Coumarin and cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon marketed in Italy: A natural chemical hazard?

Some plants that are processed into foods often contain natural substances that may be hazardous to human health. One example is coumarin, which is known to cause liver and kidney damage in rats, mice and probably humans. The main source of coumarin in the diet is cinnamon. The name ‘cinnamon’ is correctly used to refer to Ceylon cinnamon, also known as ‘true cinnamon’. However, other plant species are sometimes sold with the label of cinnamon. This is the case of Cinnamomun aromaticum (cassia). In recent years, due to its cheaper price, cassia is replacing true cinnamon in the European food market being largely used in the preparation of some kinds of sweets. Several European health agencies have recently warned against consuming high amounts of cassia due to its high content of coumarin. In this study, 34 samples of cinnamon and 50 samples of cinnamon-containing foodstuffs were collected from the Italian market. Quantitative determinations of coumarin and cinnamaldehyde were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detector (DAD). The analytical method was in-house validated assessing recovery, repeatability, linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ). The results showed that about 51% of cinnamon samples consisted of cassia, 10% were probably a blend of cassia and Ceylon cinnamon, whereas only 39% were actually Ceylon cinnamon. As far as cinnamon-containing foods are concerned, the samples often exceeded the maximum level fixed in the European Flavourings Directive of 2 mg kg^?1.     

Smoking too few cigarettes to be at risk? Smokers' perceptions of risk and risk denial,a French survey

Background

Past studies on smokers'' risk perception have produced mixed results. We endorsed a new approach to assess smokers'' perceptions of risk by asking them to estimate threshold values for the cancer risk associated with daily consumption of tobacco and number of smoking years. We expected that many smokers would endorse a “risk denial” attitude, with threshold estimates higher than their own smoking consumption and duration.

Methodology

A French national telephone survey (n = 3820; 979 current smokers) included several questions about smoking behaviours and related beliefs.

Results

Among current smokers, 44% considered that smoking can cause cancer only for a daily consumption higher than their own consumption, and an additional 20% considered that the cancer risk becomes high only for a smoking duration higher than their own. Most smokers also agreed with other “risk denial” statements (“smoking is not more dangerous than air pollution,” “some people smoke their whole life but never get sick”). Those who considered they smoked too few cigarettes to be at risk were less likely to report personal fear of smoking related cancer.

Conclusion

Risk denial is quite widespread among smokers and does not simply reflect a lack of information about health risks related to tobacco. Fully informing smokers about their risks may necessitate changing the way they process information to produce beliefs and limiting their capacity to generate self exempting beliefs.     

Selenium toxicity to invertebrates: will proposed thresholds for toxicity to fish and birds also protect their prey?

Efforts to manage the environmental risks of selenium (Se) in freshwater ecosystems have focused primarily on fish and birds, with invertebrates most often considered only as dietary sources of Se to higher trophic levels. Relatively little attention has been given to the risk of Se toxicity to invertebrates. Based on a review of 156 aqueous, dietary, or internal Se concentrations associated with toxic effects in 29 macroinvertebrate species, we found that water concentrations associated with acute lethality varied > 1000-fold among taxa, whereas toxic dietary concentrations varied approximately 100-fold and toxic internal concentrations varied about 30-fold. Sublethal effects occurred at approximately 10-fold lower concentrations than lethality. Sublethal effects occurred at 1-30 microg Se/g dry weight in invertebrate tissue, a range that encompasses proposed dietary thresholds for toxicity to fish and water birds, suggesting that Se may cause toxic effects in some invertebrate species at concentrations considered to be "safe" for the organisms consuming them.     

Vitamins in wine: Which,what for,and how much?

Vitamins are essential compounds to yeasts, and notably in winemaking contexts. Vitamins are involved in numerous yeast metabolic pathways, including those of amino acids, fatty acids, and alcohols, which suggests their notable implication in fermentation courses, as well as in the development of aromatic compounds in wines. Although they are major components in the course of those microbial processes, their significance and impact have not been extensively studied in the context of winemaking and wine products, as most of the studies focusing on the subject in the past decades have relied on relatively insensitive and imprecise analytical methods. Therefore, this review provides an extensive overview of the current knowledge regarding the impacts of vitamins on grape must fermentations, wine-related yeast metabolisms, and requirements, as well as on the profile of wine sensory characteristics. We also highlight the methodologies and techniques developed over time to perform vitamin analysis in wines, and assess the importance of precisely defining the role played by vitamins in winemaking processes, to ensure finer control of the fermentation courses and product characteristics in a highly complex matrix.     

