Eliana Bistriche Giuntini

Codex dietary fibre definition - Justification for inclusion of carbohydrates from 3 to 9 degrees of polymerisation

The main controversy about the DF definition, adopted by the commission of Codex Alimentarius, refers to the inclusion of carbohydrates of 3-9 degrees of polymerisation (DP), decision which may be made individually by the authorities of each country. Due to the possibility of having two definitions and the negative impact it would cause over the harmonisation of nutritional information, a bibliographic review was carried, from 2009 to 2011, aiming to gather justifications for the inclusion of carbohydrates of 3-9 DP in the definition. The current review presents scientific bases that are directed to three topics: physiological aspects; repercussion over the analytical method; and impact on consumers and other users. The decision of including unavailable carbohydrates of 3-9 DP in the definition of DF may cause effective global harmonisation in the nutritional labelling, considering that the main goal is to help consumers choose healthy foods.

Application of Choices criteria in Brazil: Impact on nutrient intake and adequacy of food products in relation to compounds associated to the risk of non-transmissible chronic diseases

One of the aims of this work was to evaluate the impact of introducing products that are in agreement with the Choices criteria in the usual diet of the Brazilian population. However, due to the insufficient information on key compounds related to non-transmissible chronic diseases (NTCD) in the national food composition database, the nutritional information of food labels was collected. A food composition database of industrialized products was created (1720 products) and their data were evaluated according to the Choices criteria. The replacement of typical products by products that are in accordance to the Choices criteria may cause a decrease in the intake of saturated (52%) and trans fatty acids (92%), energy (14%) and sodium (47%), as well as an increase in the intake of DF (87%); improving the diet nutritional profile. This procedure can be used as important part in a strategy for decreasing the risk for NTCD.

Impact of dietary fiber energy on the calculation of food total energy value in the Brazilian Food Composition Database.

Dietary fiber (DF) contributes to the energy value of foods and including it in the calculation of total food energy has been recommended for food composition databases. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of including energy provided by the DF fermentation in the calculation of food energy. Total energy values of 1753 foods from the Brazilian Food Composition Database were calculated with or without the inclusion of DF energy. The energy values were compared, through the use of percentage difference (D%), in individual foods and in daily menus. Appreciable energy D% (⩾10) was observed in 321 foods, mainly in the group of vegetables, legumes and fruits. However, in the Brazilian typical menus containing foods from all groups, only D%<3 was observed. In mixed diets, the DF energy may cause slight variations in total energy; on the other hand, there is appreciable energy D% for certain foods, when individually considered.

Carbohydrate composition of ripe pineapple (cv. perola) and the glycemic response in humans

Brazil is the third largest producer of pineapple (Ananas comosus) and the market for fresh pineapple is sustained by the Hawaii and Perola cultivars. In this work the Perola cultivar was divided into three main parts, shell, core and pulp, for characterization. Moisture in the pulp was higher (between 10 and 15%) than in the shell and core. The amount of protein was higher in the core (35%) than in the pulp and shell. Perola contained relatively low concentrations of total ascorbic acid in the edible parts, although higher levels of ascorbic acid in the shell. Citric acid corresponded to almost 60% of the total organic acids. The total soluble sugars [~7-12% (FW)] were predominantly sucrose, fructose and glucose. The core had almost twice as much total sugar (12%) than the pulp (6.8%). The amount of insoluble dietary fiber was around 1%, and the soluble fiber was less than 0.1%. The pulp showed the highest concentration of polyphenols (0.49%) and antioxidant activity (33 µmol.g-1) out of the parts. The consumption of the pineapple pulp or core produced a high glycemic index (~93%), but considering the glycemic load, this fruit can be considered as low dietary.

Positive impact of a functional ingredient on hunger and satiety after ingestion of two meals with different characteristics

The ingestion of unavailable carbohydrates - functional ingredients - has presented an inverse relationship with the risk for chronic non-communicable diseases. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of addition of inulin to two ready-to-eat frozen meals on the release of gastrointestinal hormones and other parameters related to hunger and satiety. Prototypes of two different kinds of frozen meals were elaborated by the food industry: control meal (C1 and C2); and test meals, added inulin (T1 and T2). Three sequential clinical assays were performed with healthy volunteers: 1) evaluation of glycemic response (n=16); 2) evaluation of gastrointestinal hormones related to satiety (n=15); and 3) evaluation of satiety (by Visual Analogue Scale - VAS and energy intake) (n=52). The meals showed low glycemic index and glycemic load, and T1 showed a decreased glycemic response peak compared to C1. The addition of inulin (~8g) to the test meals (lunch) provided significant satiety, resulting in an decrease in energy intake of 419 (group 1) and 586kJ (group 2) in the two subsequent meals (after 180min and 360min) and a decrease in hunger and increase in satiety at 120 and 180min when comparing with control meals. A positive post-prandial variation was observed in the plasmatic levels of ghrelin and insulin in relation to the control meal (hormones related to hunger in high levels), after the intake of both two test meals. Inulin is an ingredient that presents several positive characteristics for the elaboration of products that stimulate healthy eating habits. These effects are currently being evaluated in medium-term trials.

TRANSLATION AND VALIDATION OF THE BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE VERSION OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOM RATING SCALE (GSRS) QUESTIONNAIRE

BACKGROUND - Bowel function is a widely evaluated parameter in interventional and longitudinal studies since it is associated with good maintenance of health. The evaluation of intestinal function has been performed by many questionnaires, however, there are few options validated in Brazilian Portuguese. OBJECTIVE - The aim of this work was to translate and validate into Brazilian Portuguese the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire. METHODS - Translation and cultural adaptation were performed according to a previously established methodology followed by reliability calculations. RESULTS - The final translated GSRS questionnaire showed an adequate value of overall reliability of Cronbachs alpha of 0.83, and its domains were classified from acceptable to adequate. The overall test-retest reliability by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.84, considered excellent. CONCLUSION - The GSRS was translated and validated into Brazilian Portuguese, with appropriate internal consistency and reliability and is available to be used in assessments of bowel function.