JOURNAL OF NUTRITION SCIENCES & FOOD TECHNOLOGY
Year:2006 | Volume:1 | Issue:2|Papers Count:9

Background & object: Diabetes mellitus is associated with a decrease in bone mineral content and increased urinary excretion of calcium and phosphate. In addition, there are abnormalities in calcium, phosphate, and vitamin D metabolism in diabetic patients. The objective of this study was to assess the serum calcium and vitamin D status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Materials and methods: A total of 61 diabetic patients (35 male and 26 female), 35-65 years old, were studied in the middle of winter, at the seasonal nadir of 25 (OH) D levels. Serum levels of 25(OH) D < 20 ng/ml and of total calcium < 8.8 mg/dl were defined as vitamin D and calcium deficiencies, respectively.Results: The mean serum 25(OH) D level was 10.87 ± 10.59 ng/ml. It was significantly lower in males than in females (p< 0.002). Forty-eight subjects (78.7%) were vitamin D-deficient and only 13 (21.3%) had normal serum vitamin D levels. The mean serum calcium level in the whole sample was 9.45 ± 0.23 mg/dl, which is in the normal range. The mean was higher in males than in females, but the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusion and suggestions: The results suggest that vitamin D deficiency might be prevalent in diabetic patients in Iran, it probably being markedly higher in males.

Background and Objective: In this study the degree of starch gelatinization in Lavash bread was studied as affected by weight of the bread, baking conditions, and storage time.Materials and methods: The degree of starch gelatinization was determined by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. In this technique, certain intensities and heights of a peak pattern for different weights of bread indicate gelatinization of starch.Result and Discussion: The intensities and the heights of peaks of XRD for breads with different weights (100, 200, and 300 g) followed the V pattern. Therefore, gelatinization of starch had occurred. The diffractograms obtained on the third and fifth days of storage indicated gradual appearance of crystals and show that starch crystallization occurs quickly in Lavash bread. This seems to be due to a low moisture content of the bread. Further analysis of the data indicated that neither the weight of the bread nor the baking conditions have any effect on the gelatinization process.Conclusion: Gelatinization of starch in Lavash bread occurs only as a function of storage time.

Background and Objective: The use of pesticides in agricultural practices is on the increase in Iran. This is causing great concern about the public health risks due to pesticide residues in food products. The objective of this study was to determine the occurance of 117 pesticide residues in vegetables marketed in the Tehran main wholesale fruit and vegetable market in 2005, by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, thirty vegetable (10 cucumber, 10 tomato, 5 cabbage, and 5 lettuce) samples were collected  from the main wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Tehran and analyzed for the organophosphorus, ganonitroge, dicarboximide, organochlorine, triazine, pyrethroids, and strobilurin residues. Extraction of the pesticides with different physico-chemical properties was done, using ethyl acetate and anhydrous sodium sulphate as solvents, followed by purification by high-performance gel permeation chromatography and solid phase extraction. For the identification of the pesticide residues gas chromatography coupled with ion trap mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used.Results: Of the 30 vegetable samples analyzed, 53.33% were contaminated with insecticide residues. Endosulfan-I, endosulfan-II, endosulfan-sulphate, chlorpyrifos and phosalone were detected in the cucumber and tomato samples. The mean pesticide recovery was calculated to be >60%, which is quite good.Conclusion: The mean levels of the pestiticide residues in the samples were much lower than the respective maximum residue limits (MRLS) recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commision and the European Community (p<0.05).  Moreover, no residues of the restricted or banned pesticides, such as DDTor HCH-g or their metabolites, were present in any of the samples analysed.

Background and Objective: Hyperlipidemia is a common health problem, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases, a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Studies show that changes in life style, such as not smoking, following a healthy diet, and exercise can help prevent these diseases. Deep-fat frying is one of the most popular procedures for food preparation. However, heating oils can produce undesirable constituents, which not only compromise the quality of the food but also pose a potential hazard to human health and nutrition. The effects of heating on oils and blood lipid profile have been determined in many studies, but very few comparative studies have been made in this regard. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of Ghoo frying oil and Ghoncheh hydrogenated vegetable oil on the blood lipid profile in rats.Materials and Methods: The study included 36 Wistar male rats purchased from Tehran Pasteur Institute. They were fed the AIN-93G diet for one week and then randomly divided into 3 groups of 12 each. Group 1 was put on the control diet which contained corn oil. In the diets of groups 2 and 3 corn oil was replaced by the Ghoncheh hydrogenated vegetable oil and the Ghoo frying oil, respectively. After 28 days of feeding, fasting blood samples were collected from the animals and analyzed for lipids. Statistical tests used for data analysis (SPSS 1105 software) were the ANOVA two-way repeated measures and ANCOVA .Results: In the frying oil group the plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels were significantly lower than in the corn oil (p<0.02) and the hydrogenated oil (p<0.05) groups. Conversely, the hydrogenated oil increased the lipid levels in the rats. None of the oils had a statistically significant effect on the HDL-cholesterol level.Conclusion: The findings suggest that, as compared to corn and hydrogenated oils, frying oil increases blood lipid indices to a lesser extent.

Background and Objective: Mycoproteins are produced by Fusarium venenatum through aerobic fermentation of carbohydrate substrates. The RNA content of the biomass produced is high and should, therefore, be reduced to less than 2% by heat treatment.The nutritional value of mycoproteins is very high: the cell walls of the hyphae, the cell membranes, and the cytoplasm are sources of dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fat, and high-quality protein, respectively. In this study the possibility of the production of mycoprotein by Fusarium oxysporum in the laboratory was investigated and the optimum fermentation conditions for the highest production efficiency (yield) were determined.Materials and Methods: Aerobic fermentation was carried out on a Vogel medium at different tempratures, agitation speeds, levels of glucose as the carbon source, and levels of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate as the nitrogen source. In order to reduce the ribonucleic acid content to an acceptable level, heat treatment at 65˚C for 15 min was used.Results and Discussion: The findings showed that the optimum fermentation conditions for mycoprotein production by Fusarium oxysporum were 25˚C, 150 rpm, a glucose concentration of 5 g/l, and an ammonium dihydrogen phosphate concentration of 3.4 g/l. The mycoprotein obtained contained approximately 42 % crude protein, and the heat treatment caused a reduction of the ribonucleic acid content from 7% to less than 1%.

