°C since the rate of oxidative reactions was higher at these temperatures than at 20°C.

Objective: To identify nursing home standards related to items brought in from the community for residents through a nationwide survey of directors of nursing. Specifically we examined the policies with regard to food, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, and over-thecounter medications.

Water activity (a w) is a major factor affecting pathogen heat resistance in low-moisture foods. However, there is a lack of data for a w at elevated temperatures that occur during actual thermal processing conditions, and its influence on thermal tolerance of pathogens. The objective of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the relationship between temperature-induced changes in a w and thermal resistance of Salmonella in all purpose flour and peanut butter at elevated temperatures. Equilibrium water sorption isotherms (water content vs. water activity) for all purpose flour and peanut butter over the range of 20 to 80ºC were generated using a vapor sorption analyzer and a newly developed thermal cell. The thermal resistance (D 80-values) of Salmonella in all purpose flour and peanut butter with initial a w of 0.45 (measured at room temperature, ~20 o C) was determined via isothermal treatment of small (< 1 g) samples. When increasing sample temperature from 20 to 80ºC in sealed cells, the a w of all purpose flour increased from 0.45 to 0.80, but the a w of peanut butter decreased from 0.45 to 0.04. The corresponding estimated D 80-values of Salmonella in all purpose flour and peanut butter with room temperature a w of 0.45 were 6.9 ± 0.7 min and 17.0 ± 0.9 min, respectively. The significantly (P < 0.05) higher D 80-value of Salmonella in peanut butter than in all purpose flour may be partially attributed to the reduced a w in peanut butter in comparison to the increased a w in all purpose flour at 80 o C. The improved understanding of the temperature-induced changes in a w of low-moisture products of different composition provides a new insight into seemly unpredictable results, when using heat treatments to control Salmonella in such food systems.

Carduus species (Compositae) are widely distributed in the Mediterranean area, and traditionally used for both food and medicinal purposes. The hydroalcoholic extracts of four wild edible Carduus species collected in Sardinia (Carduus argyroa Biv., Carduus nutans subsp. macrocephalus (Desf.) Nyman, Carduus pycnocephalus L., Carduus cephalanthus Viv.) were analyzed and characterized by HPLC-PDA-MS/MS and PCR-RFLP of the nrDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Flavonoids and caffeoylquinic acid derivatives were the predominant classes of secondary metabolites characterizing the extracts. The ITS region was sequenced in parallel, and a PCR-RFLP method was applied with three selective restriction enzymes. Statistical analyses, on both chemical and biomolecular results, revealed that individuals clustered according to their taxonomic classification. The combination of the two techniques discriminates the four species within the genus, giving further information on these little-investigated plants, traditionally used in the Mediterranean area and in Sardinia.

The functional properties as well the physicochemical properties of watermelon seed and seed-oil were analyzed. The functional properties of the seed revealed that oil and water absorption capacities for the seed were 123.5 ± 0.5 % and 116.3 ± 0.1%. The foaming capacity and stability (after 2 hr) in % were found to be 23.5± 0.1% and 62.5± 0.2% respectively while emulsion stability gave 0.325± 0.001%. Physicochemical properties of the oil extract from the seed using soxhlet extractor revealed the followings; iodine and acid values in mgKOH/g and saponification value in mgKOH/100g were 148.5 ± 0.5, 74.5 ± 0.5 and 3.4 ± 0.1 respectively. Peroxide value of the oil was found to be 2.8± 0.1meq/kg while specific gravity determination gave 0.91. The low acid, iodine and peroxide values of the oil coupled with favourable functional properties makes the seed and the oil suitable for human consumption and therefore the result of this research work would provide further information on the domestic and industrial usage of the seed and seed-oil.

