Preventing constipation: a review of the laxative potential of food ingredients

Constipation is a highly prevalent and difficult‐to‐cure health problem, forcing 10–20% of the worldwide population to seek medical care. Efficacy of treatments varies greatly among individuals, and problems are becoming more frequent despite higher consumption of fibre‐rich foods, the most popular solution for preventing such gastrointestinal disorders. The evidence that consumption of fibre prevents and relieves constipation is unconvincing or uncertain. The food industry has made great efforts to develop fibre‐rich ingredients, especially those from food by‐products and wastes. Except for psyllium and wheat bran, most of these ingredients have intermediate or low laxative potential and their efficacy needs to be confirmed by more clinical studies. This review suggests that there are major discrepancies between the proposed fibre‐enriched ingredients and the consumers' needs. As a lasting solution to prevent constipation, the true impact of dietary fibre and potent food‐grade laxatives might also be limited by overeating.     

A simple method to identify chickpea cultivars to be included in infant food manufacture

A simple method is described for obtaining an overall view of estimated trace element bioavailability in chickpeas, in order to select chickpea cultivars for use as ingredients in infant food manufacture. The two‐phase method is based on a set of six raw variables (V_Ri, i = 1–6): average Fe, Cu, Zn, trypsin inhibitor, phytic acid and tannin contents. In the first phase, each V_R was transformed into a V_Ti : V_T = (V_R ? min) × 100/(max ? min). In the second phase, using information drawn from the set of three trace elements V_T, a new variable was obtained, defined as the area enclosed within a three‐axis system (TE area). A similar process was used with the data for trypsin inhibitor, phytic acid and tannin to obtain an antinutritive factor area (AF area). Four cultivars (ca2047, ca2219, ca2222 and p678) were deemed to be of particular interest as possible ingredients of an infant food formula, since they combined a high level of trace elements with a low level of antinutritive substances. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between TE and AF areas (r = 0.37, p < 0.05), showing that a high overall trace element content in chickpeas correlates with high overall antinutritive substance levels. Finally, the chickpea cultivar ca2219 is proposed as the best option, having ruled out other possibilities. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

High‐throughput microbial bioassays to screen potential New Zealand functional food ingredients intended to manage the growth of probiotic and pathogenic gut bacteria

A spectrophotometric bioassay was used to screen selected food ingredients intended for development of functional foods designed to influence the growth of gut bacteria. Dose–response profiles displaying Δ_growth, the magnitude of deviation from growth of controls, were generated for probiotics Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium lactis and pathogens Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. Ingredients were manuka honey UMF?20+(dose‐dependently increased probiotics and decreased pathogens); bee pollen (biphasic growth effects against all); Rosehips and BroccoSprouts^® (increased all dose‐dependently); blackcurrant oil (little effect) and propolis (inhibited all strains). Ingredients were also bioassayed in pairs to assess desirable or undesirable synergistic interactions. Observed synergies included manuka honey (predominantly desirable); rosehips or BroccoSprouts® (desirable and undesirable); blackcurrant oil (desirable) and propolis (tended towards synergies reinforcing its antimicrobial effects), collectively revealing a complex web of interactions which varied by ingredient and bacterial strain. Manuka honey was particularly effective at influencing gut bacteria. The surprising frequency of undesirable synergistic interactions illustrates the importance of pre‐testing potential ingredient combinations intended for use in functional foods.     

Biovanillin from agro wastes as an alternative food flavour

This review provides an overview of biovanillin production from agro wastes as an alternative food flavour. Biovanillin is one of the widely used flavour compounds in the foods, beverages and pharmaceutical industries. An alternative production approach for biovanillin as a food flavour is hoped for due to the high and variable cost of natural vanillin as well as the limited availability of vanilla pods in the market. Natural vanillin refers to the main organic compound that is extracted from the vanilla bean, as compared to biovanillin, which is produced biologically by microorganisms from a natural precursor such as ferulic acid. Biovanillin is also reviewed as a potential bioflavour produced by microbial fermentation in an economically feasible way in the near future. In fact, we briefly discuss natural, synthetic and biovanillin and the types of agro wastes that are useful as sources for bioconversion of ferulic acid into biovanillin. The subsequent part of the review emphasizes the current application of vanillin as well as the utilization of biovanillin as an alternative food flavour. The final part summarizes biovanillin production from agro wastes that could be of benefit as a food flavour derived from potential natural precursors.© 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Innovations and applications of 3-D printing in food sector

