The market for organic products is growing rapidly, probably attributable to the general customer perception that they are healthier foods, with a better nutritional profile than conventional ones. ...Despite this, the available studies show limited differences in the nutrient profile of organically and conventionally primary food products. Apart from this literature, no studies have focused on the nutrition profile of commercially prepacked foods. Thus, the aim of the present survey was to compare the nutritional quality intended as nutrition facts of organic and conventional prepacked foods sold in Italy. A total of 569 pairs of prepacked products (organic and their conventional counterparts) were selected from nine food categories sold by online retailers. By comparing organic and conventional products in the "pasta, rice and other cereals" category, the former were lower in energy, protein, and higher in saturates compared to the latter. Organic "jams, chocolate spreads and honey" products were lower in energy, carbohydrates, sugars and higher in protein than their regular counterparts. No differences were found for energy, macronutrients and salt for other categories. Therefore, based on the mandatory information printed on their packaging, prepacked organic products are not of a superior nutritional quality than conventional ones, with just a few exceptions. Consequently, the present study suggests that organic certification cannot be considered an indication of better overall nutritional quality. Further studies examining the nutritional quality of organic foods, taking into account the ingredients used, might better explain the results obtained.
Complete food composition databases (FCDBs) on gluten-free (GF) foods are needed to assess the nutrient intakes of celiac disease patients. The aim of the present work was to update the previously ...developed version of the Italian GF-FCDB and to apply it to a theoretical GF diet. The updated GF-FCDB includes the composition of 108 GF cereal-based foods, as sold, in terms of energy and macro- and micro-nutrients, imputed using food label information combined with the standard recipe approach. Three scenarios (i.e., refined, mixed, and wholegrain cereals) of the weekly guideline menu for the general Italian population were analyzed for energy and nutrient content in a theoretical dietary assessment using traditional gluten-containing (GC) foods and the corresponding GF substitutes. All GF menus were higher than the corresponding GC menus in polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, and vitamin E. Zinc was lower in GF than in GC menus only in the wholegrain-cereal scenario. Thanks to the application of the updated GF-FCDB including a comprehensive list of micronutrients, we observed that it is possible for celiac disease patients to meet nutrient requirements by simply substituting GC with GF cereal-based products following recommendations for the general population.
Despite several nutritional benefits of brown rice (BR) its consumption remains limited compared to white rice. Two of the major barriers to its consumption are long cooking time and limited shelf ...life. However, those two hurdles can be overcome through the development of shelf-stable BR pouches to create new ready-to-eat (RTE) products, a food category that is gaining important market shares. Nevertheless, scarce information is available on the production and shelf-life stability of ready-to-eat BR products. The first objective of this study was the determination of the optimal moisture range to fully cook BR. The second objective was to determine the effect of moisture content and storage time on two fundamental parameters for consumer’s acceptance of rice: color and texture. Three RTE BR pouches with moisture contents of 54%, 57% and 60% were produced and texture and color were evaluated after 1 year of storage. Significant changes in hardness and stickiness were reported during long-term storage. Moisture content negatively affected hardness and positively affected stickiness. Furthermore, storage time and moisture showed a significant effect on rice color. The present results provide information that will be useful to design new RTE meals to promote brown rice consumption.
Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to investigate green tea flavan-3-ol catabolism and plasma pharmacokinetic and urinary excretion by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem ...mass spectrometry to evaluate their absolute bioavailability by taking into account all known and some unknown catabolites deriving from their interaction with the gastrointestinal tract and its host microflora. Methods A feeding study was carried out in 20 healthy human volunteers who ingested 400 mL of a ready-to-drink green tea containing approximately 400 μmol of flavan-3-ols. Urine and plasma were collected for 4 and 24 h, respectively, and 39 relevant catabolites were identified in these biological fluids by tandem mass spectrometry. Results In biological fluids, 39 relevant flavan-3-ol catabolites were identified. In plasma, (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate was the only unmetabolized compound and the highest in absolute concentration compared with (−)-epigallocatechin and (−)-epicatechin conjugates. Colonic microflora-derived polyhydroxyphenyl- γ -valerolactones were by far the main urinary catabolites, averaging 10 times greater concentratin than flavan-3-ol conjugates. The calculated bioavailability was equal to 39% and it is interesting to notice the great variability in urinary excretion of colonic metabolites among participants, probably related to differences in their own colonic microflora. Conclusion This study demonstrates that green tea catechins are more bioavailable than previously observed when colonic ring fission metabolites are taken into consideration. Regular consumption of ready-to-drink green tea containing flavan-3-ols allows a non-marginal exposure of the human body to these catabolites, somehow justifying the numerous beneficial actions described as linked to green tea intake.
Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is a syndrome characterized by intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms related to the ingestion of gluten-containing food, in subjects that are not affected by ...either celiac disease or wheat allergy. Given the lack of a NCGS biomarker, there is the need for standardizing the procedure leading to the diagnosis confirmation. In this paper we report experts' recommendations on how the diagnostic protocol should be performed for the confirmation of NCGS. A full diagnostic procedure should assess the clinical response to the gluten-free diet (GFD) and measure the effect of a gluten challenge after a period of treatment with the GFD. The clinical evaluation is performed using a self-administered instrument incorporating a modified version of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale. The patient identifies one to three main symptoms that are quantitatively assessed using a Numerical Rating Scale with a score ranging from 1 to 10. The double-blind placebo-controlled gluten challenge (8 g/day) includes a one-week challenge followed by a one-week washout of strict GFD and by the crossover to the second one-week challenge. The vehicle should contain cooked, homogeneously distributed gluten. At least a variation of 30% of one to three main symptoms between the gluten and the placebo challenge should be detected to discriminate a positive from a negative result. The guidelines provided in this paper will help the clinician to reach a firm and positive diagnosis of NCGS and facilitate the comparisons of different studies, if adopted internationally.
The mass media has increasingly frequently suggested to the general population that specific foods or nutritional schemes are able to affect both human metabolism and energy expenditure, thus ...facilitating weight loss. This critical review is aimed at assessing available evidence on the roles of nutrients, food and dietary regimens in energy intake and energy expenditure. We queried the National Library of Medicine, the Cochrane Library, Excerpta Medica dataBASEand the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database, and a search strategy was performed by using database-specific subject headings and keywords. We found that available scientific evidence on these topics is scarce, and that the limited number of available studies often have poor methodological quality. Only a few foods show beneficial effects on metabolism and energy expenditure, as the human energy balance is complex and multifactorial. Finally, microbiota may interfere with the intake, use and expenditure of energy in the human body. Conclusive evidence is still lacking, and, at present, it is not possible to identify a food or a diet with a significant impact on human energy expenditure.
review on the beneficial aspects of food processing van Boekel, Martinus; Fogliano, Vincenzo; Pellegrini, Nicoletta ...
Molecular nutrition & food research,
September 2010, Volume:
54, Issue:
9
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The manuscript reviews beneficial aspects of food processing with main focus on cooking/heat treatment, including other food-processing techniques (e.g. fermentation). Benefits of thermal processing ...include inactivation of food-borne pathogens, natural toxins or other detrimental constituents, prolongation of shelf-life, improved digestibility and bioavailability of nutrients, improved palatability, taste, texture and flavour and enhanced functional properties, including augmented antioxidants and other defense reactivity or increased antimicrobial effectiveness. Thermal processing can bring some unintentional undesired consequences, such as losses of certain nutrients, formation of toxic compounds (acrylamide, furan or acrolein), or of compounds with negative effects on flavour perception, texture or colour. Heat treatment of foods needs to be optimized in order to promote beneficial effects and to counteract, to the best possible, undesired effects. This may be achieved more effectively/sustainably by consistent fine-tuning of technological processes rather than within ordinary household cooking conditions. The most important identified points for further study are information on processed foods to be considered in epidemiological work, databases should be built to estimate the intake of compounds from processed foods, translation of in-vitro results to in-vivo relevance for human health should be worked on, thermal and non-thermal processes should be optimized by application of kinetic principles.
