Preferences and attitudes towards açaí-based products among North American consumers.

Euterpe oleracea,Mart. is a palmtreewidely distributed in South America and the juicewhich is prepared fromits eatable pulp is popularly called ?açaí? in Brazil. It has a high nutritional value consisting mainly of fat, fiber and vitamin and minerals, but is also rich in anthocyanins, phenolic compounds and demonstrates high antioxidant capacity. The aimof this studywas to evaluate North American consumers' acceptance, intention to purchase and attitudes towards different açaí-based products available in theUS. Acceptance and purchase intention testswere carried out with 155 consumers for seven different açaí-based products. Demographics and attitudes were also measured in an exit survey. A sorbet, a juice and a smoothiewere themost liked products but purchase intentions were relatively low. Overall liking was driven by liking for flavor and aftertaste of the products. Consumers' segmentation based on acceptance revealed three groups, with a segment of açaí likers and another of dislikers. Most consumers had heard of açaí (83.9%) and 55.5% had tasted it before. Consumers knew açaí was healthy, nutritive, and rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants; however they did not know that açaí was oily, rich in fiber and that it may prevent degenerative diseases. Most participants showed low food neophobia (67.7%) and 51% scored high in general health interest. A promising market for açaí-based products among American consumers maybe women and health conscious consumers

The high burden of hospitalizations for primary EBV infection: a 6-year prospective survey in a French hospital

AbstractPrimary Epstein-Barr virus infection (PEI) is acquired increasingly later in life in developed countries, involving a growing number of adults. No studies have examined the effect of age on PEI. We conducted a prospective, single-centre, noninterventional survey to assess the clinical and economic effects of PEI care according to age. We included all serology-confirmed cases observed in all departments of a large regional hospital. Clinical and biologic data, therapeutics and costs of care were examined. Over a 6-year period, we included 292 subjects (148 children and 144 adults) with a median age of 15.4 years (range 9 months to 79 years). Adults were hospitalized more often (83% vs. 60%) and for longer periods of time (median 4 days vs. 2 days) than children (p ≤ 0.0001 for both). Two adults required a secondary transfer into the intensive care unit, although no children did. Typically, adults showed higher levels of activated lymphocytes and liver abnormalities. They also required the use of systemic corticosteroids more often (45% vs. 23%, p < 0.0001) and for longer periods of time (median 7 days vs. 3 days, p 0.02) than children. Overall, the costs were significantly higher for adults than for children (median, €1940 vs. €1130, p < 0.0001), mainly because of the frequency and duration of hospitalizations. Age increases the immune response and clinical severity of PEI, resulting in substantial additional costs for the community. Better recognition of the disease in adults could shorten the average length of hospital stay

CC9 Livestock-Associated Staphylococcus aureus Emerges in Bloodstream Infections in French Patients Unconnected With Animal Farming

We report 4 bloodstream infections associated with CC9 agr type II Staphylococcus aureus in individuals without animal exposure. We demonstrate, by microarray analysis, the presence of egc cluster, fnbA, cap operon, lukS, set2, set12, splE, splD, sak, epiD, and can, genomic features associated with a high virulence potential in human

Behavioral genetics and taste

This review focuses on behavioral genetic studies of sweet, umami, bitter and salt taste responses in mammals. Studies involving mouse inbred strain comparisons and genetic analyses, and their impact on elucidation of taste receptors and transduction mechanisms are discussed. Finally, the effect of genetic variation in taste responsiveness on complex traits such as drug intake is considered. Recent advances in development of genomic resources make behavioral genetics a powerful approach for understanding mechanisms of taste

The Mouth-Gut-Brain model: An interdisciplinary approach to facilitate reformulation of reduced fat products

The food industry faces the difficult challenge of reformulating many of their products to meet increasingly stringent targets to reduce energy density by adjusting fat and sugar levels. However, reducing fat in products raises multiple risks for consumer satisfaction because of the consequent effects on both the multimodal sensory experience of the product and the extent to which satiety post‐ingestion meets expected satiety. Recognising that this complex problem requires an interdisciplinary approach, the Mouth‐Gut‐Brain project brought together academic expertise in food and sensory science, the psychology of appetite and the biophysics of food microstructure, with the support of seven industry partners, to develop novel, innovative approaches to enable successful reformulation of fat in a snack context. The project recognised the multifaceted nature of fat perception, and how it affects the psychological and physiological responses to consumption and ingestion. The outcomes of the research programme, comprising the characterisation of sensory and satiety responses of volunteers in the context of two novel fat‐reduced snack products, will be published over the next year and will help inform future novel approaches to fat reduction