3-D printing is a neoteric technology that can make existing food value chains client-desirable and sustainable by providing on-demand food production, enabling automated food personalisation, and minimising food wastage. It can address food scarcity in countries where affordable and fresh ingredients are inaccessible by integrating nutrient-rich substrates, probiotics, bioactive compounds, and functional ingredients into complex fabricated foods. The global food processing industries are endorsing 3-D food printing technology to make production more efficient and self-reliant, anticipating a compound annual growth rate of ~55%. This review paper provides a holistic outlook of the technology beginning with the various techniques utilised for 3-D printing and printers available in the market. Substantial raw ingredients used for printing and the components in the future precision and personalised foods are discussed. The pros and cons of this technology along with its potential applications and future perspectives of 3-D food printing are also evaluated.     

石家庄市市售婴幼儿食品中蜡样芽胞杆菌的监测及溶血素基因的分析

了解目前市售婴幼儿配方奶粉、谷基辅助食品样品中蜡样芽胞杆菌的污染及其毒素基因的携带情况。方法 采集石家庄市23个区县市售婴幼儿配方粉、谷基辅助食品共399份,依照国家标准 GB/T 4789.14—2003《食品卫生微生物学检验 蜡样芽胞杆菌检验》和《食源性致病菌监测工作手册》进行蜡样芽胞杆菌检测并计数,应用荧光PCR方法检测蜡样分离株的溶血素基因和非溶血素基因。结果 399份样品中蜡样芽胞杆菌检出85份,其中婴幼儿配方奶粉检出36份,检出率22.8%(36/158);谷基辅助食品检出49份,检出率20.3%(49/241)。85份阳性样品中有48份呈溶血素基因阳性,检出率56.5%,非溶血素基因均为阴性。结论 婴幼儿食品中蜡样芽胞杆菌的污染较严重,存在潜在的食品风险。分析结果可为婴幼儿食品卫生学检验标准及监督管理等方面提供参考。     

Maternal feeding practices during the first year and their impact on infants’ acceptance of complementary food

The introduction of weaning foods is a major transition in the development of infants’ eating behavior. Previous studies showed that greater variety at the beginning of the weaning period can later influence an infant’s acceptance of new foods. The aim of the present study was to describe maternal feeding practices in the first year (breastfeeding duration, age at the initiation of weaning, variety of new foods introduced) and to study whether they impacted infants’ later acceptance of new foods in a longitudinal survey of French children’s eating behavior.Mothers (n = 203) were asked to record each food offered to their infants from the beginning of the weaning period to the age of 15 months and to score the acceptance of each food for the first 4 presentations. The foods were clustered into categories (i.e. fruits, vegetables…). The link between individual characteristics (maternal age, education level, parity, caregiver during weaning and infant gender) and exclusive breastfeeding duration, age at the initiation of weaning, age at the introduction of each food category, number of new foods introduced from all categories and the infant’s acceptance of each food was studied. Finally, the link between feeding practices and infants’ acceptance of new foods was analyzed.Seventy-two percent of the infants were exclusively breastfed from birth for a median duration of 68 days. On average, the age at the initiation of weaning, 5 months, was in accordance with the current French recommendations. The number of new foods introduced was 13.4 per month on average and differed from one infant to another with no association with individual characteristics. The reactions to new foods were positive in 90% of the cases but differed according to food categories. In the early weaning period, fruits and vegetables were the least positively accepted foods; however, the average acceptance rate of these foods reflects infants’ positive reactions. The earlier vegetables were introduced, the higher the acceptance of new vegetables was. Finally, new food acceptance was significantly correlated with the number of different foods offered in the first two months of weaning, particularly for fruits and vegetables. These results highlight the ease of introducing new foods into a child’s diet in the period between 4 and 15 months and the role of maternal complementary feeding practices on infants’ acceptance of new foods.     

