SAFETY ASPECTS OF BEE POLLEN USE IN NUTRITION

Bee pollen is popular nutraceutical and remedy used in traditional medicine since ancient times. Although it has indisputable beneficial action on human health, in recent years some issues regarding its safety have been raised. Mainly, they are a result of human actions, either indirectly (usage of pesticides, pollution with toxic trace elements) or directly (microbial contamination during handling). This review summarizes findings regarding safety aspects of bee pollen for human consumption

COMMONLY USED ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS IN EUROPE

It has been known for many years that the excessive consumption of sugar (sucrose) has harmful effects on human health. This fact led to a reduction in sugar consumption and the appearance of artificial sweeteners in the 1800s. The first low-cost and low-calorie sugar alternative was saccharin. Since this sweetener gained great popularity, other artificial sweeteners soon followed, including aspartame, acesulfame-K and cyclamates as the most common ones. As the result of a sharp rise in the obesity pandemic in all populations and ethnic groups, a demand for sweeteners with a minimum caloric value has increased dramatically in the last decade as consumers care more about their health. Due to the different regulation of permitted artificial sweeteners in United States (US) and Europe (EU), there are some controversies and suspicions about the relationship between certain sweeteners and a potential health risk. Despite doubts about the safety of artificial sweeteners, many studies have shown the absence of dangers associated with their use (if used in the acceptable daily intake, ADI). Therefore, artificial sweeteners today are considered as safe for consumption by many competent institutions and organisations. Nowadays, artificial sweeteners are fundamental in the food industry and present in many foodstuffs

NUTRITION AS A SCIENTIFIC FIELD IN CROATIA: BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE PERIOD 2010 – 2020

The scientific community’s interest in nutrition, i.e., the interaction of human and food consumption, is constantly rising worldwide and in Croatia. The published research results deepen our understanding of the processes involved in the interplay between food consumption and health, as well as different diseases and malfunctions in the human body. This research provides insight into scientific themes and focuses on nutrition research in Croatia. The study aims to provide an overview of the development of nutrition as a scientific field in Croatia from 2010 to 2020 using descriptive bibliometric analysis and science mapping. The analysis was made on a sample of 1173 articles indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS CC) database. In the analyzed period, nutrition and its impact on people\u27s health, especially on children\u27s health, are the focus of Croatian scientists\u27 research. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the same research trends continue in future research

NUTRITION AS A SCIENTIFIC FIELD IN CROATIA: BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE PERIOD 2010 – 2020

The scientific community’s interest in nutrition, i.e., the interaction of human and food consumption, is constantly rising worldwide and in Croatia. The published research results deepen our understanding of the processes involved in the interplay between food consumption and health, as well as different diseases and malfunctions in the human body. This research provides insight into scientific themes and focuses on nutrition research in Croatia. The study aims to provide an overview of the development of nutrition as a scientific field in Croatia from 2010 to 2020 using descriptive bibliometric analysis and science mapping. The analysis was made on a sample of 1173 articles indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS CC) database. In the analyzed period, nutrition and its impact on people\u27s health, especially on children\u27s health, are the focus of Croatian scientists\u27 research. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the same research trends continue in future research

COMMONLY USED ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS IN EUROPE

It has been known for many years that the excessive consumption of sugar (sucrose) has harmful effects on human health. This fact led to a reduction in sugar consumption and the appearance of artificial sweeteners in the 1800s. The first low-cost and low-calorie sugar alternative was saccharin. Since this sweetener gained great popularity, other artificial sweeteners soon followed, including aspartame, acesulfame-K and cyclamates as the most common ones. As the result of a sharp rise in the obesity pandemic in all populations and ethnic groups, a demand for sweeteners with a minimum caloric value has increased dramatically in the last decade as consumers care more about their health. Due to the different regulation of permitted artificial sweeteners in United States (US) and Europe (EU), there are some controversies and suspicions about the relationship between certain sweeteners and a potential health risk. Despite doubts about the safety of artificial sweeteners, many studies have shown the absence of dangers associated with their use (if used in the acceptable daily intake, ADI). Therefore, artificial sweeteners today are considered as safe for consumption by many competent institutions and organisations. Nowadays, artificial sweeteners are fundamental in the food industry and present in many foodstuffs

