Effects of the AD libitum consumption of ethanol on the serum lipids metabolites and on some serum biometals studied on an animal model

Ethanol consumption influences the lipid, electrolyte, carbohydrate as well as the protein metabolisms in humans. Experimental studies with ethanol administration in laboratory animals revealed metabolic changes similar to those in humans. This experimental study was performed on Wistar strain rats divided in three groups: one control C and two experimental ones, i.e. Ei _ with occasional alcohol consumption and E2 - with chronic consumption. At the end of the experiment (30 days) the animals were killed and blood samples were collected for biochemical determinations. Serum lipid mtabolites (HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides) and the concentration of some serum metals (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe) were determined. The obtained results showed homeostatic changes with physiological and physiopathological implications. One can conclude that chronic ethanol consumption affects more significantly the serum lipids and metals homeostasis than the occasional one

Student's health and diet habits in Faculty of Food Products Technology from Timisoara, Romania

Our study followed the student’s health and habits diet using some nutritional questionnaires for students at the Faculty of Food Products Technology, Timisoara Romania. The students that took part of the present study had between 20 and 24 years old, boys and girls, and participated as volunteers. With the persented questionnair we tried to analyzed some nutritional and diet aspects such as: weight, body mass index, body shape perception; health status and diet habits; physical activity and student’s perception; and the knowledge about the basis of human nutrition. The results of the questionnaires were presented graphically as percent values. As results of the questionnaires, the girls students are preoccupied of weight and body shape perception with a big trend to be very skinny and thin. The boys students are also interested of their weight and body shape but their goals are to be skinny but to have well outlined muscles. Also, most of the students replace vegetables and fruits with snacks or sweets, and most of them do not drink enough liquids. Questioned students know that sport and physical activity is very good for having a nice body shape and have a good health status, but only a few of them practice some physical sports. Between macronutrients intake, micronutritents intake and optimal energy level there were no healthy nutrition correspondence. Having these results in view, and comparing these results with older similar results of the same questionnaire (2008), we can observe that in the last years the nutritional basic knowledge is improved, and students try to eat properly. Also, the health status, as they report, is improved for students in campus and students that live together with their family

Determination of some essential mineral elements from different tropical fruits

The purpose of this paper is to determine the concentration of some essential macro and micro elements, from tropical fruits and the role that these minerals play in health benefits. The concentrations of Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in bananas, grape fruits, kiwi, lemons, mandarins, oranges, pineapples and pomelo sold in Timisoara markets were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry method. The obtained results show that the distribution of the essential mineral elements in the analyzed fruits presents non-uniformity, depending on the fruit species and the nature of the analyzed element. The best represented among the analyzed elements are Ca and Mg (59.1-358 mg/kg Ca, respectively 92-287 mg/kg Mg). Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn were determined in much lower concentrations (1.12-3.26 mg/kg, 0.75-1.53 mg/kg, 0.45-1.21 mg/kg respectively 0.34-7.12 mg/kg), but sufficient considering the requirement of these essential microelements in the human body. However, it can be stated that the studied tropical fruits contain important amounts, especially of calcium and magnesium, but also appreciable amounts of essential microelements: Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn

Physico-Chemical Evaluation of Honey Fortified with Oleaginous Seeds

This research followed to achieve some natural-fortified food, based on honey and oleaginous fruits. Honey and oleaginous fruits are extremely valuable for human diet. With their rich nutrient content, new products obtained by mixing honey with seeds may be considered both traditional food with high nutritional value as well as fortified food. The samples were constituted from acacia flowers honey bought directly from the producer, to which were added various quantities of oleaginous fruits (seeds). Thus, we obtained 3 different types of fortified honey, using pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and hemp seeds. Samples obtained were stored in appropriate conditions. From these samples, were made analytical tests: ascorbic acid and humidity

Comparative study of some honey types collected from unpolluted areas of Timis county

This research followed to achieve some physico-chemical properties for natural food based on honey and dried fruits. The honey samples were represented by three 3 different types of bee honey: multiforal and unifloral species - Acacia flower (lat. Robinia pseudoacacia), and Linden flower ( lat. Tilia cordata) – bought directly from the producers originally from unpolluted areas in Timis County. In honey samples we added dried fruits: apricots (lat. Prunus armeniaca) and figs (lat. Ficus carica). For these samples, refractive index, water content - based on nD values, total solid content, and acidity were determined. Based on nd values between 1.4811 – 1.49, the water content shows values from 18.61% and 22.54%, respectively from 81.39%, until 77.46% in case of total solid content, and acidity had values between 2.1 and 3.53 acidity degrees. The principal purpose of this study was to bring more data to the knowledge of some types of honey originating from unpolluted area of Timis county in terms of physical properties, and also how different additions can contribute to increasing the nutritional value of these products

Preliminary research on the use of sheep's cheese as a source of mineral elements

Milk and dairy products represent valuable nutritional foods, which bring many benefits to the health of the human body. The nutritional quality of sheep's cheese is given by nature as well by the content of essential mineral elements that enter into its composition. Therefore, the evaluation of the nutritional quality, of the sheep's cheese mineral intake is conditioned by knowing the concentrations of the mineral elements that are part of this food. The aim of the paper is to determine the concentrations of some essential mineral macro- and microelements: Ca and Mg, respectively: Fe, Zn and Cu from sheep's cheese and to evaluate the mineral intake of this food product in the recommended daily diet. The sheep's cheese taken in the experiment is well represented in terms of the content of: Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn and Cu, essential mineral elements with a beneficial effect on the body. In the analyzed sheep's cheese were identified high amounts of calcium (4892±275 mg/kg) and magnesium (443±38.64 mg/kg), significant amounts of Zn (22.14±1.52 mg/kg) and Fe (9.78±1.29 mg/kg) and appreciable amounts of Cu (1.07±0.17 mg/kg). The mineral profile of this nutritional food shows the following decreasing trend: Ca>> Mg>> Zn >Fe >> Cu

Orange and lemon peel powders as a bioelement source

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the concentration of some bioelements from citrus peel powder. Peels powder was obtained by drying and grinding citrus peels as a by-product resulting after the preparation of some natural juices. The results obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu, shows that the powders taken into the study contain important amounts of essential mineral elements, especially Ca and K (159-182 mg/100g, respectively 211-218 mg/100g) and also appreciable contents of Mg (15.3-23.4 mg/100g), Fe (18.1-34.1 mg/100g), Zn (9.34-11.8 mg/100g), Na (8.75-12.8 mg/100g), Cu (1.27-3.71 mg/100g) and Mn (1.32-2.03 mg/100g). The concentration of the analyzed mineral bioelements shows, in general, the following decreasing trend: K> Ca> Fe> Mg> Zn> Na> Cu> Mn

Green fresh smoothie - some physico-chemical and nutritional aspects

Increasing tendency for fresh food - fruits, vegetables, and herbs consumption worldwide and also in our country, shows the weight that they have held or hold them in the diet. In their case, not only good looks, nice color or taste and aromas are considered to be important, but especially their nutritional value, rich in sugars, vitamins and minerals needed in the diet of the human body. They also have the advantage that it can be consumed without any processing who could reduce the nutritional value. The purpose of the study was to obtain and reveal some physico-chemical and nutritional properties of some fresh foods: green apple (Golden delicious – Malus domestica.), baby spinach (Spinach oleracea), pineapple (Ananas comosus) and mint leaves (Mentha piperita) and the juice that we obtain from them, while achieving a characterization highlighting their dietary and healing properties. The study presents important application not only for food industry, but also for other areas, because it addresses to special categories of consumers such as vegetarians and people with lactose intolerance and fasting period