Production of maize–bambara groundnut complementary foods fortified pre‐fermentation with processed foods rich in calcium,iron, zinc and provitamin A

BACKGROUND: Maize–bambara groundnut complementary foods are deficient in calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A. Food‐to‐food fortification could be cheaper, safer and more easily adopted by local communities compared to the use of chemically pure compounds and vitamins to enrich such foods. RESULTS: Maize–bambara groundnut complementary foods fortified for iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin A by blending with a multi‐mix (1.41:1:2.25, w/w) of processed roselle calyces, cattle bones, and red palm oil in a 1:2.1 (w/w) ratio showed significant increases in calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A contents of 3.26–4.225, 0.083–0.134 and 0.015–0.017 g kg^?1 and 4855.3–7493.7 µgRE kg^?1, respectively. CONCLUSION: The maize–bambara groundnut foods had calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A contents that satisfy the proposed nutrient requirements for infants. Only the maize–bambara groundnut and maize–bambara groundnut malt fermented by backslopping [(MB)_b and (MB_m)_b] containing red palm oil emulsified with Brachystegia eurycoma had calcium contents significantly (P < 0.05) higher than Nutrend, a complementary food produced by Nestle (Nigeria) PLC. These products are from raw materials produced in commercial quantities by rural farmers using household level technologies which the rural and urban poor can more easily access in order to reduce micronutrient malnutrition. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

食品添加剂、食品配料、食品主料的重新定义和类别界定

针对食品添加剂、食品配料、食品主料的定义和种类界定存在的问题,根据逻辑学规则和食品学科发展趋势,对食品主料、食品配料、食品添加剂等原料类别重新进行定义和种类界定,论述食品添加剂、配料和主料的区别和联系。     

Assessment of infant exposure to food chemicals: the French Total Diet Study design

As part of the previous French Total Diet Studies (TDS) focusing on exposure to food chemicals in the population aged 3 years and older, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) launched a specific TDS on infants to complete its overall chemical food safety programme for the general population. More than 500 chemical substances were analysed in food products consumed by children under 3 years old, including nutrients, several endocrine disruptors resulting from human activities (polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins and furans, brominated flame retardants, perfluoroalkyl acids, pesticide residues, etc.) or migrating from food contact materials such as bisphenol A or phthalates, but also natural substances such as mycotoxins, phytoestrogens and steroids. To obtain a representative and general view of infant food consumption, food items were selected based on results of a national consumption survey conducted specifically on this population. Moreover, a specific study on food was conducted on 429 households to determine which home-cooking practices are employed to prepare food consumed by infants. Overall, the targeted chemical substances were analysed in more than 450 food samples, representing the purchase and home-cooking practices of over 5500 food products. Foods included common foods such as vegetables, fruit or cakes as well as specific infant foods such as infant formula or jarred baby food. The sampling plan covered over 80% of the total diet. Specificities in infant food consumption and habits were therefore considered to define this first infant TDS. This study, conducted on a large scale and focusing on a particularly sensitive population, will provide accurate information on the dietary exposure of children under 3 years to food chemicals, especially endocrine disruptors, and will be particularly useful for risk assessment analysis under the remit of ANSES’ expert committees.     

Potential of selected infant food formulas for production of Bacillus cereus emetic toxin, cereulide

Cereulide producing Bacillus cereus was isolated from randomly chosen commercial infant foods. The cereulide production in infant food formulas was investigated. When the reconstituted foods were inoculated with >10(5) cfu ml(-1) of cereulide producing B. cereus, 2 to 200 microg of cereulide per 100 ml of food accumulated during 24 h of non-refrigerated storage. The amount of cereulide measured in the foods by the accurate chemical assay (LC-MS) matched with that found by sperm micro assay, proving the cereulide was the sole heat stable toxin in the foods and present in its toxic form. The infant formulas containing both cereal and dairy ingredients were the most supportive for cereulide production. Cereulide accumulation was affected by the infant food composition as well as by the handling of the food. Diluting the reconstituted food with water resulted in increased toxin production expressed as mug per volume. More cereulide was accumulated when the food was incubated stationary compared with moderate shaking. The amount of cereulide accumulated within 24 h at room temperature per 100 ml of cereal and dairy or in rice-nondairy reconstituted infant formulas, inoculated with >or=10(5) cfu ml(-1) of B. cereus strain F4810/72, was higher or similar to the amounts reported for foods implicated in emetic type of food poisonings. Thus mishandling and temperature abuse of infant foods may cause food poisoning when emetic B. cereus is present.     

