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The aim of this study was to produce a suitable cake with reduced fat with the help of apple pomace fiber as a fat substitute. After preparing fiber from apple pomace by water extraction method, first some properties of this fiber were evaluated. Due to the low amount of fat and energy and the amount of crude fiber, the extracted apple fiber was able to replace carbohydrate-based fat for flour products. In this study, optimization of the cake production process by three factors, including apple fiber with a ratio of (0.5, 10%) and oil (16.38, 15.47, 14.57%) with a shelf life of 0, 15 and 30 days. Response method was performed. The result showed that with increasing the amount of fiber moisture, fat, firmness and adhesion, the springiness of the cakes increased and the volume decreased. With increasing shelf life, moisture, fat, aw increased and the firmness and stickiness of cake spring decreased. The results of this study show that the cake containing 5.163% fiber and 14.9% oil in 8 days was the best sample. The results showed that the use of apple pomace in the cake reduced the fat content by 9.3% compared to the control sample. According to the optimization results, the optimum sample moisture content is 22.847%, water activity 0.850%, fat 15.018%, specific gravity 82.737 cm3/g, hardness 10809 (N), spring content 0.747 cm and the amount of adhesion was determined to be 0.392. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelatin has many applications in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to its technological and functional properties. By-products from fish cleaning are rich sources of collagen. The physical, chemical and rheological properties of gelatin or collagen depend on their sources as well as the extraction conditions. Response surface methodology (RSM) with three parameters was conducted to determine the optimum extraction conditions of gelatin from Caspian whitefish scale. A Box-Behnken design was used to study the combined effects of sodium hydroxide concentration (0.075-0.225 M), soaking time in sodium hydroxide solution (60-180 minute), and extraction temperature (30-50 oC) were determined. Viscosity (cp), gel strength (g), L*, a*, and b* were chosen as responses. The results showed the optimum conditions were sodium hydroxide concentration 0.11 M, soaking time in sodium hydroxide solution of 116 minutes, and extraction temperature of 38 oC. The predicted responses including viscosity, gel strength, L*, a*, and b* were 2.17 cP, 145 g, 6.03, 6.80, and 38.85 respectively. The response surface method was able to estimate the optimal conditions of extraction gelatin with high desirability (0.99). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Nowadays, overweight and abnormal blood pressure (BP) have increased among children. This paper aimed at investigating the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and BP in children younger than 7 years of age. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 children aged 18 months to 7 years old were selected through random cluster sampling from 20 urban and rural healthcare centers. Their personal and medical information was recorded. Then, the height, weight, and blood pressure were measured. Data were analyzed in SPSS V21. Results: The study was performed in 315 children whose parents agreed to complete the study. The participants included 187 (59.4%) boys and 128 (40.6%) girls. According to BMI, most of the male subjects had normal weight (n=162, 51.4%) but 25 (7.9%) were found with abnormal weight. Similar situation was also seen in girls (114 [36.2%] vs. 14 [4.4%]). Normal and abnormal systolic blood pressure in boys and girls were seen in 176 and 11, and in 123 and 5, respectively. In this study significant relationships were found between BMI and systolic blood pressure (P= 0.032) and BMI and diastolic blood pressure in children (P= 0.008). Conclusion: The increasing trend of overweight and consequently increased blood pressure among children call for life style modification to decrease the consequences caused by these health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: In today's society, preparing healthy food has become challenging due to the variety of food production methods. Oil is produced in several ways in our country. In the cold pressing method, there is insufficient monitoring of the manufactured product. The aim of the present study is to investigate the physicochemical characteristics and the levels of heavy metals of industrial oil compared to cold-pressed oil. Materials and Methods: In this research, 54 samples of sunflower, sesame, and canola oil produced by both cold pressing and industrial refiningmethods were prepared. Their physicochemical characteristics, including refractive index, acid value, iodine value, saponification value, peroxide value, anisidine value, as well as the concentrations of lead, iron, arsenic and copper were determined. Additionally, the effect of storage time on these characteristics was investigated. Results: The Iodine number showed the highest deviation from the standard (61%), with an average of 136.70 gI/100g for the cold-pressed oil and 134.48 gI/100g for industrially refined oiland. The average value of the physicochemical characteristics, except for the saponification value, were higher in the cold-pressed oil samples compared to the industrially refined oil samples, but the observed difference was not statistically significant. An investigation into the effect of storage time on physicochemical properties revealed a significant increase in peroxide value (p<0.01) and anisidine (p <0.05) in both oil groups over a two-month period. The average concentration of arsenic, lead, iron and copper in the studied oils was 0.03, 0.78, 0.05 and 0.05 mg/kgoil, respectively. A deviation from the standard was observed only in one sample of cold-pressed sunflower oil, with an arsenic concentration of 0.11 mg/kgoil). Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, the refined industrial oils exhibited more favorable chemical characteristics and stability. It is suggested that cold-pressed oils should be consumed within a short period of time. For frying purposes, refined industrial oils are preferable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical and microbial quality of bottled water in Iran and to calculate the water quality index (WQI). Materials and Methods: Different brands of bottled water (4 samples from 71 brands) were randomly collected from the market. Chemical and microbial characteristics of the samples were examined and determined. Finally, the calculations related to the WQI index were performed and the water samples were classified as excellent, good, poor, very poor and unsuitable. Results: None of the samples exhibited concentration of heavy metals beyond Iranian water standards, and the concentration of sulfate (SO4), chloride (Cl) and fluoride (F) did not exceed international standards. However, in some samples, nitrite (NO2) and nitrate (NO3) concentrations were higher than recommended standards. With Regard to other water quality parameters, 8% to 89% of the samples exhibited concentration higher than the values provided on the water bottle label. 5 species of different bacteria were found in 15 water samples. According to the WQI index, about 63% of the samples were of excellent quality. Also, the water quality of 34% and 3% of the samples fell in good and poor quality categories, respectively. None of the bottled water samples was of very poor quality. Conclusion: The quality of bottled water investigated in this study was generally suitable, but due to the wide range of bottled water in Iran based on brand and seasons, continuous evaluation of water treatment methods in companies and careful monitoring of chemical and microbial quality of bottled water in all seasons is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Environmental burden of disease (EBD) studies are one of the most important needs for determining the current situation, increasing the effectiveness of health policies and programs and prioritizing environmental health interventions. This review article was evaluated the status of the EBD in Iran based on the results of the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study, other international studies and national estimates in the country. Materials and Methods: In this study, the researches on the EBD in Iran were identified by searching in the international and national scientific databases and the search results were studied and analyzed. Results: The review of the EBD studies showed that based on the results of the GBD study, the share of environmental risk factors in the total burden of diseases in the country in 2017 according to the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and deaths were about 8 and 13%, respectively. According to the results of the GBD study, the contributions of environmental risk factors in the attributable DALYs in the country in 2017 (a total value of 1,648,329) were as follows: ambient air PM2.5 for 45.0%, occupational risk factors for 25.1%, exposure to lead for 19.4%, unsafe water source for 5.0%, tropospheric ozone for 1.7%, lack of access to handwashing facility for 1.5%, unsafe sanitation for 1.4%, residential radon for 0.6%, and household air pollution from solid fuels for 0.3%. The total DALY rate and death rate attributable to solar ultraviolet radiation in Iran in 2000 were estimated to be 46.2 and 0.7, respectively. The DALY and the DALY rate attributable to elevated levels of fluoride in drinking water due to dental fluorosis in the country in 2017 were 3,443 and 4.14, respectively. The evaluation of the effect of water fluoridation as an environmental protective factor showed that the intervention by reducing the risk of dental caries could fall the DALY and DALY rates in the country by 14,971 and 18.73, respectively. In the period of 2005-2017, the DALY rate (per 100,000 people) attributable to ambient air PM2.5, tropospheric ozone, residential radon, and occupational risk factors rose that the result increases the importance of the preventive measures and controls of these risk factors. Conclusion: There was a considerable difference in the burden of disease attributed to each risk factor in various international studies as well as between national and international studies. The results of national studies on the burden of diseases attributable to environmental risk factors are considered to be more reliable and practical due to the application of more detailed data and conducting subnational evaluations; therefore, the strengthening and continuing these studies at the national and sub-national levels with regard to priorities, needs, and spatiotemporal trends using domestic reliable data and information are necessary and strictly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]