Nutritional impacts of rising food prices in African countries: a review

This paper investigates the influences of food price spikes on nutritional outcomes in six African countries: DR Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. Drawing on the estimates of food demand elasticity with respect to food prices in previous studies, we constructed the elasticity of calorie and protein consumption with respect to food prices. We find that, while increasing cereal prices has the largest negative influences on both calorie and protein consumption in all the countries, the magnitude of the influences may differ by regions and the country’s dietary patterns. The negative influences are particularly large in rural areas and in the countries whose diets highly depend on a single staple cereal while small in the countries whose diets have alternative staple foods. Our findings highlight the importance of stabilizing cereal prices to reduce calorie deficiency while it may not be enough to improve protein deficiency.     

食品微生物CNAS检测能力验证结果与分析

目的 提高食品安全检测能力, 增强实验室竞争力。 方法 2011年, 本中心参加CNAS认可能力验证合格提供者山东出入境检验检疫局(CNAS PT0011)组织的食品微生物能力验证。依据国家标准GB4789.2- 2010 和GB4789.4-2010, 采用多稀释度、多平行样法, 对代码为PTA菌落总数、PTB-1沙门氏菌、PTB-2沙门氏菌样品进行检测鉴定。结果 样品PTA中菌落总数为590 cfu/mL;样品PTB-1沙门氏菌: 未检出/10 mL; 样品PTB-2沙门氏菌: 检出/10 mL。 结论 3个样品测试均取得满意结果, 且Z(比分值)小于1(Z值绝对值小于等于2为满意结果)。本中心实验室2个项目均取得满意结果。     

食品检测中重量分析基本操作的注意事项

通过对重量分析基本操作的介绍,重视实验过程中重量分析的操作,减小实验误差,提高工作效率,节省不必要的浪费.     

Food security and poverty in Mexico: the impact of higher global food prices

During the period 2006–2008, general inflation around the world was pressed upwards by food inflation. An important reason for concern about the impact of high food prices arises from the fact that the poorest people spend approximately three quarters of their income on staple foods. In Mexico, meals are based on maize, with tortillas providing much of the caloric intake in rural areas. Prices of maize along with nearly every agricultural commodity sharply increased creating a global food price bubble. Using the Household Income and Expenditure National Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Ingresos y Gastos de los Hogares ENIGH) conducted in 2006 and 2008, it was found that higher prices for maize affected Mexican household living standards and food security both in urban and rural areas. There is an evident decay in household living standards from year 2006 to year 2008. In regional terms, urban areas are better off than rural areas. The poorest rural and urban households—net buyers of maize—were the most affected as their budget share on maize increased significantly. However, higher prices provided direct benefits to maize producers in rural areas at all levels of living. Another effect of higher maize prices was to redistribute income towards maize producer households in the middle and bottom of the rural income distribution.     

Welfare effects of alternative targeted food subsidy programs in Iran

In many developing countries, consumer food subsidies are major parts of social safety net programs. The primary objective of these programs is to generate a sustained decrease in poverty in these countries. But, due to improper targeting, a large proportion of these food subsidies are “leaked” to high-income groups. Using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, the effects of alternative food subsidy reforms on production, foreign trade, households’ welfare and government expenditure in Iran was investigated. These were commodity targeting and cash transfer targeting of the food subsidy for needy groups. Replacing the existing food subsidy program with one targeted to foods consumed heavily in low income households would reduce government expenditure by 4.4 %, increase agricultural exports, reduce non-agricultural exports, and have a negative impact on consumer welfare for all urban consumers, and for all rural consumers except those in the poorest quintile. Replacing the existing program with a cash transfer targeted to poor households would reduce government expenditure by 3.1 %.     