Consumer responses for tenderness and overall impression can be predicted by visible and near-infrared spectroscopy,Meullenet–Owens razor shear,and Warner–Bratzler shear force

Beef ribeye rolls (n = 40) from Select, low Choice, top (upper 2/3) Choice, and Prime quality grade carcasses were used to determine the relationship of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIR) reflectance, Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and Meullenet–Owens razor shear (MORS) with consumer responses for tenderness and overall impression. Steaks (2.54 cm) were cut and assigned to either 14 or 28 d aging (n = 4/aging period). Reflectance in the VNIR spectrum was measured 1 d from the box-date no less than 30 min after cutting, and prior to aging. The steak used for VNIR measurement was designated for WBSF and MORS measurement, whereas three adjacent steaks were cooked for evaluation by a consumer panel (n = 240 members). Steaks from the Select-grade ribeye rolls had the greatest (P = 0.06) WBSF values and lower (P < 0.05) overall impression scores than those from top Choice and Prime quality grades. Consumer panelists evaluated steaks aged 28 d as more tender (P < 0.05) than those aged 14 d. The relationship of mechanical tenderness measurements were higher with consumer panel responses for tenderness than with overall impression, and those relationships were stronger for the Select grade than for quality grades with higher degrees of marbling. The 2nd derivatives of VNIR measurements were more successful at predicting consumer panel responses of tenderness and overall impression than WBSF and MORS; thus, VNIR methodology was less invasive and more predictive than other, more traditional tenderness measurements.     

Structure and function of assemblages of bacteria and archaea in model anaerobic aquifer columns: can functional instability be practically beneficial?

Biodegradable organic carbon is often added to aquifers to stimulate microbial reduction of oxidized contaminants. This carbon also stimulates fermenters, which generate important metabolites that can fuel contaminant reduction and may enhance dissolution of hydrophobic compounds. Therefore, understanding how different methods of carbon addition affect the fermentative community will enable design of more effective remediation strategies. Our research objective was to evaluate the microbial communities that developed in model aquifer columns in response to pulsed or continuous molasses input. Results indicated that the continuously fed column produced relatively low concentrations of metabolic intermediates and had a greater proportion of Bacteria and methanogens, as measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, near the column inlet. In contrast, the pulsed-fed column generated periodic high concentrations of metabolic intermediates, with Bacteria and methanogens distributed throughout the length of the column. The community structures of Bacteria and Archaea, measured via automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis, in the pulsed-fed column were significantly different from those in the control column (not fed). The microbial community composition of the continuously fed column, however, became increasingly similar to the control column along the column length. These results demonstrate that a strategy of pulsed carbon addition leads to activity that is associated with functional instability, in terms of the production of periodic pulses of fermentation products and changing carbon concentration, and may be advantageous for remediation by producing large quantities of beneficial intermediates and resulting in more homogenously distributed biomass.     

Promotion and advocacy for improved complementary feeding: can we apply the lessons learned from breastfeeding?

Although many successes have been achieved in promoting breastfeeding, this has not been the case for complementary feeding. Some successes in promoting complementary feeding at the community level have been documented, but few of these efforts have expanded to a larger scale and become sustained. To discover the reasons for this difference, the key factors for the successful promotion of breastfeeding on a large scale were examined and compared with the efforts made in complementary feeding. These factors include definition and rationale, policy support, funding, advocacy, private-sector involvement, availability and use of monitoring data, integration of research into action, and the existence of a well-articulated series of steps for successful implementation. The lessons learned from the promotion of breastfeeding should be applied to complementary feeding, and the new Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding provides an excellent first step in this process.     

Analytical and functional characterization of microcystins [Asp3]MC-RR and [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR: consequences for risk assessment?

