Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 11, Issue 4, 2015

Apple is one of the most worldwide-consumed fruits and a number of cultivars, differing in organo-leptic and nutritional characteristics are available for the market. Annurca apple is a Campania region variety (Southern Italy). This fruit is known for crispness, special taste and long shelf life. The object of this study is to evaluate the capacity of polyphenols extracted from Annurca apple (APE) to protect red blood cells (RBCs) from oxidative stress. The in vitro oxidative stress on human RBCs was induced by t-butyl hydroperoxide. Pre-treatment of cells with 10 μM APE provides a remarkable protection against oxidative damage, particularly decrease ROS production (-35%), lipid perossidation (-81%) and methemoglobin formation (-13%). Moreover, APE incubation decreased the RBC morphological alterations (shrunken cytoplasm and the number of echinocytes) caused by t-BHP. APE protective effect seems to be associated with the antioxidant activity of polyphenolic compounds. Our results indicate that Annurca polyphenols may directly influence erythrocyte properties. Our data confirm higher antioxidant power of Annurca apple, that may therefore represent accessible sources of natural antioxidants with potential application in nutritional/pharmaceutical fields, as preventive or therapeutic agents in diseases in which free radicals are implicated.

Several studies have reported that taste is one of the most important factors for choosing gluten-free (GF) products and that generally a GF label could increase consumer confidence. Since empirical evidence has shown that non-celiac people also eat GF products, the aim of our study is to assess the impact of taste and GF labeling on one’s willingness to pay (WTP) for GF cocoa wafers, as assessed by non-celiac consumers. A total of 222 non-celiac consumers participated in a hypothetical experiment. The results indicated that non-celiac consumers showed no statistically significant differences in WTP values when they taste gluten and GF products and evaluate GF label use.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate serum levels of selenium and ferritin in acute infections of childhood. Patients aged 2-15, hospitalized from autumn 2010-2011 in infectious ward of Rasoul-e-Akram hospital were recruited to the study. Patients with documented diagnosis of GI, RTI, UTI were case groups, who were compared to one control group, including patients hospitalized in the same hospital in surgery ward without any active infection. Blood samples were gathered from all patients and ferritin and selenium serum levels were measured in serum specimens. Diagnosis of the three infections was made by a unique infectious specialist. The mean and standard deviation of serum selenium concentration of GI, RTI, UTI and control groups were 64.70±21.43 μg/l, 61.60±19.25 μg/l, 66.37±22.11 μg/l and 62.20±22.08 μg/l, respectively without significant differences in serum selenium levels between these groups (P-value =0.608). The median of serum ferritin levels in GI, RTI, UTI and control groups were 60.05 (48.82-78.01), 62.00 (49.07- 79.35), 60.60 (51.78-79.52) and 58.75 (45.32-76.72), respectively. The difference in ferritin levels between these groups was statistically significant (P-value <0.001). Compared with the control, the RTI and GI groups had significantly higher levels (P<0.001); however, the UTI group was not statistically different from the control (P=0.098). None of the children had ferritin constrictions below 12. As far as selenium and ferritin deficiency is an important issue in developing countries, it would be valuable to assess the role of micronutrients in infectious diseases, as we may be able to prevent such fatal infections by micronutrient supplementations.

Introduction: The effect of replacing 100% fruit juice (FJ) with whole fruit (WF) on nutrient intake and adequacy in children’s diets is unclear. The objective of this study was to model the effect of replacing FJ with WF in children’s diets. Methods: Data from children 2-18 years of age (n=6,090) participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010 were examined. Usual intake (UI) of nutrients was determined from the two 24-hour dietary recalls using the National Cancer Institute method. The percent of the population above the Adequate Intake (AI) or below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) were determined by two FJ replacement models: 1) FJ was replaced with a composite of the 20 most commonly consumed WF and 2) individual FJs were replaced by the same WF; both models were replaced with cup equivalents. The models were compared to no FJ replacement. Values with non-overlapping 95th confidence limits between no FJ replacement and each of the models were used to assess differences. Results: Model 1 resulted in decreased UI of total sugars (-5.7 grams/day) and vitamin C (-19.8 mg/day), and a higher percentage with intakes below the EAR for vitamin C (+7.7% units). Model 2 resulted in lower UI for vitamin C (-8.4 mg/day), higher UI for dietary fiber (+1.0 grams/day), and a higher percentage with UI above AI for dietary fiber (+1.6 % units). Conclusions: Replacing FJ with WF had only a limited impact on nutrient intake, with a “trade-off” for fiber with vitamin C and total sugars.

“Instant rice, also known as minute rice, is rice that has been precooked and dehydrated so that it cooks more rapidly” (within 10 min). The process of producing instant rice involves cooking of rice, freezing, freeze drying to required moisture content and storage in polyethylene pouches. Rice was cooked in three different, rice to water ratios (1: 2, 1: 3, and 1: 4). The cooked rice were used to prepare two types of instant rice varieties (tomato rice and lemon rice). Proximate composition analysis, moisture content, density, rehydration ratio, swelling capacity, moisture sorption, free fatty acid content, X-Ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis were performed. The final product was also subjected to sensory analysis. The densities of lemon rice and tomato rice were found to be 0.236 g/cm3 and 0.244 g/cm3, respectively. The swelling capacities of lemon rice and tomato rice were found to be 0.0254 ml/seed and 0.0263 ml/seed, respectively. The rehydration process was standardized to be 1: 2.25 rice to water ratio for 3min. The instant rice samples showed the presence of V-type pattern revealing the formation of amylase-lipid complexes in X-Ray Diffraction.

