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Background Different methods for the extraction of trypsin inhibitors in beans (Phaseolus spp.) were investigated. Two randomised complete laboratory experiments were performed, one on the seeds and one on the pods. In the first, the seeds of common bean variety KIS Marcelijan, breeding line Ref_316 × 498 and runner bean variety Bonela were examined. In the second, the fresh pods of five common beans (three breeding lines, two varieties) were analysed. Four extraction methods were used, including ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) for 15 and 30 min and shaking-assisted extraction for 60 and 180 min. Results The results showed a significant increase in trypsin inhibitor activity-related traits in UAE compared to shaking extraction, with the 15 min ultrasonic process showing better efficacy than the one with 30 min duration. In the seed experiment, the breeding line Ref_316 × 498 showed the highest Trypsin Units Inhibited (TUI) and TUI/mg sample after a 15 min UAE. In the pod experiment, the breeding line 228_4aa_ca also showed the highest TUI and TUI/mg sample after a 15 min extraction with UAE. These results underline the potential of UAE to maximise trypsin inhibitor content. In addition, remarkable correlations between TUI, TUI/mg sample and the percentage of trypsin inhibition (%TIn) were observed in both experiments. Conclusions These results provide valuable insights into the relationship between bean genetic resources, extraction methods and trypsin inhibitor content in bean pods and seeds and serve as a basis for refining extraction protocols. The study encourages further research on the practical implications of investigated protocols for breeding programmes and agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International food trade plays a crucial role in enhancing global food security by connecting regions with diverse agricultural capabilities and resource endowments. This study employs complex network analysis and ecological network resilience to investigate the historical dynamics of global staple food trade network resilience from 1986 to 2020. Additionally, structural decomposition and econometric analysis are used to explore the drivers of resilience from both internal and external perspectives. The findings reveal significant heterogeneity in the resilience dynamics of global staple food trade when faced with external shocks such as COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions. Staple foods, i.e., wheat, rice, and potatoes have demonstrated increased resilience in response to pandemic-related disruptions. However, the aggregated staple food network is more adversely affected by geopolitical tensions compared to the five individual staple food networks, with a more pronounced inhibitory effect on its resilience. Potatoes emerge as the most resilient staple, while soybeans exhibit the lowest resilience. Interestingly, the inclusion of a greater variety of staple foods in the aggregated basket does not necessarily enhance resilience. For instance, integrating potatoes, characterized by high network efficiency, increases resilience, whereas integrating soybeans, with low network efficiency, reduces resilience. Furthermore, the diversity of trade flows and trade partners plays a crucial role in enhancing resilience. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to bolster the resilience of the global food trade network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sufficient dietary fiber consumption is associated with well-established health benefits, yet such intake is currently suboptimal globally. Thus, there is interest in developing strategies to improve dietary fiber intake. One such approach is to increase the dietary fiber content of staple foods, but this needs relevant investigation. Methods: Forty-two United Kingdom (UK) based consumers (18–76 y) were recruited to take part in seven focus group sessions investigating: (i) key factors in food choice; (ii) dietary fiber-related knowledge, awareness, consumption habits, and engagement levels; (iii) willingness to consume dietary fiber-rich staple foods; and (iv) gain initial feedback on dietary fiber-rich breads. Results: Overall, key dietary fiber themes emerged such as knowledge (benefits, foods, recommendations and labeling), consumption (not measuring intake), barriers (convenience and knowledge), resources (education and public appeal), and topics (food examples and cooking). Consumers were positive per se to the idea of dietary fiber-rich staple foods but with various caveats (no changes in appearance, taste, and cost). White bread trends were centered around context (sandwich and toast), habit (comfort food), preferences (soft and fresh), and consumption is variable (daily to less often). In addition, consumers’ preferred labeling strategy for dietary fiber-rich breads was predominately focused on transparency and visibility. Overall, the newly developed breads were well received demonstrating the potential of our prototypes to fit into the white bread market; however, additional consumer insights are needed. Conclusion: Our findings recommend combining education with a personalized element of advice, coupled with a collective effort from the government and food industry, as essential to help encourage a step-change in dietary fiber consumption in the UK population.

Food price volatility has become a hot topic after the global food crisis of 2007/2008 and 2010/2011 due to the livelihood threat it poses, particularly to poor households. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to determine the possible volatility spillover effect from fuel to food prices, assess the perception of actors along the food supply chain on the effects of price volatility, and investigate the indigenous management methods used by the identified actors. We discovered evidence of volatility transmission from fuel to food markets in southern Ghana. However, in northern Ghana, where agricultural commodities are primarily brought to market on motorcycles and tricycles, the spillover effect of fuel is negligible. The supply chain participants believe that price volatility is having a detrimental impact on their decision-making or planning, supplies/production, and finances. Wholesalers and retailers handle price volatility by diversifying their sources, storing products for better pricing, and implementing volume controls. Farmers' primary price volatility control strategies include crop diversification, market information collection, staggered sales, and produce storage for better prices. Policy ideas have been developed to assist reduce price uncertainty in the basic food supply chain.