Starch Modification for Extended Utilisation

Proizvodnja i potrošnja škroba u svijetu u stalnom je porastu zahvaljujući pozitivnim učincima koji se ostvaruju dodatkom škroba ili njegovih derivata pri proizvodnji različitih proizvoda. Primjena nativnih škrobova u različitim granama industrije (prehrambena, kemijska, farmaceutska...) relativno je niska zbog određenih nedostataka koji se ogledaju u gubitku viskoznosti i svojstava ugušćivanja nakon kuhanja i skladištenja, retrogradaciji, nestabilnosti u kiselim uvjetima i/ili sinerezi itd. Da bi se ti problemi nadvladali i proširile mogućnosti primjene škroba u prehrambenoj i neprehrambenoj industriji, provode se kemijski, fizikalni i enzimski postupci modificiranja škroba te kombinacije navedenih postupaka. Iako se u novije vrijeme sve veći broj istraživanja bavi fizikalnim postupcima modificiranja (preželatinizacija, primjena ekstruzije, ultrazvuka, uzastopni postupci izazivanja sinereze) te enzimskim postupcima (npr. „linearizacija“ amilopektina), no najčešći oblik modificiranja škroba i dalje su postupci kemijskog modificiranja – esterificiranje, eterificiranje, umrežavanje i dvostruka modifikacija. Osim što se modificiranjem postižu željena funkcionalna svojstva škroba, dobiva se i ekonomski isplativa zamjena za hidrokoloide, omogućuje primjena škroba u proizvodnji biorazgradive ambalaže, kao nosača različitih aktivnih tvari u farmaceutskoj industriji, a novija istraživanja pokazala su da se modificiranjem utječe i na probavljivost škroba. Naime, rezistentni škrob (frakcija škroba koja se ne probavlja u tankom nego u debelom crijevu podliježe fermentaciji) pokazao se kao iznimno potencijalno sredstvo za korištenje u terapiji dijabetesa, dijareje, pretilosti te enteralnoj i parenteralnoj prehrani bolesnika.Production and consumption of starch worldwide is extensively growing due to positive effects achieved by addition of starch or its modificates during production of different products. Application of native starch in numerous industries (food, pharmaceutical, chemical industry…) is relatively low, due to its limitations, such as loss of viscosity and gelation properties after cooking and storage, retrogradation, instability at acid conditions and/or syneresis etc. To overcome these problems and extend starch application in food and non-food industries, chemical, physical and enzyme modifications (or their combinations) are conducted. Although researches in the fields of physical (pregelatinisation, extrusion and ultrasound application, syneresis) and enzyme modifications (eg. linearization of amylopectin) is extensively growing, chemical modification – esterification, etherification, cross-linking and dual modification is still most used type of starch modification. In addition to improvement of desired functional properties, modification results in the value-added product, which is cost-effective alternative for hydrocolloids, such as gums and mucilage. Moreover, it enables starch application in production of biodegradable packaging, as carrier for different active compounds in pharmaceutical industry, and recent researches show that modification can influence starch digestibility. Namely, resistant starch (starch fraction that escapes digestion in the small intestine and undergoes fermentation in large bowel) is great potential aid in therapy of diabetes, diarrhoea, obesity and enteral and parenteral nutrition

FOOD INDUSTRY BYPRODUCTS AS A CHEAP RAW MATERIAL TO DEVELOP FUNCTIONAL FOOD

Brojni zdravstveni problemi suvremenog svijeta, kao što su prekomjerna tjelesna masa, pretilost, dijabetes, kardiovaskularne bolesti, nastanak raka i sl. direktno su povezani s neprimjerenom prehranom. Stoga je cilj prehrambene industrije razviti nove proizvode koje konzumira široka populacija (kruh, tjestenina, snack proizvodi) obogaćene nutritivno vrijednim sastojcima (prehrambenim vlaknima, polifenolima, vitaminima), kao i funkcionalne proizvode za koje je utvrđeno pozitivno djelovanje na ljudsko zdravlje. Budući da su različiti nusproizvodi prehrambene industrije bogat izvor navedenih nutritivno vrijednih sastojaka, a dostupni su u velikim količinama te uglavnom predstavljaju problem u prehrambenoj industriji, njihova primjena u razvoju novih proizvoda predstavlja izvrstan potencijal. U radu će biti prezentirana mogućnost primjene različitih nusproizvoda prehrambene industrije, poput tropa jabuke, izluženih repinih rezanaca i pivskog tropa, kao i odmašćenih pogača uljarica u razvoju novih proizvoda, tipa kruha, tjestenine, snack proizvoda i sl. Rezultat toga biti će s jedne strane ukazivanje na mogućnost smanjenja otpada iz prehrambene industrije, a s druge strane utjecalo bi se na stvaranje jasnije slike o mogućnosti upotrebe ovih jeftinih sirovina u razvoju novih funkcionalnih proizvoda

Transitioning to Zero Waste in Agro-Food Sector – Novel Solutions for By-Product Valorisation

Food industry is prompted to make a production eco- friendly and sustainable. Among other issues, by-products generated during processing received a great attention due to large quantities and valuable chemical composition– high contents of fiber, protein, and/or bioactive compounds. They are no longer considered as a waste, but as a valuable resource for food, feed and energy production. This article presents results gained through different projects conducted by the authors where solutions for the use of food industry by-products in food have been found. Brewer’s spent grain, apple pomace, sugar beet pulp, oil press cakes, cocoa shell, citrus peel and even tobacco industry waste contain compounds that can be isolated and used in the form of extracts in food and other industries, but different ways of use of by-products “as such” are also shown on the examples of snacks, biscuits and chocolate, where not only problem of by-product disposal was resolved, but the nutritional values of these products were increased. Although projects were conducted locally, the results and findings can be applied worldwide in order to resolve food industry by-product issues