An increasing demand of natural preservatives to increase the storage life of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables has received a great attention among researchers. The present study was conducted to evaluate quality retention and shelf-life improvement of fresh-cut apple, papaya, carrot and cucumber by chitosan-soy based edible coating. The examination of different parameters like weight-loss, soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, color, total phenol content, ascorbic acid, browning potential and polyphenol oxidase activity was carried out to determine the quality of samples. A substantial difference was recorded in the weight-loss of coated samples when compared with controls. The chitosan-soy coating delayed the polyphenol oxidase activity and enzymatic browning in the samples. The study concluded that chitosan-soy coating has the ability to improve quality and prolong shelf-life, and could be used commercially for fresh-cut stuffs of fruits and vegetables.

Quantification of Folic acid (FA) in fortified wheat flour was carried out using a triple quadrupole liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method. The method includes FA extraction with 0.03 mM dibasic potassium phosphate buffer containing trifluoroacetic acid, mercaptoethanol, and 0.1% ascorbic acid at pH 9.2. A reverse phase separation on a C18 column by isocratic elution using ammonium acetate and acetonitrile as the mobile phase separated FA during the 5 minute run. The retention time of FA was 1.82 min. Tandem MS-MS analysis was performed in selective reaction monitoring mode (SRM). Product-ion traces at m/z 120.141, 176.055, and 295.074 were used for quantitation of FA, and traces at m/z 442.236 were used as parent mass quantified using positive heated electrospray ionization (HESI).The validated method showed linearity ranging from 1.25 to 640 ng/ml of FA and a correlation coefficient of 0.996. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.02μg/g and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.05μg/g. The recovery ranged from 72%-99% for the wheat flour spiked at different LOQ levels. No matrix effect was noted. The precision as coefficient of variation ranged from 2.34%-6.07% for spiked wheat flour samples at different LOQ levels. Extraction and quantification of total folate using a microbiological assay (MA) with Lactobacillus casei as the assay organism and Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) by competitive binding rapid ELISA kit was also performed. UHPLC-MS/MS is the most sensitive method for determination of even trace level FA and hence can efficiently determine the FA fortification level.

Since long ago, bee pollen has gained reputation as an important source of energy and beneficial substances from the nutritional and health points of view. However, in the recent years this natural product has gained much interest, either from the scientific community, increasing the number of works about it, or from the general population, that buy it as natural functional food. This review intends on one hand to focus on the chemical composition of the bee pollen, since it is the chemical components that provide it with beneficial properties. On the other hand, it also addresses the health effects of this product, by referring the different studies that have been done and published this theme. From the information found on the literature it was possible to depict some of the most investigated effects of bee pollen, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimutagenic activities.

This study investigated the influence of Vitamin C (Vit C) on Adriamycin-induced hypercholesterolemia and body weight in rats. Sixty-four male Albino Wistar rats were divided into eight groups : Control (CO), Adriamycin (ADR), three groups received different doses of Vit C and three groups received Adriamycin plus different doses of Vitamin C (ADR +Vit C). ADR treated rats showed an insignificant increase in serum cholesterol levels compared with the control group (animals). ADR+Vit C groups showed a significant increase of serum cholesterol level compared to the control group. Meanwhile, body weight in ADR treated rats decreased compared with the control group but this reduction was not significant). Body weight in ADR+Vit C groups demonstrated a significant decrease compared to the control animals. Conclusion: Findings of the current study imply that treatment with different doses of Vitamin C have possibly deleterious effects on Adriamycin-induced hypercholesterolemia as a dose dependent manner and body weight in rat.

Glutamine is a key amino acid in several metabolic pathways; it’s broadly used as a dietary supplement in physical activity, mainly by its role as essential molecule for energy metabolism and cellular proliferation. Athletes and physical activity practitioners use this amino acid as an ergogenic resource to optimize physical performance and prevent immune impairment. The present study aimed to evaluate the relation between glutamine supplementation and performance in adult subjects with different levels of activity. Indexed databases and public university libraries were searched for relevant works containing the following keywords: “supplement”, “glutamine”, “performance”, “body composition”, “adult men” and “adult women”, limited to works written in English. Inclusion criteria: adult men or woman, strength or endurance training and L-glutamine or glutamine peptide supplementation. Acquired data has demonstrated that glutamine supplementation was able to (1) increase distance and duration of tolerance to intermittent exercise; (2) lower feelings of fatigue; (3) enhance physical and performance measures; (4) optimize the recover from muscle damage and (5) prevent suppression of neutrophil function, especially the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Authors also suggest that glutamine supplementation is able to elevate nasal IgA, partially prevent hyperammonemia and apoptosis of human lymphocytes, improve visual reaction time, enhance fluid and electrolyte uptake and further elevate exercise-induced plasma interleukin- 6 (IL-6). Glutamine, however, was unable to improve weightlifting performance, increase salivary immunoglobulin- A (IgA) concentration or elevate plasma levels of glutamine in resting athletes.