This study examined the levels and health threat assessment of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and heavy metal (HM) residues in five selected foodstuffs--sorghum, maize, rice, garri (processed fried cassava), and beans--randomly collected from three markets within the Abeokuta metropolis in southwestern Nigeria. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) methods were used to analyze the foodstuffs for OCPs and HMs, respectively. The collected data were analyzed using simple descriptive and inferential statistics. Health risk indices, including non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects, were estimated for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and heavy metals (HMs) in food samples. The findings revealed that the concentrations of OCPs and HMs in many food samples exceeded the recommended dietary allowances. The risk index values of OCPs and estimated HMs in each foodstuff exceed the permissible limit of 1.0, indicating potential negative health impacts, although not cancer-causing. Dieldrin was the largest contributor to adverse health effects, ranging from 10 to 98%, while Pb had the highest contribution, with values between 43 and 54%. The combined cancer risk of OCPs and HMs was above the allowable limit of 1 x 10-4, suggesting a potential risk for cancer development. The data on OCPs and HMs in the analyzed foodstuffs represent direct threats to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food fraud is an old, recurring, and global threat to public health. It poses a serious threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the prevalence of food fraud in SSA, little is known about how food fraud is viewed by consumers. This study aims to provide an overview of consumers' concerns about food fraud in SSA. A multi-country survey was conducted in October 2022–31 January 2023, and 838 valid responses were returned. To reduce the large and correlated dataset, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used. Five components were derived from PCA: (i) Staple foods; (ii) Premium food and drink products; (iii) Trust in reliable sources; (iv) Trust in less reliable sources; and (v) Trust in food vendors. The findings revealed Ghanaian (mean rank = 509.47) and Nigerian (mean rank = 454.82) consumers tended to score higher on the measure of food fraud concern suggesting that they were less confident in the safety and quality of the food they consume. Demographic characteristics including age, number of children, personal and family experience of food fraud and PCA components such as 'Staple foods', 'Trust in reliable sources', and 'Trust in food vendors' significantly predicted the model. This is the first preliminary study to provide empirical findings on consumers' concerns about food fraud in SSA. Practical and policy recommendations for the region are suggested. This includes (i) modelling the AfriFoodinTegrity in West Africa across other major regions such as Central, East, and Southern Africa; (ii) establish a regional sub-Saharan Africa Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (SSA-RASFF) platform; and (iii) food safety and food fraud reports could be incorporated into SSA-RASFF portal for information sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oven roasting (OR) could induce hierarchical structural changes in starch, which is fundamental for altering the pasting and hydration properties of cereal flour. OR makes proteins denatured and peptide chains unraveled or rearranged. OR could alter compositions of cereal lipids and minerals. Although OR may degrade phenolics, their release from bound forms is predominant when mild/moderate conditions are exerted. Hence, some OR‐modified cereals even exhibit many physiological functions, such as anti‐diabetic and anti‐inflammatory activity. Furthermore, these minor components interplay with starch/protein via physical entrapment, non‐covalent interactions, or cross‐linking. The structural changes and interactions modulate functionalities of OR‐modified cereal flour, its dough/batter property, and related staple food quality. Compared with hydrothermal or high‐pressure thermal treatments, proper OR even induces greater enhancement in technological quality and bioactive compounds release. Given the simple operation and low cost, it is worth utilizing OR for the development of sensory‐appealing healthy staple foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For most poor countries of today, using agriculture for development is widely recognized as a promising strategy. Yet, in these countries, investment in agriculture has mostly been lagging relative to international norms and recommendations. Current wisdom on how to use agriculture for development is that it requires asset building for smallholder farmers, productivity growth in staple foods, an agricultural transformation (diversification of farming systems toward high value crops), and a rural transformation (value addition through rural non-farm activities linked to agriculture). This sequence has too often been hampered by extensive market and government failures. We outline a theory of change where the removal of market and government failures to use this Agriculture for Development strategy can be addressed through two contrasted and complementary approaches. One is from the “supply-side” where public and social agents (governments, international and bilateral development agencies, NGOs, donors) intervene to help farmers overcome the major constraints to adoption: liquidity, risk, information, and access to markets. The other is from the “demand-side” where private agents (entrepreneurs, producer organizations) create incentives for smallholder farmers to modernize through contracting and vertical coordination in value chains. We review the extensive literature that has explored ways of using Agriculture for Development through these two approaches. We conclude by noting that the supply-side approach has benefited from extensive research but met with limited success. The demand-side approach has promise, but received insufficient attention and is in need of additional rigorous research which we outline.

For most poor countries of today, using agriculture for development is widely recognized as a promising strategy. Yet, in these countries, investment in agriculture has mostly been lagging relative to international norms and recommendations. Current wisdom on how to use agriculture for development is that it requires asset building for smallholder farmers, productivity growth in staple foods, an agricultural transformation (diversification of farming systems toward high value crops), and a rural transformation (value addition through rural non-farm activities linked to agriculture). This sequence has too often been hampered by extensive market and government failures. We outline a theory of change where the removal of market and government failures to use this Agriculture for Development strategy can be addressed through two contrasted and complementary approaches. One is from the “supply-side” where public and social agents (governments, international and bilateral development agencies, NGOs, donors) intervene to help farmers overcome the major constraints to adoption: liquidity, risk, information, and access to markets. The other is from the “demand-side” where private agents (entrepreneurs, producer organizations) create incentives for smallholder farmers to modernize through contracting and vertical coordination in value chains. We review the extensive literature that has explored ways of using Agriculture for Development through these two approaches. We conclude by noting that the supply-side approach has benefited from extensive research but met with limited success. The demand-side approach has promise, but received insufficient attention and is in need of additional rigorous research which we outline.

Food and nutrition insecurity is linked to poverty worldwide. Ensuring food and nutrition security is a major challenge for most families in rural Mozambique. The aim of this study was to assess the state of nutritional and food security in families residing in Chókwè Municipality. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 260 families in 7 neighborhoods. The data collected was analyzed using IBM SPSS 22 Statistic software to obtain percentage values and a food safety index. The study revealed an unstable level of food and nutritional security in the Chókwè municipality of the order of 55%. The minimum monthly household income was about MZN 4,900.00 (US$76.6), an amount that does not ensure the supply of all basic consumer goods to meet families' food needs. Corn, rice, oil and tubers are among the foods most commonly consumed by low-income families in Chókwè. Most of the food consumed by the population came from family production, which depends on the region's soil and climate conditions that are limiting factors in obtaining sufficient and sustainable quantities of food for consumption. Implementing existing food and nutrition security management policies in the country can help reduce the level of food insecurity in the Chókwè community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occurrence of mycotoxins in staple foods is a major threat to attaining food safety in developing countries. The study investigated multi-mycotoxin contamination for the first time in Nepalese maize along with the incidence of molds in 45 samples of maize used as human food from 45 districts of Nepal. The samples were analyzed quantitatively for the presence of five different mycotoxins (total aflatoxins (AF), total fumonisins (FUM), ochratoxin (OT), zearalenone (ZEA) and (DON) deoxynivalenol) using the competitive direct ELISA technique. The most frequent occurrences were for DON (100%) and AF (78%) followed by FUM and ZEA (both 76%) and OT (62%). Interestingly, all the samples contained at least two mycotoxins while at least three or more mycotoxins were found in 87% of the samples. The most commonly reported binary, ternary and quaternary combinations were DON+AF, AF+FUM+DON and AF+FUM+ZEA+DON, respectively. The mean percentage kernel mold infection was 35.33% with Fusarium, Aspergillus, Rhizopus and Penicillium genera being the predominant molds. Six different species of Aspergillus and a single species of Fusarium were identified. The estimated daily intake, margin of exposure and risk of liver cancer from consuming maize were 30.46 ng/kg bw/day and 5.58 and 0.38 cancer cases/year/100,000 population, respectively. Since maize is the second-most consumed cereal in Nepal, the contamination levels of various mycotoxins and the incidence of molds identified in the study suggests that stricter control is needed to safeguard the health of the substantial population consuming maize as a staple diet.

