Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 15, Issue 7, 2019

Wheat bread is the main foodstuff and supply of dietary energy/protein in most developing countries. Wheat based diets are poor regarding essential amino acid content especially lysine as the first limiting amino acid. Since human body is unable to build lysine, it is necessary to be taken via food and/or supplements. Recommended daily intake of lysine is estimated to be around 30-64 mg/kg body weight. Inadequate intake of lysine results in a syndrome called ‘protein energy malnutrition’ which is suspected to be more prevalent in developing countries. Since lysine is provided by different sources (especially meat), there is no published data about the lack of lysine, however it is estimated to be prevalent in developing countries where the lysine-rich sources are generally expensive and low accessible there. The lysine fortification of wheat bread is conducted mainly to provide an accessible lysine-rich source. Biofortification, using lysine rich sources (either as flour or protein concentrates) and directly addition of lysine amino acid and its derivative have been investigated in different studies. The aim of this article is to review the potential strategies to improve the lysine content of wheat bread from both nutritional and technological points of view.

Background: An optimal dietary Amino Acid (AA) intake is necessary for the growth of body proteins. A new method for protein quality evaluation called Digestible Indispensable AA Score (DIAAS) was established. Despite that the information about dietary AA requirements are available for different stages of life, in practical conditions, most people deal only with the dietary proteins, if ever. Objective: The aim of this mini-review was to analyze the protein quality of protein sources by DIAAS and to find AA and protein dietary requirements in human nutrition. Methods: A literature research was performed using the keyword “amino acid”, “diet”, “nutrition”, “human”, “muscle” and “requirement” individually or all together, in Scopus, Web of Science and Pubmed. Results: The optimum amount of dietary AA is necessary for AA utilization in the body and is limited by AA which is present in the lowest amount; the surplus of other AA is not utilized in the body. Food and Agriculture Organization reported requirements for dietary protein and AA intake for infants, children, however for adults (over 18) for maintenance. Most of the studies which are dealing with the dietary AA requirements in sports nutrition are aimed at the blends of AA and for branched-chain AA. Concerning the protein quality, at this time, there is little information about the protein quality evaluated by DIAAS method. Conclusion: Dietary intake of high-quality protein or a blend of different proteins will provide all AA to the body. However, studies on protein quality evaluation by DIAAS method are necessary to perform.

Allostasis and allostatic load are new concepts explaining the changes in body stemming from chronic stress. These concepts are explained with the assessment of metabolic, cardiovascular, inflammatory, and neuroendocrine systems. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease with the fluctuations in fasting plasma glucose, and also in other various biomarkers and poses a risk forother chronic diseases. The course and duration of the disease, genetic factors, and environmental factors, including nutrition, aggravate these complications. Allostatic load is a multi-system assessment. Individuals’ compliance with the medical nutrition therapy in the short and long-term, changes in anthropometric and biochemical biomarkers that are used to measure the nutritional status. In the monitoring of patients with diabetes, it’s important to assess metabolic, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune system biomarkers as well as fasting blood glucose. There exist studies in the literature, investigating the relationship of the allostatic load with socio-economic status, chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, gender, and ethnicity. In these studies, chronic stress, nutritional status, stress, and allostasis are briefly described. In the present literature review, it was aimed to evaluate different aspects of the relationships among diabetes, nutrition, allostatic load, and stress.

Background & Objective: Aspartame, (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) is a widely used artificial sweetener but studies raise safety concerns regarding the use of aspartame metabolites especially methanol. In this review, we aimed to provide mechanistic insights that may explain aspartame-induced immune dysregulation. Findings: While evidence is limited, from the available literature, possible mechanisms for immune dysfunction associated with aspartame include (1) alterations in bidirectional communication between neuro-immune-endocrine responses (2) disruption of the brain-gut-microbiota-immune axis (3) induction of oxidative stress in immune cells and organs and lastly (4) the immune-activation effect of methanol. Conclusion: Further studies are needed to confirm above proposed mechanisms that may explain aspartame- induce immune dysregulation.