This study evaluated the effect of common cooking practices (i.e., boiling, microwaving, and basket and oven steaming) on the phytochemical content (carotenoids, chlorophylls, glucosinolates, ...polyphenols, and ascorbic acid), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and color changes of three generally consumed Brassica vegetables analyzed fresh and frozen. Among cooking procedures, boiling determined an increase of fresh broccoli carotenoids and fresh Brussels sprout polyphenols, whereas a decrease of almost all other phytochemicals in fresh and frozen samples was observed. Steaming procedures determined a release of polyphenols in both fresh and frozen samples. Microwaving was the best cooking method for maintaining the color of both fresh and frozen vegetables and obtaining a good retention of glucosinolates. During all cooking procedures, ascorbic acid was lost in great amount from all vegetables. Chlorophylls were more stable in frozen samples than in fresh ones, even though steaming methods were able to better preserve these compounds in fresh samples than others cooking methods applied. The overall results of this study demonstrate that fresh Brassica vegetables retain phytochemicals and TAC better than frozen samples.
This study aimed to compare the level of processing (as assessed by the NOVA classification) and the nutritional quality (as assessed by nutrition values, Nutri-Score and NutrInform battery) of ...breakfast cereals currently on the Italian market. A total of 349 items were found, mostly belonging to the NOVA 4 group (66.5%) and to Nutri-Score C and A (40% and 30%, respectively). The NOVA 4 products showed the highest energy, total fat, saturates, and sugar content per 100 g and had the highest number of items with Nutri-Score C (49%) and D (22%). Conversely, NOVA 1 products had the highest content of fibre and protein, the lowest amounts of sugars and salt, and 82% of them were Nutri-Score A, while few Nutri-Score B and C were found. Differences were attenuated when products were compared for their NutrInform battery, with NOVA 4 items showing only slightly fuller batteries for saturated fats, sugar, and salt than NOVA 1 and NOVA 3 products. Overall, these results suggest that the NOVA classification partially overlaps with systems based on the nutritional quality of foods. The lower nutritional quality of NOVA 4 foods may at least partially explain the association found between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the risk of chronic diseases.
Purpose
The relationship between 100% fruit juice (100%FJ) consumption and cardiovascular risk is object of debate: indeed, recently published investigations provided new but discrepant evidence on ...this important question and International dietary guidelines are not in agreement on recommendations about fruit juice consumption. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis of the prospective studies and the randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that explored the relationship between 100%FJ intake, cardiovascular risk profile and risk of cardiovascular events.
Methods
We performed a systematic search of publications up to August 2019. Summary relative risks and exploration of linearity of the association were estimated for prospective studies and summary mean differences (MDs) calculated for RCTs.
Results
A total of 21 prospective studies and 35 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Dose–response analysis detected a significant inverse association between low-moderate 100%FJ consumption and risk of stroke (up to 200 ml/day) or total CV events (up to 170 ml/day) compared with no consumption, with a non-linear relationship (
p
for non-linearity < 0.05). No significant association was found for coronary heart disease and diabetes risk. In RCTs, a favorable and significant effect of 100%FJ intake was detected on blood pressure (systolic, MD: − 3.14 mmHg; diastolic, MD: − 1.68 mmHg), arterial compliance (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, − 0.38 m/s) and endothelial function (flow-mediated dilation, 2.10%). Neutral effects were found on body weight, blood lipids and glucose metabolism.
Conclusions
The results of these analyses indicate that 100%FJ consumption is not associated with higher CV risk. A non-linear inverse dose–response relationship occurs between 100%FJ consumption and CV disease, in particular for risk of stroke, probably mediated by the decrease in blood pressure.
Trial registration
PROSPERO registration number (CRD42019135577).
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