Food fraud is an old, recurring, and global threat to public health. It poses a serious threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the prevalence of food fraud in SSA, little is known about how food fraud is viewed by consumers. This study aims to provide an overview of consumers’ concerns about food fraud in SSA. A multi-country survey was conducted in October 2022–31 January 2023, and 838 valid responses were returned. To reduce the large and correlated dataset, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used. Five components were derived from PCA: (i) Staple foods; (ii) Premium food and drink products; (iii) Trust in reliable sources; (iv) Trust in less reliable sources; and (v) Trust in food vendors. The findings revealed Ghanaian (mean rank = 509.47) and Nigerian (mean rank = 454.82) consumers tended to score higher on the measure of food fraud concern suggesting that they were less confident in the safety and quality of the food they consume. Demographic characteristics including age, number of children, personal and family experience of food fraud and PCA components such as ‘Staple foods’, ‘Trust in reliable sources’, and ‘Trust in food vendors’ significantly predicted the model. This is the first preliminary study to provide empirical findings on consumers’ concerns about food fraud in SSA. Practical and policy recommendations for the region are suggested. This includes (i) modelling the AfriFoodinTegrity in West Africa across other major regions such as Central, East, and Southern Africa; (ii) establish a regional sub-Saharan Africa Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (SSA-RASFF) platform; and (iii) food safety and food fraud reports could be incorporated into SSA-RASFF portal for information sharing.

Summary: Legume pasta is a sustainable product that improves the nutritional quality of food pyramids. This study evaluates the use of alternative hydrocolloids in the production of gluten‐free chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) pasta. The cooking quality and the texture of chickpea pasta made with gledis (Gleditsia triacanthos) gum and brea (Cercidium praecox) gum were determined and compared to those actually used in the food industry. The pasta made with gledis and brea had similar physiochemical qualities as pasta made with xanthan gum and carboxy methylcellulose. The firmness achieved with gledis was higher than the other hydrocolloids. For further studies, a sensory analysis was done and sensorial attributes of pasta were similar in all samples. Pasta made with gledis was preferred. Alternative hydrocolloids can be used in the emerging gluten‐free pasta industry with the same cooking quality and texture as those actually used. The studies of these hydrocolloids should be extended to other food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The cost of food is a key influence on diet. The majority of diet cost studies match intake data from population-based surveys to a single source of food supply prices. Our aim was to examine the methodological significance of using food supply data to price dietary intakes. Methods: Nationally representative 24-h dietary recall data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition (CCHS-N) was matched to the 2015 Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) food price list. Proportions and means of reported intakes covered by the 2015 CPI price list were used to compare reported intakes of food groups and food components of interest and concern overall and by quartile of CPI coverage. Setting: Canada. Participants: In total, 20 487 Canadians ages one and older. Results: The CPI covered on average 76·3 % of total dietary intake (g) without water. Staple food groups that were more commonly consumed had better CPI price coverage than those less commonly consumed. Yet some food groups (vegetables, additions and sweets) that were also commonly consumed by Canadians were not well covered by price data. Individuals in the poorest CPI coverage quartile reported consuming significantly greater gram weight (g), dietary fibre (g) and energy (kcal) as compared with those with the best coverage. Conclusions: Differential CPI price coverage exists among food components and commonly consumed food groups; additionally dietary intake differs significantly in the population by CPI coverage. Methodological refinements are needed to better account for error when using prices from food supply data to estimate diet costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occurrence of mycotoxins in staple foods is a major threat to attaining food safety in developing countries. The study investigated multi-mycotoxin contamination for the first time in Nepalese maize along with the incidence of molds in 45 samples of maize used as human food from 45 districts of Nepal. The samples were analyzed quantitatively for the presence of five different mycotoxins (total aflatoxins (AF), total fumonisins (FUM), ochratoxin (OT), zearalenone (ZEA) and (DON) deoxynivalenol) using the competitive direct ELISA technique. The most frequent occurrences were for DON (100%) and AF (78%) followed by FUM and ZEA (both 76%) and OT (62%). Interestingly, all the samples contained at least two mycotoxins while at least three or more mycotoxins were found in 87% of the samples. The most commonly reported binary, ternary and quaternary combinations were DON+AF, AF+FUM+DON and AF+FUM+ZEA+DON, respectively. The mean percentage kernel mold infection was 35.33% with Fusarium, Aspergillus, Rhizopus and Penicillium genera being the predominant molds. Six different species of Aspergillus and a single species of Fusarium were identified. The estimated daily intake, margin of exposure and risk of liver cancer from consuming maize were 30.46 ng/kg bw/day and 5.58 and 0.38 cancer cases/year/100,000 population, respectively. Since maize is the second-most consumed cereal in Nepal, the contamination levels of various mycotoxins and the incidence of molds identified in the study suggests that stricter control is needed to safeguard the health of the substantial population consuming maize as a staple diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germination is an environmentally friendly process with no use of additives, during which only water spraying is done to activate endogenous enzymes for modification. Furthermore, it could induce bioactive phenolics accumulation. Controlling endogenous enzymes' activity is essential to alleviate granular disruption, crystallinity loss, double helices' dissociation, and molecular degradation of cereal and pseudo-cereal starch. Post-treatments (e.g. thermal and high-pressure technology) make it possible for damaged starch to reassemble towards well-packed structure. These contribute to alleviated loss of solubility and pasting viscosity, improved swelling power, or enhanced resistant starch formation. Cereal or pseudo-cereal flour (except that with robust structure) modified by early germination is more applicable to produce products with desirable texture and taste. Besides shortening duration, germination under abiotic stress is promising to mitigate starch damage for better utilization in staple foods. Graphical abstract [Display omitted] • Uniqueness of germinated (pseudo-)cereal starch (GpCS) is discussed. • GpCS property is modulated by germination and pre−/post-treatment conditions. • Interactions of GpCS with minor components affect flour functionality. • Controlling GpCS damage is vital to products with desirable texture. • Future direction is proposed for better utilizing germinated (pseudo-)cereal flour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have shown that smallholder farmers produce most of the food in low-income and developing countries and form the backbone of the country’s food supply. This study examines the extent these smallholder farmers in Nigeria can put the country on the path to self-sufficiency and ensure satiety for household food consumption through their local production. The study also examines food production and their resulting yield based on crop production and harvested area, as well as the percentage of crops produced for food or other purposes. The results show that production of rice, sorghum, soybean, cassava, and yam is low; and their corresponding yields are declining, with the exception of maize, although the harvested area increased from 2015 to 2018. As it is, the findings are a clear indication of inadequate per capita food supply due to low food production, especially for cereals. The study suggests closing the yield gap specifically for cereals, limiting post-harvest losses, and finding a sustainable balance between the uses of major food crops for animal feed to reduce pressure on land resource use. The different states production performance requires special attention to harness the agricultural potential of each geopolitical zone. Lastly, dry-season cultivation should be encouraged through irrigation to enable harvesting two-times in a year. The study offers useful approaches to assess the contribution of local farmers to the food supply of a growing population and provides suggestions for the government, stakeholders, and the international community willing to collaborate and invest in the agricultural sector.