The influence of season, gender, and reproductive maturity on the sensory properties (appearance, odor, taste, flavor, texture/mouthfeel, and aftertaste) of roe from sea urchins (Evechinus chloroticus) was investigated. A trained sensory panel applied descriptive analysis, with a comprehensive sensory vocabulary of 35 descriptors to analyze sea urchin roe obtained from samples collected during the austral autumn, winter, summer, and spring, over a 2-y period. Sensory differences between genders were less pronounced in autumn (March to May) and winter (June to August) when more nutritive cells were present in the roe, and more pronounced over spring (September to November) and summer (December to February) months as the gametogenic cells matured. Roe from female sea urchins were commonly associated with sulfur odor, bitter taste, and metallic flavor, while roe from the male sea urchins were associated with sweet taste. During autumn, female roe were closest in sensory quality to male roe (least bitter and most sweet compared to other seasons), while there were little differences in sweetness and bitterness of male roe over the 4 seasons. Despite the relative size of the roe being lowest in autumn, it appeared to be the optimum season to harvest E. chloroticus sea urchins to obtain high-quality roe.

We have investigated the possible role of bovine lactoferrin in protecting the intestinal epithelium from bacterial infections, using as an in vitro model enterocyte-like cell lines HT-39 and Caco-2 infected with a food-borne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. When infection occurred in the presence of 1 mg/ml of bovine lactoferrin, in the form of apolactoferrin or iron- or manganese-saturated forms, the adhesion of bacteria to eukaryotk cells was unaffected, but the number of internalized bacteria was reduced by 42- to 125-fold. The possibility of a toxic effect of lactoferrin was excluded, because bovine lactoferrin was used at nonbactericidal and noncytotoxic concentrations.

Pineapple has several beneficial properties including antioxidant activity. The fruit of pineapple was extracted with ethyl acetate, methanol and water. The phenolic content of the extracts was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method and antioxidant activity was assayed through some in vitro models such as antioxidant capacity by phosphomolybdenum, β-carotene-linoleate, and radical scavenging activity using α,α-diphenylβ-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The phenolic contents of the extracts as caffeic acid equivalents were found to be highest in methanol (51.1%) followed by ethyl acetate (13.8%) and water extract (2.6%). Antioxidant capacity of the extracts as equivalent to ascorbic acid (μmol/g of the extract) was in the order of methanol extract N ethyl acetate extract N water extract. In comparison with butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), at 100 ppm of concentration, the antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of the extracts assayed through β-carotene-linoleate and DPPH method were also found to be highest with methanol extract followed by ethyl acetate and water extracts. The results indicated that the extent of antioxidant activity of the extract is in accordance with the amount of phenolics present in that extract and the pineapple fruit being rich in phenolics may provide a good source of antioxidant.

A histological study was undertaken to determine the efficiency in the removal of the mucosa and Peyer&#39;s patches by standard processing of bovine intestines into natural sausage casings. The second objective was to calculate the quantity of lymphoid and nervous tissue per consumable sausage. For the histological analysis, intestinal samples were collected from 80 beef cattle during the slaughter process. Fresh and cleaned intestines were compared in analyzing the thickness of the intestinal wall, weight reduction during cleaning, removal of the mucosal layer, and the presence of lymphoid and neural tissue after cleaning. The obtained data indicate a weight reduction of about 50% during standard cleaning procedures, as 90% of the mucosa and 48% of the lymphoid tissue are removed. Based on the quantitative histological image analysis, it was calculated that 1 m of cleaned casings, weighing on average 64 g, contains about 2.8 g of mucosa, 0.3 g of lymphoid tissue, and 0.1 g of neur...

The feasibility of utilizing infrared spectroscopy for the prediction of haze formation in white wines resulting from heat and colloidal stability tests was investigated. One-hundred eleven white wines, representing multiple regions and varieties from the 2008 California vintage, were collected and analyzed. The near and mid-infrared spectra were measured and heat and colloidal (ethanol addition) stability tests were performed on the same wines. Partial-least squares regression analysis was then used to construct models predictive of the resulting nepholometric turbidity to the acquired spectra. Preliminary models obtained following application of spectral pretreatments today considered as ''classical'' (e.g., derivatives, standard normal variate, vector normalization, constant offset elimination) lacked robustness; two alternative algorithms designed to remove spectral information unrelated to the turbidity were then employed (orthogonal signal correction; direct orthogonal signal correction). While OSC pretreatment did not result in more robust models, DOSC considerably enhanced the goodness of the PLS model constructed to predict the ethanol test turbidity. Predictive modeling of the short-NIR spectra, following DOSC preprocessing, allowed the prediction of colloidal stability on an unknown test set with an R 2 = 0.80 and a RMSEP = 10.12 using three latent variables. When the data set was restricted to Chardonnay wines alone, the predictive ability improved, with R 2 = 0.85 and RMSEP = 8.90.

