Iranian Journal of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology
Year:2015 | Volume:9 | Issue:4|Papers Count:13

Background and Objectives: Breast cancer is one of the most common leading causes of cancer-related mortality in women. Silibinin, a natural flavonolignane and the main component of milk thistle (Silybum maianum), has conventionally been overlooked as anti-hepatotoxic and anti-cancer agent. In this study, we assessed the effects of Silibinin on breast cancer cell viability, growth, apoptotsis and expression level of P53 gene in MCF-7 cells.Materials and Methods: The MCF-7 cells were treated in the medium of RPMI1640 and silibinin (control and 25-800 mM) for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT (Methyl-Thiazol-Tetrazolium) assay. The percentage of apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry analysis using Annexin-V fluorecence isothiocyanat (FITC). The fold changes of P53 expression were determined by Real-Time PCR.Results: The results showed the maximum inhibitory effect of silibinin on the inhibition of cell growth and induction of apoptosis at a concentrationof 200 mM after 24 hour incubation (p<0.05). Incubation of the cells with silibinin for 48 hours descended IC50 value to 148 mM (p<0.05). The flowcytometric analysis showed that silibinin-induced apoptosis is independent of its cytotoxic effects on the cells. Increase in the percentage of apoptosis was associated with significant increase inP53 mRNA level.Conclusions: Silibinin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in a time-dose depending effect. Furthermore, Silibinin treatment resulted in apoptotic effects on MCF-7 cells. These results suggested that Silibinin could be an affective component to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro.

Background and Objectives: One of the most important causes of death in type 2 diabetic patients is atherosclerosis. Omega-3 fatty acids decrease plasma triglyceride levels, but there is concern on their effect to increase LDL-C and Apo B levels. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Omega-3 fatty acids on lipoproteins, Apo B and Apo A in type 2 diabetic patients.Materials and Methods: In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, 81 type 2 diabetic patients (41 subjects in the treatment group and 40 subjects in the control) took three (Omega-3 or placebo) capsules per day for two months; overall, the Omega-3 supplement contained 2714mg Omega-3 (in the treatment group) and the placebo contained 2100 mg sunflower oil (in the controls). Data on height, weight and food consumption, based on 24h food recall, were collected, and a fasting blood sample was taken at baseline and at the end of the study to measure the lipid profiles. Differences between the two groups were tested by independent sample T-test. Differences within a group were analyzed by paired sample T-test.Results: Mean age, weight, body mass index (BMI), energy and nutrient intakes, and biochemical variables were not significantly different between the two groups at baseline. The two-month supplementation led to statistically significant decreases in the serum levels of Apo B, triglyceride and TG: HDL-C in the treatment group (P=0.00). There were no significant changes in other variables.Conclusion: Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acid supplement for two months can bring about decreases in the serum contents of Apo B, TG and the TG: HDL-C ratio in type 2 diabetic patients.

Background and Objectives: There is evidence that snacks provide a significant part of daily energy and nutrients in children. Choosing healthy snacks for children can contribute to a healthy diet. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of healthy snacks choice by mothers using the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT).Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 398 mothers of a 1-5 year old child were selected using cluster sampling among 12 health centers in Hamedan city. The participants completed self-report measures of background information, SCT constructs, and a food frequency questionnaire. According to the Content Validity Ratio (CVA), Content Validity Index (CVI), and Cronbach's alpha, the questionnaires were reliable and valid. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software (version, 15) and based on Chi-squared, ANOVA and linear regression tests. Statistical significance was defined as P<0.05.Results: The findings of this study showed that availability, outcome expectancy, and self-efficacy were the significant predictors of mothers’ healthy snacks choice. These factors together explained 14.5% of the variance of this behavior.Conclusion: In the development and implementation of snacking education interventions for mothers, proper methods to change availability, outcome expectancy, and self- efficacy should be considered.