[Display omitted] • Chewiness is a key indicator for consumers in the process of staple food selection. • The formation mechanisms of chewiness of common staple foods are reviewed. • The methods of regulating the chewiness of common staple foods are emphasized. • The challenges of regulating the chewiness of common staple foods are discussed. Staple foods serve as vital nutrient sources for the human body, and chewiness is an essential aspect of food texture. Age, specific preferences, and diminished eating functions have broadened the chewiness requirements for staple foods. Therefore, comprehending the formation mechanism of chewiness in staple foods and exploring approaches to modulate it becomes imperative. This article reviewed the formation mechanisms and quality control methods for chewiness in several of the most common staple foods (rice, noodles, potatoes and bread). It initially summarized the chewiness formation mechanisms under three distinct thermal processing methods: water medium, oil medium, and air medium processing. Subsequently, proposed some effective approaches for regulating chewiness based on mechanistic changes. Optimizing raw material composition, controlling processing conditions, and adopting innovative processing techniques can be utilized. Nonetheless, the precise adjustment of staple foods' chewiness remains a challenge due to their diversity and technical study limitations. Hence, further in-depth exploration of chewiness across different staple foods is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sufficient dietary fiber consumption is associated with well-established health benefits, yet such intake is currently suboptimal globally. Thus, there is interest in developing strategies to improve dietary fiber intake. One such approach is to increase the dietary fiber content of staple foods, but this needs relevant investigation., Methods: Forty-two United Kingdom (UK) based consumers (18-76 y) were recruited to take part in seven focus group sessions investigating: (i) key factors in food choice; (ii) dietary fiber-related knowledge, awareness, consumption habits, and engagement levels; (iii) willingness to consume dietary fiber-rich staple foods; and (iv) gain initial feedback on dietary fiber-rich breads., Results: Overall, key dietary fiber themes emerged such as knowledge (benefits, foods, recommendations and labeling), consumption (not measuring intake), barriers (convenience and knowledge), resources (education and public appeal), and topics (food examples and cooking). Consumers were positive per se to the idea of dietary fiber-rich staple foods but with various caveats (no changes in appearance, taste, and cost). White bread trends were centered around context (sandwich and toast), habit (comfort food), preferences (soft and fresh), and consumption is variable (daily to less often). In addition, consumers' preferred labeling strategy for dietary fiber-rich breads was predominately focused on transparency and visibility. Overall, the newly developed breads were well received demonstrating the potential of our prototypes to fit into the white bread market; however, additional consumer insights are needed., Conclusion: Our findings recommend combining education with a personalized element of advice, coupled with a collective effort from the government and food industry, as essential to help encourage a step-change in dietary fiber consumption in the UK population., (© 2024 The Authors.)

In response to Steve L. Martin's critique of our recent paper we provide further evidence in support of our central contention: that geophytes were a nutritionally important part of the precontact diet, and that they functioned as dietary, cultural, and economic staple foods for many peoples of the Pacific Northwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Background The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals Report, 2015, documents that, since 1990, the number of stunted children in sub-Saharan Africa has increased by 33% even though it has fallen in all other world regions. Recognizing this, in 2011 the Government of Uganda implemented a 5-year Nutrition Action Plan. One important tenet of the Plan is to lessen malnutrition in young children by discouraging over-consumption of nutritionally deficient, but plentiful, staple foods, which it defines as a type of food insecurity. Methods We use a sample of 6101 observations on 3427 children age five or less compiled from three annual waves of the Uganda National Panel Survey to measure undernourishment. We also use the World Health Organization’s Child Growth Standards to create a binary variable indicating stunting and another indicating wasting for each child in each year. We then use random effects to estimate binary logistic regressions that show that greater staple food concentrations affect the probability of stunting and wasting. Results The estimated coefficients are used to compute adjusted odds ratios (OR) that estimate the effect of greater staple food concentration on the likelihood of stunting and the likelihood of wasting. Controlling for other relevant covariates, these odds ratios show that a greater proportion of staple foods in a child’s diet increases the likelihood of stunting (OR = 1.007, p = 0.005) as well as wasting (OR = 1.011, p = 0.034). Stunting is confirmed with subsamples of males only (OR = 1.006, p = 0.05) and females only (OR = 1.008, p = 0.027), suggesting that the finding is not gender specific. Another subsample of children aged 12 months or less, most of whom do not yet consume solid food, shows no statistically significant relationship, thus supporting the validity of the other findings. Conclusion Diets containing larger proportions of staple foods are associated with greater likelihoods of both stunting and wasting in Ugandan children. Other causes of stunting and wasting identified in past research are also confirmed with the Uganda data. Finally, the analysis provides clues to other possible causes of undernourishment in young children.

