George Boskou

Constituents of red wine other than alcohol improve endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease.

BackgroundSeveral studies suggest that red wine is beneficial in coronary artery disease (CAD). Although the long-term effect of moderate red wine consumption on endothelial function is currently under investigation, there is little knowledge about its effect on postprandial endothelial function and haemostatic factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the postprandial effects of alcohol content and the antioxidants of red wine on endothelial function and fibrinogen levels in CAD patients. MethodsFifteen males with angiographically documented CAD were recruited for the study. All volunteers ingested 250 ml of either red wine or de-alcoholized red wine on two different days. Blood samples (for analysis of fibrinogen and blood lipids) were collected and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was determined before and 30, 60 and 90 min following consumption of each beverage ResultsFMD was higher following the consumption of de-alcoholized red wine [type of wine effect, P=0.05 repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)]. Furthermore, the pattern of the response was different between the two beverages, as FMD increased following the ingestion of de-alcoholized red wine, but it decreased after consumption of regular red wine (type of wine by time interaction effect, P=0.006 repeated measures ANOVA). Fibrinogen concentrations were unaltered ConclusionsAcute ingestion of red wine without alcohol led to higher FMD than ingestion of regular red wine in CAD patients. The acute effect of red wine on endothelial function may be different than its long-term effect and it could be attributed to its constituents other than alcohol.

Oxidative Stability of Edible Vegetable Oils Enriched in Polyphenols with Olive Leaf Extract

Commercially available oils (olive oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, and a vegetable shortening) were enriched in polyphenols, by adding olive leaf extract. Addition of the extract was performed in such way that the oils were enriched with 200 mg/kg polyphenols. Total polyphenols of both enriched and commercial oils were estimated by the Folin—Ciocalteau assay, while identification and quantification of individual simple phenolic compounds was performed by GC/MS and of oleuropein by HPLC analysis. The enrichment resulted in the supplementation of the commercial oils mainly with oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and quercetin. Antioxidant capacity and oxidative stability of the enriched oils and the commercial ones were assessed by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging assay and the Rancimat method, respectively. Both antioxidant capacity and oxidative stability were substantially improved for all the oils studied after supplementation. By the procedure adopted, oils rich in polyphenols, mainly in oleuropein, can be produced with olive leaf extract supplementation.

Modelling activity‐based costing in restaurants

Purpose – This paper seeks to demonstrate an application of a methodology, which is based on the integration of three techniques, with the purpose of modelling activity‐based costing (ABC) in restaurants. The proposed methodology serves as a tool for effectively computing values of cost drivers in the restaurant industry, as well as making accurate cost estimations.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based on the integration of three techniques: simulation modelling, association rule mining (ARM) and ABC. Simulation modelling is used to model process variability and produce a range of cost values, instead of a point estimate of the cost, by generating a range of values for the simulated cost drivers. The advantage of the proposed methodology lies on the effective utilization of ARM in the ABC model; it extracts dependencies between a cost driver, whose estimation is time‐consuming, with another cost driver, which can easily be calculated. These associations can assist the estimation of the em...

Chapter 99 – Antioxidant Capacity and Phenolic Profile of Table Olives from the Greek Market

Publisher Summary While the phenolic content of olive oil has been under investigation for many years, the phenols of table olives have not been studied to the same extent. There are several studies about the quantitative and qualitative composition of polyphenols in table olives. However, only a few studies present the total antioxidant capacity of the phenolic fraction of table olives. Owen et al. investigated the antioxidant capacity of two Italian brined olive drupe varieties, (one black and one green) by hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase assay. The antioxidant activity of olive drupe extracts and the antioxidant activity of each purified phenolic compound were determined. Black olives, which contain higher concentrations of phenolic compounds, present higher antioxidant activity compared to green olive extract. The IC50 value of the phenolic compounds investigated follows the order: hydroxytyrosol ðl tyrosol < l phloretic acid < l dihydrocaffeic acid < l acteoside-1. Another effective method for the estimation of total antioxidant capacity is the one based on the scavenging of a reference radical with the name DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical). By the DPPH method several foods have been tested, e.g., fruits, grape seeds and wine, vegetable oils and oil fractions and olive oil. This chapter discusses the total phenolic content of Greek table olives upon the qualitative and quantitative analysis of polyphenols and the antioxidant activity of the phenolic content is investigated for five different types of commercially available table olives. This chapter is based on a work published in 2006 in the Food Chemistry journal, with a further nutritional evaluation and literature update.

European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing: The Case of the Greek EIP on AHA Network

Demographic ageing societies require a timely and well-planned response containing its negative social and economic effects. The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) is a major European Commission led policy initiative to address the challenges of demographic change in Europe and turn it into an economic opportunity, capable of offering better prospects for the ageing population in terms of quality of life and overall health and well-being. The Greek EIP on AHA Network has been developed as a interdisciplinary scientific society, aiming at coordinating multiple remarkable but fragmented trials and group of people in Greece and aligning them with the activities of EIP on AHA. KEywoRdS Active and Healthy Ageing, Greece, Integrated Health, Reference Sites, Scaling Up

Benchmarking between vegetable suppliers in Greece

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and implement benchmarking methods on food safety and hygiene between suppliers of fruits and vegetables, regardless the food safety management systems they implement. Design/methodology/approach A tailor made questionnaire was prepared of 64 questions, divided into ten sectors regarding hygiene and food safety. The suppliers were selected from the inventory of a large chain of retail stores. The audits were performed by a food safety expert on the site of the company. Totally, 72 audits were conducted in several geographic regions of Greece. The data collected was statistically analyzed for benchmarking with technical, geographical or financial criteria. Findings The large size companies have a level from satisfactory to very satisfactory in the transport and need improvement on their packaging materials. Improvement in procedures of cleaning and disinfection is required by companies which are in the region of Attica and the Peloponnese. Originality/value The proposed methodology and analysis can be used to benchmark groups of food companies with common commercial profile in order to prioritize both the frequency of audits and the importance of interventions and preventive measures.

Online Producers: Studying the Information Needs and Internet Seeking Behavior in the Agricultural Sector

The agricultural sector is changing due to the advancing information technologies and the internet. Information is required by agricultural producers which cover all aspects of agricultural production including the processing of agricultural products on-farm or in rural areas. The abundance of agricultural information however does not necessarily imply better informed producers, especially if their information behavioral patterns are not studied. A review of the literature on producers’ information needs and an empirical study on olive and olive oil producers is presented. The theoretical construct of the survey is informed by Wilsons’ macro model of information-seeking behavior. This is employed in order to understand information needs, preferred information resources, as well as obstacles in information seeking of olive and olive oil producers. The survey provides new information behavior results for producers’ information spaces, which in turn are creating a new global business agricultural production model. Through this perspective appropriate information services can be developed in order to meet specific information needs and information behaviors in the agricultural sector.