Commercial processed food may have endocrine-disrupting potential: soy-based ingredients making the difference

Processed and packaged food items as well as ready-to-eat snacks are neglected and poorly characterised sources of human exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In this study we investigated the presence of xenoestrogens in commercially processed and packaged Finnish foods, arising from substances deliberately added or inadvertently contaminating the food, substances formed as a result of food processing, or substances leaching from food packaging materials. Samples were obtained in three separate batches of equivalent products from both a supermarket and a local representative of a global chain of hamburger restaurants and extracted by a solid-phase extraction method. Their endocrine-disrupting potential was determined by yeast bioluminescent assay, using two recombinant yeast strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae BMAEREluc/ERα and S. cerevisiae BMA64/luc. In this test system, the majority of samples (both foodstuffs and wrappers) analysed proved negative. However, all batches of industrially prepared hamburgers (but not those obtained from a hamburger restaurant) as well as pepper salami significantly induced luciferase activity in the BMAEREluc/ERα yeast strain indicating the presence of xenoestrogens, with estradiol equivalents of these products ranging from 0.2 to 443 pg g^–1. All three products contained soy-based ingredients, which apparently accounted for, or at least contributed to, their high estrogenic activity, since no signal in the assay was observed with extracts of the packaging material, while two different soy sauces tested yielded an intense signal (28 and 54 pg ml^–1 estradiol-equivalent). These findings imply that by and large chemicals arising in the processing or packaging of foodstuffs in Finland constitute an insignificant source of xenoestrogens to consumers. However, soy-derived ingredients in certain food items might render the entire products highly estrogenic. The estrogenic activity of soy is attributed to isoflavones whose health effects – though widely considered beneficial – are controversial. As hamburgers are a popular type of food among children, the findings are noteworthy and possibly of concern.     

韩国的健康功能食品

随着经济的发展，消费者对功能性食品的需求越来越高，迫使各国相继出台相关法规以完善对产品市场的管理。借鉴各国的经验，健康功能食品（health／function food，HFF）的概念在韩国应运而生。这类食品在韩国市场上有两类：一类是日常健康功能食品，另一类是特种健康功能食品。健康功能食品的原料可以来自传统膳食、药用植物或新资源，可以是纯化的合成产物、天然产物或介于两者之间的组合。在健康功能食品的安全性评价中，原料的临床使用史受到很高的重视。     

恒温实时荧光法快速检测婴幼儿辅助食品中胡萝卜成分的研究

为建立婴幼儿辅助食品中胡萝卜成分的恒温实时荧光快速检测方法，根据胡萝卜ITS1-5.8SRNA-ITS2基因序列设计合成恒温实时荧光法（LAMP）的特异性引物，以常见农产品及不同胡萝卜质量分数的白萝卜DNA分别验证方法的特异性和灵敏度，选取不同品系胡萝卜种子验证方法的适用范围，并通过预包装食品检测其实用性。结果表明：所建方法与其他物种无交叉反应，特异性强，能在1 h内检测低至质量分数为0.01%的胡萝卜成分，灵敏度高，适用于不同品系胡萝卜的检测。适用范围广，通过实际样本的检测验证，结果快速、准确。该方法操作简单、成本较低、数据智能判读实时同步、结果准确快速，可用于婴幼儿辅助食品中胡萝卜成分的快速检测，为婴幼儿食品标签管理及食品安全监管提供技术依据。     

Encapsulation of food ingredients

Microencapsulation is a relatively new technology that is used for protection, stabilization, and slow release of food ingredients. The encapsulating or wall materials used generally consist of starch, starch derivatives, proteins, gums, lipids, or any combination of them. Methods of encapsulation of food ingredients include spraydrying, freeze‐drying, fluidized bed‐coating, extrusion, cocrystallization, molecular inclusion, and coacervation. This paper reviews techniques for preparation of microencapsulated food ingredients and choices of coating material. Characterization of microcapsules, mechanisms of controlled release, and efficiency of protection/ stabilization of encapsulated food ingredients are also presented.     

