Furan fatty acid concentrations in tea infusions prepared from green,black, and herbal teas

Furan fatty acids (FuFAs) are valuable antioxidants with highly effective radical scavenging properties which are widely distributed at low levels in food. Previous research indicated that tea is a valuable source of FuFAs. However, tea is only consumed in form of infusions. To fill this gap, we prepared infusions from different herbal, green, and black teas. Initial measurements with GC-MSMS of tea verified previous findings that 11-(3,4-dimethyl-5-penylfuran-2-yl)-undecanoic acid (11D5) was the prevalent FuFA in tea matrix. Therefore, 11D5 was quantified in tea infusions by means of UHPLC-MSMS equipment after mild alkaline hydrolysis. While herbal tea infusions were low or free of FuFAs, 11D5 was detectable in all samples of green and black tea infusions. Amounts of 11D5 were higher in green tea than in black tea. Moreover, Darjeeling tea infusions were by ~30% richer in 11D5 than black and green teas from other regions. Each cup of green and black tea infusion may provide 20–60 μg 11D5, which is about 5% of the amounts found in tea samples. Spread over the day, regular tea consumption may contribute to the intake of valuable FuFAs.     

Iodine from brown algae in human nutrition,with an emphasis on bioaccessibility,bioavailability, chemistry,and effects of processing: A systematic review

Brown algae are becoming increasingly popular as a food source and dietary supplement in Europe and other Western countries. As they are highly rich in iodine, they represent a potential new dietary iodine source. Iodine deficiency has been re-emerging in Europe, and it is important to ensure adequate intake through one's diet. However, macroalgae, and especially brown algae, may contain very high amounts of iodine, and both iodine deficiency and excessive iodine may increase the risk of negative health effects. The iodine content of algae or foods containing algae is currently not regulated in the European Union. The aim of this paper is to review the literature to determine the chemical species of iodine in brown algae, the loss of iodine during processing, and the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of iodine. A systematic search of the literature was performed in April 2021, via the databases Web of Science and PubMed. The review includes studies of iodine in brown macroalgae in relation to bioavailability, bioaccessibility, processing and speciation. A meta-analysis was conducted in relation to the following topics: (i) the correlation between total iodine and iodide (I^–) content in brown algae; (ii) the correlation between the loss of iodine during processing and the I^– content; and (iii) the correlation between bioavailability and the I^– content. The bioavailability of iodine from brown algae was generally high, with in vivo bioavailability ranging from 31% to 90%. The in vitro bioavailability of iodine (2%–28%) was systematically lower than in vivo bioavailability (31%–90%), indicating an inadequate in vitro methodology. Processing may reduce the iodine content of brown algae, and a higher I^– content was positively correlated with increased iodine loss during processing. Although processing strategies may reduce the iodine content of brown algae significantly, the iodine content may still be high after processing. These findings may be used in food safety evaluations of brown algae as well as in the development of macroalgae-containing foods with iodine contents suitable for human consumption. Further research on processing techniques to reduce the iodine content in brown macroalgae are warranted.     

英国食品GDAs标签的发展经验及对中国的启发

对英国食品每日摄入量指南（GDAs）标签开展案例研究，结果发现，GDAs标签从包装背面标签转为FOP标签，实施已有20年以上。该标签采用特定营养素体系度量法模型，显示每份食品能量、糖、脂肪、饱和脂肪、盐的含量及其每日参考摄入量占比，既没有颜色编码又没有形象的图标显示，且实施效果不如多数FOP标签。对此，中国可考虑将营养成分表信息以食品份量单位直观显示在包装正面，方便消费者关注与理解。     

运动营养食品的研究现状

肌酸(creatine)是脊椎动物体内自然存在的一种含氮类有机酸。补充肌酸能够通过调节体内磷酸肌酸水解、糖代谢和蛋白表达等方式来增加糖原的储存、提高ATP的生成、增强肌细胞的酸碱缓冲能力以及刺激肌细胞增殖,从而能够预防运动损伤、改善运动表现、提升训练适应性和加快运动后康复。自从1992年巴塞罗那奥运会上,英国短跑运动员克利斯提通过服用肌酸提高运动能力,并夺得百米冠军后,欧美运动员开始广泛的在运动和训练时服用肌酸,到1996年亚特兰大奥运会,已有60%以上的短跑运动员服用肌酸。对于从事剧烈运动训练的高水平运动员而言,需要每天摄入5-10 g肌酸以维持最佳的全身肌酸储备量,从而保持最佳的运动和训练效果。本文详细综述了肌酸的作用机制、补充肌酸对运动能力的影响、补充肌酸的安全性以及肌酸类运动营养品的使用人群、产品种类、补充策略和相关标准法规等。     

