European consumers' interest in nutrition information on (sugar-free) chewing gum

Much consumer and public health research into nutrition labelling has explored the effects of information provision on consumer behaviour and how it can help consumers in making informed food choices. Among other things, it has been shown that European consumers' interest in and use of nutrition information varies greatly across country and product category. Chewing gum represents an understudied product category where little is known about whether consumers are interested in and would use nutrition information, let alone where they might want to access it due to small pack sizes limiting the space available to provide the information. The present study investigates European consumers (n = 3500) in seven countries and shows that while overall interest in nutrition information on chewing gum is relatively low, considerable differences can be observed with regards to users of regular versus sugar-free chewing gum, as well as with regards to low/medium versus heavy users. Sugar-free chewing gum users are more interested in general as well as specific nutrition information that is relevant for chewing gum, compared to regular chewing gum users. And low and medium user groups have a better awareness of which nutrients are relevant for chewing gum, compared to heavy users who appear less concerned about nutrition and health. The results provide insights into European consumers' attitudes towards nutrition information for chewing gum, and alternative sources of such information provision as pack size is a limiting factor in regards to this product

Investigating the Inactivation, Physiological Characteristics and Transcriptomic Responses of Bacteria Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiation is used for many different applications that require a reduction in microbial bioburden. Yet, the scientific literature remains unsettled when it comes to the relative biological effectiveness or kill efficiency of the different types of ionizing radiation, electron beam, gamma, and x-ray. The first objective of this study was to determine if the inactivation kinetics and D10 values (dose required to kill 90% of the population) of Escherichia coli and Salmonella are different for six different ionizing radiation sources under the same experimental conditions and using the same dosimetry system. The results indicate that there is no difference in the relative biological effectiveness of different ionizing radiation sources. Furthermore, the physiological characteristics as well as the transcriptomic responses of bacteria exposed to lethal (no bacterial replication) ionizing radiation doses was investigated. Salmonella Typhimurium and E. coli cells were irradiated and the following physiological characteristics were examined: membrane integrity, DNA damage, metabolic activity, ATP levels, and overall cellular functionality. The results showed that the membrane integrity of S. Typhimurium and E. coli cells was maintained and that the cells remained metabolically active when stored at 4°C. The ATP levels in lethally irradiated cells were similar to non-irradiated (control) cells. Extensive DNA damage was also visualized and overall cellular functionality was confirmed via bacteriophage propagation. To investigate the transcriptomic response of S. Typhimurium following a lethal ionizing radiation dose, total RNA was extracted and RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis was performed. The results of this study show that post-irradiation incubation in PBS buffer at 4°C results in minimal differential gene expression in irradiated cells. When incubated in growth media (TSB) at 37°C, the transcriptomic response for irradiated cells is markedly different from non-irradiated (control) cells. In general, lethally irradiated cells focus on repairing DNA and membrane damage. Major, long-term metabolic pathways, such as the citric acid cycle, are down-regulated, presumably to redirect the energy expenditure to focus on DNA and membrane repair. In essence, lethal ionizing radiation creates senescent bacterial cells that are no longer capable of dividing but are still alive and metabolically active for an extended period of time after irradiation

Investigating the Inactivation, Physiological Characteristics and Transcriptomic Responses of Bacteria Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiation is used for many different applications that require a reduction in microbial bioburden. Yet, the scientific literature remains unsettled when it comes to the relative biological effectiveness or kill efficiency of the different types of ionizing radiation, electron beam, gamma, and x-ray. The first objective of this study was to determine if the inactivation kinetics and D10 values (dose required to kill 90% of the population) of Escherichia coli and Salmonella are different for six different ionizing radiation sources under the same experimental conditions and using the same dosimetry system. The results indicate that there is no difference in the relative biological effectiveness of different ionizing radiation sources. Furthermore, the physiological characteristics as well as the transcriptomic responses of bacteria exposed to lethal (no bacterial replication) ionizing radiation doses was investigated. Salmonella Typhimurium and E. coli cells were irradiated and the following physiological characteristics were examined: membrane integrity, DNA damage, metabolic activity, ATP levels, and overall cellular functionality. The results showed that the membrane integrity of S. Typhimurium and E. coli cells was maintained and that the cells remained metabolically active when stored at 4°C. The ATP levels in lethally irradiated cells were similar to non-irradiated (control) cells. Extensive DNA damage was also visualized and overall cellular functionality was confirmed via bacteriophage propagation. To investigate the transcriptomic response of S. Typhimurium following a lethal ionizing radiation dose, total RNA was extracted and RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis was performed. The results of this study show that post-irradiation incubation in PBS buffer at 4°C results in minimal differential gene expression in irradiated cells. When incubated in growth media (TSB) at 37°C, the transcriptomic response for irradiated cells is markedly different from non-irradiated (control) cells. In general, lethally irradiated cells focus on repairing DNA and membrane damage. Major, long-term metabolic pathways, such as the citric acid cycle, are down-regulated, presumably to redirect the energy expenditure to focus on DNA and membrane repair. In essence, lethal ionizing radiation creates senescent bacterial cells that are no longer capable of dividing but are still alive and metabolically active for an extended period of time after irradiation

Open Source-Marketing im Unternehmenseinsatz

Die steigende Anzahl an Reaktanzen der Konsumenten gegenüber jeglicher Form von Werbung, insbesondere aber der klassischen, zwingt Unternehmen heute mehr denn je dazu, neue Möglichkeiten zu suchen, um die Wünsche der Kunden erforschen und besser erfüllen zu können. Gerade den latenten, dem Verbraucher also noch nicht bewussten, Bedürfnissen gilt es Rechnung zu tragen. Der aus der Software Branche aufgegriffene Open-Source-Gedanke kann hier ansetzen, um den Konsumenten nicht nur stärker in den gesamten Prozess mit einzubinden, sondern vor allem auch über Mittel der Live Kommunikation dazu beizutragen, Nutzenerwartungen offen zu legen und eine stärkere Identifikation mit und Treue zu einer Marke zu erreichen. Die konsequente Weiterentwicklung der Idee des File-Sharing, neuerdings besser bekannt unter dem Namen Open-Source-Marketing, wird in diesem Artikel untersucht, definiert und durch positive wie negative Beispiele veranschaulicht.Rising consumer reactance is forcing marketers to develop new approaches to explore customer needs and to satisfy them. Especially the latent needs, which customers are not aware of, are worth investigating. The open-source-approach used in the software industry might not only be useful to actively include customers in the process, but also could be used as a means of real-time communication to unfold expected benefits of a product or service as well as to enhance brand empathy and loyalty. The consequent enhancement of the idea of file sharing, newly known as open-source-marketing, is the subject matter of this paper and is therefore thoroughly defined and exemplified using positive and negative showcases

Reference amounts utilised in front of package nutrition labelling:impact on product healthfulness evaluations

Background/Objectives: The research question addressed in this paper is how different reference amounts utilised in front of package nutrition labelling influence evaluation of product healthfulness. Subjects/Methods: A total of 13 117 participants from six European countries (Germany, UK, Spain, France, Poland and Sweden) were recruited via online panels. A mixed between/within-subject factorial design was employed with food (biscuits, sandwiches, yogurts), healthfulness and presence of Guideline Daily Amounts as within-subjects factors and reference amount (‘per 100 g’, ‘typical portion’, ‘half portion’) and country as between-subjects factors. Results: Overall, people correctly ranked foods according to their objective healthfulness as defined by risk nutrients alone, and could distinguish between more and less healthful variants of foods. General healthfulness associations with the three product categories do not appear to have had a strong influence on product ratings. This study shows that where the reference amount of ‘per 100 g’ is very different from the ‘typical’ portion size, as was the case for biscuits, products with a ‘per 100 g’ label are rated significantly less healthful than the ‘typical’ or ‘half typical’ portions. Conclusion: The results indicate that across the three food categories, consumers do factor the reference amount, that is, the quantity of food for which the nutritional information is being presented, into their judgements of healthfulness. Therefore, appropriate reference amounts are also of importance for the effective presentation of nutritional information

Setting policy priorities for front-of-pack health claims and symbols in the European Union : expert consensus built by using a Delphi method

Despite the fact that front-of-pack nutrition labels such as health claims and symbols have received growing attention in consumer behavior research, comprehensive conclusions could not yet be drawn to develop concrete policy actions, owing to the complexity of the subject and a constantly changing market environment. In this study, evidence-based policy recommendations and communication guidelines have been derived from the findings of the EU FP7 project CLYMBOL (Role of health-related CLaims and sYMBOLs in consumer behavior, Grant Agreement 311963), and have been evaluated and prioritized by European stakeholders using a three-round Delphi method. A moderate level of consensus was achieved and results suggest that policy priority should focus on ways to improve consumer motivation and interest in healthy eating. Consumers' interest in healthy eating could be increased by adopting appropriate communication strategies such as using innovative ways to communicate the importance of healthy eating, which may aim to change the possible negative association between healthiness and tastiness. The highest-rated finding was related to consumers' favorable attitude towards health claims with shorter and less complex messages and health symbols with a visible endorsement. Meanwhile, there was a clear consensus that health claims need to be scientifically substantiated and credible but phrased without using overly complex scientific wordings, in order to be meaningful for consumers. Furthermore, stakeholders from academia and industry believe that consumer awareness about existing health claims should be increased. The identified policy recommendations and communication guidelines stem from recent empirical evidence and provide useful insights that guide future policy development aligning consumer protection issues as well as public health and food marketing communication interests

Diversity and distribution of bacterial communities in dioxin-contaminated sediments from the Houston ship channel

The Port of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) are highly industrialized areas along Galveston Bay, Texas. The HSC is highly polluted with a host of persistent organic pollutants, including dioxins. The main objective of this study was to determine the potential for in situ bioremediation in the HSC sediments. Our study focused on the bacterial group Dehalococcoides, since it is the only known group to reductively dechlorinate dioxins. Culture independent methods were used to determine the presence or absence of Dehalococcoides in HSC sediments. Molecular methods including PCR, cloning, restriction enzyme digest, and sequencing were used to determine the diversity of Dehalococcoides as well as total bacterial diversity in HSC sediments. The metabolically active members of the microbial community in HSC sediments were also determined using the same molecular methods as described above. Dehalococcoides was detected in every sediment core and at various depths within each core. Depths ranged from 1cm (SG-6) to 30cm (11261). Dehalococcoides diversity was centered on Dehalococcoides ethenogenes strain 195 and Dehalococcoides sp. strain CBDB1. Overall bacterial diversity in HSC sediments was dominated by Proteobacteria, especially Deltaproteobacteria, and Chloroflexi, which include Dehalococcoides. Total bacterial diversity at a wetlands control site was dominated by Betaproteobacteria and Acidobacteria. Deltaproteobacteria and Chloroflexi were determined to be the major metabolically active groups within the HSC sediments. These findings indicate that the HSC sediments have great potential for successful in situ bioremediation. These results also support the use of Dehalococcoides as a biological proxy for dioxin contamination

Escherichia coli Cells Exposed to Lethal Doses of Electron Beam Irradiation Retain Their Ability to Propagate Bacteriophages and Are Metabolically Active

Reports in the literature suggest that bacteria exposed to lethal doses of ionizing radiation, i.e., electron beams, are unable to replicate yet they remain metabolically active. To investigate this phenomenon further, we electron beam irradiated Escherichia coli cells to a lethal dose and measured their membrane integrity, metabolic activity, ATP levels and overall cellular functionality via bacteriophage infection. We also visualized the DNA double-strand breaks in the cells. We used non-irradiated (live) and heat-killed cells as positive and negative controls, respectively. Our results show that the membrane integrity of E. coli cells is maintained and that the cells remain metabolically active up to 9 days post-irradiation when stored at 4°C. The ATP levels in lethally irradiated cells are similar to non-irradiated control cells. We also visualized extensive DNA damage within the cells and confirmed their cellular functionality based on their ability to propagate bacteriophages for up to 9 days post-irradiation. Overall, our findings indicate that lethally irradiated E. coli cells resemble live non-irradiated cells more closely than heat-killed (dead) cells

The pack size effect:influence on consumer perceptions of portion sizes

Larger portions as well as larger packs can lead to larger prospective consumption estimates, larger servings and increased consumption, described as 'portion-size effects' and 'pack size effects'. Although related, the effects of pack sizes on portion estimates have received less attention. While it is not possible to generalize consumer behaviour across cultures, external cues taken from pack size may affect us all. We thus examined whether pack sizes influence portion size estimates across cultures, leading to a general 'pack size effect'. We compared portion size estimates based on digital presentations of different product pack sizes of solid and liquid products. The study with 13,177 participants across six European countries consisted of three parts. Parts 1 and 2 asked participants to indicate the number of portions present in a combined photographic and text-based description of different pack sizes. The estimated portion size was calculated as the quotient of the content weight or volume of the food presented and the number of stated portions. In Part 3, participants stated the number of food items that make up a portion when presented with packs of food containing either a small or a large number of items. The estimated portion size was calculated as the item weight times the item number. For all three parts and across all countries, we found that participants' portion estimates were based on larger portions for larger packs compared to smaller packs (Part 1 and 2) as well as more items to make up a portion (Part 3); hence, portions were stated to be larger in all cases. Considering that the larger estimated portions are likely to be consumed, there are implications for energy intake and weight status

Circadian disruption and divergent microbiota acquisition under extended photoperiod regimens in chicken

The gut microbiota is crucial for metabolic homeostasis, immunity, growth and overall health, and it is recognized that early-life microbiota acquisition is a pivotal event for later-life health. Recent studies show that gut microbiota diversity and functional activity are synchronized with the host circadian rhythms in healthy individuals, and circadian disruption elicits dysbiosis in mammalian models. However, no studies have determined the associations between circadian disruption in early life, microbiota colonization, and the consequences for microbiota structure in birds. Chickens, as a major source of protein around the world, are one of the most important agricultural species, and their gut and metabolic health are significant concerns. The poultry industry routinely employs extended photoperiods (>18 h light) as a management tool, and their impacts on the chicken circadian, its role in gut microbiota acquisition in early life (first 3 weeks of life), and consequences for later life microbiota structure remain unknown. In this study, the objectives were to (a) characterize circadian activity under two different light regimes in layer chicken (12/12 h′ Light/Dark (LD) and 23/1 h LD), (b) characterize gut microbiota acquisition and composition in the first 4 weeks of life, (c) determine if gut microbiota oscillate in synchrony with the host circadian rhythm, and (d) to determine if fecal microbiota is representative of cecal microbiota in early life. Expression of clock genes (clock, bmal1, and per2) was assayed, and fecal and cecal microbiotas were characterized using 16S rRNA gene amplicon analyses from birds raised under two photoperiod treatments. Chickens raised under 12/12 LD photoperiods exhibited rhythmic clock gene activity, which was absent in birds raised under the extended (23/1 LD) photoperiod. There was differential microbiota acquisition under different photoperiod regimes in newly hatched chicks. Gut microbiota members showed a similar oscillating pattern as the host, but this association was not as strong as found in mammals. Finally, the fecal microbiota was found to be not representative of cecal microbiota membership and structure in young birds. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate the use of photoperiods to modulate microbiota acquisition in newly hatched chicks, and show their potential as a tool to promote the colonization of beneficial microorganisms