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The research was conducted in floating net cage for at Talengen Island Sangihe to study the growth of grouper (46-70 g in average) fed various type of feed including fish flesh, pellet, cassava, sago) for six weeks, and to determine the food conversion ratio of each food type. The treatments consisted of A (fish flesh), B (fish flesh + cassava), C (fish flesh+sago), D (pellet). Fish was culture in 12 floating net cages measuring 1x1x1,5 m each, 10 fish/cage. Research results showed that the highest weight gain was achieved in fish in treatment C (87.6%), followed by treatment A (76.1%) , B (69.8%), and D (52.5%). Statistically, treatment C was significantly different compared to treatment A, B and D. The use of fish flesh combined with sago was able to improve growth of grouper Kata kunci : Kerapu Cantang, growth, food conversion ratio, floating net cage

Timing and type of complementary food in infancy affect nutritional status and health later in life. The objective of this paper was to assess complementary feeding practices, looking at timing, type, and compliance with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Data were obtained from a birth cohort of 400 infants, enrolled in Trieste (Italy) between July 2007 and July 2008 and followed up for three years, using a "food introduction timing table". Five WHO recommendations standards were used to assess parental compliance and associated factors. Thirty seven percent of mothers returned the completed "timing table" up until the child was three years of age. Eighty six percent of infants were already receiving complementary foods at six months. The first food type to be introduced was fresh fruit (170 days from birth, median). Overall, infants shared a very similar diet, which was different from the family diet and characterized by delayed introduction of certain food types. Five percent of parents complied with either all five or only one of the WHO recommendations, 34% with three, and 35% with four. The parents' partial compliance with WHO recommendations is probably due to conflicting information received from different sources. This advocates for national evidence-based guidelines, supported and promoted by health professionals.

Capsule: Providing peanuts on bird feeders was shown to attract more individuals and more species than providing cheese or bread. Aims: To investigate how the provision of different human-derived foods affected visit rates of urban birds at bird feeders. Methods: A fully replicated study design was set up in parkland, offering a binary choice from three food types (peanuts, bread and cheese) on bird tables. Birds were observed by using a scan-sample method. Results: Peanuts attracted more visits, and a greater diversity of bird species, than cheese or bread. This preference was strongest for Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tits Parus major, whereas European Robins Erithacus rubecula visited all food types equally, and Blackbirds Turdus merula preferred cheese. Bread was the most consumed food type when measured by mass, but this could be linked to varying bite sizes. Conclusion: Our results indicate that birds preferred to visit feeding stations with the most protein- and energy-rich foods, but that some birds still chose the carbohydrate-rich bread. The findings indicate that peanuts, rather than household scraps like bread and cheese, attract the highest number of species and individuals to bird tables. The findings will be of interest to the public and to organizations providing information on bird feeding for recreational purposes.

People do not generally eat single or individual meals; rather they eat mixed meals, consisting of two or more individual meals. These mixed meals usually have glycemic indices which differ from that of the individual food type. This study was aimed at evaluating the glycemic indices of three commonly consumed mixed meals eaten in Okada; rice and beans (test food 1), rice and plantain (test food 2), beans and plantain (test food 3). Two hundred and forty healthy subjects aged between 18 and 30 participated in this study. They were randomized into three groups of eighty persons each, and fed with the standard food (50 g glucose) on day one and one of the test foods on day two, after an overnight fast. Blood samples were taken at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after the food had been eaten. The results showed that the Glycemic Index (GI) values for the test foods were high: 86.60 (test food 1), 89.74 (test food 2), 86.93(test food 3). The incremental increase in blood glucose was monitored and calculated for each food and when compared with that of the standard food (glucose), there was significant differences (p .05). The results from this study indicated that the GI of the mixed meals was affected by the constituent nutrient and the response is also affected by the proportion of each nutrient. Our findings show that the selected test foods (mixed meals) consumed in Okada have high GI values.

This research determined the concentration of Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) in roasted corn (Zea mays), roasted plantain (Musa paradisiaca) and barbecue from roadside close to industrial and automobile emission in some selected part of Lagos and Ota, South-West Nigeria. They were analysed after digestion by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Lead had the highest concentration in all the food type analyzed and was higher than FAO permissible limit (0.3 mg/kg) in about 92% of the samples analyzed. It was also found to be higher in the samples from Lagos than those from Ota. While Cadmium had relatively lower concentration compared with Lead in all the food samples but about 25% of the samples analyzed had higher concentration than the FAO permissible limit (0.5 mg/kg). The results showed that the order of the concentration of Lead in the food samples was corn>barbecue>plantain, while the order of the Cadmium concentration in the food samples was in the order corn>plantain>barbecue. Continual consumption of roasted corn, roasted plantain and barbecue close to highway and industrial emission may therefore constitute a source of exposure to these heavy metals.

