Nutritional composition and bioactive properties of commonly consumed wild greens: Potential sources for new trends in modern diets

Beyond the composition of the usual macronutrients and micronutrients, it is important to provide information on the composition of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of foods, particularly of wild species to regain them for nowadays' dietary habits. Many greens are known as excellent sources of natural antioxidants, and consumption of fresh plants in the diet may contribute to the daily antioxidant intake. In the present study five leafy wild greens traditionally consumed (Borago officinalis, Montia fontana, Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, Rumex acetosella, Rumex induratus) were studied in order to document macronutrient, micronutrient and non-nutrient composition. R. induratus revealed the highest levels of sugars, ascorbic acid, tocopherols, lycopene, chlorophylls, flavonoids, and one of the highest antioxidant activity expressed as DPPH scavenging activity, β-carotene bleaching inhibition, and TBARS formation inhibition. R. nasturtium-aquaticum showed the healthier PUFA/SFA and n-6/n-3 ratios, and B. officinalis proved to be a source of γ-linolenic acid and other fatty acids from n-6 series that are precursors of mediators of the inflammatory response. The nutritional characteristics and antioxidant potential of these wild greens require reconsideration of their role in traditional as well as in contemporary diets. Furthermore, their extracts might find applications in the prevention of free radical-related diseases, as functional food formulations.     

Central obesity and the Mediterranean diet: A systematic review of intervention trials

ABSTRACT

Central obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, and is a risk factor for cardiometabolic syndrome. The Mediterranean diet pattern has a convincing evidence-base for improving cardiometabolic health. This review investigated the impact of Mediterranean diet interventions on central obesity, specifically. A systematic literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases. Search terms included: ‘Mediterranean Diet’, ‘Mediterranean dietary pattern’, ‘central obesity’ and ‘visceral fat’. The search was limited to English language and humans ≥18 years. Eighteen articles met the eligibility criteria and reported at least one outcome measure of central obesity with Mediterranean diet intervention. Central obesity measures included waist circumference (16 studies), waist-hip ratio (5 studies) and visceral fat (2 studies). Thirteen (72%) of the studies, totaling 7186 subjects (5168 subjects assigned to a Mediterranean Diet), reported a significant reduction in central obesity with a Mediterranean-type diet. However, seven out of these 13 interventions employed energy restriction, and only three showed a statistically significant favorable effect of the Mediterranean diet relative to a control group. This systematic review highlights the potential for a Mediterranean diet intervention to reduce central obesity and in turn reduce obesity-related chronic disease risk and associated public health burden.     

Edible films and coatings to prevent the detrimental effect of oxygen on food quality: Possibilities and limitations

Oxygen has a deleterious effect on the quality of a wide variety of food products. The application of edible films and coatings to food products represents a new approach to solve this problem. Edible films and coatings can include antioxidant agents in their formulation and at the same time, they represent a barrier to oxygen, which results in a better preservation of quality. The water activity of the product, as well as the ambient relative humidity, determines the antioxidant effect of films and coatings. This paper reviews the latest studies dealing with the effectiveness and application of antioxidant films and coatings.     

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and healthy ageing: Current evidence,biological pathways,and future directions

Abstract

With an ever-ageing population in developed countries, healthy ageing is an emerging public health priority for securing citizens’ quality of life and minimizing healthcare associated costs. While adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with numerous health benefits and deterrence of age-related disorders, a comprehensive review of the current evidence to guide further public health interventions is lacking. This study systematically assessed, according to PRISMA guidelines, current evidence arising from observational studies regarding the potential impact of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on healthy ageing among elder adults. Of 509 initially retrieved unique items, 9 studies (including 2 cross-sectional and 7 prospective cohort studies) were reviewed. The reviewed evidence support that adherence to the Mediterranean diet during midlife was associated with 36%–46% greater likelihood of healthy ageing. Among the elderly, adherence to the Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with healthy ageing, while diets similar to that of the Mediterranean diet were associated with 269% greater likelihood of successful ageing and 33% reduction in mortality risk. Therefore, public health interventions aimed at promoting adherence to the Mediterranean diet, particularly among the elderly, may propagate healthy ageing and diminish the healthcare associated costs associated with age-related morbidity and mortality.     