Background: Bellota species are used to treat various diseases in traditional folk medicine. Objectives: This study aimed to chemically characterize the essential oils and the hydrosol extract and regional specificity of the major components of Ballota nigra essential oil and to evaluate their in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities. Methods: Essential oils were obtained by a Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by using Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS). The antifungal activities were tested to three phytopathogenic stains (Penicillium expansum, Aspergillus niger and Alternaria alternata). Results: Altogether, 38 compounds were identified in the essential oils, representing 92.1-96.8% of the total oil composition. Their main constituents were E-β-caryophyllene (4.8-24.6%), E-β-farnesene (3.3-22.9%), β-bisabolene (7.6-30.2%), α-humulene (2.1-13.3%) and geranyl linalool (1.1-8.2%). The statistical methods deployed confirmed that there is a relation between the essential oil compositions and the harvest locations. Hydrosol extract was constituted by seven components, represented principally by methyl eugenol (75.2%) and caryophyllene oxide (12.5%). The results of in vitro antifungal activity with essential oil and hydrosol extract have shown very interesting antifungal activities on Penicillium expansum and Alternaria alternata strains with percentage reductions up to 80%. Additionally, in in vivo assays, Ballota nigra essential oil and hydrosol extract significantly reduce decay in artificially inoculated tomato by Alternaria alternata. Conclusion: The essential oil and hydrosol extract can be used as a potential source of sustainable eco-friendly botanical fungicides to protect stored tomatoes from pathogens, saprophytic fungi causing bio-deterioration to a variety of food commodities.

Background: Frying oils are important nutrition due to their significant changes during the frying process. These changes can cause serious health problems in consumers. Methods: The aims of this 3-stage study were to investigate chemical changes of Total Polar Compounds (TPC), Peroxide Value (PV), Free Fatty Acid (FFA), Anisidine Value (AV) and TOTOX Value (TV) during heating of four improved frying oil formulations including super palm olein, sunflower, rapeseed and corn oil and to assess their frying quality, blends and subsequent changes using various antioxidant compounds, including ter-butyl Hydroquinone (TBHQ) and its mixture with Ascorbyl Palmitate (ASCP). Results: Results showed that the best formulation at the end of frying time was FO5 including 1:1 super palm olein and corn oil containing 120 ppm of TBHQ, 120 ppm of ASCP and 0.01% of Citric Acid (CA). This formulation showed the minimum TPC, PV, TV and FFA, compared to those other formulations. Conclusion: Furthermore, AP was demonstrated to include synergistic effects on TBHQ in preventing thermal deterioration of the frying oils.

Background: Acrylamide is the most powerful carcinogenic and neurotoxic compound widely distributed in thermally processed foods. This compound is formed during early stages of roasting processes of coffee beans through Millard reaction between reducing sugars and asparagine. Due to the huge consumption of coffee throughout the globe, it has been considered as the major dietary source of this dangerous compound. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of roasting conditions on sugars and acrylamide contents in the Arabic coffee beans and beverages. Methods: Arabic coffee beans were roasted at 125°C for 30 to 60 min, ground to powders, brewed in boiling water for 20 min and then analysed for sugars and acrylamide contents. Results: Roasting conditions significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced the content of both reducing and nonreducing sugars compared to untreated samples. Increasing roasting duration to 40 min significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased the acrylamide concentration values to the maximum, whereas extending the duration over 40 min (P ≤ 0.05) reduced the acrylamide concentration of coffee beans and beverages. Conclusion: The present study confirms that the process of roasting coffee beans is a significant factor in the formation of acrylamide in Arabic coffee powders and beverages.

Background: Sulphites added as preservatives in food have been associated with adverse health effects in humans. Objective: The present study was designed with an objective of assessing the risk of sulphite exposure through food in adolescents (12-16 years old) of Delhi, India. Methods: A total of 1030 adolescents selected from four private and four government schools of Delhi, were asked to record their food intake using a 24 hour food record, repeated on three days, for assessing exposure to sulphites. The risk was assessed using six different scenarios of exposure. Results: The actual intake for sulphites for average consumers was 0.15 ± 0.13 mg / kg b.w. / day which was 21.4% of acceptable daily intake (ADI). For high consumers (P95), it was 65% of the ADI. However, for 2 respondents, the actual intake exceeded the ADI. The major food contributors to sulphite intake were beverage concentrates (46%), ready to serve beverages (22%) followed by miscellaneous food items (16%), mainly ice creams and snowballs. Estimation of sulphite intake using different exposure scenarios revealed that for certain scenarios where the highest reported sulphite level or maximum permissible levels were considered for calculation, the high consumers exceeded the ADI, though, for average consumers, intake was well below the ADI. Conclusion: Actual intake of sulphite for average consumers was well below the ADI but for high consumers was approaching the ADI. People with sulphite sensitivity need to be aware of hidden food sources of sulphites.