Background and Objectives: Ever decreasing rate of birth and death accompanied with the increasing rate of life expectancy has led to the increase of old population, especially in the developing countries. This study aimed to estimate the association of demographic, socio-economic features and some health problems with the nutritional status in older people.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed and conducted by utilizing two-stage cluster sampling. The total of 541 subjects were included. MNA questionnaire was used to evaluate the nutrition status of the elderly. Data were analyzed using one way ANOVA and hierarchical linear regression. The relationship between qualitative variables was also evaluated by Chi-square test.Results: The prevalence of malnutrition and the risk of getting malnutrition was 4.8% and 44.7%, respectively. The women participants got lower score in nutritional status. The old people taking more than three drugs were were suffering from malnutrition by 58.8%. About 22.4% of the subjects lived alone, and there was a statistically significant relation between living alone and malnutrition. Daily consumption of 3 main meals, fruits and vegetables, and good sources of protein was higher in the elderly with well nutritional status than in at-risk and malnurished eldely. There was a significant relationship between dental and mental conditions and malnutrition, and also age and socio-economic features were negatively related with the nutritional status.Conclusion: Considering the relationship between malnutrition and such factors as socio-economic status, depression, dietary patterns and oral health, it seems that besides nutritional intervention, socio-economic support has noticeable importance, especially for women.

Background and Objectives: Prevalence of food insecurity has a different pattern around the world. Recognizing the prevalence of food insecurity and its different related factors can be effective in reducing or controlling its spread via the appropriate policies and programs. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of food insecurity and some related socioeconomic (SES) and demographic factors in the rural households of Arak/Iran in 2014.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 373 rural households of Arak who were selected by multistage random sampling. Tools for data gathering were USDA food security scale and the form of demographic and family economic assets. To determine household economic status, the model of Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used. Statistical analysis was conducted by SPSS20 and STATA11.Results: The prevalence of food insecurity without hunger, moderate hunger and extreme hunger was 50.4%, 24.4% and 1.6%, respectively. Sex and age of householder, parental education, number of children, income and household economic status were significantly associated with food insecurity (p<0.05). By controlling the effect of other factors, only household economic status was a significant predictor of food security status; so that in the households with low economic status (compared with the high economic status households), the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals of food insecurity was 3.68 (1.51-8.98).Conclusion: The prevalence of food insecurity was high in the investigated areas. Considering the relevant factors, preventive and controlling actions of food insecurity and improvement of the quantity and quality of household foods in rural areas, especially in underserved and vulnerable groups are needed.

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, due to the epidemic of sports supplements, the effects of these supplements on athletic performance require analysis and evaluation. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is investigating the effect of weekly arginine supplementation on blood lactate concentration and metabolic parameters of respiratory in female athletes (handballists).Materials and Methods: The population of this quasi-experimental are sixteen female handballists, with the mean age of (2.49±22.15 years), height of (5.85±165.35 cm), and weight of (8.61±59.94 kg), were selected on a voluntary basis. The samples were randomly divided into two groups of L-arginine (n=8) and placebo (n=8). The intervention group consumed 21 g L-arginine and the control consumed 21 g placebo (3 capsules of 1000 mg) daily for one week. Bruce test was taken from the participants in two stages with a one week interval. Data analysis was done using inferential statistics (paired t-test, independent t-test and repeated measures) and employing the SPSS software, version 21.Results: For respiratory parameters, a significant decrease was observed in the respiratory exchange ratio, and significant increase was seen in oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, pulmonary ventilation, ventilatory equivalent ratio for oxygen and carbon dioxide, VO2 at the anaerobic threshold, and VO2 max for L-arginine group; however, changes in the ratio of VO2 at the anaerobic threshold and respiratory compensation point to oxygen consumption were not significant (p>0.05). Also in the Larginine group, a significant decrease was observed in blood lactic acid concentration compared with the placebo group (p<0.05).Conclusion: The results of this research indicate that L-arginine delays anaerobic threshold and fatigue with changes in blood lactate concentration and metabolic parameters of the respiratory system. Likely, Larginine supplement can be utilized to improve the athletes’ performance in sports activities.