The microcystin (MC) producing P. rubescens occurs in pre-alpine lakes and may impact fishery success, bathing, and raw water quality. P. rubescens extracts, characterized via LC-MS, contained the two MC-RR variants [Asp3]MC-RR and [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR. The protein-phosphatase-inhibition assay (cPPIA with phosphatases 1 and 2A) in its capability to quantify [Asp3]MC-RR, [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR, and MC-RR was compared to HPLC-DAD and anti-Adda-ELISA. The IC50 values (PP1 and PP2A) determined for MC-LR, MC-RR, and [Asp3]MC-RR were in the same range (1.9-3.8 and 0.45-0.75 nM). A 50-fold higher concentration of [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR (29.8 nM) was necessary to inhibit the PP2A by 50%. The PP1-IC50 of [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR was 22-fold higher (56.4 nM) than those of the other MCs, suggesting that specific structural characteristics are responsible for its weaker PPI capacity. Western blots demonstrated that [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR does not covalently bind to PP1. [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR has comparable in vivo LD50 values to MC-RR, despite a far lower PP-inhibiting capacity, suggesting that toxicodynamic and toxicokinetic characteristics of [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR are responsible for its high in vivo toxicity. The data demonstrate that cPPIA analysis of [Asp3,Dhb7]MC-RR-containing samples prevent reliable MC determination and lead to underestimation of potential toxicity.     

Nutraceutical intervention with colostrum replacer: Can we reduce disease hazard,ameliorate disease severity,and improve performance in preweaned dairy calves?

The objective of this randomized clinical trial was to determine if an intervention with colostrum replacer (CR; Premolac Plus, Zinpro; 125 g/d fed for 3 d) or a placebo milk replacer (Cows Match, Land O'Lakes Inc.; 125 g/d for 3 d) following a triggered alarm could ameliorate disease bouts in dairy calves. The alarm was set to detect negative deviations of milk intake (20% reduction) or drinking speed (30% reduction) in relation to a calf's 12-d rolling average feeding behavior. Calves were enrolled on this study (n = 42 CR, n = 42 placebo) when they triggered an alarm from d 14 to 50 on the feeder before weaning. Once calves were enrolled, calves received a bottle of either 125 g of CR or milk replacer mixed with 1 L of water for 3 d. Calves were enrolled on the automated milk feeder at age 4.0 ± 2.0 d (mean ± SD), were offered 10 L/d of the same milk replacer fed as a placebo, and had ad libitum access to calf starter measured by automated feeders. Weaning began at d 50, with 50% reduction of milk replacer across 14 d, and an additional 20% reduction for another 7 d before weaning at d 70. Calves were health scored from birth to 2 wk postweaning (88 ± 2.0 d of age) daily for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and diarrhea, and were weighed and scored using lung ultrasonography twice weekly. A BRD score ≥5 and an area of consolidated lung ≥3.0 cm² was considered BRD positive; diarrhea was defined as a watery fecal consistency that sifted through the bedding. The effect of CR on BRD and diarrhea likelihood were calculated with logistic models; the 7 d before and after an alarm were fixed effects, with milk intake as a covariate. A Cox proportional hazards model evaluated the effect of CR on the hazard of being positive for BRD and diarrhea following enrollment, with sex as a fixed effect in the diarrhea model. The effect of CR on average daily gain the week following intervention was evaluated with linear modeling with repeated measures, and birth date was a random effect. After intervention, placebo calves had 1.64 (95% CI: 1.11–2.43) times greater odds of having a BRD bout compared with CR calves for the 7 d following intervention. Moreover, placebo calves had 1.50 (95% CI: 1.11–2.08) times greater odds of having lobar lung consolidation in the 7 d after intervention than CR calves. No difference was found in the likelihood of diarrhea in the 7 d after intervention (odds ratio: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.71–1.16). However, placebo calves had a 2.38 (95% CI: 1.30–4.33) times greater hazard of incurring BRD in the 14 d after intervention. Average daily gain was not associated with an intervention with CR for the 7 d after intervention (placebo: 0.73 ± 0.07 kg/d; CR: 0.70 ± 0.08 kg/d; LSM ± SEM). These results suggest CR may reduce BRD likelihood but did not influence growth in calves offered high allowances of milk. Future research should examine which properties of CR ameliorate BRD in calves.     

Red meat and colon cancer: Should we become vegetarians,or can we make meat safer?

The effect of meat consumption on cancer risk is a controversial issue. However, recent meta-analyses show that high consumers of cured meats and red meat are at increased risk of colorectal cancer. This increase is significant but modest (20-30%). Current WCRF-AICR recommendations are to eat no more than 500 g per week of red meat, and to avoid processed meat. Moreover, our studies show that beef meat and cured pork meat promote colon carcinogenesis in rats. The major promoter in meat is heme iron, via N-nitrosation or fat peroxidation. Dietary additives can suppress the toxic effects of heme iron. For instance, promotion of colon carcinogenesis in rats by cooked, nitrite-treated and oxidized high-heme cured meat was suppressed by dietary calcium and by α-tocopherol, and a study in volunteers supported these protective effects in humans. These additives, and others still under study, could provide an acceptable way to prevent colorectal cancer.     