This study examines the link between consumer weight level, food type, and consumer attitude toward both food and food advertisements. Further, this research explores how food advertisements containing emotional or informational claims influence the attitudes of overweight and normal-weight consumers. Two experiments were conducted to study the interaction between weight levels, food types (meat vs. vegetables), and advertising appeals (emotional vs. informational). The results showed mixed support for the six hypotheses. The findings indicate that consumer weight level interacts with food types, and emotional/information appeals affecting food evaluation and attitudes toward food advertisements. Managerial implications for food manufacturers and advertisers are discussed.

Capsule Black-headed Gulls along a rural–urban gradient chose a food type most associated with their immediate environment, and showed differences in their response to provisioned food, with more urban birds quicker to respond.Aims To determine whether Black-headed Gulls prefer natural versus anthropogenic food along a rural–urban gradient and so determine whether they select prey primarily according to familiarity.Methods Gulls were allowed to choose between provided anthropogenic and natural foods in 11 locations along a rural–urban gradient. Twenty tests were carried out in each location and the preference and time taken for the birds to select food recorded.Results Black-headed Gulls preferred food types most likely to be found in their immediate environment. Birds in more urban environments were quicker to respond to artificially provisioned food. Across environments, Black-headed Gulls showed the capacity to learn by decreasing the time taken to respond to artificially provisioned food, both within ...

This article introduces automatic control feeding system, including the specific performance of the system, the overall design structure. The system uses parallel structure, a rice separator, a dish separator and bowl conveyor and two conveyor belts. The paper selects the programmable controller (PLC) as control unit to control the corresponding food supply lines parallel movement according to the signal from the selected dishes. Selected dishes, connected to the switchboard and send a signal to PLC, transmission the amount of data of meal card. Users could use the interface to choose food type and quantity, PLC could complete the task. The paper explains the details how the mechanic part and PLC control process.

In Brazil, there is increasing interest in the establishment of captive breeding programs for caiman. However, there is a paucity of in-depth studies on the proper care of these reptiles in captivity, particularly regarding optimal food type and frequency of feeding. The purpose of this study was to determine radiographic-anatomical aspects of, and gastrointestinal transit time of Caiman crocodilus crocodilus using contrast radiography. Ten caiman were used in the study, five males and five females, the animals were physically restrained for administration of a radiographic contrast medium, consisting of 10 ml/kg barium sulfate and mineral oil suspension (70%: 30% respectively), via the orogastric tube. Following contrast medium administration, radiographs were taken via dorsoventral projection first at five minutes, then at 6, 24, 30, 48, 54, 72, 80, 96, 104, 120, 130, 144 and 150 hours. This technique allows visualization of contrast medium passage through the GI tract, which enabled determination of gastrointestinal transit time in the spectacled caiman. The average time for contrast medium passage through the digestive tract of this species was 117 ± 29.6 h for females and 86.4 ± 21.5 h for males.

Inamoto, Saitoh E, Shibata S, Kagaya H, Nakayama E, Ota K, Onogi K, Kawamura Y. Effectiveness and applicability of a specialized evaluation exercise-chair in posture adjustment for swallowing. Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2014; 5: 33-39. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a newly-developed evaluation exercise-chair, Swallow Chair (SC), in terms of simplicity, applicability, and comfort for dysphagic patients, in comparison with a bed for adjusting posture. Methods: The subjects were three dysphagic patients who underwent videofluoroscopy (VFSS) and the effectiveness of the combined posture of reclining with rotation of the trunk and head for safe swallowing was evaluated. The recommended posture was adjusted and video-recorded under two conditions— using the SC or using a bed—during swallowing training, and the posture was then analyzed and compared. The evaluation criteria included the following: items necessary for posture adjustment and their number (simplicity), time required for posture adjustment (ease of use), and level of fatigue and pain experienced by the patient (comfort). Results: In all patients, SC required fewer items and less time for posture adjustment and caused lower subjective fatigue and pain compared with using the bed. The compensatory posture recommended in the evaluation was adjusted properly during swallowing training and meal consumption using the SC and all patients improved their posture along with food type and meal frequency. Conclusions: The SC is a simple, easy-to-use, and comfortable device for posture adjustment during evaluation, training, and meal consumption.