Objective: A research to evaluate the colour shift of Clitoria ternatea L. flower (CT) extract at pH 1, 4, and 7 during storage at 30oC in the dark has been conducted. Methods: The evaluation comprised of the measurement of colour intensity (CI), violet index (VI), and browning index (BI). Results: The extract was very stable at pH 1, although its colour slightly shifted to redder. Conversely, at pH 4 the extract slightly decreased, but the colour hue remained stable. At pH 7, the extract exhibited much less colour stability by demonstrating considerable decrease of CI and VI. Conclusion: The absence and presence of the colour shift at pH 4 and 7, respectively, indicated that there were two different ways of the colour fading. It was proposed that the colour degradation at pH 4 occurred through the unfolding of hydrophobic interaction, while at pH 7 through the deacylation. The deacylation was proven by the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis equipped by diode array detector at 530 nm.

Background: All over the world, the quality of commercial honeys varies greatly depending on many factors. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Iranian commercial honeys to confirm their nutritional and economical quality. Methods: Fifty three honey samples from six different types, including alfalfa, milkvetch, lotus, thyme, coriander and multifloral honeys, were analyzed for pH, free acidity, electrical conductivity, Ash, moisture, hydroxymethylfurfural, reducing sugars, glucose, fructose, proline, color, total phenolic content, ferric reducing antioxidant power and DPPH radical-scavenging activity. Results: In total, physicochemical properties of different honey types were in the range of 4.3 ± 0.49 to 5.2 ± 0.49 for pH, 13.81 ± 2.5 to 26.22 ± 2.8 for free acidity (meq/kg), 15.95 ± 0.45 to 17.98 ± 0.97 for moisture (%), 282.2 ± 50.3 to 578 ± 47 for electrical conductivity (μS/cm), 0.14 ± 0.04 to 0.38 ± 0.03 for ash (g/100 g), 68.66 ± 4.3 to 72.09 ± 6.4 for reducing sugars (g/100 g), 34.67 ± 2.6 to 36.7 ± 2.2 for glucose (g/100 g), 31.9 ± 4.75 to 37.04 ± 4.0 for fructose (g/100 g), 6.1 ± 5.8 to 22.85 ± 10.9 for hydroxymethylfurfural (mg/kg), 426.7 ± 53.91 to 593.9 ± 108.6 for proline (mg/kg), 46.27 ± 4.3 to 96.04 ± 14.4 for color (mm) and 245.4 ± 48.45 to 573.9 ± 69.3 for total phenolic (mg/kg) content. In terms of antioxidant capacity, lotus and thyme honeys were preferable, while the highest level of DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power were observed in lotus and thyme honeys. Conclusion: These results confirmed that the Iranian commercial honeys meet the quality standards established by national and international regulatory agencies.

Background: Traditional fermented food preparation uses customary processing methods passed on from generation to generation under natural conditions. These fermented foods use native flora without being aware of the significant role of microbes involved in the fermentation process. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the bacterial composition of traditional starters used in different fermented food preparations in Himachal Pradesh region India. Methods: The study investigated the bacterial DGGE (Denaturating Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) profile targeting V3 region of 16S rRNA of two traditional starters known as Malera and Phab. The starters are used in the preparation of fermented cereals product known as bhaturoo and alcoholic beverages. The Shannon diversity and richness were calculated from DGGE profile. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of identified bacterial species were deposited in NCBI database. Results: The DGGE profile identified eleven and seven different bacterial strains in Malera and Phab, respectively. The Shannon diversity index of 1.07 and 0.94 was obtained for Malera and Phab, respectively. The bacterial population was dominated by different strains of Bifidobacterium sp. in both the starters along with the presence of non lactic enterobacteriacae members such as Klebsiella sp. and a pathogenic strain of Dickeya chrysanthemi. Conclusion: The study is the first report on microbial profiling of microflora of starters. A careful examination of individual components and method of preparation of the starters should be taken to avoid contamination by pathogens.

