Hyper-Palatable Foods: Development of a Quantitative Definition and Application to the US Food System Database

Objective: Extensive research has focused on hyper-palatable foods (HPF); however, HPF are defined using descriptive terms (e.g., fast foods, sweets), which are not standardized and lack specificity. The study purpose was to develop a quantitative definition of HPF and apply the definition to the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) to determine HPF prevalence in the US food system. Methods: A numeric definition of HPF was developed by extracting common HPF descriptive definitions from the literature and using nutrition software to quantify ingredients of fat, simple sugars, carbohydrates, and sodium. The definition was applied to the FNDDS. Results: HPF from the literature aligned with three clusters: (1) fat and sodium (> 25% kcal from fat, ≥ 0.30% sodium by weight), (2) fat and simple sugars (> 20% kcal from fat, > 20% kcal from sugar), and (3) carbohydrates and sodium (> 40% kcal from carbohydrates, ≥ 0.20% sodium by weight). In the FNDDS, 62% (4,795/7,757) of foods met HPF criteria. The HPF criteria identified a variety of foods, including some labeled reduced or low fat and vegetables cooked in creams, sauces, or fats. Conclusions: A data-derived HPF definition revealed that a substantial percentage of foods in the US food system may be hyper-palatable, including foods not previously conceptualized as hyper-palatable

Conjugated linoleic acid decreases fat accretion in pigs evaluation by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

Thirty female Large White &times; Landrace pigs (average weight 57&middot;2 (SD 1&middot;9) kg) were allocated to one of six dietary treatments containing 0, 1&middot;25, 2&middot;5, 5&middot;0, 7&middot;5 or 10&middot;0 g 55 % conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) isomers (CLA-55)/kg diet and fed for 8 weeks. Each pig was scanned at 0, 28 and 56 d and again at post slaughter using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to determine the temporal pattern of body composition responses. Values determined by DXA were adjusted using regression equations generated from validation experiments between chemically and DXA-predicted values. Overall, there was a significant linear reduction in fat content with the increasing levels of CLA in the diet (P=0&middot;007, P=0&middot;011, P=0&middot;008 at week 4, week 8 and for the carcass, respectively). The greatest improvement was recorded at the early stages of CLA supplementation and for the highest dose of CLA (week 4, -19&middot;2 % compared with week 8, -13&middot;7 %). In the first 4 weeks of feeding CLA, pigs receiving 10 g CLA-55/kg diet deposited 93 g less fat/d than pigs fed basal diets (P=0&middot;002) compared with only 6 g less fat than control animals in the final 4 weeks. Lean content and lean deposition rate were maximised at 5 and 2&middot;5 g CLA-55/kg diet for the first 4 weeks (P=0&middot;016) and the final 4 weeks of treatment (P=0&middot;17), respectively. DXA estimates of bone mineral content and bone mineral density were not affected by CLA supplementation throughout the experiment. These data demonstrate that dietary CLA decreases body fat in a dose-dependent manner and that the response is greatest over the initial 4 weeks of treatment.<br /

Effect of varying ratios of dietary calcium and phosphorus on performance, phytate P and mineral retention in Japanese quail (Coturnix cotnurnix Japonica).

The effect of different ratios of dietary calcium (Ca) to total phosphorus (tP) on the performances and retention of minerals and phytate phosphorus (pP) by quails were studied using 600 unsexed broiler quails from 1 to 21 days of age. Treatments consist of five corn and soybean meal (CSM) based diets with variable ratios of Ca:tP (1.96, 1.81, 1.66, 1.53 and 1.39) with four replicate of 30 birds each. Diets contained 3g chromium oxide (Cr2O3)/kg as marker. All ratios of Ca and P had no significant effect on feed consumption of birds. There were pronounced differences (P < 0.05) in body weight gain of chicks among treatments at second and third week of age. Improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio was observed at 3 wk of age. Higher ratios of Ca:tP (1.96 and 1.81) increased (P < 0.05) the retention of P compared to other treatments while ratio of 1.96 decreased (P < 0.05) the retention of Ca and phytate. In conclusion, Ca:tP ratio of 1.81 showed positive effect on most of parameters measured in this study