Methods for allergen analysis in food: a review

Food allergies represent an important health problem in industrialized countries. Undeclared allergens as contaminants in food products pose a major risk for sensitized persons. A proposal to amend the European Food Labelling Directive requires that all ingredients intentionally added to food products will have to be included on the label. Reliable detection and quantification methods for food allergens are necessary to ensure compliance with food labelling and to improve consumer protection. Methods available so far are based on protein or DNA detection. This review presents an up-to-date picture of the characteristics of the major food allergens and collects published methods for the determination of food allergens or the presence of potentially allergenic constituents in food products. A summary of the current availability of commercial allergen detection kits is given. One part of the paper describes various methods that have been generally employed in the detection of allergens in food; their advantages and drawbacks are discussed in brief. The main part of this review, however, focuses on specific food allergens and appropriate methods for their detection in food products. Special emphasis is given to allergenic foods explicitly mentioned in the Amendment to the European Food Labelling Directive that pose a potential risk for allergic individuals, namely celery, cereals containing gluten (including wheat, rye and barley) crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk and dairy products, mustard, tree-nuts, sesame seeds, and sulphite at concentrations of at least 10 mg kg^-1. Sulphites, however, are not discussed.     

我国食物安全问题的教育和对策

食物安全问题包括两方面的内容，一是数量上的安全，二是由食品品质缺陷引起的危及人体健康的问题，这一类问题也称为食品安全问题。20世纪末我国农业生产取得了历史性进步之后，食物安全问题主要来自后者的影响。近年因食物中毒、污染而造成的重大损失和危害常见于报端，引起人们对食物安全的强烈关注。一般说来引起食物安全问题的社会原因主要有：（1）农业生产为了追求产量和一时的利益，非法或不当地施用含有有害物质或激素的化学药剂；（2）由于农业生产管理的无知或失误，过多地施用农药和化肥；（3）工业或生活污水，有毒排放物污染…     

Dephytinisation of rice bran and manufacturing a new food ingredient

Rice bran was extruded at 130 °C and a screw speed of 140 rpm for 20 s to inactivate lipase and prevent lipid oxidation. Although the extrusion process induced further complex formation between phytic acid and protein as well as between phytic acid and starch, nearly 94% of phytic acid in the extruded rice bran could still be removed by solid/liquid extraction conducted at 25 °C for 30 min using hydrochloric acid at pH 2 as solvent and a solvent/rice bran ratio of 15. After the extract had been neutralised and phytic acid removed, it was added back to the rice bran solid to replenish the nutritional and functional components of the solid. The mixture was then dried in a drum dryer to yield a powdered product. The dephytinised rice bran product contained most of the protein, fat, dietary fibre and B vitamins and more than 50% of the oryzanol originally present in the raw rice bran. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of fortified dried broken rice as a complementary food

BACKGROUND: Commercially produced dried broken rice is widely used to prepare complementary foods for Thai infants, and it is both convenient and acceptable to persons from all socioeconomic classes. However, inadequate levels of calcium, iron, thiamine, and folate are common in complementary foods for breastfed infants. OBJECTIVE: We developed dried broken rice fortified with these nutrients at levels recommended by the 2001 guidelines of the World Health Organization. METHODS: The fortification process involved predrying broken rice at 90 degrees C for 1 hour, soaking in a nutrient solution (2:1 ratio of rice to solution), and drying at 70 degrees C for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Calcium lactate or calcium lactate gluconate was the calcium source, and ferrous sulfate, ferrous lactate, or ferric sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaFeEDTA) was the iron source. The vitamin sources were thiamine hydrochloride and folic acid. The product contained 40 mg of calcium, 5.3 mg of iron, 0.08 mg of thiamine, and 11 microg of folate per 20-g serving. RESULTS: Approximately 5% and 10% of calcium and iron, respectively, were lost during processing, with a thiamine loss of approximately 13%, and a folate loss ranging from 17% to 23%. The thiamine loss during accelerated storage (42 degrees C for three months) was not significant (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: NaFeEDTA was the most appropriate iron fortificant because it provided prolonged product stability and high in vitro dialyzability.     

