Brigitte A. Graf

Age dependent incorporation of 14C-DHA into rat brain and body tissues after dosing various 14C-DHA-esters

INTRODUCTION The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) accounts for 10% of fatty acids in human brain and is critical for neuronal function and brain development. Mechanisms of transport, accumulation and conservation of DHA in the brain are unclear. The objective of the study was to quantify the age dependent DHA incorporation into the brain of 2-, 4- or 10-week-old rats after a bolus dose of different DHA-esters. METHODS Rats were gavaged with (14)C-DHA-TAG, (14)C-DHA-PL or (14)C-DHA-TAG+PL at 2 mg DHA/kg BW. After 24h the distribution of radioactivity in body and brain regions was determined using quantitative whole body autoradiography (QWBA). Radiolabeled compounds were extracted from the brains to determine the identity of the radiolabeled compounds. RESULTS Accumulation of orally ingested (14)C-DHA in rat brain was less than 1% of the dose and decreased with age. Ester specific differences were seen only in 10-week-old rats, where oral (14)C-DHA-PL delivered a 2-fold higher accretion of radioactivity in the brain. CONCLUSIONS Less than 1% of a dietary achievable DHA dose reached the rat brain within 24h. Optimal efficacy of DHA-PL may occur in older age groups.

Daily Consumption of a Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie Alters Facial Skin Color.

Consumption of dietary carotenoids or carotenoid supplements can alter the color (yellowness) of human skin through increased carotenoid deposition in the skin. As fruit and vegetables are the main dietary sources of carotenoids, skin yellowness may be a function of regular fruit and vegetable consumption. However, most previous studies have used tablets or capsules to supplement carotenoid intake, and less is known of the impact of increased fruit and vegetable consumption on skin color. Here, we examined skin color changes in an Asian population (Malaysian Chinese ethnicity) over a six week dietary intervention with a carotenoid-rich fruit smoothie. Eighty one university students (34 males, 47 females; mean age 20.48) were assigned randomly to consuming either a fruit smoothie (intervention group) or mineral water (control group) daily for six weeks. Participants’ skin yellowness (CIELab b*), redness (a*) and luminance (L*) were measured at baseline, twice during the intervention period and at a two-week follow-up, using a handheld reflectance spectrophotometer. Results showed a large increment in skin yellowness (p<0.001) and slight increment in skin redness (p<0.001) after 4 weeks of intervention for participants in the intervention group. Skin yellowness and skin redness remained elevated at the two week follow up measurement. In conclusion, intervention with a carotenoid-rich fruit smoothie is associated with increased skin redness and yellowness in an Asian population. Changes in the reflectance spectrum of the skin suggest that this color change was caused by carotenoid deposition in the skin.

Quantification of steroid glycosides from Hoodia gordonii in porcine plasma using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

An HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method using collision induced dissociation - multiple reaction monitoring was developed for the quantification of eight Hoodia gordonii steroid glycosides and their metabolites in porcine plasma samples. The method was validated for the three most important glycosides and was successfully applied also for the related glycosides and metabolites. The limits of quantification were 0.04 ng ml(-1) for the two main steroid glycosides and 0.1 ng ml(-1) for the detiglated metabolites. These limits are sufficiently low to allow monitoring the concentration-time profiles in plasma after feeding H. gordonii. The standard deviations of the intra-day measurements were better than 20% for concentrations below 5 ng ml(-1) and better than 10% for concentrations above 5 ng ml(-1). The method was successfully applied to plasma samples collected from a porcine pharmacokinetics study.

Understanding underutilisation: methods for studying fruit and vegetable buying behaviours

This paper outlines research focused on understanding why people do or do not buy underutilised fruit and vegetables. This will inform the design of future interventions to promote more sustainable food related behaviour. A background to underutilised crops and food sustainability is provided. This is followed by an overview of the proposed method for capturing the entire purchasing and consumption experience using wearable cameras.

