Ross Coad

Australian Army Recruits in Training Display Symptoms of Overtraining

The proposition that the demands of recruit training, including physical and psychological stresses, result in symptoms of overtraining was investigated during the 45-day Army Common Recruit Training course. Body mass, physical fitness, fasting blood measures of immune status, hormones (serum free testosterone/cortisol ratio), inflammation, and iron status were measured at baseline and after weeks 5 and 6. Psychological measures of mood and fatigue and general health were measured at the end of each week. Sleep diaries were completed each evening and morning. Evidence for overtraining symptoms of fatigue, sleep disturbance, immune suppression, reduced iron status, high rates of minor injuries, and hormonal changes was found. However, recruits were not pushed so hard that physical performance deteriorated greatly. Accumulated sleep deprivation might be a major contributor to the adverse hormonal changes. We conclude that there was some evidence of recruits being overtrained.

Military ration chocolate: the effect of simulated tropical storage on sensory quality, structure and bloom formation.

A storage trial was conducted to observe the effect of typical northern Australia climatic conditions on a military ration chocolate (RC). The results indicate that sensory quality decreased during storage; after seven days the chocolate was no longer of acceptable appearance. Deterioration in RC sensory quality was strongly correlated with decreases in visual acceptance (appearance) and increases in degree of blooming. Instrumental colour measurements were also strongly correlated with sensory ratings. Visual and microscopic observations provide evidence for movement of fat to and across the surface of the RC, behaviour that may be explained in terms of the phase transition theory of fat blooming. DSC thermographs provide evidence of a shift from predominantly polymorph form V in a fresh RC sample to a greater proportion of form VI in bloomed storage samples. The study provides a baseline against which efforts to improve the quality of RC may be evaluated.

The stability of water-soluble vitamins and issues in the fortification of foods

Vitamins are chemically reactive components of foods and their retention can be influenced by various factors during processing and storage. Reflecting their global significance as staples, there has been a renewed focused upon cereal grain foods including the various styles of Asian wheaten noodles. Although these are typically regarded as good sources of the B-group vitamins, relatively high losses of up to 97% have been reported. The factors responsible for the losses vary for each vitamin investigated, with product pH, as well as heat, being among the significant determinants of retention. The nutritional potential of cereal grain foods, including Asian noodles and rice, is reviewed with particular emphasis on folic acid fortification. The recent studies have highlighted the risks of assuming similar patterns of retention in all foods, along with the importance of applying rigour in adapting extraction procedures and analytical methodology for use with different food products.