The knowledge of the food pattern of a population is crucial for establishing nutritional and epidemiological profiles, as well as for controlling the market of foodstuffs and to help in the management of stock of staple foods. This study aims to evaluate food consumption and its association with the underlying motives for consumers' food choices, through the application of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) followed by a Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Face to face interviews were conducted with 503 participants, recruited at their homes, workplaces, health centers and other central locations in Cape Verde, only including subjects aged ≥18 years, without a self-reported history of chronic diseases. Food frequency analysis, as well as exploratory factorial analysis (EFA) were used to determine dietary patterns and nonparametric statistical tests for comparisons and associations of variables. The EFA yielded 4 patterns termed as: "Traditional", "Western", "Balanced" and "Energetic". Using an FCQ structure of 9 factors, three different groups were obtained from hierarchical clustering. (Cabral, de Almeida, & Cunha, 2017). The results show that Cape Verdean inhabitants follow global diet trends (towards the so-called "westernization"), however, in a more moderate rate if compared to other developing country populations. Consuming "junk food" is infrequent in Cape Verde, which appears to be due to limited availability and accessibility of this type of food. The rural coastal population remains more attached to traditional foods, consuming local products and traditional dishes, whereas in the urban population, one may notice the "westernization" of consumption. The application of an FFQ in combination with the FCQ provided in-depth information on eating attitudes and behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing, ageing, more urbanized and more sedentary global population urges for increased, more nutritious and more secure food supply. To combat undernutrition, adequate nutrient intake is required. Staple foods, especially starch based ones, like (pseudo)cereals, roots and tubers, are by definition contributing for a very large extent to our nutrient intake. It is important therefore that the contribution of ready to consume staple foods to the recommended intakes of nutrients are compared. This can be done in a transparent and simple way by calculating the nutrient contribution of ready to eat staple foods to the recommended daily allowances (RDA) or daily reference intakes (DRI). By using online nutrition tables from the USA and Europe, and DRI by USA and RDA by European food authorities, the potential nutrient contributions of staple foods were calculated. It can be concluded that consumption of ready to eat staple foods from the bread category and lentils overall contribute most to the recommended nutrient intakes. In view of its convenience, bread, especially whole grain bread is the staple food of choice to combat the future food supply challenges ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A workshop, jointly hosted by the British Nutrition Foundation, HarvestPlus and the UK government's Department for International Development, was held in May 2018 in London to discuss the potential of introducing biofortified foods into the UK market. Forty delegates from academia, the food industry and non‐government organisations (NGOs) attended. The workshop included presentations outlining the findings of research into the efficacy of biofortified crops in developing countries, the current situation in the UK in terms of micronutrient intakes and status, regulatory issues and consumer acceptability insights. Group work focused on challenges and opportunities relating to introducing biofortified foods into developed markets, in particular aspects relating to consumers (e.g. awareness and understanding of micronutrients and intakes in the UK; potential demand and marketing strategies for biofortified foods); crop growers (e.g. would existing biofortified crops be suitable for the UK climate and who would absorb any additional related costs?); the relevance and acceptability of various biofortified foods in the UK (e.g. based on current dietary patterns and preferences); manufacturers and retailers (e.g. smallholders in the developing world could be linked to the UK food industry; nutrition claims could be utilised); public health (e.g. identification of priorities; potential beneficiaries and ways to target these); regulation (e.g. could a minimum crop micronutrient content be made mandatory?); and research (e.g. to further prove efficacy; consumer insights). Four themes emerged: crop research; consumer education and awareness; standards; and public health research. These were used to identify various challenges, opportunities, beneficiaries, stakeholders, necessary actions and immediate next steps that could form the basis of future work streams designed to explore bringing biofortified foods to the UK market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium supplementation and fortification are strategies widely used to prevent adverse outcome in population with low-calcium intake which is highly frequent in low-income settings. We aimed to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of calcium fortified foods on calcium intake and related health, or economic outcomes. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis involving participants of any age or gender, drawn from the general population. We searched PubMed, Agricola, EMBASE, CINAHL, Global Health, EconLit, the FAO website and Google until June 2019, without language restrictions. Pair of reviewers independently selected, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies using Covidence software. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. We performed meta-analyses using RevMan 5.4 and subgroup analyses by study design, age group, and fortification levels. We included 20 studies of which 15 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), three were non-randomised studies and two were economic evaluations. Most RCTs had high risk of bias on randomization or blinding. Most represented groups were women and children from 1 to 72 months, most common intervention vehicles were milk and bakery products with a fortification levels between 96 and 1200 mg per 100 g of food. Calcium intake increased in the intervention groups between 460 mg (children) and 1200 mg (postmenopausal women). Most marked effects were seen in children. Compared to controls, height increased 0.83 cm (95% CI 0.00; 1.65), plasma parathyroid hormone decreased −1.51 pmol/L, (−2.37; −0.65), urine:calcium creatinine ratio decreased −0.05, (−0.07; −0.03), femoral neck and hip bone mineral density increased 0.02 g/cm2 (0.01; 0.04) and 0.03 g/cm2 (0.00; 0.06), respectively. The largest cost savings (43%) reported from calcium fortification programs came from prevented hip fractures in older women from Germany. Our study highlights that calcium fortification leads to a higher calcium intake, small benefits in children’s height and bone health and also important evidence gaps for other outcomes and populations that could be solved with high quality experimental or quasi-experimental studies in relevant groups, especially as some evidence of calcium supplementation show controversial results on the bone health benefit on older adults.

At a global scale, about three billion people have inadequate zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) nutrition and 500,000 children lose their lives due to this. In recent years, the interest in adopting healthy diets drew increased attention to mineral nutrients, including Zn. Zn is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and development that is involved in several processes, like acting as a cofactor for hundreds of enzymes, chlorophyll biosynthesis, gene expression, signal transduction, and plant defense systems. Many agricultural soils are unable to supply the Zn needs of crop plants, making Zn deficiency a widespread nutritional disorder, particularly in calcareous (pH > 7) soils worldwide. Plant Zn efficiency involves Zn uptake, transport, and utilization; plants with high Zn efficiency display high yield and significant growth under low Zn supply and offer a promising and sustainable solution for the production of many crops, such as rice, beans, wheat, soybeans, and maize. The goal of this review is to report the current knowledge on key Zn efficiency traits including root system uptake, Zn transporters, and shoot Zn utilization. These mechanisms will be valuable for increasing the Zn efficiency of crops and food Zn contents to meet global needs for food production and nutrition in the 21st century. Furthermore, future research will address the target genes underlying Zn efficiency and the optimization of Zn efficiency phenotyping for the development of Zn-efficient crop varieties for more sustainable crop production under suboptimal Zn regimes, as well food security of the future.