In this study, the emission patterns of reduced sulfur compounds (RSC) were investigated using four different types of food samples (boiled egg, milk, canned meat and strawberry) between fresh and decaying stages. To this end, the concentrations of RSCs were measured at storage days of 0, 1, 3, 6, and 9 under room temperature. Four sulfur compounds (, , DMS and DMDS) were selected as target compounds along with two reference compounds ( and ). Their concentrations were quantified using GC-PFPD equipped with thermal desorption (TD) system. The boiled egg showed the highest concentration of (3,655 ppb) at D-1, while reached its maximum value of 64.4~78.5 ppb after 3 days. In milk samples, concentration of , DMS, and DMDS went up to 487, 16.3, and 578 ppb, respectively with the progress of decay (D-9). In case of canned meat, concentration of and peaked in the beginning (D-0) such as 345 and 66.6 ppb. In case of strawberry, and DMDS showed the maximum concentrations 135 and 50.5 ppb at D-1, respectively. The olfactometry dilution-to-threshold (D/T) ratio by air dilution sensory (ADS) test showed similar patterns when sum of odor intensity (SOI) was derived via conversion of odorant concentration data. The results of this study confirm that the time of strong RSC emissions is distinguished for each food type between fresh (e.g., strawberries) and decaying conditions (e.g., milk).

Soybean is an extensive crop that produces more protein per hectare and, compared to other sources, has the lowest protein cost. This turns soybean into one of the basic foods with the potential to fight malnutrition and hunger in the planet. Even though it represents the fourth crop in grain production in the world (261 million tons year-1), most of its production is used as animal fodder. Currently, one of the greatest research challenges is to improve soybean production for human consumption. Cooking time is one the several characteristics that need improvement so that soybean can be used more extensively in our everyday diet. The objective of this work is to carry out a bibliographic review on the topic, to sensitize researchers in the area of soybean breeding about its importance. A soja é a lavoura extensiva que mais produz proteína por hectare e, comparado a outras fontes, o custo da sua proteína é o menor. Isso faz da soja um dos alimentos básicos potenciais na luta contra a subnutrição e a fome do planeta. Apesar de ser a quarta cultura em produção de grãos (261 milhões t ano-1) no mundo, a maioria dessa produção destina-se a nutrição animal. Um dos grandes desafios da pesquisa é melhorá-la para o consumo humano. Dentre as várias características que precisam ser melhoradas para que ocorra uma maior utilização da soja na dieta cotidiana, destaca-se, o tempo de cozimento. Este trabalho tem como objetivo fazer uma revisão bibliográfica deste tema, para sensibilizar os pesquisadores da área de melhoramento de soja de sua importância.

Background The present study examined temporality in the representation of food in two popular British women's magazines between 1950 and 1998. Methods A quantitative content analysis of (i) prevalence of cooking, slimming, nutrition advice in articles; (ii) prevalence of food advertising by food type; and (iii) likelihood of various nutrition and consumer messages in advertising was performed on a sample comprising 200 magazines, with 3045 advertisements and 88 articles. Results The prevalence of food advertisements decreased (P

Determining when an individual is eating can be useful for tracking behavior and identifying patterns, but to create nutrition logs automatically or provide real-time feedback to people with chronic disease, we need to identify both what they are consuming and in what quantity. However, food type and amount have mainly been estimated using image data (requiring user involvement) or acoustic sensors (tested with a restricted set of foods rather than representative meals). As a result, there is not yet a highly accurate automated nutrition monitoring method that can be used with a variety of foods. We propose that multi-modal sensing (in-ear audio plus head and wrist motion) can be used to more accurately classify food type, as audio and motion features provide complementary information. Further, we propose that knowing food type is critical for estimating amount consumed in combination with sensor data. To test this we use data from people wearing audio and motion sensors, with ground truth annotated from video and continuous scale data. With data from 40 unique foods we achieve a classification accuracy of 82.7% with a combination of sensors (versus 67.8% for audio alone and 76.2% for head and wrist motion). Weight estimation error was reduced from a baseline of 127.3% to 35.4% absolute relative error. Ultimately, our estimates of food type and amount can be linked to food databases to provide automated calorie estimates from continuously-collected data.

Protein, oil and isoflavones contents can change according to environmental and genetic factors. The food type soybean shows special characteristics, e.g., high protein content and mild flavor. The objective of this study was to investigate the different sowing dates effect on the yield, 100 grains weight, oil, protein and isoflavones contents of food type breeding lines and soybean cultivars and their interactions. Productivity and 100 grains weight varied with sowing dates and soybean genotypes. The protein content ranged from 36.40 to 42.44% and the oil content from 18.29 to 22.71 %. No significant interaction was found between genotype versus sowing dates to protein content. Protein and oil contents showed a negative correlation. The isoflavones content also varied with sowing dates and soybean genotypes. The cultivar BRS 257 has the highest isoflavones content including β-glucosides, malonyl-glucoside and aglycones forms. The productivity, 100 grains weight, oil, protein and isoflavones contents is genetically determined but is also influenced by sowing date probably due by the temperature during the grain formation stage and by the height of the planting location.