Effect of pH on the chemical stability of carotenoids in juice

Carotenoids are abundantly present in fruits and vegetables and are considered beneficial for human health. Although carotenoids are inherently unstable and degradation occurs during food preparation and storage, bioavailability of β-carotene from processed foods, such as carrot juice, can be up to 70 % higher as from raw carrots. Thus, well-chosen food processing techniques can increase health benefits of fruit and vegetables. During juice and smoothie preparation, organic acids are released from sheered plant cells. Carotenoids are sensitive to environmental factors such as light, temperature, oxygen as well to acidic conditions. This study investigated the effect of pH on carotenoid stability in juice. Freshly prepared carrot juice (pH 6·07) was adjusted to pH 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 and 3 using citric acid or NaOH and stored at 4 °C for 4 days. Juice samples were freeze-dried and total carotenoids extracted and quantified as previously described. Neutral and slightly basic conditions (pH 8 and 7) reduced total carotenoid content by 26 % (p < 0·05) and acidic conditions (pH 6, 5, 4 and 3) increased the measured total carotenoid content in carrot juice by 18 %, 22 %, 27 % and 22 % respectively (p < 0·05) (Figure 1). When fresh fruit and vegetable juices (carrot, lemon, orange and apple) were blended to attain a pH of 3·15, 3·98 and 4·95, no carotenoid degradation was observed after 8 day storage at 4 °C. A pH of 3·15 however resulted in a 16 % reduction of total carotenoids (p < 0·05) (Figure 2). These findings indicate that carotenoids in fresh juices were sensitive to pH. However, observed carotenoid degradation in fruit and vegetable juice was small (16–25 %). The apparent increase of total carotenoid content (∼20 %) in acidified carrot juice may be due to enhanced solubility of crystallized carotenoids present in the vacuoles of plant material. While our findings confirm the notion that carotenoids are pH sensitive all observed variation were less than 25 %.

Understanding underutilisation of locally grown tropical fruit and vegetables – why are imported apples preferred in Malaysia?

South East Asia is one of the most biodiverse regions on this planet and >370 tropical fruits and >100 tropical vegetables have been found in Malaysia. Pilot data suggests however, that Malaysian consumers prefer to purchase imported fruit and vegetables (F&V). By exploring consumers purchasing behaviour in Kajang, a suburban area near Kuala Lumpur, this study aimed to generate hypothesises to understand underutilisation of locally grown tropical crops. Purchase frequency of 15 locally grown tropical crops (dragon fruit, durian, jackfruit, kedondong, kuini, mangosteen, peria pantai, petai, pink guava, pomela, salak, salam, star fruit, soursop, water apple) and 5 globally available crops (apple, banana, cauliflower, okra, orange) was examined via an online questionnaire (Qualtrix). In addition, place of purchase of each crop, reasons for not purchasing each crop, general eating patterns, and motivation for buying F&V were recorded. The questionnaire was distributed using social media, and 84/167 responses were complete. All respondents were resident in Malaysia for ≥2 years and a main purchaser of foods in their household. 96 % of respondents said that they consume ≥1 portion of F&V per day (more specifically, 4 %, 26 %, 29 %, 25 % and 4·3 % of respondents said they consume 0, 1, 2, 3 ≥4 portions/day). On a Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree), healthy eating scored 4·36 ± 0·67 (mean ±SD). When asked “why do you buy F&V?”, the two highest scoring answers (out of 10) were “because F&V are healthy” 4·07 ± 0·91 and “because we like the taste” 4·14 ± 0·88. Apples were scored as the most frequently purchased crop, with a mean of 4·01 ± 1·07 (SD) (on a 5 point Likert scale where 1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often and 5 = all the time). Purchase frequency for 9 locally grown tropical crops (kedondong, kuini, peria pantai, petai, pink guava, pomela, salak, salam and soursop) was rated between 1 (never) and 2 (rarely). Only 6 locally grown tropical crops (dragon fruit, durian, jackfruit, mangosteen, star fruit and water apple) received ratings between 2 (rarely) and 3 (sometimes). The most important reason for not buying kedondong, kuini, peria pantain, salak, and salam was a) lacking familiarity with these F&V and/or no knowledge how to prepare/eat them, or b) not available when shopping. Dislike of taste, texture or smell were reasons for not buying durian, kedondong, peria pantai, petai, salak and soursop. “Too expensive” or “perishes quickly” was of no importance. Place of purchase for underutilised crops were 1) markets and roadside stalls, 2) local shops, but also 3) supermarkets. Place of purchase for globally available crops were mainly supermarkets, however local shops and markets were also listed. In conclusion, respondents were aware of health benefits of F&V, however imported crops such as apples, oranges or cauliflower were preferred over locally grown tropical produce. Lack of familiarity with locally grown tropical crops was the main reason for not buying them. Thus, increasing public awareness of locally grown tropical crops may significantly promote the demand and consumption by the Malaysian public.