Relevance of functional foods in the Mediterranean diet: the role of olive oil,berries and honey in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases

Abstract

The traditional Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is a well-known dietary pattern associated with longevity and improvement of life quality as it reduces the risk of the most common chronic pathologies, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), that represent the principal cause of death worldwide. One of the most characteristic foods of MedDiet is olive oil, a very complex matrix, which constitutes the main source of fats and is used in the preparation of foods, both raw as an ingredient in recipes, and in cooking. Similarly, strawberries and raspberries are tasty and powerful foods which are commonly consumed in the Mediterranean area in fresh and processed forms and have attracted the scientific and consumer attention worldwide for their beneficial properties for human health. Besides olive oil and berries, honey has lately been introduced in the MedDiet thanks to its relevant nutritional, phytochemical and antioxidant profile. It is a sweet substance that has recently been classified as a functional food. The aim of this review is to present and discuss the recent evidence, obtained from in vitro, in vivo and epidemiological studies, on the potential roles exerted by these foods in the prevention and progression of different types of cancer and CVDs.     

Potential of olive oil phenols as chemopreventive and therapeutic agents against cancer: A review of in vitro studies

Olive oil is a common component of Mediterranean dietary habits. Epidemiological studies have shown how the incidence of various diseases, including certain cancers, is relatively low in the Mediterranean basin compared to that of other European or North America countries. Current knowledge indicates that the phenolic fraction of olive oil has antitumor effects. In addition to the ability to be chemopreventive, with its high antioxidant activity, the antitumor effects of olive oil phenols (OO‐phenols) has been studied because of their capacity to inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis in several tumor cell lines, by diverse mechanisms. This review will summarize and discuss the most recent relevant results on the antitumor effect of OO‐phenols on leukemia tumor cells, colorectal carcinoma cells, and breast cancer (BC) cells. In particular, very recent data will be reported and discussed showing the molecular signaling pathways activated by OO‐phenols in different histopathological BC cell types, suggesting the potential use of OO‐phenols as adjuvant treatment against several subsets of BC. Data summarized here represent a good starting point for more extensive studies for better insight into the molecular mechanisms induced by OO‐phenols and to increase the availability of chemopreventive or therapeutic drugs to fight cancer.     

A conceptual framework for the collection of food products in a Total Diet Study

A total diet study (TDS) provides representative and realistic data for assessing the dietary intake of chemicals, such as contaminants and residues, and nutrients, at a population level. Reproducing the diet through collection of customarily consumed foods and their preparation as habitually eaten is crucial to ensure representativeness, i.e., all relevant foods are included and all potential dietary sources of the substances investigated are captured. Having this in mind, a conceptual framework for building a relevant food-shopping list was developed as a research task in the European Union’s 7th Framework Program project, ‘Total Diet Study Exposure’ (TDS-Exposure), aimed at standardising methods for food sampling, analyses, exposure assessment calculations and modelling, priority foods, and selection of chemical contaminants. A stepwise approach following the knowledge translation (KT) model for concept analysis is proposed to set up a general protocol for the collection of food products in a TDS in terms of steps (characterisation of the food list, development of the food-shopping list, food products collection) and pillars (background documentation, procedures, and tools). A simple model for structuring the information in a way to support the implementation of the process, by presenting relevant datasets, forms to store inherent information, and folders to record the results is also proposed. Reproducibility of the process and possibility to exploit the gathered information are two main features of such a system for future applications.     

Core food model of the Taiwan food supply for total diet study

ABSTRACT

Following the core food (CF) models of the USA and France reported in the 2000s, this study presents the first oriental CF model, for total diet studies in Taiwan. First, we combined the four latest national dietary recall surveys from 2005 to 2012, data sets from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) covering all ages (1 to 65+ years old). In total, 3,098 NAHSIT food codes from 349,497 records of responses from 7,580 individuals were aggregated within a three-tiered scheme into 237 CFs in 54 subcategories and 16 categories. As with Western foods, Taiwanese foods were mainly aggregated by food type and major ingredient, processing method, cooking method or serving habit. In addition, we propose several categories typical to Taiwanese foods: (1) processed foods (e.g. rice paste, rice noodle, bean curd); (2) mixed foods (e.g. tomato fried with egg, Guangdong porridge) and stuffed staple foods (e.g. rice cake, zongzi); (3) Chinese Dim Sum (e.g. dumpling, salted bun); and (4) animal offal (e.g. pig liver, chicken kidney) and by-products (e.g. chicken head, pig foot). Systematic nomenclature and coding methods are also proposed. A computerised web model was developed using a graphical user interface (GUI) for automatic CF aggregation and inquiry of various consumption estimates according to the residing area, age group, and gender of consumers. Point estimates of weighted means were calculated for consumption rates (CR) based on the whole group (WG) or consumers only (CO). The CR and body weight (BW) of each individual were matched to calculate mean intake per unit body weight (g/kg bw/day). A general sample design procedure with the CF model is suggested for a total diet study (TDS) on target hazards. Strategies are also discussed for improving the quality of food matching in sample designs.     