The collection of residues from staple crop may contribute to meet EU regulations in renewable energy production without harming soil quality. At a global scale, chaff may have great potential to be used as a bioenergy source. However, chaff is not usually collected, and its loss can consist of up to one-fifth of the residual biomass harvestable. In the present work, a spreader able to manage the chaff (either spreading [SPR] on the soil aside to the straw swath or admixed [ADM] with the straw) at varying threshing conditions (with either 1 or 2 threshing rotors [1R and 2R, respectively] in the combine, which affects the mean length of the straw pieces). The fractions of the biomass available in field (grain, chaff, straw, and stubble) were measured, along with the performances of both grain harvesting and baling operations. Admixing chaff allowed for a slightly higher amount of straw fresh weight baled compared to SPR (+336 kg straw ha−1), but such result was not evident on a dry weight basis. At the one time, admixing chaff reduced the material capacity of the combine by 12.9%. Using 2R compared to 1R strongly reduced the length of the straw pieces, and increased the bale unit weight; however, it reduced the field efficiency of the grain harvesting operations by 11.9%. On average, the straw loss did not vary by the treatments applied and was 44% of the total residues available (computed excluding the stubble). In conclusion, admixing of chaff with straw is an option to increase the residues collected without compromising grain harvesting and straw baling efficiencies; in addition, it can reduce the energy needs for the bale logistics. According to the present data, improving the chaff collection can allow halving the loss of residues. However, further studies are needed to optimise both the chaff and the straw recoveries.

Several previous studies on targeted food items using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in Brazil have revealed that many of the items investigated are adulterated; mislabeled or even fraud. Here, we present the first Brazilian isotopic baseline assessment that can be used not only in future forensic cases involving food authenticity, but also in human forensic anthropology studies. The δ13C and δ15N were determined in 1245 food items and 374 beverages; most of them made in Brazil. The average δ13C and δ15N of C3 plants were −26.7 ± 1.5‱, and 3.9 ± 3.9‱, respectively, while the average δ13C and δ15N of C4 plants were −11.5 ± 0.8‱ and 4.6 ± 2.6‱, respectively. The δ13C and δ15N of plant-based processed foods were −21.8 ± 4.8‱ and 3.9 ± 2.7‱, respectively. The average δ13C and δ15N of meat, including beef, poultry, pork and lamb were -16.6 ± 4.7‱, and 5.2 ± 2.6‱, respectively, while the δ13C and δ15N of animal-based processed foods were −17.9 ± 3.3‱ and 3.3 ± 3.5‱, respectively. The average δ13C of beverages, including beer and wine was −22.5 ± 3.1‱. We verified that C-C4 constitutes a large proportion of fresh meat, dairy products, as well as animal and plant-based processed foods. The reasons behind this high proportion will be addressed in this study.

Obesity-related chronic diseases (CD) are highly prevalent in Mexicans who show moderate to high frequencies of diet-related adaptive gene (DRAG) polymorphisms and recent shifts in traditional dietary habits and lifestyles. This study first evaluated the effects of a regionalized genome-based Mexican (GENOMEX) diet on anthropometric and biochemical parameters and, subsequently their relationship with the genetic profile of DRAG polymorphisms in subjects with metabolic risk factors for obesity-related CD. Thirty-seven eligible subjects underwent a 24-week dietary intervention with a GENOMEX diet. The DRAG polymorphisms were determined by an allelic discrimination real-time assay to evaluate their association with the clinical response to diet. The GENOMEX diet significantly improved anthropometric parameters such as total weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percentage, with an average weight loss of 6.6% (5.3 ± 5.3 kg). The frequency of subjects with insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia and elevated VLDL-c (48.5% vs. 24.2%, p = 0.041; 45.5% vs. 12.1%, p = 0.003; and 39.4% vs. 15.2%, p = 0.027, baseline vs. 24-weeks, respectively) was reduced. A more significant favorable effect in HOMA-IR and insulin was observed in MTHFR 677T adaptive allele carriers, but no other DRAG polymorphism was associated with clinical changes. The GENOMEX diet improved the metabolic risk factors for obesity-related CD. The recommendation and habitual consumption of a traditional Mexican diet based on knowledge of the population´s genetic and cultural history may be effective in preventing current obesity-related CD.

From anecdotal evidence that traditional African sorghum and millet foods are filling and provide sustained energy, we hypothesized that gastric emptying rates of sorghum and millet foods are slow, particularly compared to non-traditional starchy foods (white rice, potato, wheat pasta). A human trial to study gastric emptying of staple foods eaten in Bamako, Mali was conducted using a carbon-13 (13C)-labelled octanoic acid breath test for gastric emptying, and subjective pre-test and satiety response questionnaires. Fourteen healthy volunteers in Bamako participated in a crossover design to test eight starchy staples. A second validation study was done one year later in Bamako with six volunteers to correct for endogenous 13C differences in the starches from different sources. In both trials, traditional sorghum and millet foods (thick porridges and millet couscous) had gastric half-emptying times about twice as long as rice, potato, or pasta (p < 0.0001). There were only minor changes due to the 13C correction. Pre-test assessment of millet couscous and rice ranked them as more filling and aligned well with postprandial hunger rankings, suggesting that a preconceived idea of rice being highly satiating may have influenced subjective satiety scoring. Traditional African sorghum and millet foods, whether viscous in the form of a thick porridge or as non-viscous couscous, had distinctly slow gastric emptying, in contrast to the faster emptying of non-traditional starchy foods, which are popular among West African urban consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extending beyond previous research biases towards large cities or analyses based largely on one type of urban agriculture (UA) (such as market gardening, or home gardening), this research aimed to investigate all forms of UA within two intermediate-sized Ghanaian cities (Techiman and Tamale). Where was being farmed? For whom, and why? The paper considers how findings compare to Ghana’s larger cities, and possible implications for theory and for planning. Methods included remote sensing, field mapping, interviews and a 1000-household per city questionnaire. The most common reason for farming was food supplementation. This was often via staple foods, particularly maize, rather than the leafy vegetables common in larger cities’ market gardening. Farming was predominantly via home gardening, particularly for the better off. The larger city of Tamale also sustained organised irrigated-vegetable market gardens. Findings suggest a picture not dissimilar to Ghana’s larger cities but with greater prevalence of home gardening, and a dominance of staple foods rather than perishable or high value crops. A compelling finding, which has received less attention in the literature, is the extent of, and roles played by, what this study refers to as ‘institutional land. Both Ghanaian Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s policy framing, and market crisis theorising, of the drivers and role of UA were not found to be an accurate reflection of Techiman and Tamale’s UA. Rather than being a localised survival activity of the poor or marginalised, of recent migrants, or of predominantly women, these cities contained a large scale and diverse spatiality of UA mainly for non-poor and non-migrants’ supplementation of their staple food larder. Results emphasise the context-specific nature of a city’s urban agriculture, and underline the need for researchers and UA advocates to be specific about the form of UA under the microscope when making claims for ‘an urban agriculture’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent in India, despite abundant sunshine. Fortification of staple foods with vitamin D is a viable strategy to target an entire population. Vitamin D fortification programs implemented in the United States and Canada have improved the vitamin D status in these countries, but a significant proportion of the population is still vitamin D deficient. Before fortification programs are designed and implemented in India, it is necessary to study the efficacy of the American and Canadian vitamin D fortification programs and then improve upon them to suit the Indian scenario. This review explores potential strategies that could be used for the fortification of foods in the Indian context. These strategies have been proposed considering the diverse dietary practices necessitated by social, economic, cultural and religious practices and the diverse climatic conditions in India. Fortification of staple foods, such as chapati flour, maida, rice flour and rice, may be more viable strategies. Targeted fortification strategies to meet the special nutritional needs of children in India are discussed separately in a review entitled, “Fortification of foods with vitamin D in India: Strategies targeted at children”.

Background: The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals Report, 2015, documents that, since 1990, the number of stunted children in sub-Saharan Africa has increased by 33% even though it has fallen in all other world regions. Recognizing this, in 2011 the Government of Uganda implemented a 5-year Nutrition Action Plan. One important tenet of the Plan is to lessen malnutrition in young children by discouraging over-consumption of nutritionally deficient, but plentiful, staple foods, which it defines as a type of food insecurity.Methods: We use a sample of 6101 observations on 3427 children age five or less compiled from three annual waves of the Uganda National Panel Survey to measure undernourishment. We also use the World Health Organization's Child Growth Standards to create a binary variable indicating stunting and another indicating wasting for each child in each year. We then use random effects to estimate binary logistic regressions that show that greater staple food concentrations affect the probability of stunting and wasting.Results: The estimated coefficients are used to compute adjusted odds ratios (OR) that estimate the effect of greater staple food concentration on the likelihood of stunting and the likelihood of wasting. Controlling for other relevant covariates, these odds ratios show that a greater proportion of staple foods in a child's diet increases the likelihood of stunting (OR = 1.007, p = 0.005) as well as wasting (OR = 1.011, p = 0.034). Stunting is confirmed with subsamples of males only (OR = 1.006, p = 0.05) and females only (OR = 1.008, p = 0.027), suggesting that the finding is not gender specific. Another subsample of children aged 12 months or less, most of whom do not yet consume solid food, shows no statistically significant relationship, thus supporting the validity of the other findings.Conclusion: Diets containing larger proportions of staple foods are associated with greater likelihoods of both stunting and wasting in Ugandan children. Other causes of stunting and wasting identified in past research are also confirmed with the Uganda data. Finally, the analysis provides clues to other possible causes of undernourishment in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staple foods, including cereals, legumes, and root/tuber crops, dominate the daily diet of humans by providing valuable proteins, starch, oils, minerals, and vitamins. Quality evaluation of staple foods is primarily carried out on sensory (e.g. external defect, color), adulteration (e.g. species, origin), chemical (e.g. starch, proteins), mycotoxin (e.g.Fusariumtoxin, aflatoxin), parasitic infection (e.g. weevil, beetle), and internal physiological (e.g. hollow heart, black heart) aspects. Conventional methods for the quality assessment of staple foods are always laborious, destructive, and time-consuming. Requirements for online monitoring of staple foods have been proposed to encourage the development of rapid, reagentless, and noninvasive techniques. Spectroscopic techniques, such as visible–infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and spectral imaging, have been introduced as promising analytical tools and applied for the quality evaluation of staple foods. This review summarizes the recent applications and progress of such spectroscopic techniques in determining various qualities of staple foods. Besides, challenges and future trends of these spectroscopic techniques are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In light of evidence that high-dose iron supplements lead to a range of adverse events in low-income settings, the safety and efficacy of lower doses of iron provided through biological or industrial fortification of foodstuffs is reviewed. First, strategies for point-of-manufacture chemical fortification are compared with biofortification achieved through plant breeding. Recent insights into the mechanisms of human iron absorption and regulation, the mechanisms by which iron can promote malaria and bacterial infections, and the role of iron in modifying the gut microbiota are summarized. There is strong evidence that supplemental iron given in nonphysiological amounts can increase the risk of bacterial and protozoal infections (especially malaria), but the use of lower quantities of iron provided within a food matrix, ie, fortified food, should be safer in most cases and represents a more logical strategy for a sustained reduction of the risk of deficiency by providing the best balance of risk and benefits. Further research into iron compounds that would minimize the availability of unabsorbed iron to the gut microbiota is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the effects of staple food on the glycemic responses through a controlled feeding trial., Methods: In November 2020, two groups of volunteers with different staple food habits(the rice group, n=35, and the wheat group, n=35), were recruited from Changzhi Medical College in Shanxi Province. They were subjected to a two-stage feeding trial, in which their staple food habits were maintained in the first stage(staple food fortification period, 4 weeks) and then swapped in the second stage(staple food swap period, 4 weeks), while keeping the rest of the dietary components same. A continuous glucose monitoring system was used to monitor the glycemic response of glucose, steamed buns and steamed rice, equivalent to 50 g of available carbohydrate(CHO). Blood glucose level up to 120 minutes postprandial, incremental area under the curve(iAUC) and glycemic index(GI) were analyzed., Results: During the staple food fortification period, the glycemic response to steamed buns at 15 min(5.43±0.69 vs.5.14±0.50 mmol/L, P=0.047), 30 min(6.63±0.98 vs.6.10±0.70 mmol/L, P=0.012), 45 min(6.81±1.15 vs.6.21±0.67 mmol/L, P=0.011) and 60 min postprandial(6.03±0.96 vs.5.56±0.59 mmol/L, P=0.017) in the rice group were higher than the wheat group, and the trends for blood glucose fluctuation during the 120 minutes after consuming steamed buns were different between the two groups. During the staple food swap period, the 120 min iAUC(83.24±30.15 vs.69.32±26.25 mmol·min/L, P=0.032) and GI(88±24 vs.75±33, P=0.041) of the rice group to steamed buns were higher than the wheat group. Comparing the differences between the two groups in the staple food exchange period and the staple food intensification period, the rice group had an increased glycemic response to steamed buns(P=0.007), while the wheat group had an increased glycemic response to glucose(P&lt;0.001), steamed buns(P&lt;0.001) and steamed rice(P=0.018). The 120 min iAUC of steamed buns in the rice group increased(83.24±30.15 vs.70.12±26.02 mmol·min/L, P=0.029), and the 120 min iAUC of rice in the wheat group(69.75±32.32 vs.54.87±20.43 mmol·min/L, P=0.040) increased., Conclusion: Even to the same food, there are significant differences in the glycemic responses of people with different staple food habits, and short-term changes in the intake of staple food will lead to differences in the glycemic response.