The short- and medium- term impacts of rises in staple food prices

There is widespread concern about the impact of recent food price rises on the welfare and food security of poor people and about future impacts of high prices. Responses to these concerns are, however, sometimes clouded by lack of clarity about the nature of short and medium term impacts of food price changes for different people. This paper reviews both theory and empirical evidence on these impacts. It finds that theory and empirical evidence are broadly complementary and consistent, with a high degree of variability in impacts. In broad terms staple food price increases have had very serious effects on the poor in national or local economies which have experienced high food price shocks without broad based growth processes. Poor net buyers of food, in both rural and urban communities, have been most negatively affected, with limited second order benefits from high staple food prices tightening labour markets in poor rural economies. Short term impacts can be ameliorated by economic growth and, for international food price increases, by limited price transmission. Economic growth and lower domestic price transmission of high international prices in different countries, notably India and China, have led to lower increases in global poverty, hunger and malnourishment than hunger and poverty simulations have suggested. However these findings should not detract from the very serious impacts high food prices have had for very large numbers of very poor people in poor countries, and the need for policies and action to address this.     

Demand patterns of rice imports in Malaysia: Implications for food security

Malaysia is a net importer of rice. More than a quarter of its rice requirement is met by import. Rice imports play a crucial role in determining the country’s food security. Import strategy of the company, which owns the exclusive import right, has a profound impact on an array of economic, political, and societal stabilities. However, domestic agricultural policies and relevant past studies have not addressed the strategic concern in the current food security framework. Therefore, this study analyzes demand patterns of rice imports in Malaysia with an ultimate intention to provide policy implications for its food security. From the Error Correction Model of Almost Ideal Demand System (ECM-AIDS), estimates of demand elasticity suggest that rice imports will be narrowly sourced, largely from Viet Nam with Thailand second in importance. Such an import strategy is similar to the pre-crisis model, which was weak in mitigating negative effects of supply disruption during the Food Price Crisis 2007/08. Instead, the exclusive importer could (1) multi-source rice imports, (2) import paddy (for longer storage life and supporting downstream activities), and/or (3) balance its business orientation with the national food security. In sum, this study provides evidences for the need to consider rice imports in the country’s future food security framework.     

Exposure assessment to synthetic food colours of a selected population in Hyderabad, India

An exposure assessment of synthetic food colours was carried out among 1-5- and 6-18-year-old individuals by the food frequency method. Children had an intake of solid food consumption in the range 2-465 g day^-1 and liquid food consumption in the range 25-840 ml day^-1 with added colours. Among the eight permitted colours in India, six were consumed by the subjects of the study. The intakes of some subjects exceeded the acceptable daily intake for colours such as tartrazine, sunset yellow and erythrosine, which is 7.5, 2.5 and 0.1 mg kg^-1 body weight, respectively. Therefore, a uniform permissible limit of 100 mg kg^-1 prescribed under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act in India for all foods is not justified. The limits need to be revised according to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which permits different maximum levels of additives to various food categories based on both the extent of consumption and the technological justification for its use.     

Formation of acrylamide in a processed food model system, and examination of inhibitory conditions

Acrylamide (AAm) is formed from asparagine (Asn) and reducing sugar during cooking of foods at high temperature. We examined the formation of AAm in a model system using a glass fiber filter paper, and looked for suitable conditions for inhibiting AAm formation. In frying, the formation rate was about 10 times that in a moistureless oven. Increase of frying temperature and frying time increased AAm formation when the residual moisture was 5% or less. AAm increased with increasing amount of glucose (Glc) addition up to 1:1 with respect to Asn, but then decreased. On the other hand, in the case of fructose, as the amount added was increased, AAm increased accordingly. The AAm formation rate with respect to Asn increased when valine (Val) was co-present in a Glc and Asn reaction system. Cysteine and lysine inhibited the AAm formation rate. Pathways for the formation of AAm are proposed.     