SummaryObjective Large portions of food are often blamed for rising rates of obesity. We tested the possibility that people who are heavier may tend to select or prefer larger portions than do people who are lighter. Methods Participants (total N = 798) were asked to choose between a small and larger portion of pasta for a hypothetical meal (Studies 1, 2 and 4), to indicate their ideal portion from a range of portion-size options (Study 2), or to select their preferred portion size from each of 28 portion pairs (Study 3). Results Across all studies, there were no significant differences between heavier and lighter participants in their portion-size selection (effect sizes ranged from d = −0.06 to 0.33). The pattern was the same regardless of whether we grouped participants as having a body mass index (BMI)

Using social information can be an efficient way to respond to changing situations or learn skills. Most bat species (Order Chiroptera) are gregarious and could theoretically benefit from socially obtained information about food or roosts. Many bats experience opportunities for social learning, and recent years have seen a variety of studies addressing this phenomenon in the Chiroptera. Because bats are aerial, small, nocturnal, and emit calls outside the range of human hearing, they are notoriously difficult to study, and distinguishing between individuals when multiple bats are present can be especially challenging. Recent advances in technology, including high-quality synchronized video and audio recordings, and the use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and radio-tracking, have allowed for detailed information to be obtained about individuals in multi-bat settings. Recent studies have shown that bats can learn from one another about food type, food location, and other food-related cues. In addition, social information can play a role in roost site selection and the acquisition and modification of vocalizations. Here, I review recent research documenting vocal learning in bats, as well as interactions between individuals in foraging and roosting contexts and the impact of these interactions on bats’ behavior and success. I also report on novel findings wherein individuals of a frugivorous bat species display decreased foraging success in the presence of other naive individuals and discuss possible reasons for this result. Finally, future directions for research on social learning in bats, which could employ such technologies as thermal imaging cameras, GPS tracking, and on-board microphones, are discussed.

The history of barley as a crop begins in the Fertile Crescent at the beginning of the Neolithic Era. During the process of domestication, barley has gradually accumulated traits that facilitated agricultural production. Several morphological forms have evolved, including winter, spring, two-row, six-row, awned, awnless, hooded, naked and covered, malting, feed (grain and forage), and food type. The grain is used for feed, food, malt for beer and whisky, and the development of functional food.

We propose a new recognition task in the area of computational paralinguistics: automatic recognition of eating conditions in speech, i. e., whether people are eating while speaking, and what they are eating. To this end, we introduce the audio-visual iHEARu-EAT database featuring 1.6 k utterances of 30 subjects (mean age: 26.1 years, standard deviation: 2.66 years, gender balanced, German speakers), six types of food (Apple, Nectarine, Banana, Haribo Smurfs, Biscuit, and Crisps), and read as well as spontaneous speech, which is made publicly available for research purposes. We start with demonstrating that for automatic speech recognition (ASR), it pays off to know whether speakers are eating or not. We also propose automatic classification both by brute-forcing of low-level acoustic features as well as higher-level features related to intelligibility, obtained from an Automatic Speech Recogniser. Prediction of the eating condition was performed with a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier employed in a leave-one-speaker-out evaluation framework. Results show that the binary prediction of eating condition (i. e., eating or not eating) can be easily solved independently of the speaking condition; the obtained average recalls are all above 90%. Low-level acoustic features provide the best performance on spontaneous speech, which reaches up to 62.3% average recall for multi-way classification of the eating condition, i. e., discriminating the six types of food, as well as not eating. The early fusion of features related to intelligibility with the brute-forced acoustic feature set improves the performance on read speech, reaching a 66.4% average recall for the multi-way classification task. Analysing features and classifier errors leads to a suitable ordinal scale for eating conditions, on which automatic regression can be performed with up to 56.2% determination coefficient.

Plastics are widely used around the world as packaging material covering a wide range of applications. Plastics could be a source of chemicals into food through migration of various compounds (polymers, monomers, and processing aids) from packaging to foodstuffs. The intentionally added substances (IAS) are listed and controlled by laws and regulations from various organisations. For these authorised substances, specific migration limits (SML) have been established on the basis of migration tests performed on the plastic material using different food simulants according to the food type. These tests are based on the risk assessment of the single substance able to migrate, simulating the worst case of the foreseeable conditions, in order to ensure the safety of the final material. However, over 50 % of compounds migrating from food contact materials are non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). The European Regulation No. 10/2011 concerning plastics and multilayers recently became more strict, stating that ‘the risk assessment of a substance should cover the substance itself, relevant impurities and foreseeable reaction and degradation products in the intended use’. This chapter presents the materials used in food containers and food packaging, the additives employed in different types of plastics in order to improve their properties, current legislation with emphasis on European Regulation No. 10/2011, and the migration tests and specific migration limits. In addition, there is discussion on the compounds usually found in various food categories and bottled water due to the presence of IAS or NIAS in packaging materials.

