Search

We estimated the caloric contribution of minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods and ultra-processed foods in Brazilian farmers' diets and their association with the nutritional profile of the diet. It is an epidemiological study of cross-sectional, analytical and quantitative design with 740 farmers adults of Southeastern Brazil. Food intake data were obtained by applying three 24-hour recalls and were classified according to the degree and purpose of processing. The largest caloric contribution came from the group of minimally processed foods (64.7%), followed by ultra-processed foods (17.7%), processed culinary ingredients (12.4%), and processed foods (5.2%). Individuals in the fourth quartile of caloric contribution from minimally processed foods showed lower energy consumption (β -0.16, P<0.001) and greater consumption of all 15 micronutrients analyzed. In contrast to what was identified for this food group, the higher caloric contribution from ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater caloric content of the diet (β 0.17, P<0.001) and lower consumption of all 23 analyzed nutrients. Therefore, the caloric contribution from the consumption of ultra-processed foods in the rural area is still lower than the national average. However, measures aimed at delaying isocaloric exchanges for the group of ultra-processed foods must be carried out, maintaining the local food culture, since this group had worse nutritional levels. In addition, incentives to the greater consumption of minimally processed foods should be carried out, due to their nutritional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Element bioaccessibility consists of the fraction of the element that is mobilized from food matrices into digestive extractants. The degree of bioaccessibility of a toxic metal is a fundamental consideration in estimating its bioavailability. In addition, gaining a better understanding of the essential elements released into the gastro intestinal fluids allows a more thorough assessment of the health benefits of food matrices in the field of nutrition science. In the present study, an in vitro digestion model simulating gastro-intestinal digestion (GID) was used to investigate the bioaccessibility of stable elements in mixed leaf salad and 210Po in various foods (meat, seafood, vegetables). The simulation was carried out over three phases: after a pre-treatment with a saliva solution, raw and cooked seafood samples were subjected to a complete simulated gastrointestinal digestion (gastric digestion followed by bile-pancreas digestion). The 210Po bioaccessibility was found to range from 16.2±9.39% to 62.8±17.7% and from 6.26±2.15% to 67.5±13.1% for raw and cooked food respectively. Moreover, bioaccessibility could not be determined for As, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Hg, La, Pb, Sb, Sn, Te, Th, Tl, Ti, U. It proved to be poor (1–16%) for Al, Fe and S; fair (40–50%) for Cu, P, and Si; and high (>50%) for Ba, Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Rb, Sr, Zn. The results show that bioaccessibility varies according to the chemical form of the element in the food as well as the matrix composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various produce including cantaloupe, caramel-coated apples, and packaged salads, have been recognized in recent years as vehicles for listeriosis, a human foodborne disease caused by intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Our knowledge regarding the role of these foods in L. monocytogenes virulence, however, is limited. Understanding their role in modulating L. monocytogenes virulence can be useful in risk assessments and for developing control measures. In this study, we employed the Galleria mellonella larvae model to evaluate virulence potential of fifteen clinical, environmental and food isolates of L. monocytogenes, related to three major outbreaks, after growth on different foods. The non-human pathogen Listeria innocua was also included in the panel. Strains were inoculated in parallel in 5ml of brain heart infusion (BHI) broth, and on the surfaces of cantaloupe and apple fragments (5g each) at about 105 colony forming units (CFU)/ml/fragment. One set of inoculated broth and food fragments was incubated at 10°C for 5 days while the second set was kept at 25°C for 3 days. L. monocytogenes cells were recovered from the fruits and BHI, washed twice, re-suspended in saline, and used to inoculate G. mellonella larvae at final concentrations of 106 and 105 CFU/larva. The larvae were incubated at 37°C and monitored for mortality (LT50—time taken to kill 50% of the larvae) and phenotypic changes over seven days. L. monocytogenes grown on cantaloupe and apple flesh surfaces resulted in higher virulence than when grown in BHI. L. monocytogenes infection at 106 CFU/larvae resulted in an average LT50 of ≤ 30, 36 and 47 hours on cantaloupe, apples and BHI, respectively. These results represent a 2.5–4-fold increased mortality compared with an LT50 ≥120 hours in larvae infected with the same doses of L. innocua grown in corresponding matrices. Similar trends were also recorded with doses of about 105 CFU /larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active Brownian particles (ABPs) are physical models for motility in simple life forms and easily studied in simulations. An open question is to what extent an increase of activity by a gradient of fuel, or food in living systems, results in an evolutionary advantage of actively moving systems such as ABPs over non-motile systems, which rely on thermal diffusion only. It is an established fact that within confined systems in a stationary state, the activity of ABPs generates density profiles that are enhanced in regions of low activity, which is thus referred to as 'anti-chemotaxis'. This would suggest that a rather complex sensoric subsystem and information processing is a precondition to recognize and navigate towards a food source. We demonstrate in this work that in non-stationary setups, for instance as a result of short bursts of fuel/food, ABPs do in fact exhibit chemotactic behavior. In direct competition with inactive, but otherwise identical Brownian particles (BPs), the ABPs are shown to fetch a larger amount of food. We discuss this result based on simple physical arguments. From the biological perspective, the ability of primitive entities to move in direct response to the available amount of external energy would, even in absence of any sensoric devices, encompass an evolutionary advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: This study described the development of a parent food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for measuring diets of young children over the past month and the validation of this FFQ against three non-consecutive 24 hour recalls. Subjects/Methods: Food and nutrient intakes from a 68-item FFQ were compared with three non-consecutive 24 hour recalls in a follow-up cohort of children aged 1.5, 3.5 and 5.0 years old. Data from both methods were available for 231, 172 and 187 participants at ages 1.5, 3.5 and 5.0 years, respectively. Results: Out of 11 nutrients, four (protein, fat, fibre, iron), two (Vitamin C, folate) and three (protein, vitamin C and folate) nutrients showed good-acceptable outcome for 2 out of 3 group-level validation tests at ages 1.5, 3.5 and 5.0 years, respectively. Of 26 food groups, good-acceptable outcome for 2 out of 3 group-level validation tests was revealed for two, four and six food groups at ages 1.5, 3.5 and 5.0 years, respectively. For individual-level validation tests, all nutrients showed good-acceptable outcome for 2 out of 3 individual level tests across three time points, except for folate at age 1.5 years and energy intake at age 3.5 years. Most food groups (22 out of 26) at age 1.5 years and all food groups at both ages 3.5 and 5.0 years showed good-acceptable outcome for 2 out of 3 individual-level validation tests. Conclusions: At all three time points, the FFQ demonstrated good-acceptable validity for some nutrients and food groups at group-level, and good-acceptable validity for most nutrients and food groups at individual-level. This quantitative FFQ is a valid and robust tool for assessing total diet of young children and ranking individuals according to nutrient and food intakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foods we eat contain microorganisms that we ingest alongside the food. Industrialized food systems offer great advantages from a safety point of view, but have also been accused of depleting the diversity of the human microbiota with negative implications for human health. In contrast, artisanal traditional foods are potential sources of a diverse food microbiota. Traditional foods of the Greenlandic Inuit are comprised of animal-sourced foods prepared in the natural environment and are often consumed raw. These foods, some of which are on the verge of extinction, have not previously been microbiologically characterized. We mapped the microbiota of foods stemming from traditional Inuit land-based hunting activities. The foods included in the current study are dried muskox and caribou meat, caribou rumen and intestinal content as well as larval parasites from caribou hides, all traditional Inuit foods. This study shows that traditional drying methods are efficient for limiting microbial growth through desiccation. The results also show the rumen content of the caribou to be a highly diverse source of microbes with potential for degradation of plants. Finally, a number of parasites were shown to be included in the biodiversity of the assessed traditional foods. Taken together, the results map out a diverse source of ingested microbes and parasites that originate from the natural environment. These results have implications for understanding the nature-sourced traditional Inuit diet, which is in contrast to current day diet recommendations as well as modern industrialized food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By randomizing the order in which participants perform a cognitive test and a food choice task in a controlled experiment, we investigate whether cognitive capacity can be enhanced by the simple act of anticipating food intake. Our findings show that overweight and obese participants exhibit an anticipatory food reward effect, which helped enhance their mental resources and improve their performance in a cognitive test. However, we find no anticipation effect among normal weight participants. Furthermore, eye tracking data reveal that food temptation, in the form of visual attention and emotional arousal is higher for overweight and obese individuals when they are cognitively impaired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have commonly been used to identify candidate genes that control