Production and shelf stability of multiple-fortified quick-cooking rice as a complementary food

Rice-based complementary foods normally contain inadequate amounts of several micronutrients, such as iron, calcium, and zinc. This study aimed at improving the quality of commercially produced rice-based complementary foods. The analysis centered on identifying a rice-based complementary food that is safe, stable, sensory acceptable, and economical in terms of fortificants (iron, calcium, zinc, thiamine, folate) and effectively packaged for industrial production and distribution. Product colors were mostly in green-yellow tone and slightly changed to more yellow during storage. Sensory acceptability was affected by changes in odor and rancidity but not in color. Rancidity scores were low in aluminum foil laminated plastic bags (ALU). Lipid oxidation significantly increased during storage, but at a slower rate when sodium citrate and ALU were used. Color differences of raw products were detected but not in the cooked ones. Mineral and vitamin losses during processing were 2% to 11% and 20% to 30%, respectively, but no losses were found during storage. FeSO(4)+ NaFeEDTA added with sodium citrate resulted in the most acceptable product for all packagings. The multiple-fortified quick-cooking rice (MFQCR) developed from this study could be a potentially useful tool for combating micronutrient deficiencies among infants and young children in the countries where rice is the staple food.     

基于GC-MS的大米挥发组分研究进展

大米的挥发组分是其香气的主要来源,虽然含量占比极低,却是决定大米品质的重要因素之一。目前,大米香气的评价方法包括感官评价法、电子舌/鼻法、以及气相色谱-质谱法(GC-MS)法等,其中,GC-MS法应用最为广泛。本文综述了近年来基于GC-MS技术研究大米挥发组分的进展,包括主要的前处理方法,分析了各种前处理方法的优势和不足,以及GC-MS技术在大米品种鉴别、加工机制和储藏机制研究领域的应用现状。其中,准确测定大米挥发组分的含量及阈值,以及从动态角度对大米香气成分的相互作用和形成机理进行研究是未来的研究方向。     

Coordination in food security crises: a stakeholder analysis of the challenges facing the global food security cluster

In mid 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) formally launched the global Food Security Cluster (FSC) as the UN’s global mechanism for coordinating food security responses in emergencies worldwide. The need for greater coordination of food security response in emergencies is enormous: Not only is the number of actors growing ever larger, the operating environment is more complex, and the range of responses requires substantially greater levels of skill than ever in analysis, planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Will this new mechanism provide the leadership needed for complex, multi-dimensional responses needed to protect food security and livelihoods in disasters? What are the special challenges the cluster faces? This paper analyzes a series of country level case studies and key informant interviews with stakeholders in a range of roles to address these questions.     

The food security challenge of the food-land-water nexus in India

Two of the key factors that drive agricultural growth and food production in India are access to arable land and utilizable water resources. These are examined with particular reference to their regional variation in order to make an assessment of the magnitude of the food security challenge they pose for the country. Recent official estimates of groundwater exploitation in India are compared with actual negative physical, social and economic consequences of over-exploitation, as are evident in different regions, and their implications for national food security discussed. The analyses show that the real food security and water management challenge lies in the mismatch between water availability and agricultural water demand: high demands occur in water scarce but agriculturally prosperous regions and low demands in naturally water-abundant but agriculturally backward regions. Serious groundwater depletion problems, which occur in the naturally water-scarce but surplus food-producing regions, magnify the challenge. The small area of arable land per capita is a major reason for low agricultural water demand in regions that have abundant water. Sustainability of well irrigation in the naturally water-scarce regions, which is the backbone of India??s food security, could be achieved through judicious investment in surface water projects which encourage direct irrigation and replenishment of over-exploited aquifers. Other strategies include: pro rata pricing of electricity in the farm sector; volumetric pricing of water from public irrigation systems; improving the efficiency of utilization of green water or the rainwater held in the soil profile; preventing depletion of the residual soil moisture in the field after crop harvest by reducing the fallow period; and reducing the use of water through a shift to low water consuming crops