Abstract: The purpose of this work was to correlate the amount of the food mutagen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) determined in mouse fur with the number of intestinal tumours induced by PhIP, to further evaluate incorporation of PhIP into hair as ...

The use of botanicals and dietary supplements derived from natural substances as an adjunct to an improved quality of life or for their purported medical benefits has become increasingly common in the United States. This review addresses the safety assessment ...

It was investigated the effect of particle size, use of infrared radiation, and type of freeze-drying (vacuum or atmospheric) on some nutritional properties of blueberries. Particle size and type of freeze-drying had negative effects on ascorbic acid and total polyphenols content, while the use of infrared radiation had positive effects on them. Particle size negatively affected antioxidant activity. Ascorbic acid was significantly decreased in freeze-dried blueberries compared to fresh fruit, in all the conditions studied. The total polyphenols content was significantly lower in atmospheric freezedried blueberries compared to the fresh ones, unlike in vacuum freeze-drying, where this nutritional property was increased. Antioxidant activity of freeze-dried blueberries did not differ significantly from that found in fresh fruits. In order to minimize the impairment of the nutritional properties of freeze-dried blueberries, it is suggested to use infrared radiation, a relatively small particle size and vacuum freeze-drying.

Objective To examine the practice of concealing drugs in patients' foodstuff in nursing homes. Design Cross sectional study with data collected by structured interview. Setting All five health regions in Norway. Participants Professional carers of 1362 patients in 160 regular nursing home units and 564 patients in 90 special care units for people with dementia. Main outcome measures Frequency of concealment of drugs; who decided to conceal the drugs; how this practice was documented in the patients' records; and what types of drugs were given this way. Results 11% of the patients in regular nursing home units and 17% of the patients in special care units for people with dementia received drugs mixed in their food or beverages at least once during seven days. In 95% of cases, drugs were routinely mixed in the food or beverages. The practice was documented in patients' records in 40% (96/241) of cases. The covert administration of drugs was more often documented when the physician took the decision to hide the drugs in the patient's foodstuff (57%; 27/47) than when the person who made the decision was unknown or not recorded (23%; 7/30). Patients who got drugs covertly more often received antiepileptics, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics compared with patients who were given their drugs openly. Conclusions The covert administration of drugs is common in Norwegian nursing homes. Routines for such practice are arbitrary, and the practice is poorly documented in the patients' records.

This study aims to identify the effectiveness of enzyme Lysozyme, which is extracted from the egg’s albumin and The Allicin antibiotic which is extracted from the garlic. It also studies their effects on some bacteria which have been obtained pure and others have been isolated in the extracts of Lysozyme and Allicin. Then we face the foods which are contaminated with such species of these bacteria and their dangers on the public health. The study was conducted in two phases, the first of which included knowing the effectiveness of extracts and their effects on some sorts of bacteria which were treated by these extracts through the tests of sensitivity screening. The second phase of this study included the treatment of some types of food which are commonly circulated and speedily damaged – the treatment was with these materials to know their impact in eliminating the microbes that are found in these foods and prevent damage for a long time. We examined three types of bacteria: (E .coli, Streptococcus, Salmonella). The results of sensitivity screening, which were done in two ways: (CD-proliferation plates and confirmation way), showed the sensitivity of these microbes with rates ranging between (100%) to (33.4%) named (garlic male). While the less ones were Allicin extracts that were extracted from the foreign garlic, the mixture of Allicin which was extracted from the local eggs and Lysozyme which was extracted from the foreign eggs with red peel. Besides, tow samples of food (milk and meat), which are commonly circulated in the governorate, were tested and treated with Allicin and Lysozyme extracts. The results showed the effectiveness of Allicin with its quality in eliminating most microbes in meat, especially E. coli and its effectiveness in eliminating all microbes in milk with no influence on Salmonella. But Lysozyme effectiveness notes varied, but it eliminated in the two samples with no influence on E.coli.