Smoking,social class,and gender: what can public health learn from the tobacco industry about disparities in smoking?

Objective: To discover how the tobacco industry considers social class and gender in its efforts to market cigarettes in the USA, particularly to socially disadvantaged young women. Methods: A systematic on-line search of tobacco industry documents using selected keywords was conducted, and epidemiological data on smoking rates reviewed. Results: The two largest cigarette manufacturers in the USA consider "working class" young adults to be a critical market segment to promote growth of key brands. Through their own market research, these companies discovered that socially disadvantaged young women do not necessarily desire a "feminine" cigarette brand. Conclusions: Considering the tobacco industry''s efforts, alongside the persistent and growing disparities in cigarette smoking by social class, and the narrowing of differences in smoking by gender, it is concluded that additional tobacco control resources ought to be directed toward working class women.     

Invited review: The future of selection decisions and breeding programs: What are we breeding for,and who decides?

Genetic selection has been a very successful tool for the long-term improvement of livestock populations, and the rapid adoption of genomic selection over the last decade has doubled the rate of gain in some populations. Breeding programs seek to identify genetically superior parents of the next generation, typically as a function of an index that combines information about many economically important traits into a single number. In the United States, the data that drive this system are collected through the national dairy herd improvement program that began more than a century ago. The resulting information about animal performance, pedigree, and genotype is used to compute genomic evaluations for comparing and ranking animals for selection. However, the full expression of genetic potential requires that animals are placed in environments that can support such performance. The Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture and the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding collaborate to deliver state-of-the-art genomic evaluations to the dairy industry. Today, most breeding stock are selected and marketed using the net merit dollars (NM$) selection index, which evolved from 2 traits in 1926 (milk and fat yield) to a combination of 36 individual traits following the last NM$ update in 2018. Updates to NM$ require the estimation of many different values, and it can be difficult to achieve consensus from stakeholders on what should be added to, or removed from, the index at each review, and how those traits should be weighted. Over time, the majority of the emphasis in the index has shifted from yield traits to fertility, health, and fitness traits. Phenotypes for some of these new traits are difficult or expensive to measure, or require changes to on-farm habits that have not been widely adopted. This is driving interest in sensor-based systems that provide continuous measurements of the farm environment, individual animal performance, and detailed milk composition. There is also a need to capture more detailed data about the environment in which animals perform, including information about feeding, housing, milking systems, and infectious and parasitic load. However, many challenges accompany these new technologies, including a lack of standardization or validation, need for high-speed internet connections, increased computational requirements, and interpretations that are often not backed by direct observations of biological phenomena. This work will describe how US selection objectives are developed, as well as discuss opportunities and challenges associated with new technologies for measuring and recording animal performance.     

Consumers’ expectation and liking for cheese: Can familiarity effects resulting from regional differences be highlighted within a country?

Consumers’ food choices are affected by various factors whose study is of interest for food industry. This paper aims to investigate the influence of familiarity on the expectation and liking of Maroilles cheese among consumers familiar and unfamiliar with the product in France. It specifically focuses on two elements of the familiarity: consumption frequency and knowledge and studies their interactions. A hedonic test on Maroilles cheeses was carried out with 305 consumers from Lille city (familiar with Maroilles cheese) and from Angers city (unfamiliar). The test included three conditions: blind (tasting without any information), expected (no tasting, presentation of the photo of the packaging) and informed conditions (tasting + presentation of the photo of the packaging). A questionnaire was also administrated to assess their socio-demographic information, theoretical knowledge and consumption habits related to Maroilles cheeses. Results show that, as expected, Lille consumers eat more Maroilles and show higher liking scores for this cheese than Angers consumers do. Lille consumers outperform Angers consumers on their knowledge score and an interaction between the levels of knowledge and exposure is observed: Lille consumers with the higher level of knowledge have higher expectations of Maroilles cheese than Lille consumers with the lower level of knowledge. This effect is not observed with Angers consumers. Moreover, consumers familiar with Maroilles based their hedonic judgment mainly on intrinsic cues (tasting) whereas consumers unfamiliar with Maroilles are more influenced by extrinsic cues (packaging). Familiarity affects how consumers use available information to form product quality judgement.     

What is next for the Dietary Reference Intakes for bone metabolism related nutrients beyond calcium: phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D, and fluoride?