Background and Objectives: Microbial spoilage of meat and meat products leads to the development of off-odors, tissue breakdown, economic damages, and toxic effects to humans. The objective of this study was to assess the microbial properties and efficacy of coriander and lemon oils incorporated with carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC) to minimize the presence of pathogenic-bacteria in lamb meat.Materials and Methods: CMC films containing coriander and lemon oil (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4%v/v film solution) were prepared. Antimicrobial properties of the films were investigated on Staphylococcus-aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas-aeruginosa on agar medium. CMC films with 0.4% essence or without essence were wrapped around the meats and stored at 4±1oC for 8 days. The coated and uncoated samples were analyzed periodically to determine microbiological properties (total bacteria count, Coliform, Staphylococcus.spp and Pseudomonas.spp) and pH.Results: Both films containing essence had antimicrobial effects on the nutrient-agar medium against the Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas-aeruginosa, while they had no anti-microbial effects on Staphylococcus-aureus. As compared with the control samples, significant decrease was observed in total count bacteria, coliform, Staphylococcus.spp and Pseudomonas.spp in lamb meat samples treated with CMC films (p<0.05). The anti-microbial effect of lemon oils on Pseudomonas.spp was significantly greater than coriander. The CMC films with or without essence caused a decrease in pH of the meat samples.Conclusion: The CMC films enriched with essence, especially lemon essence, delayed tissue breakdown, and increases the pH by reducing the bacterial growth. Therefore, use of citrus lemon film as an economical and biodegradable coating has a good potential for increasing the shelf-life of lamb meat at the refrigerator temperature.

Background and Objectives: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have preventative and therapeutic effects against various disorders, especially cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions. Considering the advantages of using nanoliposomes as carrier systems of bioactive compounds, this study was aimed to the development nanoliposomes containing vitamin E loaded with DHA and EPA and evaluation of their physical stability.Materials and Methods: Preformed nano-liposomes were prepared based on dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with vitamin E using a modification thin film method and sonication. Loading of EPA and DHA into nano-liposomes was done by incubation. To improve stability, vitamin E was added to some formulae. After formulation, a comparative study was performed between them through evaluation by Zetasizer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and calculating the percent of DHA and EPA entrapment efficiency. Physical stability study was carried out by investigating the change in the vesicles’ encapsulation efficiency, particle size, size distribution and shape when stored at 4, 30 and 40oC for 3 months.Results: The results showed that vitamin E-based nanoliposomal formulations successfully entrapped EPA and DHA with high encapsulation efficiencies (81.96±1.4% and 89.1±0.6%), respectively, and appropriate particle size (82±0.8 nm) and PDI (0.13±0.02) were achieved for the optimized formulation.The results of the physical stability tests of the optimized nanoliposome carriers of DHA and EPA incorporated with vitamin E were suitable after a 3-month storage at 4oC. DSC and TEM results confirmed vitamin E–DPPC: Omega 3 interactions and vesicular dispersion phenomenon of DHA and EPA.Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that incorporation of vitamin E in nanoliposomal formulation had significant protective and stabilizing effects on the DHA and EPA loaded in bilayer membrane lipid and its physical stability. The combination of preservatives and vitamin E in liposome containing EPA and DHA was not more effective on the physical stability of liposome formulation than the control formulation.

Background and Objectives: Antibiotics remaining in poultry products cause serious diseases such as cancer, allergy, secondary infections, metabolic disorders and increased antibiotic resistance in the microorganisms to the consumers. In this study, the use of probiotics (as an alternative to antibiotics) in Japanese quail feed and its effects on the properties of meat were investigated.Materials and Methods: The effect of adding a probiotic powder at three levels (0.25, 0.5 and 0.75%) of the diet on the microbial characteristics, quality and shelf-life of Japanese quail meat was studied, and compared with the control sample and the poultries that fed with diet containing 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75% antibiotics.Results: Addition of probiotic resulted in decreasing of the total count of bacteria in the fresh meat, but the amounts of coliforms were not significantly different between the treatments in the first day. Although the total counts and coliforms increased during the storage time, only the seventh day showed significant differences with the other days. On the other hand, Protexin did not cause significant changes in the meat’s water-holding capacity. The evaluation of oxidation in the fresh meat showed that the probiotic supplementation resulted in decreasing of malondialdehyde, and improving of meat quality during the storage time. In addition, assessment of color characteristics indicated that addition of probiotics caused to reduce yellowness, and increase redness and brightness of the fresh meat. During the storage, the redness of meat was maintained, brightness was reduced, and yellowish was increased.Conclusion: Since the adding of probiotic in the diet caused to control the activity of microorganisms, reduced oxidation reactions, increased water holding capacity and improved meat color index, it is a good alternative for antibiotics in the feed of Japanese quail.