Objective: Ziziphus jujuba (Z.J) is a medicinal plant with several properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, hypnotic and wound healing activity. It also has lowering blood pressure effect and people use it to treat hypertension. In the present study, the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Z.J on cardiovascular parameters in the normotensive rats was investigated. Methods: Animal groups include: 1) Sham, only cannulation of artery 2) saline, received saline for four weeks 3-5) Z.J groups (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) that treated with Z.J via gavage for four weeks. In the experiment day (28th Day) femoral artery of all rats cannulated and Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Mean Atrial Pressure (MAP) and Heart Rate (HR) recorded by a power lab system. The weight of animal in all groups also was recorded in the beginning and the last day of experiment. Results: There was no significant difference in HR, SBP and MAP parameters between sham and control groups. The SBP and MAP in higher doses of Z.J (200 and 400 mg) significantly decreased compared to control group. The HR only in dose 200 mg of Z.J significantly decreased than the control group. Conclusion: The results of present study show that hydroalcoholic extract of Z.J has an inhibitory effect on basal cardiovascular parameters and its best effects have been shown in dose 200 mg/kg.

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancer in worldwide and inflammatory reactions may be the major risk factors for it. Diet has a potential role in the running of inflammatory reactions. Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) is a tool that can assess the inflammatory potential of a diet. Objective: Study of the effect of Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and body composition on the risk of prostate cancer was the aim of this research. Methods: We assessed the ability of Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) to predict prostate cancer in a case-control study conducted in Kermanshah, Iran in 2016. The study included 50 cases with primary prostate cancer and 150 healthy controls. Anthropometric indices were measured by Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA). The DII was computed based on the intake of 32 nutrients assessed using a 147-items food frequency questionnaire. The multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds ratio, with DII expressed as a dichotomous variable. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in body composition between case and control groups, but participants with DII > 0.80 had significant differences in BMI, LBM, SLM, MBF and TBW versus participant with DII ≤ 0.80. Also, men with higher DII scores were at increased risk of prostate cancer [OR: 1.77; 95% confidence interval 1.28-2.44] and categorical variable [OR DII>0.80 vs ≤ 0.80: 3.81; 95% confidence interval: 1.49-9.75]. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a pro-inflammatory diet is a risk factor for prostate cancer and also can have the impact on body composition.

Background: High cyanide varieties of cassava must be detoxified before consumption. Several studies showed detoxification of cassava by slicing, submerged fermentation (soaking), solid state fermentation, and drying. One of traditional detoxification is combination of submerged and solid state fermentation and the effect of this processing on cyanide reduction and food properties has not been evaluation yet. Objective: This research studied the effect of solid state fermentation time on physicochemical, starch granule morphology, and in vitro starch digestibility of cassava flour from high cyanide varieties of Malang 4, Malang 6, and Sembung. Methods: Three varieties of high cyanide grated cassavas were soaked for 3 days in ratio of water to cassava 1:1. After draining for 1 hour, grated cassava was placed in a bamboo container and put in a humid place for 3-day solid state fermentation. Fermented grated cassavas were then dried, milled, and analyzed. Results: Solid state fermentation similarly affected cyanide reduction and characteristics of cassava flour for three high cyanide varieties. The detoxification process reduced cyanide to 89.70-93.42% and produced flour with a total cyanide of 8.25-10.89 mg HCN eq/kg dry matters, which is safe to consume. Fermentation decreased cyanide, starch content, titratable acidity, swelling power, and solubility; meanwhile pH, amylose content, water absorption, oil absorption, and in vitro starch digestibility increased in all three varieties studied. Submerged fermentation reduced the pH thus inhibiting the degradation of linamarin and cyanohydrin into free HCN. pH value was increased by solid state fermentation, from 4.43 to 6.90 that optimum for linamarin and cyanohydrin degradation into free HCN. The submerged and solid-state fermentation indeuce spontaneous microbial growth that affected chemical composition of cassava flour. The changes of structure and morphology of starch granules affected pasting properties, and Increased in vitro starch digestibility due to damaged granules. Conclusion: Solid-state fermentation reduced cyanide content of all three cassava varieties into the safe level for consumption, and aiso changed chemical, physical, and functional characteristics and starch digestibility of cassava flour.