The Internet provides a widely accessible platform for weight loss interventions. Automated tools can allow self-guided monitoring of food intake and other target behaviours that are established correlates of weight change. Many programmes also offer social support from the virtual community. The aim of this research was to assess associations between engagement with self-monitoring tools and social support, and weight loss in an online weight-control programme. Methods: This paper describes a retrospective analysis of weight change among 3621 subscribers to a commercial Internet-based weight loss programme. Participants were all subscribers (2979 women; 642 men) joining the programme between July 2005 and November 2008 with two or more recorded weights spanning at least 28 days of participation in the programme. Engagement was indexed with frequency of using online diet and exercise diaries and with use of the social support forums. Results: Programme engagement was associated with weight loss in both men and women after controlling for initial BMI and duration of participation. The three engagement variables accounted for 13% of variance in percentage weight loss in women (p < .001) and 19% in men (p < .001). In analyses including all the engagement variables, exercise diary use was an independent predictor of weight loss among men, but non-significant in women. In contrast, use of the online forums was associated with weight loss in women but not in men. Among participants who were overweight or obese, those in the highest tertile of engagement with food diaries (vs the lowest) were more likely to achieve clinically significant (> 5%) weight loss (men: OR = 3.45 p < .001; women: OR = 5.05 p < .001). Being in the highest tertile of engagement with exercise diaries was associated with clinically significant weight loss in men (OR = 3.48 p < .001) and, less strongly, in women (OR = 1.46 p < .05).

The ''antioxidant power" of a food is an expression of its capability both to defend the human organism from the action of the free radicals and to prevent degenerative disorders deriving from persistent oxidative stress. Purpose of this study is to analyse the antioxidant capacity (measured by means of the crocin bleaching method) of several samples of Sicilian red wines and to evaluate their dependency on the vintage and on the grape variety. Finally, the correlation between the single flavonoids compounds and the antioxidant capacity has been investigated. The analyses show that the antioxidant properties of red wine appear to be unequally influenced by the vintages for the different cultivars and that the correlation between antioxidant capacity and the total phenolic contents is weak. The latter can be explained by the fact that the wine's antioxidant properties are influenced differently by each polyphenolic molecule.

The effects of normal and controlled atmosphere combinations on tuber components responsible for acrylamide formation were studied during prolonged storage at 9±1 °C using the tubers of “Agria” and “Russet Burbank.” The effects of low-dose irradiation (50, 200 Gy) prior to normal atmosphere storage were also studied. There was only a limited increase in the concentrations of sugars during 6 month of storage under normal atmosphere conditions. Low-dose irradiation slightly decreased the rate of sweetening in the tubers. The potential of acrylamide formation remained almost the same; however, the loss of firmness became clearer during 6 month of storage under normal atmosphere conditions. Controlled atmosphere storage in which O2 was deficient to a sufficient respiration increased the concentrations of sugars, and thus, the potential of acrylamide formation in potatoes upon frying at 170 °C for 10 min. The sum of glucose and fructose concentrations showed a good correlation (r 2∼0.90) with the potential of acrylamide formation for both cultivars.

Introduction Several studies have shown the effect of dietary patterns on breast cancer risk, but none has been conducted in Argentina. The aim of this study was to extract dietary patterns from Food Frequency Questioner, to estimate their effect on breast cancer occurrence while taking into account aggregation factors (family history of breast cancer) and to explore the sensitivity of the estimates to changes in the assumptions. Methods A principal component exploratory factor analysis was applied to identify dietary patterns, which were then included as covariates in a multilevel logistic regression. Family history of BC was considered as a clustering variable. A multiple probabilistic sensitivity analysis was also performed. Results The study included 100 cases and 294 controls. Four dietary patterns were identified. Traditional (fat meats, bakery products, and vegetable oil and mayonnaise) (OR III tertile vs I 3.13, 95 % CI 2.58-3.78), Rural (processed meat) (OR III tertile vs I 2.02, 95 % CI 1.21-3.37) and Starchy (refined grains) (OR III tertile vs I 1.82, 95 % CI 1.18-2.79) dietary patterns were positively associated with BC risk, whereas the Prudent pattern (fruit and non-starchy vegetables) (OR III tertile vs I 0.56, 95 % CI 0.41-0.77) showed a protective effect. For Traditional pattern, the median bias-adjusted ORs (3.52) were higher than the conventional (2.76). Conclusions While the Prudent pattern was associated with a reduced risk of BC, Traditional, Rural and Starchy patterns showed a promoting effect. Despite the threats to validity, the nature of associations was not strongly affected.