economically important traits in livestock. Our objective was to detect potential candidate genes associated mainly with muscle development traits related to dimension of hindquarter in cattle. A next generation sequencing (NGS) dataset to imputed to 12 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (from 1252 Simmental beef cattle) were used to search for genes affecting hindquarter traits using a linear, mixed model approach. We also used haplotype and linkage disequilibrium blocks to further support our identifications. We identified 202 significant SNPs in the bovine BTA4 chromosome region associated with width of hind leg, based on a stringent statistical threshold (p = 0.05/ effective number of SNPs identified). After exploring the region around these SNPs, we found candidate genes that were potentially related to the associated markers. More importantly, we identified a region of approximately 280 Kb on the BTA4 chromosome that harbored several muscle specific candidate genes, genes to be in a potential region for muscle development. However, we also found candidate gene SLC13A1 on BTA4, which seems to be associated with bone disorders (such as chondrodysplasia) in Simmental beef cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease of global importance. It is widespread and endemic practically all over the world, with infection prevalence varying by geographic location. The parasite and the disease are neglected, which is illustrated by the lack of baseline information on the prevalence from many regions. Developed, peaceful regions are in better situation to address toxoplasmosis, while the neglected status is particularly pronounced in regions with other challenges. Due to the lack of baseline data, these regions are rarely mentioned in discussions about the neglected status of the disease. A dramatic manifestation of toxoplasmosis, congenital toxoplasmosis, is the dreaded outcome of vertical transmission of the infection from the mother to the unborn child. For this reason, pregnant women are a key target group for primary prevention of T. gondii infections, and baseline data on the prevalence in pregnant women is important. In this cross-sectional seroepidemiological study, we estimated Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence and evaluated possible risk factors for seropositivity in pregnant women in Kabul, Afghanistan. Altogether 207 of the 431 women included in the study tested positive for immunoglobulin G antibodies against T. gondii, yielding an apparent seroprevalence estimate of 48.03% (95% CI 43.33–52.75). Based on the final multivariable model for T. gondii seropositivity, non-concrete floor in the house and well or river as water source were identified as risk factors for seropositivity, while residence in rural area was a protective factor. The majority of the participants (72.9%) reported that they did not know about T. gondii. Our study is the first to report an estimate of T. gondii seroprevalence in pregnant women in Afghanistan. The high seroprevalence indicates substantial infection pressure, and the results of the risk factor analysis suggest that the environmental route, infection from oocysts, might be the most relevant to address to prevent the infections in the region. Our results contribute to the global discussion on neglected status of toxoplasmosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conjugated linoleic acid was detected in rabbit caecotrophs, due to the presence of microbial lipid activity in rabbit cecum. However, the effect of CLA as a functional food in growing rabbit is not well established. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of CLA on production, meat quality, and its nutrigenomic effect on edible parts of rabbit carcass including skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue. Therefore, seventy five weaned V-Line male rabbits, 30 days old, were randomly allocated into three dietary treatments receiving either basal control diet, diet supplemented with 0.5% (CLAL), or 1% CLA (CLAH). Total experimental period (63 d) was segmented into 7 days adaptation and 56 days experimental period. Dietary supplementation of CLA did not alter growth performance, however, the fat percentage of longissimus lumborum muscle was decreased, with an increase in protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) percentage. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) and mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were not increased in CLA treated groups. There was tissue specific sensing of CLA, since subcutaneous adipose tissue gene expression of PPARA was downregulated, however, CPT1A tended to be upregulated in liver of CLAL group only (P = 0.09). In skeletal muscle, FASN and PPARG were upregulated in CLAH group only (P ≤0.01). Marked cytoplasmic vacuolation was noticed in liver of CLAH group without altering hepatocyte structure. Adipocyte size was decreased in CLA fed groups, in a dose dependent manner (P <0.01). Cell proliferation determined by PCNA was lower (P <0.01) in adipose tissue of CLA groups. Our data indicate that dietary supplementation of CLA (c9,t11-CLA and t10,c12- CLA) at a dose of 0.5% in growing rabbit diet produce rabbit meat rich in PUFA and lower fat % without altering growth performance and hepatocyte structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the reported causes of high malnutrition rates in Burundi and Rwanda is children's inadequate dietary habits. The diet of children may be affected by individual characteristics and by the characteristics of the households and the communities in which they live. We used the minimum dietary diversity of children (MDD-C) indicator as a proxy of diet quality aiming at: 1) assess how much of the observed variation in MDD-C was attributed to community clustering, and 2) to identify the MDD-C associated factors. Methods: Data was obtained from the 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys of Burundi and Rwanda, from which only children 6 to 23 months from rural areas were analysed. The MDD-C was calculated according to the 2007 WHO/UNICEF guidelines. We computed the intra-class coefficient to assess the percentage of variation attributed to the clustering effect of living in the same community. And then we applied two-level logit regressions to investigate the association between MDD-C and potential risk factors following the hierarchical survey structure of DHS. Results: The MDD-C was 23% in rural Rwanda and 16% in rural Burundi, and a 29% of its variation in Rwanda and 17% in Burundi was attributable to community clustering. Increasing age and living standards were associated with higher MDD-C in both countries, and only in Burundi also increasing level of education of the mother's partner. In Rwanda alone, the increasing ages of the head of the household and of the mother at first birth were also positively associated with it. Despite the identification of an important proportion of the MDD-C variation due to clustering, we couldn't identify any community variable significantly associated with it. Conclusions: We recommend further research using hierarchical models, and to integrate dietary diversity in holistic interventions which take into account both the household's and the community's characteristics the children live in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food intake may limit the ability of browsing mammals to gain body mass during the growing season when the leaves and stems of woody plants are most abundant. Moose are highly productive browsers with high demands for energy and nutrients, particularly during lactation. Using an indigestible marker, we estimated dry matter intake of free ranging adult female moose with and without calves over three growing seasons. During the same period, we analyzed forage quality. Intakes were highest in late spring (280 ± 19 g·kg-0.75·d-1) when forage quality peaked; however, intakes declined by 39% throughout the summer as temperatures increased and as acid detergent fiber content of browse increased. Digestibility of dry matter declined over summer from 71% to 57% among browse. Intakes were similar for moose with and without calves. Heat loads may impair the ability of moose to consume sufficient energy and nutrients. Warming and habitat change can adversely affect browser populations when poor forage qualities and low dry matter intakes combine to suppress digestible intakes of energy and nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk remains unclear and published data are limited. Methods: The analytic cohort included 99,798 women, free of cancer at baseline, from the California Teachers Study, a longitudinal cohort comprised of 133,477 female teachers and administrators who were active or recently retired members of the California State Teachers Retirement System in 1995. SSB consumption constituted caloric soft drinks, sweetened bottled waters and teas, and fruit drinks, derived from a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Consumption was divided into four categories: Rare or never, >rare/never to <1 serving/week, ≥1 serving/week to <1 serving/day, and ≥1 serving/day. CRC endpoints were based on annual linkage with California Cancer Registry, defined as first diagnosis of CRC, and classified following the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program coding system. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to generate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for assessing the association between SSB consumption and incident CRC. Results: A total of 1,318 incident CRC cases were identified over 20 years of follow-up (54.5% proximal colon and 45.5% distal colorectum). Compared with rare/never consumers, the multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CI) were 1.14 (0.86, 1.53) for total CRC; 1.11 (0.73, 1.68) for proximal colon; and 1.22 (0.80, 1.86) for distal colorectum cancers among women consuming ≥ 1 serving/day of SSBs. Conclusion: SSBs were not significantly associated with CRC risk. The biological effects of high SSB consumption make it important to continue to evaluate whether SSBs are associated with CRC. Additionally, future studies should further assess SSBs in large, racial/ethnically diverse cohorts of males and females, and, if feasible, address changes in SSB consumption over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The important role played by intestinal bacterial flora in human health has recently attracted public attention worldwide. Although yogurt is thought to help in preventing the onset of gastroenteritis, this property has rarely been examined in epidemiological studies. Method: This study analyzed data obtained by the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. From a dataset of 103,062 pregnancies, 82,485 were selected for this analysis. Dietary intake of fermented foods (yogurt and cheese) in 1-year-old infants was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. Parent-reported physician-diagnosed gastroenteritis in early childhood was determined from a questionnaire conducted when the child was 1 year old. Result: The incidence of gastroenteritis was significantly lower in infants who consumed yogurt ≥ 7 and 3–6 times/week than in infants who consumed yogurt < 1 time/week in crude models (n = 82,485) and after adjustment for covariates (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.78 [0.70–0.86] versus 0.82 [0.76–0.89], respectively; n = 65,051). Frequency of weekly cheese consumption was not associated with the incidence of gastroenteritis. Conclusion: Consumption of yogurt, but not cheese, at 1 year of age was associated with a reduced risk of gastroenteritis. Further studies of this association, including interventional studies, are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent in Nepal where starchy foods constitute a large proportion of diets and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods is inadequate. We conducted a study to determine whether rice would be an appropriate vehicle for micronutrient fortification in Nepal. Materials and methods: In Bajura in remote rural Nepal, we conducted a household survey to characterize rice intakes in 195 households, and a double-blinded acceptability test with 177 social safety net rice consumers ≥18 years of age. Of these, 168 tasted fortified and unfortified rice to assess whether respondents could differentiate between fortified and non-fortified rice and their sensory properties. Rice was fortified by blending hot extruded kernels containing 6 micronutrients together with non-fortified rice at a 1:99 ratio. We used binomial tests to assess whether participants could correctly differentiate fortified rice, from non-fortified rice and paired t-tests to compare scores for sensory qualities of cooked fortified and non-fortified rice. We used multiple regression to test associations between per capita consumption and age, gender, wealth and food security. Results: Per capita consumption of rice (median 216g/day, IQR 144.0, 288.0) did not vary by wealth but was +52.08g, (95% CI 10.43, 93.72) higher amongst moderately to severely food insecure households compared with food secure / mildly food insecure. Most respondents could not differentiate fortified rice from non-fortified rice: 37.5% identified uncooked fortified rice and 39.3% cooked rice, which was not different from the 33% expected by chance (p = 0.22 and p = 0.09 respectively). The sensory qualities of fortified rice were acceptable (scoring 3.9 out of 5) and did not differ from non-fortified rice (p>0.05). Conclusion: A rice fortification programme implemented through the Nepal Food Corporation’s social safety nets has potential because purchase and consumption of rice is high and fortified rice is acceptable among consumers in remote food insecure areas of Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overweight and obesity have become global concerns in developed and developing countries due to their rise in recent years and their association with the prevalence of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, it is estimated that roughly 39% of adults worldwide are overweight and 13% are obese. Ecuador is an example of a developing country concerned with the overweight and obesity problem, where it is estimated that 30% of children, 26% of teenagers and 63% of adults are either overweight or obese and where 1 in 4 deaths are attributed to chronic diseases. To address the overweight and obesity problem via the promotion of healthy eating habits, in 2013 the country approved technical regulation for the labelling of packed processed food products. The regulation included a mandatory traffic-light (TL) supplemental nutritional information labelling system to be displayed on the package of all processed foods for sale in the country. This new labelling system displays a traffic light panel for the product content of sugar, fat and salt in addition to the traditional nutrient declaration label. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of the TL supplemental nutritional information on consumers’ buying behavior in Ecuador. More specifically, we concentrated on the purchasing behavior of carbonated soft drinks. For our analysis, we used monthly aggregated purchase data (total expenditures, quantities and average prices) of carbonated soft drinks from January 2013 to December 2015 obtained from Kantar World Panel—Ecuador. We estimated a non-linear Almost Ideal Demand System where we model the demand for high sugar and low sugar carbonated soft drinks. We found that the introduction of the traffic light supplemental nutrition labelling did not have the expected effect of reducing purchases of carbonated soft drinks during its first year of implementation, especially those high in sugar. Additionally, we found that lower income-status households tend to spend more on and consume more calories from CSD than households with higher socio-economic status. Finally, we identified that over time purchases of high sugar soft drinks decreased while purchases of low and no sugar soft drinks increased. Beyond our contribution of evaluating the effect of the traffic light on the purchases of carbonated soft drinks, we also estimated price and income elasticities of carbonated soft drinks which can be useful in the evaluation of fiscal policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to support decision making on how to most effectively improve broiler welfare an innovative expert survey was conducted based on principles derived from semantic modelling. Twenty-seven experts, mainly broiler welfare scientists (n = 20; and 7 veterinarians), responded (response rate 38%) by giving welfare scores (GWS, scale 0–10) to 14 benchmarking housing systems (HSs), and explaining these overall scores by selecting, weighing and scoring main welfare parameters, including both input and output measures. Data exploration followed by REML (Linear Mixed Model) and ALM (Automatic Linear Modelling) analyses revealed 6 clusters of HSs, sorted from high to low welfare, i.e. mean GWS (with superscripts indicating significant differences): 1. (semi-natural backyard) Flock (8.8a); 2. Nature (7.7ab), Label Rouge II (7.4ab), Free range EU (7.2ab), Better Life (7.2ab); 3. Organic EU (7.0bc), Freedom Food (6.2bc); 4. Organic US (5.8bcd), Concepts NL (5.6abcdef), GAP 2 (4.9bcd); 5. Conventional EU (3.7de), Conventional US (2.9ef), Modern cage (2.9abcdef); 6. Battery cage (1.3f). Mean weighting factors (WF, scale 0–10) of frequently (n> = 15) scored parameters were: Lameness (8.8), Health status (8.6), Litter (8.3), Density (8.2), Air quality (8.1), Breed (8.0), Enrichment (7.0) and Outdoor (6.6). These did not differ significantly, and did not have much added value in explaining GWS. Effects of Role (Scientist/Vet), Gender (M/F) and Region (EU/non-EU) did not significantly affect GWS or WF, except that women provided higher WF than men (7.2 vs 6.4, p<0.001). The contribution of welfare components to overall welfare has been quantified in two ways: a) using the beta-coefficients of statistical regression (ALM) analyses, and b) using a semantic-modelling type (weighted average) calculation of overall scores (CalcWS) from parameter level scores (PLS) and WF. GWS and CalcWS were highly correlated (R = ~0.85). CalcWS identified Lameness, Health status, Density, Breed, Air quality and Litter as main parameters contributing to welfare. ALM showed that the main parameters which significantly explained the variance in GWS based on all PLS, were the output parameter Health status (with a beta-coefficient of 0.38), and the input parameters (stocking) Density (0.42), Litter (0.14) and Enrichment (0.27). The beta-coefficients indicated how much GWS would improve from 1 unit improvement in PLS for each parameter, thus the potential impact on GWS ranged from 1.4 welfare points for Litter to 4.2 points for Density. When all parameters were included, 81% of the variance in GWS was explained (77% for inputs alone; 39% for outputs alone). From this, it appears that experts use both input and output parameters to explain overall welfare, and that both are important. The major conventional systems and modern cages for broilers received low welfare scores (2.9–3.7), well below scores that may be considered acceptable (5.5). Also, several alternatives like GAP 2 (4.9), Concepts NL (5.6), Organic US (5.8) and Freedom Food (6.2) are unacceptable, or at risk of being unacceptable due to individual variation between experts and farms. Thus, this expert survey provides a preliminary semi-quantified decision-support tool to help determine how to most effectively improve broiler welfare in a wide range of HSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on pro-social rat behaviour is growing within the fields of comparative psychology and social neuroscience. However, much work remains on mapping important variables influencing this behaviour, and there is even disagreement on whether this behaviour is empathetically motivated and correctly labelled pro-social, or whether the behaviour is motivated by social contact. The present study used the helping behaviour paradigm where a rat can release a familiar cagemate from a restrainer. Prior to testing with a trapped cagemate, restrainer door opening was trained and baseline opening latencies when the restrainer was empty or baited with food were established. The findings show that the first-time release occurred sooner than in previous research and that rats used a previously demonstrated response to release the trapped cagemate. Further, rats opened the restrainer door more often and with shorter latencies when the restrainer contained a cagemate than when the restrainer was empty, but less often and with longer latencies than when the restrainer contained food. The test of whether illumination levels affect door-opening included in the study showed no effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although animal trials are the most accurate approach to determine the metabolisable energy (ME) content of pet food, these are expensive and labour-intensive. Instead, various equations have been proposed to predict ME content, but no single method is universally recommended. Data from canine and feline feeding studies, conducted according to Association of American Feed Control Officials recommendations, over a 6-year period at a single research site, were utilised to determine the performance of different predictive equations. Predictive equations tested included the modified Atwater (MA equation), NRC 2006 equations using both crude fibre (NRC 2006cf) and total dietary fibre (NRC 2006tdf), and new equations reported in the most recent study assessing ME predictive equations (Hall equations; PLoS ONE 8(1): e54405). Where appropriate, equations were tested using both predicted gross energy (GE) and GE measured by bomb calorimetry. Associations between measured and predicted ME were compared with Deming regression, whilst agreement was assessed with Bland-Altman plots. 