Background: Nowadays, paying attention to sports nutrition, particularly focus on using supplements among athletes is increasing rapidly. Objectives: This study has been carried out in order to investigate the frequency and causes of consuming supplements and understanding the side effects related to their consumption among bodybuilders in Kermanshah City. Methods: The samples of this cross-sectional study include teenagers and young adults who are the members of fitness gyms around Kermanshah City. 244 individuals were selected as samples using simple random sampling. In order to gather the required data, a four-sectioned questionnaire designed by the research team was used. The data analysis was done using chi-square, independent ttest, and Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients by SPSS-20. Results: The majority of bodybuilders participating in the study (95.3%) have used supplements. The sources suggesting the consumption of supplements included other athletes, the coach, the media, nutrition specialists, and medical doctors, respectively. Generally, 37 types of sports supplements are used by the bodybuilders. Based on their rank, the supplements include vitamin C, Creatine, vitamin E, multivitamin, and iron. The most frequent reasons for consuming sports supplements included muscle building, increasing energy, and improving athletic performance. There is a significant difference between male and female athletes with regards to knowing the psychological and sexual side effects of consuming sports supplements (P<0.05). In general, the level of understanding and knowing the side effects of consuming sports supplements among athletes is not desirable. Conclusion: Since a significant percentage of athletes, particularly male athletes, have a history of consuming sports supplements, it is necessary that the people related to this issue including athletes, coaches, doctors, and nutrition specialists, get sufficient information about the ingredients, side effects, benefits, and applications of various nutritional supplements. Dysfunctional beliefs about the supplements consumption or non-consumption should be discussed.

Background: Dietary micronutrients have been proposed as effective inhibitory agents for cancer initiation, progression, and incidence. Among them, polyphenols, present in different foods and beverages, have retained attention in recent years. Apples are among the most consumed fruits worldwide, and several studies suggest that apple polyphenols could play a role in the prevention of degenerative diseases. Aims and Objectives: The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of Annurca flesh polyphenols extract (AFPE) effects of proliferation on MCF-7 cells. Methods: The data indicated that apple polyphenolic compounds had a significant antiproliferative action on MCF-7 cells and 500μM EqC AFPE induced a cell cycle arrest at G2/M. AFPE was also capable of inducing morphological changes as evidenced by nuclear condensation. Results: The cellular, morphological, and molecular data unequivocally suggested that induction of cellular apoptosis was mainly responsible for the previously observed antiproliferation-induced AFPE on MCF-7 cells. Conclusion: Taken together, AFPE that acts at a low micromolar range against breast cancer cells may be considered as a promising candidate for anticancer therapy.

Background: A new approach describing the validation and development of an easy, new spectrophotometric and kinetic method for identification of para-aminobenzoic acid in dietary supplement has been performed. In this study, para-aminobenzoic acid was derived in a pH-controlled environment, as a new organic compound 4(4-Benzophenylazo)pyrogallol, by incorporating diazotized para-aminobenzoic acid with pyrogallol. Objective: The determination of para-aminobenzoic acid was conducted by the fixed time and initial rate techniques. These approaches were based on the reaction of the compound containing paraaminobenzoic acid, 4(4-Benzophenylazo)pyrogallol, with Ag(I) to form colored product with a maximum absorbance at 468nm. Both of these techniques were adopted for constructing the calibration curves and examined for their suitability for the quantitation of para-aminobenzoic acid in dietary supplement. Methods: The determination process was established, using initial rate and fixed time kinetic spectrophotometric methods. Results: 4(4-Benzophenylazo)pyrogallol was characterized using proton-nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier-transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric thermal methods, gas chromatography–mass techniques, and solvatochromic behavior in solvents with different polarities was also examined. Conclusion: For the first time, para-aminobenzoic acid was well determined by incorporating it as an organic solid compound, 4(4-Benzophenylazo)pyrogallol, through coupling pyrogallol with diazotized para-aminobenzoic acid in regulated pH medium, ranging between 5.0 to 6.0. The existence of common excipients in the dietary supplement did not produce any significant interference. F- and ttest data analysis were used for statistical comparison of the suggested techniques with that of reference method, demonstrating excellent agreement with no significant difference in the associated precision and accuracy.