Goji Berry and Whey Protein Concentrate Enriched Rice Extrudates - Physical Properties and Accessibility of Bioactives

Extrudates are gaining popularity as convenient ready-to-eat products such as snacks or breakfast cereals. The nutritional limitation of extruded products is their low content of proteins, fibres, and phytochemicals. The challenge lies in increasing the nutritional value of extruded products while maintaining the quality of expansion. Goji berries are rich in bioactive compounds, such as polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and an analogue of vitamin C. In the present study, rice flour-based extruded products were enriched with goji berries and whey protein concentrate. The varying addition of goji berries and whey protein concentrate affected expansion ratio, colour, and texture parameters of extrudates. The content and bioaccessibility of goji bioactives, i.e. 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (2-β-gAA) and the dominant phenolic compound – rutin, were evaluated for two extrudates with the highest addition of goji and whey protein concentrate. The extrusion process significantly reduced the content of 2-β-gAA both in formulations with and without whey protein concentrate by approximately 15%. The bioaccessibility of 2-β-gAA was negatively affected by the extrusion process, but not that of rutin. The addition of whey protein concentrate at a level of 7% had no significant effect on the bioaccessibility of neither 2-β-gAA nor rutin

Goji berry and whey protein concentrate enriched rice extrudates - physical properties and accessibility of bioactives

Extrudates are gaining popularity as convenient ready-to-eat products such as snacks or breakfast cereals. The nutritional limitation of extruded products is their low content of proteins, fibres, and phytochemicals. The challenge lies in increasing the nutritional value of extruded products while maintaining the quality of expansion. Goji berries are rich in bioactive compounds, such as polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and an analogue of vitamin C. In the present study, rice flour-based extruded products were enriched with goji berries and whey protein concentrate. The varying addition of goji berries and whey protein concentrate affected expansion ratio, colour, and texture parameters of extrudates. The content and bioaccessibility of goji bioactives, i.e. 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (2-β-gAA) and the dominant phenolic compound – rutin, were evaluated for two extrudates with the highest addition of goji and whey protein concentrate. The extrusion process significantly reduced the content of 2-β-gAA both in formulations with and without whey protein concentrate by approximately 15%. The bioaccessibility of 2-β-gAA was negatively affected by the extrusion process, but not that of rutin. The addition of whey protein concentrate at a level of 7% had no significant effect on the bioaccessibility of neither 2-β-gAA nor rutin

Patterns of paediatric end-of-life care: a chart review across different care settings in Switzerland

Abstract Background Paediatric end-of-life care is challenging and requires a high level of professional expertise. It is important that healthcare teams have a thorough understanding of paediatric subspecialties and related knowledge of disease-specific aspects of paediatric end-of-life care. The aim of this study was to comprehensively describe, explore and compare current practices in paediatric end-of-life care in four distinct diagnostic groups across healthcare settings including all relevant levels of healthcare providers in Switzerland. Methods In this nationwide retrospective chart review study, data from paediatric patients who died in the years 2011 or 2012 due to a cardiac, neurological or oncological condition, or during the neonatal period were collected in 13 hospitals, two long-term institutions and 10 community-based healthcare service providers throughout Switzerland. Results Ninety-three (62%) of the 149 reviewed patients died in intensive care units, 78 (84%) of them following withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Reliance on invasive medical interventions was prevalent, and the use of medication was high, with a median count of 12 different drugs during the last week of life. Patients experienced an average number of 6.42 symptoms. The prevalence of various types of symptoms differed significantly among the four diagnostic groups. Overall, our study patients stayed in the hospital for a median of six days during their last four weeks of life. Seventy-two patients (48%) stayed at home for at least one day and only half of those received community-based healthcare. Conclusions The study provides a wide-ranging overview of current end-of-life care practices in a real-life setting of different healthcare providers. The inclusion of patients with all major diagnoses leading to disease- and prematurity-related childhood deaths, as well as comparisons across the diagnostic groups, provides additional insight and understanding for healthcare professionals. The provision of specialised palliative and end-of-life care services in Switzerland, including the capacity of community healthcare services, need to be expanded to meet the specific needs of seriously ill children and their families