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As dysbiosis of gut microbiota is recognized as a major risk factor for malnutrition in hemodialysis (HD) patients, we aimed to assess the effects of fortified synbiotic dessert on malnutrition, oxidative stress, inflammation, and quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis. A total of 50 hemodialysis patients were randomized into two groups of intervention and control to consume either 50 g of synbiotic dessert fortified with vitamin D (1000 IU) and calcium (500 mg) (FSD) or 50 g of control dessert (CD) for 8 weeks, respectively. Changes in nutritional status [Subjective Global Assessment (SGA)], anthropometric measures, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), ferritin, biochemistry [serum albumin, vitamin D, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), complete blood count (CBC), and electrolytes], and quality of life were assessed before and at the end of the trial. The SGA scores and serum ferritin levels decreased significantly in the FSD group compared to the control group ( p  = .01 and p  = .03, respectively). Regarding other markers, no statistically significant changes were found comparing the two groups. This novel fortified synbiotic dessert as a functional food may be effective in reducing the severity of malnutrition by improving SGA score in short term in hemodialysis patients. Thus, it is suggested to do further studies to elucidate the possible mechanisms related to the effects of this dessert on microbiota, skeletal muscle mass, and inflammation in HD in long term., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no relevant conflict of interest. The results presented in this paper have not been published previously in whole or part., (© 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

We aimed to evaluate the effect of spirulina sauce on glycemic indices, lipid profile, oxidative stress markers, and anthropometric measurement in type 2 diabetic patients. Forty patients were randomly assigned to receive 20 g/day spirulina sauce (containing 2 g of spirulina) or placebo for 2 months. Anthropometric and biochemical indices were measured at the beginning and end of the intervention. Fasting blood glucose (mean difference (MD): -15.3 mg/dL, 95% confidence (CI): -44.2 to 13.60, p  = .26), HbA1c (MD: 0.13%, 95% CI: -0.83 to 0.57, p  = .75), insulin (MD: -1.46 μIU/mL, 95% CI: -4.0 to 1.09, p  = .28), and HOMA-IR (MD: -0.35, 95% CI: -2.0 to 1.32, p  = .68) did not change significantly between groups. QUICKI increased significantly (MD: 0.025, 95% CI: 0.006 to 0.045, p  = .03). Among the lipid profile, triglyceride (TG) (MD: -68.6 mg/dL, 95% CI: -107.21 to -29.98, p  < .001), total cholesterol (MD: -29.55 mg/dL, 95% CI: -55.28 to -3.81, p  = .02), and LDL (MD: -17.7 mg/dL, 95% CI: -33.24 to -2.15, p  = .01) were significantly decreased in the spirulina group compared to the control; whereas, the change in HDL was non-significant. No significant change was observed in body composition and anthropometric measurements, except waist circumference, which was reduced (MD: -2.65 cm, 95% CI: -3.91 to -1.38, p  = .001). Hunger index significantly decreased and fullness increased marginally significantly. Although malondialdehyde was significantly reduced, no change was observed in total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Spirulina sauce was not effective for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes; however, could be useful for controlling appetite and ameliorating lipid profile., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Acorn is a nutritious fruit with the reported potential of ameliorating diseases, including diabetes. This research aimed to assess the effects of acorn muffin consumption on glycemic, lipid indices, and appetite in patients with type 2 diabetes. Sixty-six subjects were dichotomized to receive either one muffin containing 10 grams of acorn flour or a placebo muffin containing white wheat flour (no bran), per day, for 8 weeks. Acorn muffin consumption improved glycated hemoglobin ( p  = .06, mean difference [MD] = -0.65), triglyceride ( p  = .06, MD = -36.38), and high-density lipoprotein ( p  = .05, MD = 1.30), albeit only marginally significantly. Among appetite parameters, hunger, desire to eat, and prospective to eat were significantly lower, and satiety and fullness were significantly higher, in the acorn muffin group. In conclusion, acorn muffins could be utilized as an adjuvant therapy to control appetite and ameliorate glycated hemoglobin in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, further investigations are required for a more comprehensive conclusion., Competing Interests: None., (© 2022 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