Background and objective: The oxidative stability of oils and fats is affected by physical and chemical factors, resulting in rancidity. Synthetic antioxidants may have toxic and carcinogenic effects. The purpose of this study was to find mixtures of natural antioxidants that would promote the oxidative stability and shelf-life of margarine, to be used as a substitute for the synthetic antioxidant tertbutylhydroquinine (TBHQ).Materials and Methods: Margarine samples were produced with 0.89% Trans fatty acids, a high nutritional value (P/S+T=2.34), and other desirable characteristics. Antioxidant treatments included 10 mixtures (F1-F10) containing tocopherols (Toc), ascorbyl palmitate (AP), rosemary extract (Ros), and lecithin (Lec), a control (F0, with no antioxidant), and a sample (F11) with TBHQ. The shelf-life of the samples kept at 60°C (oven test) for 25 days was assessed by determinig  the peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AV), the induction period in Rancimat (110°C); samples were also kept at 4°C for 14 weeks, followed by PV measurement. The antioxidant treatments were ranked on tha basis of the time (days) to reach a PV=20 meq/kg at 60°C and a PV=5 meq/kg at 4°C, the stabilization factor (SF) calculated sing the Rancimat test results, and the cost of each treatment.Results: In the oven test, the PVs and AVs of the majority of the treatments were in good agreement. The results were as follow: F2>F8>F10. On the basis of the time to reach a PV=20 meq/kg, treatments F7>F10 were not significantly different from F11. Ranking based on SF revealed a significant difference between the antioxidant activity of F11>F10>F9 and other samples (p<0.05). Based on the time to reach a PV=5 meq/kg at 4°C, treatments F10, F11, F9, F2, and F5 (not different significantly) were significantly better than other samples (p<0.05).  The shelf-life of margarine samples at 4°C varied from one month (F0, F1, and F7) to three months (F10) and F11). The overall ranking was as follows: F2, F10>F5, F9> F8>F1, F3, F4>F6, F7.Conclusion: Treatments F2 (200ppm Ap+ 200ppm Ros) and F10 (200ppm Ros + 200ppm Toc + 1000 ppmLec) can be recommended as substitutes for TBHQ to maintain the quality and increase the shelf-life of margarine.

Background and Objective: Dietary nutrient imbalance creates problems. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of iron therapy of women with iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) cosulting 4 Iran University of Medical Sciences hospitals in Tehran.Materials and methods: The subjects were thirty-seven nonpregnant women, 18 to 49 years, with iron-deficiency anemia by WHO criteria, receiving a daily dose of 100 mg Iron (as ferrous sulphate tablets 2/d) for 8 weeks. Initial and final indices of iron and copper status were determined, and the intakes of the 2 metals were measured using the 24-hour diatry recall questionnaires (3 times). Data analysis was performed with the SPSS software, using the paired t test, Wilcoxon signed–ranked test and Pearson’s correlation.Results: Iron therapy resulted in significant increases (p<0.001) in the serum levels of the heamatologic (Hb, Hct, MCV, MCH, MCHC) and biochemical (Fe, ferritin, TS) parameters; the desirable change in TIBC was also significant (p<0.001). The serum Cu concentration did not increase significantly, while Cp increased from 33.76 ± 10.27 mg/dl to 39.56 ± 9.08 mg/dl. The ESOD activity also increased (from 371.62 ± 72.52 to 401.86 ± 67.39 U/ml; <0.05). The mean dietary Cu and Fe intakes were 24.9 ± 11.2 and 1.18 ± .55 mg/d, respectively, with no variations during the period.Conclusion: The treatmen led to alleviation of IDA and increases in the body iron stores to normal levels. There were no adverse effects on the status of copper, the intake of which was low. Therefore, the present national iron supplementation program for IDA prevention and is justified.

Background and objective: Mozzarella is a soft cheese belonging to the Pasta filata family, containing 18-24 % fat. The objective of this study was to determine the effect lowering Mozarella fat content to 6% and adding whey protein concentrate on the rheological properties of the low-fat cheese.Materials and methods: Low-fat Mozzarella was produced using 3 fat replacers ( Dairy-Lo, 35% protein; Simpless, 53% protein; 907Lsi, 90% protein ), in  two forms–homogenated and nonhomogenated–with a fat content 6% and 18 % (full-fat). The low-fat cheese was produced, using the McMahon method, fist at an experimental scale and then at a larger scale (100 Kg milk) Rheological properties of the samples  were determined 1, 7 , 14, and 28 days after storage at 4°C.Results: The rheological properties of the low-fat Mozarella improved upon addition of the fat replacers. By the 28th day of storage, meltability and free-flowing oil increased. Stretchability increased up to the 14th day and decreased afterwards, while hardness decreased up to the 28th day. In the homogenated samples, meltability was more, and free-flowing oil, hardness, and stretchability were less, than in the nonhomogenated samples. Replacing fat with whey protein concentrate results in an increase in the misture content, which would improve the rheologoical properties (in some cases, the product was even superior to full-fat cheese).Conclusion: It is recommended that low-fat Mozarella be produced in Iran and used in preference to full-fat Mozarella.  We propose that microscopic tests, too, be made on the cheese in order to make a better judgment.