335 feeding trials were included, comprising 207 canine (182 dry food; 25 wet food) and 128 feline trials (104 dry food, 24 wet food). Predicted ME was positively associated with measured ME whatever the equation used (P<0.001 for all). Agreement between predicted and actual ME was worst for the MA equation, for all food types, with evidence of both a systematic bias and proportional errors evident for all food types. The NRC 2006cf and Hall equations were intermediate in performance, whilst the NRC 2006tdf equations performed best especially when using measured rather than predicted GE, with the narrowest 95% limits of agreement, minimal bias and proportional error. In conclusion, when predicting ME content of pet food, veterinarians, nutritionists, pet food manufacturers and regulatory bodies are strongly advised to use the NRC 2006tdf equations and using measured rather than predicted GE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chimpanzees hunt cooperatively in the wild, but the factors influencing food sharing after the hunt are not well understood. In an experimental study, groups of three captive chimpanzees obtained a monopolizable food resource, either via two individuals cooperating (with the third as bystander) or via one individual acting alone alongside two bystanders. The individual that obtained the resource first retained most of the food but the other two individuals attempted to obtain food from the "captor" by begging. We found the main predictor of the overall amount of food obtained by bystanders was proximity to the food at the moment it was obtained by the captor. Whether or not an individual had cooperated to obtain the food had no effect. Interestingly, however, cooperators begged more from captors than did bystanders, suggesting that they were more motivated or had a greater expectation to obtain food. These results suggest that while chimpanzee captors in cooperative hunting may not reward cooperative participation directly, cooperators may influence sharing behavior through increased begging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic gain in yield and quality are two major targets of wheat breeding programs around the world. In this study, a high density genetic map consisting of 10,172 SNP markers identified a total of 43 genomic regions associated with three quality traits, three yield traits and two agronomic traits in hard red spring wheat (HRSW). When compared with six grain shape and size traits, the quality traits showed mostly independent genetic control (~18% common loci), while the yield traits showed moderate association (~53% common loci). Association of genomic regions for grain area (GA) and thousand-grain weight (TGW), with yield suggests that targeting an increase in GA may help enhancing wheat yield through an increase in TGW. Flour extraction (FE), although has a weak positive phenotypic association with grain shape and size, they do not share any common genetic loci. A major contributor to plant height was the Rht8 locus and the reduced height allele was associated with significant increase in grains per spike (GPS) and FE, and decrease in number of spikes per square meter and test weight. Stable loci were identified for almost all the traits. However, we could not find any QTL in the region of major known genes like GPC-B1, Ha, Rht-1, and Ppd-1. Epistasis also played an important role in the genetics of majority of the traits. In addition to enhancing our knowledge about the association of wheat quality and yield with grain shape and size, this study provides novel loci, genetic information and pre-breeding material (combining positive alleles from both parents) to enhance the cultivated gene pool in wheat germplasm. These resources are valuable in facilitating molecular breeding for wheat quality and yield improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of the Maillard reaction, which occurs during heating of food but also under physiological condition, a broad spectrum of reaction products is formed. Among them, the advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) Nε-carboxymethyllysine (CML), pyrraline (Pyr), methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone 1 (MG-H1) and Nε-carboxyethyllysine (CEL) are the quantitatively dominating compounds during later reaction stages. Those dietary glycation compounds are under discussion as to be associated with chronic inflammation and the pathophysiological consequences of diseases such as diabetes. In the present study, the concentration of individual glycation compounds in saliva was monitored for the first time and related to their dietary uptake. Fasting saliva of 33 metabolically healthy subjects was analyzed with HPLC-MS/MS. The observed levels of individual glycation compounds ranged from 0.5 to 55.2 ng/ml and differed both intra- and interindividually. Patterns did not correlate with subject-related features such as vegetarianism or sports activities, indicating that dietary intake may play an important role. Therefore, six volunteers were asked to eat a raw food diet free of glycation compounds for two days. Within two days, salivary Pyr was lowered from median 1.7 ng/ml to a minimum level below the limit of detection, and MG-H1 decreased from 3.6 to 1.7 ng/ml in in a time-dependent manner after two days. Salivary CML and CEL concentrations were not affected. Therefore, measuring Pyr and MG-H1 in saliva is a suitable diagnostic tool to monitor the dietary intake and metabolic transit of glycation compounds present in heated foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to determine the knowledge and practices regarding toxoplasmosis among housewives in the northern Mexican city of Durango. One hundred eighty-five women (mean age: 41.27 ± 12.40 years old) with an occupation of housewife were studied. A self-administered questionnaire was used. This tool included items about the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, its transmission routes, general clinical, diagnostic, and treatment aspects of toxoplasmosis, and practices to avoid infection. A minority (<10%) of women knew about the parasite, the disease, how the transmission occurs, the clinical manifestations, how an infection is diagnosed, the treatment, and how to avoid toxoplasmosis. Some women knew that cats can transmit T. gondii infection (20%), and that the parasite can be found in cat feces (20.5%). Only 7.6% of women knew that infection with T. gondii can be transmitted by consumption of contaminated food or water. Only 1.1% of women knew about the prevalence of T. gondii infection. Some (4.9%) women used to taste raw meat while cooking, and 7.6% used to undercook meat. In addition, 20% of women used to eat raw dried meat, and 13.5% consumed untreated water. Less than 90% of women always washed their hands before cooking, and washed fruits or vegetables. The majority (75.1%) of women never wore gloves when handling raw meat. About one quarter (27.6%) of women always froze meat. And 16.2% of women cleaned cat feces. This is the first study regarding knowledge and practices about toxoplasmosis in housewives. Poor knowledge regarding T. gondii infection, toxoplasmosis, and practices to avoid infection among the housewives studied was found. High risk practices for infection were identified. Strategies to improve toxoplasmosis-related knowledge and practices to avoid T. gondii infection and its sequelae in housewives are highly needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we attempted to determine the effect of various feeding methods (bottom and surface feeding) used in the hatchery, on the survival and growth rates of hatchery-reared sea trout (Salmo trutta trutta L.) in the wild. Rearing was performed in two variants: a bottom-fed group (BFG) and a surface-fed group (SFG). At the end of the rearing time, we observed that BFG fish gathered at the bottom of tank, as opposed to SFG fish, which swam in the whole water column. After 4 weeks of rearing, the fish were released into two similar streams. After about 2 months the fish were captured and the foodbase of the streams were examined. 30 fish from each group have been randomly selected for stomach contents analysis. In the shallow stream the growth rates were better for the BFG fish than the SFG and also a significantly higher number of typical benthic taxa was found in stomachs of the BFG fish than the SFG fish. In the deeper stream more food was found in the stomachs of the SFG fish than in the BFG fish. The analyzed results showed that factors such as stream depth, current velocity, and turbulence can also affect the rearing success of juvenile salmonids in hatchery streams. Bottom feeding fish during rearing has a positive impact only on the fish in shallow watercourses, where there is no turbulence, and the food is not carried by the current drift or washed out from the bottom into the drift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To balance the supply and demand in China's beef market, beef consumption must be scientifically and effectively forecasted. Beef consumption is affected by many factors and is characterized by gray uncertainty. Therefore, gray theory can be used to forecast the beef consumption, In this paper, the structural defects and unreasonable parameter design of the traditional gray model are analyzed. Then, a new gray model termed, EGM(1,1,r), is built, and the modeling conditions and error checking methods of EGM(1,1,r) are studied. Then, EGM(1,1,r) is used to simulate and forecast China’s beef consumption. The results show that both the simulation and prediction precisions of the new model are better than those of other gray models. Finally, the new model is used to forecast China’s beef consumption for the period from 2019–2025. The findings will serve as an important reference for the Chinese government in formulating policies to ensure the balance between the supply and demand for Chinese beef. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A previous meta-analysis suggested no association between fish consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer. As several prospective studies with a large number of pancreatic cancer cases have emerged after that meta-analysis, we updated the evidence and examined the relationship in greater depth. We performed a literature search on PubMed and EMBASE databases through March 30, 2019 to identify potentially eligible studies. We used a random-effects model to compute summary relative risk (RR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of 13 prospective studies comprising 4994 pancreatic cancer cases and 1,794,601 participants were included in the final analyses. Results of the meta-analysis showed that fish consumption was not significantly associated with risk of pancreatic cancer (RR 50-g/day = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.95–1.12), which was confirmed when stratifying the analysis by various methodological and population characteristics. There was a suggestion of difference by adjustment for family history of pancreatic cancer (Pdifference = 0.05), with fish consumption being associated with higher risk of pancreatic cancer in studies without adjustment for participants’ family history (RR50-g/day = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02–1.18), and a non-significant inverse association among studies with the adjustment (RR50-g/day = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.82–1.05). Results of this updated meta-analysis suggest that fish consumption is unlikely to be substantially associated with risk of pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many parts of pork meat processing are currently not used for human consumption in Switzerland, although they are of great nutritional value. Therefore, data on the occurrence of pathogenic organisms on byproducts is extremely scarce and the prevalence and population structure of Staphylococcus aureus on meat processing sidestreams is unknown. Hence, abattoir byproducts of pork origin including ear, forefoot, heart, intestine, liver, rib bone, sternum, bladder, stomach, hind foot and tongue originating from six abattoirs were screened for S. aureus. The obtained isolates were investigated by spa typing and DNA microarray analysis to reveal their genomic profile and population structure. The prevalence of S. aureus was generally low with a mean of 8%. In total, 40 S. aureus strains were detected and assigned to 12 spa types (t015, t1491, t1778, t091, t337, t899, t2922, t7439, t1333, t208, t4049, t034) and seven clonal complexes (CC1, CC7, CC9, CC30, CC45, CC49, CC398). Detected enterotoxin genes included sea, seb, sec, seh, sel and egc encoded toxin genes seg, sei, sem, sen, seo, and seu. None of the isolates harbored genes conferring methicillin resistance, but blaZ/I/R genes causing penicillin resistance were frequently found. In addition, strains from CC398 exhibited tetM and tetK, conferring tetracycline resistance. Similarity calculations based on microarray profiles revealed no association of clonal complexes with particular body parts, but revealed a certain correspondence of clonal complex and originating abattoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of viruses and bacterial species have been implicated as contributors to atherosclerosis, potentially providing novel pathways for prevention. Epidemiological studies examining the association between Helicobacter pylori and cardiovascular disease have yielded variable results and no studies have been conducted in nonhuman primates. In this investigation, we examined the relationship between H. pylori infection and atherosclerosis development in socially housed, pre- and postmenopausal cynomolgus macaques consuming human-like diets. Ninety-four premenopausal cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were fed for 36 months an atherogenic diet deriving its protein from either casein lactalbumin(CL) or high isoflavone soy (SOY). Animals were then ovariectomized and fed either the same or the alternate diet for an additional 36 months. Iliac artery biopsies were obtained at the time of ovariectomy and iliac and coronary artery sections were examined at the end of the study. Evidence of H. pylori infection was found in 64% of the monkeys and 46% of animals had live H. pylori within coronary atheromas as determined by mRNA-specific in situ hybridization. There was a significant linear relationship between the densities of gastric and atheroma organisms. Helicobactor pylori infection correlated with increased intimal plaque area and thickness at both the premenopausal and postmenopausal time points and regardless of diet (p< 0.01), although animals consuming the SOY diet throughout had the least amount of atherosclerosis. Additionally, plasma lipid profiles, intimal collagen accumulation, ICAM-1, and plaque macrophage densities were adversely affected by H. pylori infection among animals consuming the CL diet, while the SOY diet had the opposite effect. Plaque measurements were more highly associated with the densities of cagA-positive H. pylori within coronary atheromas than with the densities of gastric organisms, whereas plasma lipid changes were associated with H. pylori infection, but not cagA status. This study provides strong evidence that live H. pylori infects atheromas, exacerbates atherosclerotic plaque development, and alters plasma lipid profiles independently of diet or hormonal status. Finally, socially subordinate animals relative to their dominant counterparts had a greater prevalence of H. pylori, suggesting a stress effect. The results indicate that early H. pylori eradication could prevent or delay development of cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the associations between abundance of rumen ciliate protozoa and the proportion of the main bioactive fatty acids related to rumen biohydrogenation, as 18:0, t10-18:1, t11-18:1, c9,t11-18:2, 18:3n-3 and 18:2 n-6, in rumen and meat of growing lambs, using data derived from 3 production experiments. A global correlation analysis and a linear regression analysis considering the effect of the experiment were performed. Ten of the 86 lambs involved in the experiments did not present ciliate cells in rumen liquor and the remaining lambs presented an average of 1.35 × 106ciliates / ml rumen liquor. From the nine genera of ciliates identified, Entodinium was the most abundant, averaging 1.17 × 106 cells / ml of rumen liquor. A large variation among lambs was observed for both rumen concentration and community structure of ciliates. Rumen t11-18:1 (P < 0.001) and meat deposition of t11-18:1 (P < 0.001) and of c9,t11-18:2 (P < 0.001) increased linearly with total ciliates, whereas the t10/t11 ratio in rumen (P = 0.002) and in meat (P = 0.036) decreased linearly. Entodiniomorphids seems to be strongly related with meat deposition oft11-18:1 and c9,t11-18:2 and with the reduction of the trans-10 shifted pathway. Completeness of RBH decreased linearly with Holotrichs (P = 0.029), Entodiniomorphids (P = 0.029), Isotricha (P = 0.011) and Epidinium (P = 0.027) abundances. Rumen 18:0 also decreased linearly with increasing counts of total ciliates (P = 0.015), Holotrichs (P = 0.020), Entodiniomorphids (P = 0.010) and Isotricha (P = 0.014). Rumen protozoa were positively linked with the deposition of healthy bioactive FA and simultaneously negatively associated with the occurrence of trans-10 shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to the emergence and spread of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria are becoming a serious global public health concern. This article aims to assess the overall prevalence of ESBLs among animals in India, with year-wise, zone-wise and species-wise stratification. Systematic search from PubMed, Google Scholar and J-Gate Plus was carried out and 24 eligible articles from 2013–2019 in India were retrieved. The R Open source Scripting software was used to perform statistical analysis. The overall prevalence of ESBLs among animals in India was 9%. The pooled prevalence of ESBLs in animals were 26, 11, 6 and 8% for north, east, south and central zones, respectively. The reported prevalence of ESBLs in animals were 12, 5, 8, 8, 12, 13 and 33% were reported for the years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 respectively. The species-wise stratified results showed a predominance of ESBL producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains (11%) when compared to Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp. which were 7% and 5%, respectively. The prevalence data generated could be utilized in infection control and in antibiotic use management decisions for developing appropriate intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to study Brazilian consumer attitudes towards cell-based meat and related issues. From 408 respondents from Curitiba and 218 from Joinville, the majority was women with higher level of education; 65.2% and 70.2% frequently consumed meat and 50.7% and 50.9% would not stop eating meat; 81.6% and 82.6% had little or no knowledge about cell-based meat. After watching an explanatory video, 41.9% and 34.4% stated they would eat cell-based meat without restrictions; 24.5% and 23.9% stated they would try depending on conditionals. Overall, 63.6% declared they would eat cell-based meat; among vegetarians and vegans, 24% and 8% stated they would eat cell-based meat, with additional 25.0% and 27.0% stating “it depends”; thus, the major public for cell-based meat seems to be meat eaters. Animal welfare was the principal reason for considering not eating meat and a major benefit of cell-based meat. In conclusion, the majority of respondents would not stop eating meat; additionally, they would eat cell-based meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shear-wave electrography (SWE) is a method used to assess tissue elasticity. Recently, it has been used to assess muscle stiffness, but the reliability of SWE for this purpose has not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of SWE on porcine meat specimens and the human biceps femoris muscle. Measurements on meat specimens (n = 20) were performed by three raters and with a custom-built device that allowed constant application force. Measurements on human participants (n = 20) were performed by two raters in relaxed and stretched muscle positions on two visits. Most aspects of repeatability and reproducibility were good or high, with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values above 0.70. Minimal detectable changes were lower in a relaxed (6–10%) than stretched (15-16%) muscle position. In conclusion, SWE is a reliable tool for assessing muscle stiffness if the muscle is examined in relaxed condition, while changing the force applied with the probe for as little as 1.5 N results in significantly lower repeatability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dietary diversity score (DDS) is a proxy indicator for measuring nutrient adequacy. In this study, we aimed to identify the nutritional statuses and current patterns of DDS among children between 6–59 months old and their associations with different individual and household level factors in rural Bangladesh. Methods: The Nobokoli programme of World Vision Bangladesh was implemented in