Nutrikinetics: Journey of nutrients through the body

T present study was aimed to evaluate the use of carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) and pectinase individually and in combination for juice extraction from Kinnow Mandarin (Citrus Reticulata), widely used in Pakistan as basic source of ascorbic acid. The combination of these two enzymes reduced the viscosity of pulp up to 74.79% at concentration of 50 IU of each enzyme/100 g pulp whereas, no significant effect on total soluble solids (TSS) and density was observed. Similarly, the change in pH of pulp and juice was non-significant. Moreover, the enzyme treatment produced more clarified juice with 95.70% clarity as compared to that of control with 78.00%. The final increase in juice yield was 20% with 90% juice recovery. Furthermore, the sensory evaluation of the enzyme treated juice reflected improved taste, flavor and sweetness.Background: Nutrition during adolescence plays an important role in the individual’s life. There are different factors that affect nutritional status of adolescents. Socio economic status, age, sex and mothers’ educational level are among the important determinants factors of nutritional status of adolescents. Younger adolescents tend to be more undernourished than older adolescents, and, contrary to expectations that boys are almost twice as undernourished as girls. In this study, we test the competing hypothesis about the correlates of nutritional status among Ethiopian adolescents.H overweight and obesity prevalence has been observed in developed and developing countries, and obesity is considered an important public health problem worldwide, mainly due to the close relationship between inadequate nutritional status and development of cardiovascular diseases and early mortality. In this sense, the overweight and obesity diagnosis in childhood and adolescence is of great relevance to public health, considering that the presence of obesity in childhood and adolescence tends to persist into adulthood. High birth weight, rapid weight gain and having an overweight mother who smokes can all increase the risk of a baby becoming obese later in childhood. Childhood obesity can have a harmful effect on the body in a variety of ways. Obese children are more likely to have: High blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD); Increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes; Breathing probleMS, such as sleep apnea and asthma; Joint probleMS and musculoskeletal discomfort; Fatty liver disease, gallstones and gastro-esophageal reflux; Obese children and adolescents have a greater risk of social and psychological probleMS, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem, which can continue into adulthood; Obese children are more likely to become obese adults. Adult obesity is associated with a number of serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. If children are overweight, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe. Several risk factors for both overweight and obesity in childhood are identifiable during infancy.O is now recognized as a major public health concern in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) as well as in High Income Countries (HIC). The several physiological and psychosocial consequences of this condition are threatening to collapse health systeMS around the globe. This epidemiologic panorama is a result of changes in physical activity and nutrition patterns fuelled by technology and economic changes known as the nutrition transition. Countries in the Latin American region are undergoing these changes in a heterogeneous fashion, where under-nutrition coexists with overweight and chronic diseases. Children and adolescents are a key group for the prevention of overweight and obesity as well as for the promotion of healthy lifestyles. This presentation will discuss the current state of the childhood obesity epidemic in Latin American countries (with particular emphasis in Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico) and the specific individual, social, and community factors that have shaped this panorama.M is a serious health problem in Nigeria. Malnutrition had led to high morbidity and mortality among vulnerable groups. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of obesity among the breastfeeding mothers. A simple random sampling method was used to select three hundred breastfeeding mothers. Information on socio economic characteristics was obtained using a structured pretested questionnaire. The weights of the subjects were measured using a bathroom scale while the heights were measured using heightometer. The result of socio economic characteristics showed that majority of the mothers (51%) were within the age range of 20-29years, 51% earned between N5,000 N26,000 while 67% were from monogamous family. The result of the body mass index showed that 4% were underweight, 19% had normal weight, 33% were overweight, 35% had obesity grade 1 while 9% had obesity grade 11. The study showed that incidence of obesity was high among the study population. There is need for nutrition education to reduce malnutrition in the study population.C are versatile isoprenoid compounds that play key roles in Nature. For many years their interest in Food Science and Nutrition lied in the colour they impart and the fact that some of them can be metabolized into compounds exhibiting vitamin A activity. In the last 25 years the research on them has expanded considerably due to studies indicating that they may provide health benefits. It is estimated that human diets contain ca. 100 carotenoids, of which only a few (mainly lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, phytoene and phytofluene) are found in plasma and tissues. Of them, the colourless carotenoids phytoene (PT) and phytofluene (PTF) have not been studied in depth within the Food Science and Technology and Nutrition fields yet despite they are precursors of all the remaining carotenoids and they are readily bioaccessible and bioavailable in humans. In this talk, the existing knowledge about these compounds will be summarized. Special attention will be paid to their differential structures, properties, occurrence in foods and possible biological actions.