Characterization of plant food allergens: An overview on physicochemical and immunological techniques

Allergy to plant‐derived foods is a highly complex disorder with clinical manifestations ranging from mild oral, gastrointestinal, and cutaneous symptoms to life‐threatening systemic conditions. This heterogeneity in clinical manifestations has been attributed to different properties of allergenic molecules. Based on this fact, symptom elicitors were grouped into class I and pollinosis‐associated class II food allergens, but clear distinction is rather ambiguous. Moreover, mechanisms underlying food sensitization are not fully understood yet, and food allergy management most often relies on patient's compliance to avoid suspected foods. Therefore, recent efforts aim at the investigation of plant food allergies at the molecular level. This review provides an overview on currently available techniques for allergen characterization and discusses their application for investigation of plant food allergens. Data obtained by an array of physicochemical analyses, such as allergen structure, integrity, aggregation, and stability, need to be linked to results from immunological methods at the level of IgE and T‐cell reactivity. Such knowledge allows the development of computational algorithms to predict allergenicity of novel foods being introduced by biotechnological industry. Furthermore, molecular characterization is an indispensable tool for molecule‐based diagnosis and future development of safer patient‐tailored specific immunotherapy in plant food allergy.     

Zebrafish as model organisms for toxicological evaluations in the field of food science

Food safety has long been an area of concern. The selection of stable and efficient model organisms is particularly important for food toxicology studies. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are small model vertebrates, and 70% of human genes have at least one zebrafish ortholog. Zebrafish have advantages as model organisms due to their short life cycle, strong reproductive ability, easy rearing, and low cost. Zebrafish embryos have the advantage of being sensitive to the breeding environment and thus have been used as biosensors. Zebrafish and their embryos have been widely used for food toxicology assessments. This review provides a systematic and comprehensive summary of food toxicology studies using zebrafish as model organisms. First, we briefly introduce the multidimensional mechanisms and structure–activity relationship studies of food toxicological assessment. Second, we categorize these studies according to eight types of hazards in foods, including mycotoxins, pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, food additives, nanoparticles, and other food-related ingredients. Finally, we list the applications of zebrafish in food toxicology studies in line with future research prospects, aiming to provide a valuable reference for researchers in the field of food science.     

Gas Chromatography‐Combustion‐Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry for Traceability and Authenticity in Foods and Beverages

As consumers demand more certainty over where their food and beverages originate from and the genuineness of ingredients, there is a need for analytical techniques that are able to provide data on issues such as traceability, authenticity, and origin of foods and beverages. One such technique that shows enormous promise in this area is gas chromatography‐combustion‐isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC‐C‐IRMS). As will be demonstrated in this review, GC‐C‐IRMS is able to be applied to a wide array of foods and beverages generating data on key food components such as aroma compounds, sugars, amino acids, and carbon dioxide (in carbonated beverages). Such data can be used to determine synthetic and natural ingredients; substitution of 1 ingredient for another (such as apple for pear); the use of synthetic or organic fertilizers; and origin of foods and food ingredients, including carbon dioxide. Therefore, GC‐C‐IRMS is one of the most powerful techniques available to detect fraudulent, illegal, or unsafe practices in the food and beverages industries and its increasing use will ensure that consumers may have confidence in buying authentic products of known origin.     

2016~2017年全国食品安全监督抽检结果分析

目的 分析我国当前食品安全的整体情况。方法 对2016~2017年全国食品安全监督抽检结果进行汇总, 分析各季度监督抽检完成情况及抽检发现的主要食品安全问题。结果 2016~2017年全国共完成3863983批次食品样品的监督抽检, 其中检验项目合格的样品3773847批次, 总体合格率为97.7%, 检出不合格样品90136批次。监督抽检样品涉及33个食品类别, 其中粮、油、肉、蛋、乳、食用农产品等大宗食品的合格率普遍较高, 婴幼儿配方食品合格率为99.4%, 但淀粉及淀粉制品、蔬菜制品、餐饮食品和酒类的合格率偏低。抽检发现的主要食品安全问题是超范围、超限量使用食品添加剂和微生物污染, 且微生物污染问题在每年的第3季度更为严重。结论 我国当前的食品安全形势总体平稳, 存在的主要问题是超范围、超限量使用食品添加剂和微生物污染。