Cold plasma for the preservation of aquatic food products: An overview

Cold plasma (CP) is an upcoming technology implemented for the preservation of highly perishable foods, especially aquatic food products (AFPs). The high moisture content, high-quality protein with all essential amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids makes AFP more susceptible to microbial spoilage and oxidation of lipids and proteins. Spoilage lowers the nutritive value and could generate toxic components, making it unsafe for consumption. In recent times, the rising demand for food products of aquatic origin with preserved quality and extended shelf-life has been recorded. In addition, minimally or nonthermally processed and preserved foods are gaining great attention. CP technology has demonstrated an excellent ability to inactivate microorganisms without promoting their resistance and triggering some deteriorative enzymes, which are typical factors responsible for the spoilage of AFP. Consequently, CP could be recommended as a minimal processing intervention for preserving the quality of AFP. This review focuses on different mechanisms of fish spoilage, that is, by microorganisms and oxidation, their inhibition via the application of CP, and the retention of quality and shelf-life extension of AFP.     

Analytical methods for the determination of acrylamide in food products: a review

In early 2002, the Swedish National Food Administration reported high acrylamide levels in heat-treated carbohydrate-rich foods. Consequently, intensive activity began examining the many different types of food, and thousands of analyses have been undertaken world wide. Measurement data have been published in many different types of media. Within this flood of publications, there are only a limited number of articles concerned with the technical aspects of the measurements. This review focuses on the state-of-the-art in the analysis of acrylamide in foodstuffs. It covers information on methods from peer-reviewed articles and other sources (e.g. a survey carried out among official and private laboratories of the Member States of the European Union). Alternative methods are presented and discussed alongside the more common measurement techniques for acrylamide in foodstuffs. Special attention is given to sample preparation. The greatest differences between the analytical methods was for acrylamide extraction and clean-up. The influence of different extraction techniques or extraction solvents/solvent mixtures on the measurement results has not yet been fully investigated. There is also a lack of understanding about the sample clean-up. Since both might have a large impact on the results of the analysis, this review should also be considered as a basis for further investigations.     

A new approach for the utilization of barley in food products: Barley tarhana

One hulless and two hulled barley samples were used to produce tarhana samples with relatively high β-glucan content. Chemical and sensory properties of the tarhana samples were investigated and compared with the traditional wheat tarhana. Although some of the β-glucan may be destroyed during fermentation, the results indicated that barley flours can be used to produce tarhana with relatively high β-glucan content. Effect of tarhana production on the electrophoretic properties of proteins was evaluated in this study by using SDS–PAGE. Relative band intensities of tarhana samples were generally less intense than those of respective flour samples probably due to the hydrolysis of proteins during fermentation. The use of barley flours affected the color and RVA soup index values of tarhana samples. However, the overall sensory analysis results indicated that utilization of barley flours in tarhana formulation resulted in acceptable soup properties in terms of most of the sensory properties.     

Exploiting locally available resources for food and nutritional security enhancement: wild fruits diversity, potential and state of exploitation in the Amhara region of Ethiopia

This paper features the composition of wild fruits, their exploitation and their potential contribution to improved food and nutritional security in three districts of the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Data were gathered through structured, semi-structured and key-informant interviews which were administered to the heads of 92 randomly chosen households. Focus group discussions and direct field explorations by the researchers were also undertaken. The results revealed that altogether 44 wild fruit species are available for use in the study areas. The fruits are rich in valuable nutrients and are accessible year-round with significant overlap at times of acute food and nutrient scarcity. Nevertheless, owing to the peoples’ cereal-based dietary habits, cultural perceptions and attitudes, the current state of fruit utilization is very low. Consequently, the potential nutritional contribution of wild fruits to the people’s diets remains largely unexploited. In order to remedy this situation, a wider and sustained acceptance of wild fruits as important dietary components must be fostered.

