Eating competence of elderly Spanish adults is associated with a healthy diet and a favorable cardiovascular disease risk profile

Eating competence (EC), a bio-psychosocial model for intrapersonal approaches to eating and food-related behaviors, is associated with less weight dissatisfaction, lower BMI, and increased HDL-cholesterol in small U.S. studies, but its relationship to nutrient quality and overall cardiovascular risk have not been examined. Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) is a 5-y controlled clinical trial evaluating Mediterranean diet efficacy on the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Spain. In a cross-sectional study, 638 PREDIMED participants (62% women, mean age 67 y) well phenotyped for cardiovascular risk factors were assessed for food intake and EC using validated questionnaires. Overall, 45.6% were eating-competent. EC was associated with being male and energy intake (P 5.6 mmol/L (0.71; 95% CI 0.51-0.98) and HDL-cholesterol or =3.4 mmol/L were 0.1). Our findings support further examination of EC as a strategy for enhancing diet quality and CVD prevention

Changes in kernel chemical composition during nut development of three Italian hazelnut cultivars

This research focused on the variation of the kernel and pellicle (seed coat) constituents during nut growth, from early development to maturity.Material and methods. Nuts of three hazelnut cultivars widely grown in Italy: \u2018Tonda Gentile Romana\u2019, \u2018Tonda di Giffoni\u2019 and \u2018Nocchione\u2019. were randomly sampled weekly, from the same trees, starting from the first week of July 2007 (day of the year: DOY = 186) until the beginning of September (DOY = 249), at harvest time. Oil content increased continuously during the development of the kernel, from 30\u201335 g 100 g 121 dry weight (DW) at the beginning of July, to 61\u201368 g 100 g 121 DW in the first week of September. Total monounsaturated fatty acids were the main group of fatty acids in the oil and oleic acid was the most predominant one, showing slight variations depending on the cultivar and kernel growth stage. Nitrogen content in the kernel decreased continuously during development, from 4.2 g 100 g 121 DW to 2.9 g 100 g 121 DW on average among the cultivars. Soluble sugars, mainly sucrose, showed a wide fluctuation until late July, and the content observed in the mature seed was about 5 g 100 g 121 DW in all cultivars. The organic acids, mainly represented by malic acid, showed a large decrease during the early stages (July), and reached on average a content of about 0.3\u20130.4 g 100 g 121 DW at the mature stage. Starch content for all cultivars was highest at the first sampling date, then decreased rapidly, coinciding with the initial kernel expansion stage. Starch levels then increased to a second peak in early August, then rapidly decreased again, followed by a gradual decline up to the time of nut ripening. The total phenol content was mainly concentrated in the pellicle and showed wide variation during the nut development both in the kernel and pellicle. The complexity of these dynamics can explain the different kernel taste in immature and mature states, and highlights the possibilities of optimizing the orchard management and harvesting time

Nut and kernel traits and chemical composition of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) cultivars

BACKGROUND: Nut and kernel traits and chemical composition of 24 Italian and foreign hazelnut cultivars were analysed in 2002–2004 in order to study the effect of genotype and environment on nut quality. Nuts were sampled in a germplasm collection in the Italian province of Viterbo. RESULTS: Quantitative and qualitative determinations of sugars, organic acids and lipids revealed good nutritional and health potential of the nuts, with several differences among cultivars and years. The total contents of oil and sugars ranged from 563.69 to 656.36 g kg−1 dry weight (DW) and from 39.80 to 59.51 g kg−1 DW respectively. Fatty acid profile and sugar and total phenolic contents varied with the year. Significantly higher palmitic acid concentration (6.18%) was found in the hot summer year 2003; lower saturated fatty acid concentration (8.20%) and higher unsaturated/saturated acid ratio (11.27) were observed in the coolest year (2004). These differences among years were highlighted by discriminant analysis. CONCLUSION: The information relating to secondary components such as sugars, organic acids and phenolics was useful for discriminating among cultivars and years. Owing to the effect of these compounds on sensory attributes perceived by consumers, their concentration and the varietal differences can be considered primary determinants of nut quality and should be valued when planning the cultivar choice for new plantations.L'articolo é disponibile sul sito dell'editore: http://hwww.onlinelibrary.wiley.co