BackgroundFood contact materials (FCM) containing phthalates can be a source of food contamination when used in plastics for food production equipment, in utensils for food contact and in packaging. Since 2008 several of the phthalates used for FCM were regulated in the EU; some of them because they were well-known endocrine disruptors. Results of the Danish Food Authorities control in 2008 and 2009 showed 23 % non-compliant samples. Critical FCMs turned out to be those made from plasticised PVC and sold as suitable for contact with fatty foodstuffs. Targeted follow up control campaigns were therefore arranged by the Danish food authorities (latest in 2013) and by the Nordic food authorities in a common campaign in 2014.FindingsFCM plastics were analysed for phthalate content and when needed additionally tested for migration of phthalates according to the declared area of use with respect to food type, contact temperature and time in contact with food. In both recent control campaigns about 1/3 of the samples analysed exceeded the current maximum limits for phthalates (especially DBP and DEHP) in plastics or showed migration into the fatty food simulant above the specific migration limits. Critical sample types were conveyor belts, hoses and gloves.ConclusionsLegal limits for phthalates were exceeded in many of the samples analysed in recent tests, including a large proportion of conveyor belts and gloves. The proportion of non-compliant conveyor belts, hoses and gaskets was lower in 2013 and 2014 than in 2008-2009, whereas the proportion of non-compliant gloves increased.

This chapter is devoted to applications of NMR in food analysis between January 2010 and June 2015, the term NMR encompassing a broad range of magnetic resonance applications, including spectroscopy, imaging and relaxation. The data included are arranged in subchapters according to food type (beverages, fats/oils fruits/vegetables, meat, dairy etc.), to help the reader locate relevant information.

Oil that is reused multiple times for deep frying goes through changes in chemical composition and physical characteristics, affecting the quality of the fried foods. In this study, the effect of the food type (fish nuggets or French fries) on the degradation of an oil blend during the deep-fat frying of each food at 180°C during 12 days was determined, and the characteristics of the fried products were evaluated. The degradation of oil during repeated use was relatively faster when fish nuggets were fried than when French fries were fried, as higher values of total polar compounds were obtained. Practical Application: The results are useful for producers of French fries and fish nuggets, such as restaurants or fast foods sellers, providing them with practical guidelines within the permitted values established by the regulatory authorities. The studied foods have high economic importance and are different in their composition. Under the studied conditions, the tested oil blend may be used during 4 d (4 h per day) with a daily replenishment, without discarding the oil when frying fish nuggets, and must be discarded after 8 d when French fries are processed. This suggestion allows preparing safe fried foods for consumers.

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of different pre-PCR treatments for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. by real-time PCR in spiked ready-to-eat meat samples (cooked ham, dry-cured ham and fermented sausage). Three different pre-PCR treatments were assayed: (i) PrepMan® Ultra Sample Preparation Reagent, (ii) DNA purification using DNeasy Tissue Kit and QIAcube automated sample preparation system, and (iii) BAX® system. The analysis range was 2 to 2 × 106 CFU/ml. PCR was done in quintuplicate and the experiment was repeated five times. The ‘probability of detection’ was used to compare the efficiency of the pre-PCR treatments and to calculate the theoretical limit of detection of each treatment. The best pre-PCR treatment was DNA purification using DNeasy Tissue kit and QIAcube; it showed the highest detection probability and the lowest limit of detection for each food type and pathogen assayed, followed by PrepMan and BAX treatments. Probability of detection showed differences among food matrices and between L. monocytogenes and Salmonella detection probability. Despite being an expensive method, DNeasy Tissue kit would be the recommended treatment to reduce the risk of false negative results and to improve detection of foodborne pathogens in RTE-meat products by real-time PCR.

Cooking makes foods more palatable and digestible, less toxic and suitable for longer-term storage. Starch granules usually undergo gelatinisation during cooking, resulting in the loss of native structure and morphology. Once fully gelatinised, starch is very difficult to recognise microscopically and to classify taxonomically, impeding identification of cooked starch in archaeological food residues. Gelatinisation involves a complex interplay between temperature, moisture content and the presence of solutes, lipids and proteins, as well as species-specific starch physicochemical properties. Understanding the influence of these factors, particularly moisture, on the degree and extent of starch conversion during heat treatment enables predictive models of native starch survival in archaeological samples based on cooking method and food type. The findings of this review indicate that differential native starch survival may significantly influence archaeobotanical reconstructions and interpretations of artefact function.

This work aimed to investigate the effect of various temperatures (30, 25 and 20oc at 65± 5% R.H. and different type of foods namely Maize (Zea mays L.), Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), Sugar cane (Saccharum Spp.) and artificial diet) on certain biological aspects of Sesamia cretica Led. The results showed that, temperature had a significant effect on the biology of S. cretica. At 25oc the fecundity was higher, on the other hand the total deposited eggs decreased at lower temperature 20oc compared with higher ones (25 & 30oc). The duration of immature stages of S. cretica was significantly influenced by different types of food at various temperatures. Maize (Zea mays L.) was the most favorite type of food for S. cretica where as the fecundity increased and life cycle shortened compared with other types of food i.e., Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), Sugar cane (Saccharum Spp.) and artificial diet.

