Hanan Al-Amiri

Dietary intake of organophosphate pesticides in Kuwait

Abstract The State of Kuwait, in cooperation with the U.S. FDA, conducted a total diet study (TDS) to estimate pesticide intake by the population. The organophosphate (OP) pesticide levels in 139 food items, constituting the TDS core list, are reported here. The TDS core food list was established through a nationwide food consumption survey. All foods were prepared as eaten, and analyzed for their organochlorine pesticide, OP, carbamate, benzimidazole and phenyl urea contents. The FDAs Multiresidue Methods, PAM I, were used employing GC, HPLC and GPC. Twenty-five of the foods analyzed contained OPs. These included 7 of 12 cereal products (chloropyriphos=0.03–0.21 ppm and fenetrothion=0.016–0.84 ppm), 6 of 16 vegetables (diazinon=0.05–0.2 ppm, and chloropyrifos, and fenthione sulfone), 1 of 16 fruits (monocrotophos) and 11 of 47 composite dishes (chloropyrifos methyl=0.011–0.089 ppm and fenetrothion 0.011–0.044 ppm). The higher levels of fenetrothion in one cereal product exceeded the MRLs, and warrant corrective and preventive measures. The daily intakes of OP pesticide residues are discussed in light of the ADIs of the FAO/WHO (1993). Codex Alimentarius. Pesticide residues in food (Vol. 2, 2nd ed.). Rome: Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.

Soluble and insoluble dietary fibre in thirty-two Kuwaiti dishes

Abstract Thirty-two commonly consumed dishes (fish dishes, sandwiches, soup, pastries, salads, kubas, sweets and dairy dishes) in Kuwait were analysed for total dietary fibre, soluble dietary fibre and insoluble dietary fibre. The total dietary fibres were the highest in salads with an average of 5.39 mg/100 g edible portion. The other dishes contained variable amounts of dietary fibre with ranges of 3.36–4.22, 4.73–4.99, 1.85–4.3, 1.99–3.8, 1.73–2.5 and 0–3.33 mg/100 g for sandwiches, soup, pastries, fish, and sweet dishes respectively. The dairy dishes contained 0% fibre. For the insoluble dietary fibre, the range for all dishes was from 0 to 6.55%, while for the soluble fraction it was from 0 to 2.52%.

Developing Functional Foods Using Red Palm Olein: Objective Color and Instrumental Texture

Abstract Edible red palm olein (RPOL) has been newly developed by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board for use in food products to enhance their nutritional value. The results of the effect of RPOL and red palm shortening (RPS) on the objective color and instrumental texture of these functional foods are presented. The results indicate that using up to 100% RPS in the test bread samples did not have any adverse effect on the textural quality of the samples, with the results being comparable with the respective control breads. However, increasing the level of RPOL caused a simultaneous increase in compression force with the values being highest at the 100% replacement level. Replacement with RPOL in bread formulations at the 100% level increased the compression force to 15.2 N for whole-wheat bread, 7.5 N for white bread, and 11.7 N for 20% bran (0.2 kg bran/kg flour) bread over that of control whole-wheat bread (8.3 N), control white bread (3.3 N), and control 20% bran bread (4.2 N). This indicates that RPOL does not perform as well in pan bread as compared with RPS. Using 0.5% diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides (DATEM) in bread formulations produced a decrease in compression force values at all combination levels of RPS and RPOL, thus producing a softer product. As RPOL and RPL are extremely rich in carotene pigments (727 ppm), the major changes in crumb color were observed in the yellowness values (b*). The results indicate that increasing the level of RPS or RPOL in test bread samples caused a similar increase in crumb color yellowness values (b*), with a higher increase observed due to increased levels of RPOL.

The nutritive value of selected commonly consumed Kuwaiti dishes.

The nutritive value of 33 dishes commonly consumed in the state of Kuwait was analyzed. On a fresh weight basis, the moisture content of the dishes ranged from 0.29% to 94.37%, protein content from 0.65% to 24.80%, and fat content from 0.03% to 59.22%. The crude fiber ranged from a low value of 0.04% to a maximum of 2.31%; with the exception of four dishes—Sw-20 (Samsamia), Sw-26 (Harda), V-31 (Hameesat Mushroom), V-32 (Hameesat Fagae)—all dishes had a low fiber level, <1 g/100 g. The ash content ranged from 0.09% to 3.66%. Carbohydrate showed a variation between 3.98% and 81.37%; the highest carbohydrate values were in sweets and rice-based dishes, while the lowest values were in soup and cheese dishes. The energy content of the dishes varied between 19 and 675 kcal/100 g (80–2,823 kJ/100 g). The dishes contributed 5–90%, 1–46% and 1–83% of the total food energy from carbohydrate, protein and fat, respectively.