Flow injection-photoinduced-chemiluminescence determination of ziram and zineb

A simple, sensitive and rapid method for the determination of the pesticides ziram and zineb was described. This new method was based on the coupling of FIA methodology and direct chemiluminescent detection; this approach had not been used up to now with these pesticides. The additional use of an 'on line' photochemical reaction, which was performed by using a photoreactor consisting of a long piece of PTFE helically coiled around a 15 W low pressure lamp, increased by a factor >20 the chemiluminometric response of the pesticides. An additional 3-fold improvement in the analytical signal was also achieved by using quinine as sensitizer. The obtained throughputs were very high (121 and 101 h(-1) for ziram and zineb, respectively); this feature together with its low limit of detection (1 ngmL(-1)) makes this method particularly well suited to routine analyses of environmental samples. On the other hand, its applicability to two members of the dithiocarbamate family of pesticides, makes it promising for the determination of the rest of the members of this family. The method was demonstrated by application to spiked water samples from different origins (ground, river and irrigation).The authors would like to thank Ministry of Education and Science from Spain for financial support: Project CTM2006-11991 and FEDER funds.López-Paz, JL.; Catalá-Icardo, M. (2008). Flow injection-photoinduced-chemiluminescence determination of ziram and zineb. Analytica Chimica Acta. 625(2):173-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2008.07.027S173179625

A new HPLC method for simultaneously measuring chloride, sugars, organic acids and alcohols in food samples

This paper introduces an original, rapid, efficient and reliable HPLC method for the accurate and simultaneous quantification (g/L) of chloride in samples containing sugars, organic acids and alcohols. Separation was achieved using a HI-Plex H column at 35oC, with H2SO4 (0.005 N) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The column effluent was monitored by a Refractive Index (RI) detector. A linear response was achieved over NaCl concentrations of 0.25 – 2.5 g/L and 5 – 40 g/L. The analytical method inter- and intra-run accuracy and precision were better than ±10.0%. Investigating the mechanism of detection using different chloride and sodium s reviled that this method can be used for determining the total concentration of chloride salts when in suspension. This method was successfully applied to 15 samples of commercial food products and the salt content obtained from this method was compared with 3 other methods for salt determination. The (HI-Plex H) column was designed for determining the concentrations of sugars, organic acids and alcohols when in solution. Hence, application of our new methodology would allow the determination of sugars, alcohols and organic acids in samples derived from seawater-based fermentation media as well as samples from salty food and dairy products

Effect of different rearing conditions on body lipid composition of greater amberjack broodstock (Seriola dumerili)

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of two rearing conditions: outdoor environment with great volume tanks (500 m3) and low stocking density (~0.4 kg m 3); and indoor environment with smaller volume tanks (10 m3) and higher stocking density (~5 kg m 3), on muscle, liver and ovary lipid composition of Seriola dumerili brood- stock born in captivity. The rearing conditions tested seem to affect the pattern of lipid body depo- sition in broodstock fish of S. dumerili, increasing the muscle and liver triacylglycerides (TG) accu- mulation of fish kept under indoor conditions, probably due to reduced energy expenditure in swimming, with some variations in the fatty acid profile that may respond to the differences in the culture conditions tested. No significant differences were found for Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) or ovary lipid deposition between groups in this study, which may suggest that the conditions tested do not have a major effect on ovary devel- opment. However, one season later the females kept under outdoor conditions released eggs spontaneously, whereas those kept under indoor conditions did not spawn, suggesting that the conditions tested actually have an effect on the broodstock’s reproductive fitness. More studies are needed in order to evaluate whether the condi- tions tested have or not any influence on ovary development.En prensa1,203

Functional Properties of Pea (Pisum sativum, L.) Protein Isolates Modified with Chymosin

In this paper, the effects of limited hydrolysis on functional properties, as well as on protein composition of laboratory-prepared pea protein isolates, were investigated. Pea protein isolates were hydrolyzed for either 15, 30 and 60 min with recombined chymosin (Maxiren). The effect of enzymatic action on solubility, emulsifying and foaming properties at different pH values (3.0; 5.0; 7.0 and 8.0) was monitored. Chymosin can be a very useful agent for improvement of functional properties of isolates. Action of this enzyme caused a low degree of hydrolysis (3.9–4.7%), but improved significantly functional properties of pea protein isolates (PPI), especially at lower pH values (3.0–5.0). At these pH values all hydrolysates had better solubility, emulsifying activity and foaming stability, while longer-treated samples (60 min) formed more stable emulsions at higher pH values (7.0, 8.0) than initial isolates. Also, regardless of pH value, all hydrolysates showed improved foaming ability. A moderate positive correlation between solubility and emulsifying activity index (EAI) (0.74) and negative correlation between solubility and foam stability (−0.60) as well as between foam stability (FS) and EAI (−0.77) were observed. Detected enhancement in functional properties was a result of partial hydrolysis of insoluble protein complexes