Numerous field studies indicate that food supplementation of birds can advance laying date. In addition, laboratory studies, though less common, suggest that altering the amount of food, the predictability of food, or food type can affect reproductive physiology. American Goldfinches ( Spinus tristis , formerly Carduelis tristis (L., 1758)) breed in late summer when thistle (Cynareae) seeds become abundant, suggesting that specific food types may affect their reproductive physiology. We tested whether supplementation with preferred seeds would affect reproductive physiology of male and female American Goldfinches. Birds were photostimulated and fed a standard pellet diet, or supplemented with a variety of preferred seeds. Supplemented females developed larger ovarian follicles. Supplemented males had higher levels of plasma testosterone, but only if they were also housed with a female. These results suggest that preferred seed types can act as a supplementary cue in this species, and fine-tune photoperiod-driven changes in reproductive physiology.

Alarm calls and food-associated calls from a diverse range of species are said to be functionally referential, in that receivers can use these sounds to predict environmental events in the absence of other contextual cues. The evolutionary driver for referential alarm calls has been hypothesized to be the mutually incompatible escape behaviours required to avoid different predators. However, some species produce acoustically distinctive and referential alarm calls but do not show highly referential abilities in other domains. We examined whether food-associated calls in many species are likely to be functionally referential and whether they specifically communicate about characteristic features of food. Foodassociated calls are given in both feeding and nonfeeding contexts, and the types of information contained vary greatly. Most species do not produce unique calls for different foods; more common is variation in the call rate, which suggests that call structure reflects the callers’ internal state rather than the food type. We also examined the ultimate function of food-associated calls to evaluate whether there is a unifying explanation for the evolution of functionally referential food calls. Based on the literature, there does not appear to be a unifying function. In conclusion, while functionally referential foodassociated calls have been convincingly demonstrated in a few species, it is more common for these vocalizations to reflect arousal rather than additionally providing specific referential information about the feeding event. At this point, there is no compelling hypothesis to explain the evolution of functionally referential food-associated calls. Given the multiple functions of food-associated signals, we should not expect a unitary explanation.

Specific growth rates of individually reared juvenile three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus were investigated under laboratory conditions to parameterize a complete temperature-dependent growth model for this species. To test the applicability of experimentally derived optima in growth response rates to natural conditions, the effects of commercial pellets and natural prey on growth rates were investigated. In addition, to test for seasonal effects on growth, laboratory trials were performed in both spring and winter. Growth took place from 5 to 29° C with a temperature for optimum growth reaching a sharp peak at 21° C. Modelled optimal temperature for maximum growth was estimated to be 21.7° C and lower and upper temperatures for growth were estimated to be 3.6 and 30.7° C, respectively. There were no significant differences in growth rates between fish reared on invertebrates or commercial pellets. Seasonal effects on growth were pronounced, with reduced growth rates in the winter despite similar laboratory conditions. On average, 60% higher growth rates were achieved at the optimum temperature in summer compared to the winter. The strong seasonality in the growth patterns of G. aculeatus indicated here reduces the applicability of the model derived in this study to spring and summer conditions.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) revised the Health Functional Food Act in 2008 and extended the form of health functional foods to general food types. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate consumers’ perceptions of the expanded form of health functional food and to predict consumption patterns. For this study, 1,006 male and female adults aged 19 years and older were selected nationwide by multi-stage stratified random sampling and were surveyed in 1:1 interviews. The questionnaire survey was conducted by Korea Gallup. The subjects consisted of 497 (49.4%) males and 509 (50.6%) females. About 57.9% of the subjects recognized the KFDA's permission procedures for health functional foods. Regarding the health functional foods that the subjects had consumed, red ginseng products were the highest (45.3%), followed by nutritional supplements (34.9%), ginseng products (27.9%), lactobacillus-containing products (21.0%), aloe products (20.3%), and Japanese apricot extract products (18.4%). Opinions on expanding the form of health functional foods to general food types scored 4.7 points on a 7-point scale, showing positive responses. In terms of the effects of medicine-type health functional foods versus generic health functional foods, the highest response was ‘same effects if the same ingredients are contained’ at a rate of 34.7%. For intake frequency by food type, the response of ‘daily consistent intake’ was 31.7% for capsules, tablets, and pills, and 21.7% for extracts. For general food types, ‘daily consistent intake’ was 44.5% for rice and 22.8% for beverages, which were higher rates than those for medicine types. From the above results, consumers had positive opinions of the expansion of health functional foods to generic forms but are not expected to maintain accurate intake frequencies or amounts. Thus, continuous promotion and education are needed for proper intake of generic health functional foods.

