Abdulrahman S. Al-Khalifa

Effects of cooking methods on thiamin and riboflavin contents of chicken meat

Broiler meat (light and dark) was cooked by roasting, braising, deep-frying and microwave methods and cooking yield, moisture, fat, thiamin and riboflavin contents of the meat, before and after cooking), were determined. Light and dark muscles differed significantly in moisture, fat, thiamin and riboflavin contents. Generally, moisture and fat contents of broiler meat were significantly decreased by cooking, but the fat content of the dark muscles showed no significant change when cooked by microwave. All cooked meats were significantly lower (p < 0·05) in thiamin content than raw meat. Cooking had no significant effects on riboflavin content of dark meat on fresh weight or dry weight fat-free basis (FW and DWF), but in light meat, the riboflavin content decreased significantly (DWFF) when cooked by frying. While thiamin retention (DWFF) ranged from 28 to 64%, riboflavin was fairly well retained (46–94%) in cooked broiler meat. Differences were observed in the retentions of both vitamins of cooked meats suggesting that there were differences in the effects of the four cooking methods evaluated.

What overweight women want from a weight loss app: a qualitative study on arabic women.

Background Overweight and obesity are international public health issues. With mobile and app use growing globally, the development of weight loss apps are increasing along with evidence that interventions using technology have been effective in the treatment of obesity. Although studies have been conducted regarding what content health professionals would recommend within weight loss apps, there are limited studies that explore users’ viewpoints. There is specifically a paucity of research that takes the cultural background of the user into consideration, especially in Middle Eastern countries where the lives and weight loss intervention needs of women not only vary vastly from the West, but the obesity rate is also increasing exponentially. Objective The current study sought to explore the proposed features of an Arabic weight loss app by seeking the experiences and opinions of overweight and obese Saudi Arabian users in order to design a mobile phone app to fit their needs. Methods Focus group discussions were conducted with a purposive sample of volunteer overweight and obese Saudi women (BMI ≥ 25) who were older than 18 years and who owned a mobile phone. The most common Arabic and English weight loss mobile apps were downloaded to initiate dialogue about app usage and to get their opinions on what an ideal weight loss app would look like and the features it would include. All transcribed, translated discussions were thematically analyzed, categorized for each of the main topics of the discussion, and specific quotations were identified. Results Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 39 participants. Most participants owned an Android mobile phone and only a few participants were aware of the availability of health-related apps. Barriers to weight loss were identified including: motivation, support (social and professional), boring diets, customs, and lifestyle. Diverse themes emerged as suggestions for an ideal weight loss app including: Arabic language and culturally sensitive; motivational support and social networking; dietary and physical activity tools; and a tailorable, user-friendly interface. Conclusions This study identifies weight loss app features from the users’ perspective, which should be considered in the development of a weight loss app for this population.

Mineral and vitamin content of mature breast milk of Saudi lactating mothers

The vitamin and mineral content of mature breast milk from 54 Saudi mothers was examined. All measurements of vitamins A, E, B, and B2 in milk were determined by HPLC. Minerals were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The mean vitamin A concentration in milk was 82.01 ± 35.9 μg/100 ml. Milk vitamin E, B1 and B2 concentrations were 0.84 ± 0.70, 0.027 ± 0.005 and 0.02 ± 0.003 mg/100 ml respectively. Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Cu and Zn contents (Mean ± SD) were 487.5 + 62.43, 44.80 ± 5.43, 145.2 ± 53.54, 391.5 ± 83.81, 0.82 + 0.38, 1.32 ± 0.60 and 1.25 ± 0.46 μg/ml respectively. Maternal age had no effect on Ca, Mg, K, Na, Fe, Cu and Zn contents of breast milk. Calcium level in breast milk increased as parity increased. Potassium was reduced significantly (P < 0.05) in breast milk of mothers with more than 8 children. On the other hand, parity had no significant influence on Mg, Na, Fe, Cu and Zn.

Development of ‘Twazon’: An Arabic App for Weight Loss

Background Weight gain and its related illnesses have become a major public health issue across the world, with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries seeing dramatic increases in obesity and overweight, and yet there is very little information on how to intervene with this demographic due to cultural and linguistic barriers. As the use of smartphones and apps has also increased in the region, information communication technologies could be a cost-effective means of facilitating the delivery of behavior-modification interventions directly to the target population. Although there are existing apps that offer lifestyle-modification tools, they do not give consideration to the evidence-based practices for weight management. This offers an opportunity to create an Arabic language weight loss app that offers localized content and adheres to evidence-informed practices that are needed for effective weight loss. Objective This paper describes the process of developing an Arabic weight loss app designed to facilitate the modification of key nutritional and physical activity behaviors among Saudi adults, while taking into consideration cultural norms. Methods The development of the Twazon app involved: (1) reviewing all available Arabic weight loss apps and compared with evidence-based practices for weight loss, (2) conducting a qualitative study with overweight and obese Saudi women to ascertain their preferences, (3) selecting which behavioral change strategies and guidelines to be used in the app, (4) creating the Saudi Food Database, (5) deciding on graphic design for both iPhone operating system and Android platforms, including user interface, relational database, and programming code, and (6) testing the beta version of the app with health professionals and potential users. Results The Twazon app took 23 months to develop and included the compilation of an original Saudi Food database. Eight subjects gave feedback regarding the content validity and usability of the app and its features during a pilot study. The predominant issue among the group was the lack of information explaining how to use the app. This has since been resolved through the implementation of a tutorial. No other changes were required to be made. Conclusions Information communication technologies, such as smartphone apps, may be an effective tool for facilitating the modification of unhealthy lifestyle habits in Saudi; however, consideration must be given to the target population, cultural norms, and changing trends in the global market. The effectiveness of the app will be better determined during a 6-month intervention with 200 overweight and obese Saudi women.

Taurine is absent from amino components in fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica

Juices of edible fruits from Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller, commonly named prickly pears or Indian figs, were analysed for amino acids using an automated amino acid analyser run in the high-resolution physiological mode. Emphasis was put on the detection of free taurine (Tau), but Tau could be detected neither in different cultivars of prickly pears from Italy, South Africa and the Near East nor in commercially available prickly pear juices from the market.