Screening Level Assessment of Risks Associated with Dietary Exposure to Selected Heavy Metals, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, and Radionuclides in Kuwait

To assess the health risks associated with dietary exposure of the Kuwait population, two market baskets comprising 146 food items, which represented the diets of various age groups of the Kuwaiti population, were collected twice, once in the winter of 1997 and again in the summer of 1998, to account for seasonal variation. These food items were analyzed for their heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and selected radionuclides contents. Probabilistic risk assessments using the Monte Carlo simulation technique were conducted for Cd, Pb, PAHs, 137Cs, 90Sr, and 226Ra. The data obtained showed that high Cd and Pb exposures, which exceeded the World Health Organizations (WHOs) standards are encountered among young children. Exposures to PAHs of the different age groups of the Kuwaiti population were not unusually high at the higher percentiles. On the other hand, dietary exposures to 90Sr were all below WHO standards for all percentile and age groups. Exposures to 137Cs were slightly above the WHO standard at the 90th percentile for most age groups, and 226Ra exposures were all well above WHO standards at the upper percentiles for all age groups, but still below the United States Food and Drug Administrations (USFDAs) intervention levels.

Total, insoluble and soluble dietary fiber contents of selected Kuwaiti composite dishes.

Total dietary fiber (TDF), insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) contents of 37 composite dishes commonly consumed in the State of Kuwait were determined by the AOAC enzymatic–gravimetric method of Prosky et al. Levels (g/100 g) of SDF ranged over 0.3–0.5 in fish-based dishes, 0.3–2.6 in meat-based dishes, 0.1–1.4 in rice dishes, 3.2–4.6 in vegetable dishes, 0.3–0.7 in soup dishes, 0 in dairy dishes, 0.7–0.8 in sandwiches, and 0.1–5.0 in sweet dishes. IDF levels ranged over 1.1–1.8 in fish-based, 0.9–3.2 in meat-based, 0.6–2.7 in rice, 2.1–4.0 in vegetables, 0.6–3.4 in soup, 0 in dairy, 0.2–0.3 in sandwiches, and 0.2-11.6 in sweets. TDF values ranged over 1.4–2.3 in fish-based, 1.2–3.7 in meat-based, 0.3–4.1 in rice, 3.2-4.6 in vegetables, 0.9–3.8 in soup, 0 in dairy, 0.7–0.8 in sandwiches and 0.3–15.4 in sweets. This work attempts to provide new data on TDF, IDF and SDF of selected commonly consumed Kuwaiti composite dishes.

Exposure and risk characterization for dietary methylmercury from seafood consumption in Kuwait

Seafood is an important source of essential nutrients; however, it can also confer health risks from methylmercury (MeHg). In this paper, we evaluate the levels of potential methylmercury exposure among Kuwaiti seafood consumers in order to support the development of dietary recommendations for fish consumption in Kuwait. Total mercury (HgT) concentration for most of the studied fish and shellfish species were on average below the 0.5μgg-1 Codex guideline. The notable exception to this was Hamoor (Epinephelus coioides), which averaged 1.29μgg-1 HgT and 0.55μgg-1 MeHg. A dietary survey of 2393 households demonstrated that large quantities of fish and shellfish are commonly consumed in Kuwait (average consumption: 103gd-1). Most participants (53.6%) exceeded the Tolerable Daily Intake of MeHg; this percent exceedance was as high as 78% in children 6-12years of age. The majority (Mean: 50-51%) of Kuwaitis dietary MeHg exposure comes from the consumption of Hamoor; therefore, advisories to limit the consumption of Hamoor may be necessary. Nutrient:Methylmercury ratios are reported herein; these ratios may assist efforts to create dietary advice that limits contaminant risk while promoting the nutritional benefits of seafood in Kuwait.