This study investigated the multifactorial interaction of various environmental factors including 17 geographical strain (Brazil, Cameroon and Yemen strains), temperature, dose and larval food 18 (cowpea and mungbean) on the response of Callosobruchus maculatus adult to insecticide. All 19 the main factors, their two-way interactions and the four-way interaction had significant effects 20 on C. maculatus response to malathion (an organophosphate insecticide). However, the three-21 way interactions were not statistically significant (except strain x food x dose, P = 0.002). The 22 2 Brazil strain was the most responsive to temperature irrespective of the larval food type. The 23 impact of food type differs from one strain to the other, for instance, the food that imparts higher 24 tolerance in a strain might reduce the tolerance in another. Likewise, the hierarchy of tolerance 25 among the cowpea-reared strains (Brazil > Cameroon > Yemen) was totally different from the 26 mungbean-reared strains (Cameroon > Yemen > Brazil). The reasons for these differences were 27 discussed in the light of their impact on C. maculatus management. The management of both C. 28 maculatus and development of resistance could be complex, hence, the states of a variety of 29 environmental factors need to be considered. This is necessary in order to maximize management 30 success of this bruchid especially in tropical/subtropical developing countries.

A conspicuous but scantly studied feature of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) toxicity is avoidance of unfamiliar foodstuffs, which seems to be one of the very few exquisitely sensitive behavioural effects in adult laboratory animals. Here we characterized this peculiar response further after low doses of TCDD. The time-course of the novelty avoidance, the role of nutriment form and dependence of the aversion on the time lag between TCDD exposure and the presentation of a novel food item was determined using rats with different sensitivities to lethality of TCDD. Rats were offered chocolate, liquid nutriment or familiar feed with an unfamiliar texture and the consumptions were measured for varying periods. Aversion to a novel food item (chocolate) emerged within 5.5 h after TCDD exposure. A lag of a week or more between TCDD exposure and the presentation of chocolate abolished the avoidance whereas simultaneous presentation of chocolate with TCDD treatment rendered the rats oblivious to the chocolate's presence for over 40 days. Rats avoided also liquid nutriments when these were coupled with TCDD administration but this faded much sooner than chocolate aversion. Even a change in feed texture at the exposure was able to elicit the response. However, habituation was found to interfere with the aversion. These findings indicate that temporal proximity to TCDD exposure is a requisite for the avoidance response which emerges rapidly and may linger on for extended periods, but is not strictly confined to any specific food type. The molecular mechanisms of this tantalizing behavioural alteration remain to be determined.

Objectives: We investigate sex differences in frequencies of adults eating in a foraging population—the Hadza of Tanzania. Methods: We use eating frequency data from instantaneous scan observations of the Hadza, to see to how much sharing of foods taken back to camp compensates for the targeting of different foods by each sex while out foraging. Results: Eating in camp differs by sex in terms of overall eating frequency, as well as in terms of diet composition (frequencies of eating each food type). We also control for sex-differences in time spent in camp and still find sex-differences in eating frequencies—women are observed eating significantly more frequently than men. There are also sex-differences in the eating frequencies of particular food types both with and without controlling for presence in camp. Finally, we use data on acquisition of each food type by sex and find that both sexes are more frequently observed eating women's foods in camp than men's foods. Conclusions: At least in the case of the Hadza, we see pronounced sex differences in the in-camp diet. Hadza men are eating a higher quality diet than are women, but women are able to eat far more frequently, and spend less time foraging than men. It is not yet clear whether a regular caloric intake of lower quality foods would be more beneficial for maintaining fecundity than a more variable diet consisting of higher quality foods. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The dispersal of marked, irradiated olive fruit flies originating from a hybrid laboratory strain was studied in an olive groove located in the arid regions of southern Israel. Release–recapture experiments (eight in total) were conducted throughout a period of 5 months (July–December 2008). In each experiment, ca. 5000 flies were released. Recapture of flies was conducted using a grid of 30 yellow sticky traps set in expanding semicircles from the centre of release. Service of traps was conducted 3 and 15 days after the release. Fly quality and adult food type (only sucrose and protein + sucrose) before release was also investigated. Results point at an average dispersal distance of marked, irradiated olive flies of ca. 50 m. Pre-release adult diet did not affect dispersal ability. Fly recovery averaged ca. 3.5% during summer and ca. 1.5% during autumn. Most of the recovery concentrated during the first 3 days after releases, suggesting low survival of the released flies afterwards. As inferred from circular statistics, direction of dispersal was non-random with a significant directionality to the north-west. Results are discussed in view of environmental temperatures and wind direction.