Metabolomic approach for the detection of mechanically recovered meat in food products

Mechanically recovered meat (MRM) is generated by mechanical treatment of remnants following hand deboning. EU regulations exclude MRM from the definition of meat; as a consequence there is a need for robust analytical procedures to differentiate MRM from hand-deboned meat (HDM) and desinewed meat. Present study represents the development of an analytical platform for the detection of adulteration of meat products with MRM. Small molecular weight compounds were extracted from meat samples and analysed using GC–MS. Obtained metabolite profiles were modelled with OPLS-DA for the accurate classification of MRM, HDM and desinewed pork and chicken samples. Separation of three classes of products for fresh chicken and pork meat samples was achieved. In addition, the procedure also enabled proper prediction of samples not included in the model as well as pork commercial meat products. Compounds that could be potential markers for MRM detection in commercial products were also selected.     

A novel approach to evaluate the temperature during drying of food products with negligible external resistance to mass transfer

The paper deals with modeling the convective drying process. A relevant and reliable mathematical model that captures the history and distribution of temperature is presented. The attention is focused on the simultaneous heat and mass transfer occurring during drying where dry and hot air flows about the food. In the present study, external resistance to mass transfer is considered negligible. As a result, the drying curve is almost independent of the boundary conditions, which means that drying is diffusion-controlled. The main connotation of present study regards to undertake analytical procedure to establish the novel model for practical applications. The results show that the temperature evolution can be evaluated from an advanced analytical solution in a quick and efficient manner. The model is validated with the literature experimental data obtained for carrot and mango slabs. A good agreement is obtained between the model predictions and the available experimental results.     

Expression of Human Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen Middle Protein Gene in Transgenic Tobacco: Potential for Edible Vaccines

Hepatitis B virus is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality despite the availability of safe and effective injectable vaccines. Transgenic plants are a novel system for expression and oral delivery of subunit vaccine antigens. In this paper, plant expression vector pBIS2S, which contains the HBsAg gene with precursor sequence preS2, was reconstructed based on pBI121 and was introduced into tobacco by the co-cultivating leaf-section method via Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404. After selection by kanamycin and confirmation by PCR and Southern blot, it was found that the objective fragment had integrated into the tobacco genome. ELISA analysis showed that the hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) was expressed in transgenic tobacco plants. These results indicate that the production of HbsAg with PreS2 extended to food plants as a source of edible vaccines is possible.     

市售18种食品中克伦特罗快速检测产品的测试评价与分析

目的筛选出可用于监管的克伦特罗快速检测产品。方法以猪肉为基质,采用基质加标的方式制备盲样,使用18个厂家的克伦特罗快速检测产品进行测试,以测试结果的检出限、灵敏度、特异性、假阴性率、假阳性率为性能指标,同时考察方法的实效性,前处理的便捷性进行综合评价。结果本次评价的18种产品中,有3种产品的各项性能指标能够符合性能指标技术规范要求。结论综合考虑产品性能指标符合情况和适用性等方面,3种快速检测产品可满足食品快检监管需要,其他产品需进一步改进技术及规范应用。     

Behind the kitchen door: A novel mixed method approach for exploring the food provisioning practices of the older consumer

Social Practice Theory offers a theoretical approach to understanding habitual, mundane and tacitly enacted practices that are performed within the domestic environment. To support the practical adoption of this theory, this paper reports and reflects upon a methodological application of Social Practice Theory which was used to investigate the domestic kitchen-based practices of older adults (aged 60+) in order to understand the role of food safety within the everyday performance of these. Social Practice Theory requires a research design that situates data generation techniques into the ‘space’ in which the practices are performed and gives equal investigative consideration to the physical and social spheres of practices. We demonstrate that these methodological principles necessitate the use of mixed methods, and this case study presents a ‘tool-kit’ of data generation techniques that produced visual, verbal, textual, technical and scientific data. Through the presentation of results at the level of the individual household, the case study demonstrates how the different data streams acted as analytical lenses which facilitated data corroboration and comparison, and provided the basis for a grounded conceptual elaboration of domestically situated food provisioning and handling practices and the role of food safety within these.