From anecdotal evidence that traditional African sorghum and millet foods are filling and provide sustained energy, we hypothesized that gastric emptying rates of sorghum and millet foods are slow, particularly compared to non-traditional starchy foods (white rice, potato, wheat pasta). A human trial to study gastric emptying of staple foods eaten in Bamako, Mali was conducted using a carbon-13 (13C)-labelled octanoic acid breath test for gastric emptying, and subjective pre-test and satiety response questionnaires. Fourteen healthy volunteers in Bamako participated in a crossover design to test eight starchy staples. A second validation study was done one year later in Bamako with six volunteers to correct for endogenous 13C differences in the starches from different sources. In both trials, traditional sorghum and millet foods (thick porridges and millet couscous) had gastric half-emptying times about twice as long as rice, potato, or pasta (p < 0.0001). There were only minor changes due to the 13C correction. Pre-test assessment of millet couscous and rice ranked them as more filling and aligned well with postprandial hunger rankings, suggesting that a preconceived idea of rice being highly satiating may have influenced subjective satiety scoring. Traditional African sorghum and millet foods, whether viscous in the form of a thick porridge or as non-viscous couscous, had distinctly slow gastric emptying, in contrast to the faster emptying of non-traditional starchy foods, which are popular among West African urban consumers.

Background: Variety of staple foods has an important role in supporting food security of the community. However, more people who used to consume non rice turn to consume rice nowadays. Sago (sinonggi) as one of staple foods is consumed less every year in Sulawesi Tenggara. This may be due to some factors, among others are preferences of the community to sago, perception of the community about social value of sago and sago availability. Objective: To identify the consumption of sago of the family in relation to preferences and perception of the family about social value of sago, availability of sago in the family level and its distribution. Method: The study was observational with cross sectional design. Research location was determined using cluster stratified random sampling technique. Three sub districts represented category of far, medium, and close from district capital. Two villages represented category of close and far from sub district capital. Distribution of 196 households samples were taken with proportionate sampling technique in 6 chosen villages. Variables of the study consisted of preferences to sago, perception about social value of sago, sago consumption and availability of sago in the household. Data were obtained through structured interview using questionnaire and observation. Bivariable analysis used chi-square; whereas multivariable used logistic regression. Results: Sago as complementary food of rice was consumed everyday by 65% of households. Preference level of sago was like (70.4%) and favorite (29.6%). Household perceived social value of sago as low (74.0%) and not low (26.0%). Sago was always available throughout the years at distribution level. Conclusions: There were differences in the consumption of sago based on the family preferences of sago, the family perception of sago social values, and the household availability of sago. Sago availability in the household was the most dominant factor of sago consumption in the household.

Usando como base la densidad de nutrientes y los planteamientos de las guías alimentarias basadas en alimentos (gaba), se explora la adecuación nutricional de patrones alimentarios constituidos por los alimentos básicos más relevantes en el ámbito mundial - maíz, trigo, arroz y papa. se analiza la adecuación nutricional de las vitaminas a, c y folatos y de los minerales hierro, zinc y calcio de dietas cuyo componente básico es uno de estos cereales o tubérculo. a través de la incorporación de alimentos ricos en vitaminas y minerales se explora, en base a la información sobre composición de alimentos, alternativas para mejorar la adecuación nutricional de estas dietas y cubrir las necesidades del grupo familiar. este ejercicio demuestra que la diversificación de la dieta, con cantidades relativamente pequeñas (27 a70 g) de alimentos como frutas, verduras, legumbres y carnes permite mejorar substancialmente el aporte nutricional de vitamina a, vitamina c, folatos, hierro y zinc de las dietas estudiadas. para el caso del calcio, se corrobora que la incorporación de un lácteo es fundamental. llevar a la práctica con éxito este enfoque en base a alimentos requiere de un compromiso a nivel de país para fomentar la producción de alimentos con elevado aporte de nutrientes y educar sobre la importancia de la biodisponibilidad de los mismos, para aprovechar los alimentos en todo su potencial. paralelamente, se reconoce la necesidad de programas de fortificación para aquellos micronutrientes críticos, cuyas necesidades pueden sobrepasar el real potencial nutricional de los alimentos disponibles. una situación similar ocurre en el caso de grupos vulnerables como mujeres embarazadas e infantes, los cuales requieren de suplementación para asegurar la adecuación nutricional de sus dietas. se concluye que las gaba representan una buena alternativa para mejorar la adecuación nutricional de dietas que siguen basándose en un ingrediente principal, siendo también la fortificación de alimentos y suplementación dirigida a los grupos vulnerables, prácticas necesarias y complementarias a la implementación de las gabaFood based approaches to improve vitamin and mineral nutritional adequacy. This paper, using the nutrient density concept and the development of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG), explores the nutritional adequacy of food patterns based on the main staples around the world _maize, wheat, rice and potato. The nutritional adequacy of the vitamins A, C, folates and the minerals iron, zinc and calcium in diets composed by these staples is analyzed. Projected diets modified by the addition of foods high in vitamins and minerals, based on food table composition information, are analyzed for changes in nutritional adequacy, in order to cover the nutritional requirements of all family members. This theoretical exercise shows that diets diversified by the addition of relatively small quantities (27 _ 70 g) of foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes and meat improve substantially the nutritional adequacy of the vitamins A, C, folates, iron and zinc. In the case of calcium, the addition of a dairy source becomes essential. From the practical point of view, the implementation of the food based approach requires a national effort in order to support the production of nutrient rich foods and to promote consciousness of nutrient bioavailability, so that people may obtain all nutrient potential from foods. Simultaneously, the need of fortification programs at the national level is recognized. This is the case for critical nutrients, where requirements might be above the potential in available foods. A similar situation occurs in the case of vulnerable groups like pregnant women and infants, who need supplementation to ensure nutritional adequacy of their diets. In conclusion, the use of FBDG is a good alternative for improving the nutritional adequacy of diets based predominantly on staple foods. However, food fortification and supplementation programs directed to vulnerable groups are necessary and complementary practices to the FBDG implementation

The article offers information on strategies for the use of food fortified with vitamin D to address the malnutrition of infants and children in India. Topics discussed include the sponsorship of nutritional programs for malnourished children, provision of fortified food for the lunches of school children and assessment of the nutritional value of fortified junk food.