Digestion is an important process in understanding the feeding ecology of animals. We examined digesta passage time, digestibility, and total gut fill in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata; n = 4) under 4 dietary conditions representing the seasonal and regional variations in the diets of wild populations to determine the effects of food type and food intake on these digestive features. Food type is associated with mean retention time (MRT), digestibility, and total gut fill. Dry matter intake (DMI) of food correlates positively with total gut fill but not with MRT or digestibility. Conversely, indigestible DMI affected MRT negatively. Thus, when Japanese macaques consume high-fiber foods, MRT becomes shorter and digestibility is lower than when eating low-fiber foods. Moreover, macaques experience increases in total gut fill when they consume high-fiber diets or a large amount of food. Japanese macaques may excrete difficult-to-digest food components quickly; they nevertheless buffer an increase in food intake by an increase in gut fill. Our study offers new insights into the relationship between feeding ecology and nutritional physiology in primates by simultaneously examining the effects of food type and intake level on MRT and digestibility.

2-Alkylcyclobutanones (ACBs) are specific radiolytic products in irradiated lipid-containing food and can be used to detect irradiation of foodstuffs. EN1785, a European Committee Standardization Method, can detect 2-dodecylcyclobutanone (DCB) and 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone (TCB), which are ACBs, using GC/MS, thereby allowing judgement as to whether foodstuffs have been irradiated. In this study, the performance of EN1785 as a qualitative test in a single laboratory was evaluated and its applicability to beef, pork, chicken and salmon was verified. In the performance evaluation test, lipids extracted from unirradiated food using the Soxhlet extraction method were used as negative samples. Further, negative samples, to which DCB and TCB were added at 0.05 µg/g lipid (equivalent to the amount generated in food when irradiated at 0.5 kGy or more), were used as positive samples. For each food type examined, 4 negative and 16 positive samples were analyzed by EN1785 to verify the method's ability to detect irradiation. All of the negative samples were judged negative and all of the positive samples were judged positive. Thus, the method should be able to detect irradiation in beef, pork chicken and salmon irradiated at 0.5 kGy or higher. Next, to confirm that this is the case, the same types of food examined above, both unirradiated and irradiated at doses of 0.5-4 kGy, were analyzed by the method. All of the unirradiated samples were judged negative and all of the irradiated samples were judged positive. In a laboratory different from the one where the aforementioned evaluation was conducted, a performance evaluation test was carried out. Blind coded samples, including unirradiated and irradiated samples, were then analyzed in the laboratory according to EN178S. Ten samples (2 unirradiated and 8 irradiated samples) were analyzed for each type of food and the verified method was found to be 100% accurate. Even after the irradiated foodstuffs had been frozen for 6-9 months, it was still possible to judge whether the foodstuffs had been irradiated or not using the EN1785 method.

Although recent research has investigated animal decision-making under risk, little is known about how animals choose under conditions of ambiguity when they lack information about the available alternatives. Many models of choice behaviour assume that ambiguity does not impact decision-makers, but studies of humans suggest that people tend to be more averse to choosing ambiguous options than risky options with known probabilities. To illuminate the evolutionary roots of human economic behaviour, we examined whether our closest living relatives, chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) and bonobos ( Pan paniscus ), share this bias against ambiguity. Apes chose between a certain option that reliably provided an intermediately preferred food type, and a variable option that could vary in the probability that it provided a highly preferred food type. To examine the impact of ambiguity on ape decision-making, we interspersed trials in which chimpanzees and bonobos had no knowledge about the probabilities. Both species avoided the ambiguous option compared with their choices for a risky option, indicating that ambiguity aversion is shared by humans, bonobos and chimpanzees.

The National Invasive Ant Surveillance is conducted annually around ports and other high-risk areas to detect new ant incursions into New Zealand. Currently, non-sticky food-baited vials are used to trap ants. The ability of a sticky bait trap to trap multiple ant species at baits was tested, under the hypothesis that a sticky trap would reduce the role of competitive exclusion at food sources, a drawback of food baiting. Furthermore, the role of food type, sugar, protein and a combination of both foods, on ant catch was examined. Although only 4% of traps caught multiple species, this incidence was five times greater in the sticky-bait than food-only vials. The combined food source traps caught ants more often than the single food source traps. The refinement of ant monitoring traps will aid surveillance managers in the future.

The role of an athlete’s dietary intake (both timing and food type) goes beyond simply providing fuel to support the body’s vital processes. Nutritional choices also have an impact on the metabolic adaptations to training. Over the past 20 years, research has suggested that strategically reducing carbohydrate (CHO) availability during an athlete’s training can modify the metabolic responses in lieu of simply maintaining a high CHO diet. Several methods have been explored to manipulate CHO availability and include: Low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diets, performing two-a-day training without glycogen restoration between sessions, and a “sleep-low” approach entailing a glycogen-depleting session in the evening without consuming CHO until after a morning training session performed in an overnight fasted state. Each of these methods can confer beneficial metabolic adaptations for the endurance athlete including increases in mitochondrial enzyme activity, mitochondrial content, and rates of fat oxidation, yet data showing a direct performance benefit is still unclear.