The effect of intradialytic exercise twice a week on the physical capacity,inflammation, and nutritional status of dialysis patients: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Inactivity, uremia, and malnutrition in dialysis patients may lead to decreased muscle mass and physical capacity. As a preventative measure, dialysis patients are provided with an intradialytic exercise program. Our study aimed to determine the role of intradialytic exercise performed 2 times per week on physical capacity, inflammation, and nutritional status in dialysis patients and to determine which exercises are more suitable for this population. Methods: A randomized clinical trial in which participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups, i.e., a group of patients performing aerobic exercise, a group of patients performing a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise and the control group. The study was conducted at the Dialysis Unit of Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta for 12 weeks from February to May 2018. The inclusion criteria were dialysis patients aged over 18 years who had undergone routine dialysis for over 3 months. Findings: A total of one hundred twenty patients were included in the study. There was a significant increase in lower extremity strength in the group performing aerobic exercise and in the combined exercise group compared to the lower extremity strength of the control group. There was also a significant increase in the physical component score (PCS) of the KDQOL‐SF? instrument in the aerobic training and combination exercise groups compared to the PCS of the control group. No significant differences were found between the combination exercise group and the aerobic training group in any outcome. Discussion: Both types of exercise programs significantly increased the lower extremity muscle strength and the PCS of the quality of life index. Combination exercise was not more effective than aerobic exercise for dialysis patients.     

A red code triggers an unintended approach motivation toward sweet ultra-processed foods: Possible implications for front-of-pack labels

Front-of-package labels (FOPL) are recommended to reduce consumer intake of ultra-processed food products (UPP). The multiple traffic-light label is one example of FOPL that indicates the content of target nutrients in products by displaying red (high), amber (medium), and/or green (low) color-coding. The red code may implicitly enhance sweetness perception and approach dispositions toward sweet UPP via cross-modal visual-taste interactions. We conducted two experiments to examine the possibility of contradictory influence of explicitly learned and implicit cross-modal associations on the emotional responses evoked by UPP pictures. In both experiments, we first explicitly associated the color codes with health-related meanings. In Experiment I (n = 78), a psychometric tool estimated the emotional responses (pleasantness and arousal ratings) evoked by UPP pictures when preceded by red, amber, or green color-codes. In Experiment II (n = 24), we recorded participants’ electrocortical brain activity to assess the early posterior negativity (EPN) component as an index of the emotional responses to UPP. The reported pleasantness (Experiment I) and the EPN amplitude (Experiment II) were greater for sweet UPP relative to salty UPP when primed with red codes but not when primed with green or amber. A red code increased positive emotions toward sweet UPP despite its explicit association with increased health-risks. Thus, the use of multiple traffic-lights might lead to an unintended implicit approach behavior toward sweet UPP. Designers, researchers, and policy makers may consider color-taste cross-modal associations when designing, testing, and applying FOPL.     

Feeding high amounts of almond hulls to lactating cows

California is the leading state for the production of almonds, with more than 400,000 bearing hectares of orchards that produced approximately 1 billion kilograms of shelled nuts in 2017. Almond hulls (AH) are a regional by-product feedstuff fed predominantly to dairy cattle in California. A 2012 study surveyed 40 dairy farms in California and found that 39 out of 104 total mixed rations contained AH, with a mean daily feeding rate of 1.45 kg/cow. In 2017, approximately 2 billion kilograms of AH was produced. At a feeding rate of 1.45 kg/cow daily, even if all 1.7 million lactating cows in California are consuming AH, there will be a surplus of AH on the market as the approximately 130,000 nonbearing hectares come into nut production. Therefore, the potential of feeding varying amounts of AH to lactating dairy cows was investigated using 12 Holstein cows with 4 primiparous and 8 multiparous cows. The dietary treatments were 4 total mixed rations containing 0, 7, 13, or 20% AH. The AH used contained 12.8% crude fiber (as-is basis), which was below the 15% legal limit set by state feed regulations. Diets were formulated so that as the inclusion rate of AH increased, the amount of steam-flaked corn and soyhull pellets decreased and soybean meal inclusion increased. Experimental design was a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square. Diet had a cubic effect on actual milk yield, energy-corrected milk yield, and dry matter intake, with the 7% AH diet having the highest values and the 13% AH diet having the lowest. The percent and yield of total solids and the yields of lactose and fat did not differ with diet, but percent and yield of protein declined linearly with increased AH inclusion, and fat percent increased linearly. Apparent total-tract digestibilities of dry matter and organic matter were higher with the inclusion of AH in the diet. Total percentage of the day spent ruminating increased linearly with higher amounts of AH. Overall, this work demonstrated that AH can be fed at varying amounts, up to 20% of the diet, to lactating dairy cows to support high levels of milk production and that increasing amounts of AH (up to 20%) in the diet could lead to improved digestibility and milk fat percentage but decreased milk protein production.