Apple juice and apple cider were inoculated with Escherichia coli K-12 and processed using a highpressure homogenizer to study bacterial inactivation. Seven levels of pressure ranging from 50 to 350 MPa were used in the high-pressure homogenizer. Two types of chitosan (regular and water soluble) with 2 levels of concentration 0.01% and 0.1% were investigated for synergistic effect with high-pressure homogenization for the bacterial inactivation. E. coli K-12 inactivation was evaluated as a function of homogenizing pressure at different concentration of 2 types of chitosan in apple juice and cider. High-pressure homogenization (HPH) induced significant inactivation in the range of 100 to 200 MPa, while thermal inactivation was the primary factor for the bacterial inactivation above 250 MPa. Significant (P < 0.05) 2-way interactions involving pressure and type of substrate or pressure and chitosan concentration were observed during the study. The homogenization pressure and the incremental quantity of chitosan (both types) acted synergistically with the pressure to give higher inactivation. Significantly (P < 0.05) higher inactivation was observed in apple juice than apple cider at same homogenizing pressure. No effect of type of chitosan was observed on the bacterial inactivation.

The reduction of acidity of passion fruit juice was investigated by electrodialysis (ED) with bipolar membranes (BM) at the laboratory and pre-industrial scale. Four states of juice were tested: initial pulpy juice, juice clarified by tangential microfiltration, twice-concentrated clarified juice, centrifuged juice. The ED performances were compared in terms of deacidification rate, current efficiency, and energy consumption. The deacidification was carried out up to pH 4.5 with satisfactory results. ED performances were lower with the pulpy and concentrated juices because of fouling of the anion-exchange membrane, which increased voltage. The differences in acidity between the juices was reduced by the pre-industrial ED stack, which involved better hydrodynamics through high flow rates and low compartment thickness. Whatever the juices, physico-chemical analysis showed that colour changed only slightly.

Tomato juice samples were ozonated with control variables of ozone concentration (1.6–7.8 %w/w) and treatment time (0–10 min). Effects of ozone processing variables on quality parameters of pH, oBrix, titratable acidity (TA), cloud value, non-enzymatic browning, colour values (L*, a*, and b*) and ascorbic acid (AA) content were determined. No significant changes (P > 0.05) in pH, oBrix, TA, cloud value and Non enzymatic browning (NEB) (P ≤ 0.05) were found with ozonation. L*, a* and b* colour values were significantly affected by ozone concentration and treatment time. A significant reduction of AA (96 %) was observed at an ozone concentration of 7.8%w/w and a treatment time of 10 min. Results presented in this study indicate that visual colour and nutritional quality is significantly affected during ozone processing. Thus, the effects of ozonation on the nutritional properties of tomato juice should be considered by processors prior to its adoption as a preservation technique.

Abstract. The goal of this research work was to assist consumers in considering environmental aspects of food consumption. A simplified, modular LCA approach has been used to evaluate the impacts from the consumers &apos; point of view. Comparative LCA&apos;s have been calculated for five single aspects of decisions: type of agricultural practice, origin, packaging material, type of preservation, and consumption. The inventory for one module includes the environmental impacts related to one particular product characteristic. The modular LCA allows one to investigate the trade-offs among different decision parameters. It could be shown that most of the decision parameters might have an influence on the overall impact of a vegetable product. Greenhouse production and vegetables transported by air cause the highest surplus environmental impact. For meat products, the agricultural production determines the overall environmental impact. The total impact for vegetable or meat purchases ma...

Thanks to our approach, it could be possible to outline a proteomic fingerprinting between different cultivars of Vitis vinifera peculiar of south Italy (Campania) used for white wine production (Fiano, Greco and Falanghina) by advanced biomolecular mass spectrometry approach. Our data show a new way for the biomolecular signature of vines.

The prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on beef subprimal cuts intended for mechanical tenderization was evaluated. This evaluation was followed by the assessment of five antimicrobial interventions at minimizing the risk of transferring E. coli O157:H7 to the interior of inoculated subprimal cuts during blade tenderization (BT) or moisture enhancement (ME). Prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on 1,014 uninoculated beef subprimals collected from six packing facilities was 0.2%. Outside round pieces inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 at 10 4 CFU/100 cm 2 were treated with (i) no intervention, (ii) surface trimming, (iii) hot water (82ЊC), (iv) warm 2.5% lactic acid (55ЊC), (v) warm 5.0% lactic acid (55ЊC), or (vi) 2% activated lactoferrin followed by warm 5.0% lactic acid (55ЊC) and then submitted to BT or ME. Prevalence (n ϭ 196) of internalized (BT and ME) E. coli O157:H7 was 99%. Enumeration of E. coli O157:H7 (n ϭ 192) revealed mean surface reductions of 0.93 to 1.10 log CFU/100 cm 2 for all antimicrobial interventions. E. coli O157:H7 was detected on 3 of the 76 internal BT samples and 73 of the 76 internal ME samples. Internal ME samples with no intervention had significantly higher mean E. coli O157:H7 populations than did those internal samples treated with an intervention, but there were no significant differences in E. coli O157:H7 populations among internal BT samples. Results of this study demonstrate that the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 on the surface of beef subprimal cuts is low and that interventions applied before mechanical tenderization can effectively reduce the transfer of low concentrations of E. coli O157:H7 to the interior of beef subprimal cuts.

This article compares the findings of three studies that explored the role of increased blood glucose in improving memory function for subjects who ate breakfast. An initial improvement in memory function for these subjects was found to correlate with blood glucose concentrations. In subsequent studies, morning fasting was found to adversely affect the ability to recall a word list and a story read aloud, as well as recall items while counting backwards. Failure to eat breakfast did not affect performance on an intelligence test. It was concluded that breakfast consumption preferentially influences tasks requiring aspects of memory. In the case of both word list recall and memory while counting backwards, the decline in performance associated with not eating breakfast was reversed by the consumption of a glucose-supplemented drink. Although a morning fast also affected the ability to recall a story read aloud, the glucose drink did not reverse this decline. It appears that breakfast...

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between patterns of behaviour, body composition and diet in adolescent girls. A group of 328 14 to 16-year-old girls at school in Southampton, U.K. completed a questionnaire about their behaviour and lifestyle, and had their heights, weights and skinfold thicknesses measured. Of these girls, 286 also provided dietary information. Socially independent girls were more likely to smoke, and less likely to eat breakfast and meals with family. They consumed more snacks, chocolate and soft drinks. Girls who were dissatisfied with their weight dieted and exercised, watched less television and spent less of their money on food. Dissatisfaction with weight was strongly related to body mass index. The odds of being a dieter, an indication of dissatisfaction with weight, increased with every unit increase in body mass index, so that girls with a body mass index of 24 kg/m 2 and over were 19 times more likely to diet than those with a body mass index of 19 kg/m 2 or less. Girls who were less satisfied with their weight reported lower energy intakes but ate more green vegetables and brown bread than other girls. The eating habits of the girls were therefore influenced by the extent of their social lives and by their satisfaction with their weight.

Background The global burden of non-communicable diseases partly reflects growing exposure to ultraprocessed food products (UPPs). These heavily marketed UPPs are cheap and convenient for consumers and profitable for manufacturers, but contain high levels of salt, fat and sugars. This study aimed to explore the potential mortality reduction associated with future policies for substantially reducing ultra-processed food intake in the UK. Methods and Findings We obtained data from the UK Living Cost and Food Survey and from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. By the NOVA food typology, all food items were categorized into three groups according to the extent of food processing: Group 1 describes unprocessed/minimally processed foods. Group 2 comprises processed culinary ingredients. Group 3 includes all processed or ultra-processed products. Using UK nutrient conversion tables, we estimated the energy and nutrient profile of each food group. We then used the IMPACT Food Policy model to estimate reductions in cardiovascular mortality from improved nutrient intakes reflecting shifts from processed or ultra-processed to unprocessed/minimally processed foods. We then conducted probabilistic sensitivity analyses using Monte Carlo simulation. Results Approximately 175,000 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths might be expected in 2030 if current mortality patterns persist. However, halving the intake of Group 3 (processed) foods could result in approximately 22,055 fewer CVD related deaths in 2030 (minimum estimate