The science supporting the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D, and fluoride was examined in this review. Along with the previous article on calcium in this series both of these reviews represent all the DRI for nutrients considered essential for bone metabolism and health, as reported in the Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride (Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), 1997). The Recomended Dietary Allowances (RDA) or adequate intake (AI), and the tolerable upper intake level (UL) were recommended for each of these essential nutrients. For adults and in the case of fluoride, for infants as well, UL were calculated since all of these nutrients have the potential for mild to detrimental side effects. Dietary intake data and controversies regarding the role these nutrients may play in other chronic diseases have also been discussed. Advances and controversies reported since the publication of the DRI for these nutrients were also addressed in this review. A recent Dietary Reference Intake Research Synthesis Workshop report identified an extensive range of suggested future research directions needed to improve our understanding of these bone-related nutrients and their contributions to human health.     

High occurrence of Helicobacter pylori in raw goat, sheep and cow milk inferred by glmM gene: a risk of food-borne infection?

Helicobacter pylori is an organism widespread in humans and sometimes responsible for serious illnesses, such as gastric and duodenal ulcers, MALToma and even gastric cancer. It has been hypothesized that the infection route by H. pylori involves multiple pathways including food-borne transmission, as the microorganism has been detected from foods such as sheep and cow milk. This work reports the results of a survey conducted in order to investigate the presence of H. pylori in raw goat, sheep and cow milk produced in Southern Italy, employing a Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (Nested-PCR) assay for the detection of the phosphoglucosamine mutase gene (glmM), as screening method followed by conventional bacteriological isolation. Out of the 400 raw milk samples examined, 139 (34.7%) resulted positive for the presence of glmM gene, but no strains were isolated. In this work H. pylori DNA has been firstly detected from 41 (25.6%) raw goat milk samples. The results deserve further investigations on the contamination source/s of the milk samples and on the major impact that it may have on consumers.     

The retail market for fresh cassava root tubers in the European Union (EU): the case of Copenhagen,Denmark — a chemical food safety issue?

BACKGROUND: A number of retail shops in Copenhagen sell fresh cassava roots. Cassava roots contain the toxic cyanogenic glucoside linamarin. A survey was made of the shop characteristics, origin of the roots, buyers, shop owner's knowledge of toxicity levels, and actual toxicity levels. RESULTS: Shops selling fresh cassava were shown mostly to be owned by persons originating in the Middle East or Afghanistan, buyers were found to predominantly be of African origin, and sellers' knowledge concerning the potential toxicity was found to be very restricted. Seventy‐six per cent of the roots purchased had a total cyanogenic potentials (CNp) above the 50 mg HCN equivalents kg^?1 dry weight (d.w.) proposed as acceptable by an EU working group. Two of 25 roots purchased had CNp higher than 340 mg HCN eq. kg^?1 d.w. CONCLUSION: The EU has previously made risk assessments concerning cassava and cyanogenic compounds. In the light of the conclusions drawn, the EU needs to make decisions about how to deal with the regulation and control of fresh cassava roots imported to the European food market. Also cassava root products and cassava leaves should be considered. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Food allergy,a summary of eight cases in the UK criminal and civil courts: effective last resort for vulnerable consumers?

Food allergy has a forensic context. The authors describe eight cases in the UK courts involving fatalities, personal injury or criminal non‐compliance with food law from mainly ‘grey’ literature sources. The potentially severe consequences for people with food allergy of contraventions of labelling law have led to enforcement action up to criminal prosecution for what might otherwise be regarded as ‘trivial’ non‐compliance. The authors suggest there should be central collation of such cases. Non‐compliances should be followed up in a more rapid and robust manner. Evidence of fraud in the catering supply chain supports recent calls for zero tolerance of food fraud. Businesses must guard against gaps in allergen management, for which there are readily available sources of training and guidance, but also against fraudulent substitution in the supply chain, about which training and guidance should be developed. New allergen labelling legislation and case law appear to place responsibility on food businesses even for the forensically problematic area of allergen cross‐contamination. The courts can be an effective last resort for vulnerable consumers; however, there is evidence of knowledge and skill gaps in both the investigation and prosecution of potentially serious incidents of food allergen mismanagement and mislabelling. Thorough investigation of food allergy deaths is required with a tenacious and skilled approach, including early realisation that samples of the food and/or stomach contents from a post mortem examination should be retained and analysed. The supply chain must be rigorously examined to find out where adulteration or contamination with the fatal allergen occurred. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry