Carbohydrate and lipid composition of vegetables, and bioavalability assessed in a rat model: Impact different cultivation systems

Environmental as well as cultivation factors may greatly influence the chemical composition of plants. The main factors affecting chemical composition of foodstuff is level and type of fertilizer (conventional and organic cultivation systems), location or soiltype and year of harvest. Organic foods are defined as products which are produced under controlled cultivation conditions characterized by the absence of synthetic fertilizers and very restricted use of pesticides. Dietary carbohydrates constitute a major fraction of most feedstuffs and can be divided according to glycosidic linkage into sugars (mono- and disaccharides), oligosaccharides, starch and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). The bulk of disaccharides and starch will be broken down by the action of pancreatic and mucosal enzymes in the small intestine, while there are no enzymes capable of cleaving some types of oligosaccharides and NSP. A fraction of starch (resistant starch) may also pass the small intestine undegraded either because the starch is physically inaccessible, the starch has a structure that resist amylolysis or the starch is retrograded after heat treatment. Lignin is not a carbohydrate but is tightly associated to cell wall polysaccharides. The term dietary fibre (DF) is used for cell wall and storage NSP and lignin. Adequate intake of dietary fibre are generally accepted as linked to health benefit into a protective role in large bowel cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease and the issue of faecal bulking. Linoleic (C18:2 n-6) and α-linolenic (C18:3 n-3) are essential fatty acids, which cannot be synthesized in the mammalian organism, and therefore must be supplied in the diet of animals and man. These fatty acids are precursors for the important longer chain higher polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-6 and n-3 families. Although fats are essential part of the diet, but if consumed in excess, they may exert negative effects on human weight change. Potatoes, carrots, peas, green kale, apple, and rapeseed were grown by three different cultivation strategies, i.e. organic (ORG), conventional (CON), or semi-organic (ORG+) farming system. Each ingredient was treated as for application for human consumption: potatoes, mature, soaked peas and kale were boiled and raw carrots and apples were shredded, and the food was then freeze-dried and packed into airtight bags. Rapeseed oil was produced from the air-dried rapeseeds of the three cultivation treatments, and the residual was discarded. The carbohydrate fraction of the ingredients except rapeseed oil was analysed into: starch, sugars, oligosaccharides and all its constituents and lignin. Likewise the dietary lipids of all ingredients were extracted and the long-chain fatty acids determined by GLC. The ingredients were mixed with a standard synthetic mixture and were formulated to meet the NRC requirements for rats and used in a balance experiments for measuring the bioavalability of the ingredients. Carbohydrate and lignin were predominant dietary constituents with value from 584 g/kg DM in kale to 910 g/kg DM in potatoes. Triacylglycerol was the major lipid class in pea with 82 % of total fatty acids in contrast to apple with only 35 % of fatty acids of the ether extract

Nutritional Composition and Estimated Iron and Zinc Bioavailability of Meat Substitutes Available on the Swedish Market

Transition towards plant-based diets is advocated to reduce the climate footprint. Health implications of a diet composed of meat substitutes are currently unknown, and there are knowledge gaps in their nutritional composition and quality. Samples of available meat substitutes were bought in two convenience stores in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, and were included in the study. Meat substitutes (n = 44) were analyzed for their contents of dietary fiber, fat, iron, zinc, phytate, salt, total phenolics and protein, as well as for their amino acid and fatty acid composition. Bioavailability of iron and zinc was estimated based on the phytate:mineral molar ratio. We found large variations in the nutritional composition of the analyzed meat substitutes. Amino acid profiles seemed to be affected by processing methods. Mycoprotein products were rich in zinc, with a median content of 6.7 mg/100 g, and had very low content of phytate, which suggests mycoprotein as a good source of zinc. Degradability of fungal cell walls might, however, pose as a potential aggravating factor. None of the products could be regarded as a good source of iron due to very high content of phytate (9 to 1151 mg/100 g) and/or low content of iron (0.4 to 4.7 mg/100 g). Phytate:iron molar ratios in products with iron contents >2.1 mg/100 g ranged from 2.5 to 45. Tempeh stood out as a protein source with large potential due to low phytate content (24 mg/100 g) and an iron content (2 mg/100 g) close to the level of a nutrition claim. Producers of the products analyzed in this study appear to use nutritional claims regarding iron that appear not in line with European regulations, since the iron is in a form not available by the body. Meat substitutes analyzed in this study do not contribute to absorbed iron in a relevant manner. Individuals following mainly plant-based diets have to meet their iron needs through other sources. Salt and saturated fat were high in certain products, while other products were more in line with nutritional recommendations. Further investigation of the nutritional and health effects of protein extraction and extrusion is needed. We conclude that nutritional knowledge needs to be implemented in product development of meat substitutes

Chicory roots improves the taste and odour of organic pork

The carbohydrate inulin is known to reduce the production of skatole in pigs. This is caused by inulin changing the intestinal flora, so that the bacteria that produce skatole are held in check. This change in intestinal flora also reduces the number of intestinal parasites in the pigs. However the high cost of inulin makes its use in pig feed impractical. Chicory root contains inulin and a series of other carbohydrates and secondary metabolites. Therefore we have examined whether chicory root can replace pure inulin and thereby reduce boar taint, improve the taste of pork and reduce the infection of pigs with pathogenic parasites and bacteria

Effect of meal feed and coarser grinding of pelleted feed on productivity, microbiology, and physico-chemical properties in the gastro-intestinal tract of finishers

The effects of meal feed and coarser grinding of pelleted feed on the gastro-intestinal health and productivity of finishers were studied. The study comprised a total of 1.044 pigs and was designed as a randomised block test with six test groups and 17 replicates. Several tests have shown that meal feed may reduce Salmonella prevalence in infected herds. This test shows that very coarsely ground pellets and a diet in which the grain part consisted of barley and very coarsely ground wheat (I: I) and added formic acid resulted in the same changes in the physico-chemical properties as did meal feed. In particular the feed added formic acid affected the microbial composition in the gastro-intestinal tract as did meal feed. It is assumed that these two diets will also be able to reduce Salmonella prevalence in finishers without reducing the production value in the same way as meal feed

Cikorierødder forbedrer smag og lugt i økologisk svinekød

Sukkerstoffet inulin er kendt for at kunne nedsætte dannelsen af skatol hos svin. Det skyldes at inulin ændrer tarmfloraen, så bakterier der danner skatol bliver holdt i skak. Samtidig bevirker den ændrede tarmflora at grisene får færre indvoldsorm. Inulin er imidlertid for dyrt til, at det kan betale sig at bruge det i svinefoder. Cikorierødder indeholder inulin og en række andre kulhydrater plus sekundære metabolitter. Derfor har vi undersøgt om cikorierødder kan erstatte ren inulin og derigennem mindske ornelugten, forbedre smagen og nedsætte grisenes smitte med sygdomsfremkaldende parasitter og bakterier