Mymensingh, Sherpur, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagar, and Nilphamari districts of Bangladesh between 2014 and 2017. A cross-sectional community household survey was administered between July and October 2014 to collect baseline data to evaluate the Nobokoli programme. A total of 6,468 children between 6–59 months old were included in the final analysis. Anthropometric data was collected following WHO guidelines on using wooden height and digital weight scales. We collected food intake information for the past 24 hours of the survey. The WHO’s child growth standard medians were used to identify the nutritional indices of stunting, wasting, and underweight. Food items consumed were categorized into nine food groups and the DDS was constructed by counting the consumption of food items across these groups during the preceding 24 hour period. The association of DDS and nutritional status (stunting, wasting and underweight) with sociodemographic factors and household food security status were examined using multivariable models; linear regression and logistics regression respectively. Results: The prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight among children aged 6-59months were 36.8%, 18.2% and 37.7% respectively. Our findings revealed that almost all children ate any form of starch followed by consumption of milk or milk products (76%) and fleshy meat /fish (61%) respectively. The mean DDS among children was 3.93(sd 1.47). Forty percent of the children obtained a DDS score less than 4. Multivariable analysis suggested that children whose mothers had higher educational attainment and are skilled workers had higher DDS (15% and 48% respectively) compared to their counterparts. The DDS showed strong positive association with household wealth status. Children from food secure households had 26% higher DDS compared to children from food insecure households. Similarly, increasing maternal education and household wealth were found to be protective against childhood stunting and undernutrition. Discussion: Our findings reiterate the need for improving household socioeconomic factors and household food security status for improving dietary diversity practices and nutritional status of children. Evidence-based solutions are needed to be implemented and expanded at scale to ensure appropriate dietary practices and improve nutritional status of the children in local context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although eating difficulties are known to be common in children on the autism spectrum, there is a lack of research on whether these behaviours persist or change into adulthood. Emerging evidence suggests that autistic adults may experience higher levels of disordered eating than the general population, indicating the impact of autism on eating in this adult population warrants further exploration. Method: This study interviewed 12 autistic adults about their eating habits, with a focus on the continuing or changing presence of behaviours often seen in autistic children such as sensory sensitivity or a preference for routines. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Overall, participants suggested that autism did continue to impact their eating into adulthood, particularly in the areas of sensory sensitivity, medical difficulties, executive functioning difficulties, and rigidity, but that they had learned to adapt so that these issues no longer represented a problem. However, a minority of participants did feel that their autism had a negative effect on their eating, particularly those diagnosed with eating disorders. Additionally, eating behaviours associated with autism were identified as potentially contributing to having an unhealthy body weight. Conclusions: Certain traits associated with autism, such as cognitive rigidity and sensory sensitivity, could potentially continue to influence the eating behaviours of autistic adults. These traits are typically experienced as differences which can be adapted around and managed, rather than specific problems. However, these traits can potentially contribute to difficulties such as disordered eating and weight gain, and the implications of these should be explored by future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of black cumin usage on some qualitative properties and formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in meatball production was investigated. It was found that black cumin usage rate, cooking process and temperature had a significant effect (p<0,01) on the water content, pH, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of meatballs. On the other hand, black cumin usage significantly (p<0,01) reduced the water content and cooking loss. The water content and cooking loss of the meatballs decreased with increases in the usage rate. While IQx, IQ, MeIQ, 7,8-DiMeIQx, 4,8-DiMeIQx, AαC, and MeAαC could not be detected in meatballs, varying amounts of MeIQx (up to 1,53 ng/g) and PhIP (up to 1,22 ng/g) were determined. The total amounts of HAAs ranged between non-detected (nd) to 2,75 ng/g. Both the usage rate and cooking temperature had a very significant effect (p<0,01) on the total contents of HAAs. The total amounts of HAAs were decreased in correlation with the increases in the usage rate; the proportion which is increased when the cooking temperature increased as well. Results of the present study suggested that addition of black cumin may have a substantial role in decreasing the TBARS value, cooking loss, and HAA contents during meatball production. Therefore, using of black cumin in meatball production has been suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key to scientific integrity is ensuring that research findings are considered credible by scientific peers, practitioners, policymakers and the public. Industry sponsorship of nutritional research can result in bias and raises significant professional, public and media concern. Yet, there is no international consensus on how to prevent or manage conflicts of interest for researchers considering engaging with the food industry. This study aimed to determine internationally agreed principles to guide interactions between population health researchers and the food industry to prevent or manage conflicts of interest. We used a two-stage, online Delphi study for researchers (n = 100 in 28 countries), and an online survey for stakeholders (n = 84 in 26 countries). Levels of agreement were sought with 56 principles derived from a systematic review. Respondent comments were analysed using qualitative content analysis. High levels of agreement on principles were achieved for both groups (researchers 68%; stakeholders 65%). Highest levels of agreement were with principles concerning research methods and governance. More contentious were principles that required values-based decision-making, such as determining which elements of the commercial sector are acceptable to interact with. These results provide the basis for developing internationally-agreed guidelines for population health researchers governing interactions with the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-wildlife conflicts often centre on economic loss caused by wildlife. Yet despite being a major issue for land-managers, estimating total prey losses to predation can be difficult. Estimating impacts of protected wildlife on economically important prey can also help management decisions to be evidence-led. The recovery in population and range of common buzzards Buteo buteo in Britain has brought them into conflict with some gamebird interests. However, the magnitude of any impact is poorly understood. We used bioenergetics models that combine measures of buzzard abundance from field surveys with diets assessed by using cameras at nests, prey remains and pellet analysis, to estimate their impact on red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica on a large (115 km2) moor managed for red grouse shooting in Scotland. Whilst grouse consumption by individual buzzards was lower than previous estimates for other raptor species present on our study site, total consumption could be greater given an estimated 55–73 buzzards were present on the study site year-round. Averaging across diet assessment methods, consumption models estimated that during each of three breeding seasons (April-July 2011–2013), the buzzards foraging on our study site consumed 73–141 adult grouse and 77–185 chicks (depending on year). This represented 5–11% of adult grouse present in April (22–67% of estimated adult mortality) and 2–5% of chicks that hatched (3–9% of estimated chick mortality). During two non-breeding seasons (August-March), consumption models using pellet analysis estimated that buzzards ate a total of 242–400 grouse, equivalent to 7–11% of those present at the start of August and 14–33% of estimated grouse mortality during the non-breeding season. Buzzard consumption of grouse has the potential to lead to non-trivial economic loss to grouse managers, but only if buzzards predated the grouse they ate, and if grouse mortality is additive to other causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hermetia illucens is an important resource insect for the conversion of organic waste. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is the primary tool of gene expression analysis and a core technology of molecular biology research. Reference genes are essential for qPCR analysis; however, a stability analysis of H. illucens reference genes has not yet been carried out. To find suitable reference genes for normalizing gene expression data, the stability of eight housekeeping genes (including ATP6V1A, RPL8, EF1, Tubulin, TBP, GAPDH, Actin and RP49) was investigated under both biotic (developmental stages, tissues and sex) and abiotic (heavy metals, food, antibiotics) conditions. Gene expression data were analysed by geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and ΔCt programs. A set of specific reference genes was recommended for each experimental condition using the results of RefFinder synthesis analysis. This study offers a solid foundation for further studies of the molecular biology of H. illucens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many children globally do not meet government guidelines for daily fruit and vegetable intake, and in New Zealand, adherence to the vegetable intake recommendation is declining. This study aimed to identify systemic barriers to children meeting fruit and vegetable (FV) guidelines and generate sustainable actions within a local community to improve children’s FV intake. A qualitative system dynamics method of community group model building was used. The research team partnered with Healthy Families Waitākere, a Ministry of Health funded prevention initiative, to recruit 17 participants (including students, parents, teachers, community leaders, local retailers and health promoters) from a low-income, ethnically-diverse community in West Auckland, New Zealand. Three group model building workshops were held during which a systems map was created and used to identify actions by considering causal pathways and reinforcing loops in the system. Barriers to children’s FV intake identified by participants were the saturation of fast-food outlets in the community and ubiquitous marketing of these products, the high cost of fresh produce compared to fast food, and parents having little time for food preparation plus declining cooking skills and knowledge. Several actions to improve children’s FV intake by improving the local food environment were identified, which will be co-designed further and tested by a collaborative group involving community leaders. This project highlights the effectiveness of group model building for engaging a local community in systems change to improve child nutrition, and supplies a blueprint for future qualitative system dynamics research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iron status of blood donors is a subject of concern for blood establishments. The Finnish Red Cross Blood Service addresses iron loss in blood donors by proposing systematic iron supplementation for demographic at-risk donor groups. We measured blood count, ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and acquired lifestyle and health information from 2200 blood donors of the FinDonor 10000 cohort. We used modern data analysis methods to estimate iron status and factors affecting it with a special focus on the effects of the blood service’s iron supplementation policy. Low ferritin (< 15 μg/L), an indicator of low iron stores, was present in 20.6% of pre-menopausal women, 10.6% of post-menopausal women and 6% of men. Anemia co-occurred with iron deficiency more frequently in pre-menopausal women (21 out of 25 cases) than in men (3/6) or post-menopausal women (1/2). In multivariable regression analyses, lifestyle, dietary, and blood donation factors explained up to 38% of the variance in ferritin levels but only ~10% of the variance in sTfR levels. Days since previous donation were positively associated with ferritin levels in all groups while the number of donations during the past 2 years was negatively associated with ferritin levels in pre-menopausal women and men. FRCBS-provided iron supplementation was negatively associated with ferritin levels in men only. Relative importance analyses showed that donation activity accounted for most of the explained variance in ferritin levels while iron supplementation explained less than 1%. Variation in ferritin levels was not significantly associated with variation in self-reported health. Donation activity was the most important factor affecting blood donor iron levels, far ahead of e.g. red-meat consumption or iron supplementation. Importantly, self-reported health of donors with lower iron stores was not lower than self-reported health of donors with higher iron stores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High quality dietary intake data is required to support evidence of diet-disease relationships exposed in clinical research. Source data verification may be a useful quality assurance method in this setting. The present pilot study aimed to apply source data verification to evaluate the quality of the data coding process for dietary intake in a clinical trial and to explore potential barriers to data quality in this setting. Methods: Using a sample of 20 cases from a clinical trial, source data verification was conducted between three sets of data derived documents: transcripts of audio-recorded diet history interviews, matched paper-based diet history forms and outputs from nutrition analysis software. The number of cases and rates of discrepancies between documents were calculated. A total of five in-depth interviews with dietitians collecting and coding dietary data were thematically analysed. Results: Some 2024 discrepancies were identified. The highest discrepancy rate was 57.49%, and occurred between diet history interviews and nutrition analysis software outputs. Sources of the discrepancies included both quantities and frequencies of food intake. The highest discrepancy rate was for the food group “vegetable products and dishes”. In-depth interviews implicated recall bias of trial participants as a cause of discrepancies, but dietitians also acknowledged a possible subconscious influence of having to code reported foods into nutrition analysis software programs. Conclusion: The accuracy of dietary intake data appeared to depend on the level of detailed food data required. More support for participants on reporting consumption, and incorporating supportive tools to guide estimates of food quantities may facilitate a more consistent coding process and improve data quality. This pilot study offers a novel method and an overview of dietary intake data coding measurement errors. These findings may warrant further investigation in a larger sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of white striping (WS) and wooden breast (WB) in broiler breast meat have been linked to hypoxia, but their etiologies are not fully understood. This study aimed at investigating absolute expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha subunit (HIF1A) and genes involved in stress responses and muscle repair using a droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. Total RNA was isolated from pectoralis major collected from male 6-week-old medium (carcass weight ≤ 2.5 kg) and heavy (carcass weight > 2.5 kg) broilers. Samples were classified as “non-defective” (n = 4), “medium-WS” (n = 6), “heavy-WS” (n = 7) and “heavy-WS+WB” (n = 3) based on abnormality scores. The HIF1A transcript was up-regulated in all of the abnormal groups. Transcript abundances of genes encoding 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 4 (PFKFB4), lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDHA), and phosphorylase kinase beta subunit (PHKB) were increased in heavy-WS but decreased in heavy-WS+WB. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was up-regulated in non-defective samples. The muscle-specific mu-2 isoform of glutathione S-transferases (GSTM2) was up-regulated in the abnormal samples, particularly in the heavy groups. The genes encoding myogenic differentiation (MYOD1) and myosin light chain kinase (MYLK) exhibited similar expression pattern, of which medium-WS and heavy-WS significantly increased compared to non-defective whereas expression in heavy-WS+WB was not different from either non-defective or WS-affected group. The greatest and the lowest levels of calpain-3 (CAPN3) and delta-sarcoglycan (SCGD) were observed in heavy-WS and heavy-WS+WB, respectively. Based on micrographs, the abnormal muscles primarily comprised fibers with cross-sectional areas ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 μm2. Despite induced glycolysis at the transcriptional level, lower stored glycogen in the abnormal muscles corresponded with the reduced lactate and higher pH within their meats. The findings support hypoxia within the abnormal breasts, potentially associated with oversized muscle fibers. Between WS and WB, divergent glucose metabolism, cellular detoxification and myoregeneration at the transcriptional level could be anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multimorbidity is considered a major challenge for current health care. Lifestyle interventions, as a broad and generic approach, may have the potential to improve the management of care among patients with multimorbidity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of multimorbidity defined within the cardiometabolic disease domains with dietary patterns, representing habitual dietary intake. Design: We studied 129 369 participants from the Lifelines Cohort study (42% male, 45±13 years (range 18–93)) in which diet was assessed using a 110-item food frequency questionnaire. A composite morbidity score was applied in multivariable ordered logistic regression to test the association with dietary patterns derived by principal components analysis, based on sex-specific dietary pattern scores. Results: Four dietary patterns were retained, accounting for 26.6% of the variation in overall diet. After control for potential confounders, men and women in the highest quintile of “meat, alcohol and potato pattern” and “snack pattern” had a higher likelihood of having higher morbidity scores than those in the lowest quintile (e.g. men: OR = 1.83(95% CI:1.71–1.97), OR = 1.18(95% CI 1.11–1.27 respectively). The opposite was observed with respect to the “bread and sweets pattern” and “vegetable, fish and fruit pattern” (e.g. women: OR = 0.88(95% CI: 0.81–0.96), OR = 0.86(95% CI 0.81–0.92 respectively). The association partially attenuated after adjusting for BMI, but the associations remained significant among men. Conclusions: Robust associations between dietary patterns and multimorbidity within the cardiometabolic domain, in particular a “meat, alcohol and potato pattern”, suggest an important opportunity of dietary interventions in multimobidity prevention. Generic prevention strategies based on population derived dietary patterns may have the potential to enhance lifestyle management among people with multimorbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the relationship between residential food environments and health outcomes have been extensively studied, the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and multiple food environments have not been fully explored. We examined the relationship between characteristics of three distinct food environments and BMI among elementary school employees in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, LA. We assessed the food environments around the residential and worksite neighborhoods and the commuting corridors. Research methodology/principal findings: This study combined data from three different sources: individual and worksite data (ACTION), food retailer database (Dunn and Bradstreet), and the U.S. Census TIGER/Line Files. Spatial and hierarchical analyses were performed to explore the impact of predictors at the individual and environmental levels on BMI. When the three food environments were combined, the number of supermarkets and the number of grocery stores at residential food environment had a significant association with BMI (β = 0.56 and β = 0.24, p < 0.01), whereas the number of full-service restaurants showed an inverse relationship with BMI (β = -0.15, p < 0.001). For the commute corridor food environment, it was found that each additional fast-food restaurant in a vicinity of one kilometer traveled contributed to a higher BMI (β = 0.80, p <0.05), while adjusting for other factors. No statistical