In the present study, the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on microbial (total aerobic count, yeasts and molds, Enterobacteriaceae, psychrotrophic bacteria, and lactic acid bacteria), physicochemical (pH, moisture content, and color), and sensory properties of raw ready-to-eat leek was investigated after disinfection using Percidin-Nanosil disinfectants. There were six different treatments, of which four samples were packaged as MAP (T 1 to T 4 ) and two samples were packaged as non-MAP (T 5 and T 6 ). The highest and the lowest reduction in the number of microorganisms after disinfection was observed in psychrotrophic bacteria and total aerobic count, respectively. The count of microbial variables in T 2 sample (87% N 2 , 3% CO 2 , and 10% O 2 ) was lower than in other treatments. No significant difference was observed in the physcochemical properties (moisture and pH) of treated samples except for the color of T 6 sample (cling film) compared to other treatments ( p  < .05). It is noteworthy that the panelists did not recognize differences among T 1 , T 2 , and T 5 samples. However, T 2 treatment was effective in maintaining microbial, physicochemical, and sensory properties of leek compared to the other treatments. Also, T 6 sample showed the lowest quality in all parameters. Disinfection combined with MAP was able to maintain the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of raw ready-to-eat leek during storage., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this study., (© 2022 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Excessive consumption of synthetic food dyes by children may raise concerns about their health. These dyes may aggravate the hyperactivity symptoms and exacerbate asthma in sensitive children. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of sunset yellow and quinoline yellow dyes, as well as tartrazine in dairy-free fruit ice cream, freeze pop, jelly, and candy. Additionally, we evaluated the amount of two food dyes consumed by children. To do so, a total of 150 food samples, including 20 dairy-free fruit ice creams, 25 freeze pops, 57 jelly products, and 48 types of candy were randomly selected from stores in Shiraz, Iran. Then, using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and an ultraviolet (UV) detector, we measured the amounts of sunset yellow and quinoline yellow dyes and identified the use of tartrazine. Also, the per capita consumption (grams per day) of the mentioned foods was calculated using a checklist in two groups of male and female primary schoolchildren aged 6-9 years and 10-13 years in Shiraz, Iran. According to the results, 11 (7.33%) samples contained only tartrazine and 107 (71.33%) samples contained quinoline yellow and sunset yellow synthetic dyes. In addition, of 107 samples that used quinoline yellow and sunset yellow, 102 (95.33%) contained unauthorized tartrazine. Only seven (6.54%) samples contained exceedingly high concentrations of authorized quinoline yellow and sunset yellow synthetic dyes. However, the exposure assessment showed that the intake of quinoline yellow and sunset yellow was at average levels and the 95th percentile in both age groups was less than the associated acceptable daily intake (ADI). For synthetic dyes, the target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) were less than one, indicating that ingestion of these two dyes via food products does not pose a risk to children's overall health., (© 2022 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: This study sought to investigate the effect of Spirulina on cardiometabolic risk factors, oxidative stress biomarkers, glycemic profile, and liver enzymes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients., Methods: This randomized, double-blind clinical trial was performed on 46 NAFLD patients. Subjects were allocated to consume either Spirulina sauce or placebo, each 20 g/day for 8 weeks. Fatty liver grade, liver enzymes, anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, and serum lipids, glucose, insulin, malondialdehyde, and antioxidant capacity were assessed pre- and postintervention., Results: Fatty liver grade was significantly different between the two groups. A significant change for ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) was seen between the two groups ( p  = .03 and .02, respectively), while ALP (alkaline phosphatase) serum levels were not significantly different within or between groups. Pertaining to glycemic profile, all variables, except HOMA-IR, were not significantly different within or between groups. Finally, statistically significant changes were seen in both MDA (malondialdehyde) and TAC (total antioxidant capacity) among the groups ( p  = .04 and <.001, respectively)., Conclusions: Spirulina may improve fatty liver grade by modifying liver enzymes, oxidative stress, and some lipid profiles; however, there was effect of Spirulina on anthropometric characteristics and blood pressure., Competing Interests: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of soy flour on nutritional, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics of gluten-free (GF) bread. In this study, corn flour was replaced with soy flour at different levels 5%, 10%, and 15% to produce a more nutritionally balanced GF bread. Physical and chemical properties, sensory evaluation and crust and crumb color were measured in bread samples. The results of evaluations showed that protein content of soy flour-supplemented GF bread significantly increased from 9.8% to 12.9% as compared to control along with an increased in fat (3.3%-4.1%), fiber (0.29%- 0.38%), and ash (1.7%-2.2%) content. Moisture (27.9%-26.5%) and carbohydrate (58.3-52.3) content decreased with the incremental addition of soybean flour. The highest total score of sensory evaluation was for the bread sample containing 15% soybean flour. The evaluation of crust and crumb showed that bread samples with 15% soy flour were significantly darker than the other bread samples. In conclusion, adding higher levels of soybean flour into GF bread can improve bread quality, sensory characteristics, and nutritional properties of bread. Nutritional status in patients with celiac disease (CD) can be improved through the produce GF bread in this way.