Background and Objectives: Recently, an increased demand for nondairy probiotic products comes from the popularity of vegetarianism, lactose intolerance, and high cholesterol content in dairy products. The objective of this study is evaluating the effect of refrigerated study on the viability of probiotics and some physicochemical characteristics in cornelian cherry juice.Materials and Methods: Cornelian cherry juice with natural and adjusted pH with sodium bicarbonate was inoculated with three industrial bacteria (L. rhamnosus, L. plantarom and L. casei) and two native probiotic bacteria (L. casei) (108 cfu/ml). Then the samples were placed in the refrigerator (4oC) immediately after inoculation. Next, the changes in chemical characteristics such as pH, acidity, phenolic compounds content, anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity, microbial characteristics (such as enumeration of live probiotic cells), and sensory properties were evaluated during 4 weeks with the time intervals of one week for the samples with adjusted pH. Significant differences between the averages of obtained data were checked by one way ANOVA test. Also differences between the averages of each treatment during the refrigerating time were examined by repeated measure test using SPSS software at the significant level of 0.05.Results: Data analysis showed that treatment type, storage period and interaction effect of these two factors have significant effects on the changes of physicochemical characteristics and probiotic viability (P<0.05). The results revealed that native probiotic strain L. casei spp. T4 compared to other strains maintained its viability at 8.67 log cfu/ml after 4 weeks of refrigerated storage. Also there were the most changes in physicochemical characteristics in the cornelian cherry treatments containing this strain, which is a marker of fermentative activity during the refrigerated storage.Conclusion: The results showed that cornelian cherry juice because of low pH and presence of inhibitor phenolic compounds has negative effect on viability of probiotics, especially industrial strains during the refrigerated storage.

Background and Objectives: Heat treatment during a baby formula production causes to production of F and HMF. The toxicity of these compounds in trace amount has been demonstrated. The purpose of this study is the identification and optimization of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography as a sensitive and accurate method for the determining the trace amounts of F and HMF in baby formula samples.Materials and Methods: The effective parameters on the extraction of F and HMF were determined and optimized using response surface methodology. Central composite design was used for optimization. The figures of merit of the proposed method such as limit of detection, limit of quantification, repeatability, and linear rang were calculated. Extraction and determination of F and HMF in 22 samples taken from the drugstores in Tehran were carried out by the proposed method. Statistical method used in this study was a one-way ANOVA.Results: The optimum amounts for effective parameters were determined. The figures of merit for the proposed method were at the ideal range. In the present study, the lowest and highest concentrations of F and HMF in baby formula samples were 0.18 and 20.77mg g-1 and 0.24 and 167.16 mg g-1, respectively.Conclusion: The proposed method (DLLME) was compared with other previous methods, and its high capability and reliability were demonstrated in determination of furfural and hydroxylmethyl furfural at very low concentrations in baby formula samples.

Background and Objectives: Enrichment of foods leads to improve the health of both individuals and society. In this research, Spirulina platensis was used in the enrichment of ultrafiltration white cheese in order to study its effect on the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus. For havin medical, anti-microbial, and anti-oxidant properties, Menthe longifolia was used in the production of this cheese as a flavorable.Materials and Methods: Spirulina platensis was used in the early stages of the production process, and was added to cheese at the concentrations of 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8%w/w. Spirulina’s incorporation on the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilu in ultrafiltration cheese containing 0.5, 1% Menthe longifolia was also investigated. The cheese samples were stored at 4°C, and taken for experiments at 1, 15, 30 and 45 days of the refrigerated storage.Results: The results showed that by adding the microalga biomass of Spirulina platensis in cheese samples containing powdered Menthe longifolia L., the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus increased significantly during the storage time (P<0.05). The effect of 0.8% S.platensis powder’s addition on the viablity of probiotic bacteria was greater than that of the 0.3 and 0.5% additions. After 45 days of storage at 4oC, the numbers of probiotic bacteria in all of the cheese samples were in the range of the numbers of the recommended therapeutic products. The sensory analysis was also performed for the cheese samples. The sensory scores of the 0.3% Spirulina powder added cheese samples at both concentrations of Mentha longifolia L. (0.5 & 1%) were better than those of the 0.5 and 0.8% Spirulina powder additions.Conclusion: This study according to the good health and nutritional properties of microalgae Spirulina platensis and the possitive effects on viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus was applied for the enrichment of ultrafiltration cheese. addition of Menthe longifoli L. powder into the cheese samples containing of powdered microalgae at two concentrations (0.5 & 1%) led to overcome this concern about decreasing of sensory acceptability.