associations were found between BMI and worksite food environment. Conclusions: The current study was the first to examine the relationship between BMI and food environments around residential neighborhoods, work neighborhoods, and the commuting corridor. Significant results were found between BMI and the availability of food stores around residential neighborhoods and the commuting corridor, adjusted for individual-level factors. This study expands the analysis beyond residential neighborhoods, illustrating the importance of multiple environmental factors in relation to BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the influence of food type on biomarkers, mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were maintained under laboratory conditions and fed using 4 different microalgae diets ad libitum for 1 week: (a) Isochrysis galbana; (b) Tetraselmis chuii; (c) a mixture of I. galbana and T. chuii; and (d) a commercial food (Microalgae Composed Diet, Acuinuga). Different microalgae were shown to present different distribution and fate in the midgut. I. galbana (≈4 μm Ø) readily reached digestive cells to be intracellularly digested. T. chuii (≈10 μm Ø and hardly digestible) was retained in stomach and digestive ducts for long times and extracellularly digested. Based on these findings, it appeared likely that the presence of large amounts of microalgal enzymes and metabolites might interfere with biochemical determinations of mussel’s biomarkers and/or that the diet-induced alterations of mussels’ digestion could modulate lysosomal and tissue-level biomarkers. To test these hypotheses, a battery of common biochemical, cytological and tissue-level biomarkers were determined in the gills (including activities of pyruvate kinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and cytochrome c oxidase) and the digestive gland of the mussels (including protein, lipid, free glucose and glycogen total content, lysosomal structural changes and membrane stability, intracellular accumulation of neutral lipids and lipofuscins, changes in cell type composition and epithelial thinning, as well as altered tissue integrity). The type of food was concluded to be a major factor influencing biomarkers in short-term experiments though not all the microalgae affected biomarkers and their responsiveness in the same way. T. chuii seemed to alter the nutritional status, oxidative stress and digestion processes, thus interfering with a variety of biomarkers. On the other hand, the massive presence of I. galbana within digestive cells hampered the measurement of cytochemical biomarkers and rendered less reliable the results of biochemical biomarkers (as these could be attributed to both the mussel and the microalgae). Research to optimize dietary food type, composition, regime and rations for toxicological experimentation is urgently needed. Meanwhile, a detailed description of the food type and feeding conditions should be always provided when reporting aquatic toxicological experiments with mussels, as a necessary prerequisite to compare and interpret the biological responses elicited by pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their limited access to the external productive inputs and the dependency on rain-fed agricultural production, small scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa have continued to face undernutrition despite the significant advancements in agriculture. They however often live in areas endowed with high agrobiodiversity which could contribute, if explored, to improved diets and nutrition. Few studies have linked the contribution of agrobiodiversity to the micronutrient adequacy of the diets of young children among smallholder farmers. The study explored this relationship and contributes to the growing body of literature linking agrobiodiversity to nutrition of young children. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted as part of baseline assessment for an intervention study, one in the lean and a second in the plenty season in Vihiga county, Kenya. Household level interviews were administered to 634 households with children 12–23 months. Agrobiodiversity was defined as the number of crop species cultivated or harvested from the wild and the number of livestock maintained by the household across two agricultural seasons. Dietary data were collected using two-non-consecutive quantitative 24-hour recalls and analyzed using Lucille software. Diet quality was assessed using dietary diversity score based on seven food groups and mean probability of micronutrient adequacy computed for eleven micronutrients. A total of 80 species were maintained or harvested from the wild by the households. Mean household species richness was 9.9 ± 4.3. One in every four children did not meet the minimum dietary diversity score. The average mean probability of micronutrient adequacy was 68.11 ± 16.08 in plenty season compared to 56.37± 19.5% in the lean season. Iron, zinc and calcium were most limiting micronutrients in the diet, with less than 30% average probability of adequacy in both seasons. Household agrobiodiversity was positively associated with both dietary diversity score (r = 0.09, p = 0.029) and micronutrient adequacy (r = 0.15, p<0.000) in the pooled sample. One unit increase in species diversity was associated with 12.7% improvement in micronutrient adequacy. Despite the rich agrobiodiversity in the study area the diets were low in diversity and there is an unrealized opportunity to improve micronutrient intake through greater promotion and consumption of locally available agrobiodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to examine biometric measurements during the growth phase of male and female Santa Inês sheep reared in Brachiaria brizantha pastures in northeastern Brazil. The experiment involved 24 castrated males and 24 females at an initial age of 90 days, with an average body weight of 19.04 ± 0.96 kg. Treatments consisted of the effect of four cultivars (Marandu, Xaraés, Piatã and Paiaguás) and two sexes. Six animals were used per treatment, in a randomized-block experimental design. The following characteristics were evaluated: abdominal circumference (AC), body condition score (BCS), body length (BL), body weight (BW), body capacity 1 (BC1), body capacity 2 (BC2), chest width (CW), heart girth (HG), leg circumference (LC), leg length (LL), rump height (RH), rump width (RW) and withers height (WH). Data were subjected to descriptive analysis, Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA and Tukey’s, Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Univariate and multiple regressions were applied to estimate BW with a maximum error level of 5%. Significant differences were observed for the biometric measurements between sexes and cultivars (p<0.05). Body weight was highly correlated (>70%) with AC, WH, CG, RW, BC1 and BC2. The male sheep grazed on cultivars Piatã showed the best values for BW (40.43 kg), HG, RW, WH, LL, LC (102.46; 20.8; 65.23; 60.44; 42.54 cm respectively) and BC1 (4.25 kg/cm). Females grazed on cultivar Marandu had higher values for RW, CW, LL (17.26; 20.1; 75.98 cm respectively), BC1 (6.03 kg/cm) and BC2 (0.422 kg/cm). The equations that best estimated live weight were BC1 and HG. In male and female Santa Inês sheep, biometric parameters grow differently depending on the cultivar where they are grazed during the growth phase. Cultivars Marandu and Piatã are the most recommended for sheep production, as they provided the best performance and body development in those animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crossbreeding has been used to improve performance in beef cattle, however the effects of breed composition on methane (CH4) production, yield and intensity from cattle raised in tropical intensive and integrated systems remain unknown. To assess the impact of breed composition on performance and methane emissions, Nellore (NEL; yr 1: BW = 171.5 ± 19.4 kg; n = 10; yr 2: BW = 215.8 ± 32.3 kg, n = 25) and Angus x Nellore crossbred (AN; yr 1: BW = 214.2 ± 26.4 kg, n = 10; yr 2: BW = 242.5 ± 32.2 kg, n = 25) were compared. The animals grazed on integrated crop-livestock system in the growing phase (stocking rate 2452 kg BW/ha, herbage mass 4,884 kg dry matter (DM)/ha, forage allowance 5.9 kg DM/100kg BW) and then were finished in a feedlot. Steers (n = 8) from each breed composition were randomly selected in each phase to measure CH4 production using a sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer technique and DM intake (DMI) using titanium dioxide. Compared with NEL, AN had both superior total gain and average daily gain (ADG) in the grazing period. The AN presented greater ADG in the feedlot with a shorter finishing period and resulted in greater carcass yield and carcass ADG. Methane production (kg/period) was lower in NEL (19% less) than AN in grazing (P<0.01), and no difference was observed in feedlot. The NEL had less CH4 intensity (CH4/BW) in grazing but greater CH4 per unit of ADG in the feedlot compared to AN. Breed composition did not influence the CH4 yield (CH4/DMI) in either phase, despite the difference in feedlot DMI (kg/day). In conclusion, crossbreeding may be an option to improve performance and reduce the CH4 per ADG in tropical climate conditions, resulting in lower methane emission per kg of meat produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereoscopic microwear and 3D surface texture analyses on the cheek teeth of ten Upper Triassic to Lower Cretaceous tritylodontid (Mammaliamorpha) taxa of small/medium to large body size suggest that all were generalist feeders and none was a dietary specialist adapted to herbivory. There was no correspondence between body size and food choice. Stereomicroscopic microwear analysis revealed predominantly fine wear features with numerous small pits and less abundant fine scratches as principal components. Almost all analyzed facets bear some coarser microwear features, such as coarse scratches, large pits, puncture pits and gouges pointing to episodic feeding on harder food items or exogenous effects (contamination of food with soil grit and/or dust), or both. 3D surface texture analysis indicates predominantly fine features with large void volume, low peak densities, and various stages of roundness of the peaks. We interpret these features to indicate consumption of food items with low to moderate intrinsic abrasiveness and can exclude regular rooting, digging or caching behavior. Possible food items include plant vegetative parts, plant reproductive structures (seeds and seed-bearing organs), and invertebrates (i.e., insects). Although the tritylodontid tooth morphology and auto-occlusion suggest plants as the primary food resource, our results imply a wider dietary range including animal matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]