Kinetics of the appearance of cereal alkylresorcinols in pig plasma

Alkylresorcinols (AR) are phenolic lipids found in high amounts in wholegrain wheat and rye. They may be important as bioactive components and/or biomarkers of wholegrain wheat and rye intake. AR absorption was studied with pigs during a habitual diet and after a single meal of ARrich diet. In study 1, four pigs were fed wholegrain rye (RD) and white wheat bread (WD) for 1 week in a cross-over design. Arterial and venous AR concentrations were determined over 540 min after feeding on days 5 and 7. In study 2, four pigs were fed a synthetic, starch-based diet for 5 d, and arterial and venous AR concentrations were determined over 960 min after feeding a single meal of RD. In study 1, plasma AR concentrations after consuming RD peaked at 120 min, remained elevated between 120 and 420 min, and were re-elevated on refeeding at 480 min. In study 2, AR appeared in the plasma after 60 min, peaked at 180–240 min, and remained elevated after 960 min. The apparent elimination half-life was 3·93 h, and the maximum plasma concentration was 666 (SEM 35) nmol/l. Arterial and venous plasma AR concentrations were similar, suggesting that AR are absorbed via the lymphatic system. AR concentrations in pig plasma increase rapidly after a meal containing AR, and persist in plasma for at least 5 d, indicating that AR may be a useful biomarker of wholegrain wheat and rye intake.The present study was supported by the Nordic Industrial Fund; the Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council; Cerealia AB, Sweden; Wasabro¨d AB, Sweden; Vaasan & Vaasan, Finland; Fazer Oululainen, Finland. A.-M. L. was supported by the Sigrid Juse´lius Foundation, Helsinki, Finland and Finska La¨karesa¨llskapet, Helsinki, Finland

Whey Protein Combined with Low Dietary Fiber Improves Lipid Profile in Subjects with Abdominal Obesity: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Abdominal obesity is associated with elevated postprandial triglycerides (TG), an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies show that whey protein (WP) and dietary fiber may separately reduce postprandial TG. However, few studies have investigated the long-term effects of WP and dietary fiber on postprandial TG. We aimed to investigate the separate and combined long-term effects of WP and dietary fiber from wheat bran on postprandial TG and markers of lipid metabolism in subjects with abdominal obesity. We conducted a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, controlled, parallel intervention study. In a 2 7 2 factorial design, 73 adults were randomized to receive 60 g/day of either WP hydrolysate or maltodextrin (MD) combined with high-fiber wheat bran products (HiFi; 30 g dietary fiber/day) or low-fiber refined wheat products (LoFi; 10 g dietary fiber/day). A high-fat meal test was conducted before and after the intervention. Sixty-five subjects were included in the final analyses. There were no differences between intervention groups in postprandial TG assessed as incremental area under the curve (iAUC). WP-LoFi had reduced postprandial TG assessed as total area under the curve (tAUC) and reduced fasting TG compared with all other groups, and reduced fasting apolipoprotein B-48 compared with MD-LoFi. There were no changes in lipoprotein lipase activity. Total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B-100 were reduced after WP intake compared with MD. Total cholesterol was increased after HiFi intake compared with LoFi. In conclusion, intake of WP in combination with low-fiber cereal products for 12 weeks had beneficial effects on postprandial TG tAUC and fasting TG, but not on postprandial TG iAUC in subjects with abdominal obesity. Combining WP with high-fiber wheat bran products did not improve lipid profile

Kinetics of the appearance of cereal alkylresorcinols in pig plasma

Alkylresorcinols (AR) are phenolic lipids found in high amounts in wholegrain wheat and rye. They may be important as bioactive components and/or biomarkers of wholegrain wheat and rye intake. AR absorption was studied with pigs during a habitual diet and after a single meal of AR-rich diet. In study 1, four pigs were fed wholegrain rye (RD) and white wheat bread (WD) for 1 week in a cross-over design. Arterial and venous AR concentrations were determined over 540min after feeding on days 5 and 7. In study 2, four pigs were fed a synthetic, starch-based diet for 5d, and arterial and venous AR concentrations were determined over 960min after feeding a single meal of RD. In study 1, plasma AR concentrations after consuming RD peaked at 120min, remained elevated between 120 and 420min, and were re-elevated on refeeding at 480min. In study 2, AR appeared in the plasma after 60min, peaked at 180-240min, and remained elevated after 960min. The apparent elimination half-life was 3·93h, and the maximum plasma concentration was 666 (sem 35) nmol/l. Arterial and venous plasma AR concentrations were similar, suggesting that AR are absorbed via the lymphatic system. AR concentrations in pig plasma increase rapidly after a meal containing AR, and persist in plasma for at least 5d, indicating that AR may be a useful biomarker of wholegrain wheat and rye intak