Thirty thousand-year-old evidence of plant food processing

European Paleolithic subsistence is assumed to have been largely based on animal protein and fat, whereas evidence for plant consumption is rare. We present evidence of starch grains from various wild plants on the surfaces of grinding tools at the sites of Bilancino II (Italy), Kostenki 16-Uglyanka (Russia), and Pavlov VI (Czech Republic). The samples originate from a variety of geographical and environmental contexts, ranging from northeastern Europe to the central Mediterranean, and dated to the Mid-Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian and Gorodtsovian). The three sites suggest that vegetal food processing, and possibly the production of flour, was a common practice, widespread across Europe from at least ~30,000 y ago. It is likely that high energy content plant foods were available and were used as components of the food economy of these mobile hunter-gatherers.     

HACCP在婴儿米粉生产中的应用

目的:通过对我市婴儿米粉的生产厂家实施危害分析和关键控制点(HACCP)体系来提高婴儿米粉生产企业的管理水平及产品质量,确保产品的安全性。方法:HACCP作为生产(加工)安全食品的一种控制手段;对原料、关键生产工序及影响产品安全的人为因素进行分析,确定加工过程中的关键环节,建立、完善监控程序和监控标准,采取规范的纠正措施。试图找到生产中造成安全的关键点,从而为生产企业进一步提高产品质量。结果:根据危害分析,确定婴儿配方米粉生产过程中的关键控制点为原料(奶粉、蛋粉)、工作台、车间空气、操作人员的手。结论:通过HACCP体系的运行,明确了奶粉、蛋粉的质检工作,工作台面和车间空气的消毒,操作人员的卫生和提高从业人员的专业素质是保证产品质量合格的根本措施。     

魔芋精粉降脂作用的观察研究

魔芋精粉加入高脂饲料中喂养大鼠30天,在剂量为6.2～3.3g/kg/d 时,能有效预防大鼠血清、肝脏胆固醇和甘油三酯的显著升高,增加血中 HDL—C 含量,效果优于安妥明。用5.0～2.6g/kg/d的魔芋精粉饲喂高血脂症大鼠10天,也能明显降低大鼠血清、肝脏胆固醇和甘油三酯;作用仍强于安妥明。肝脏病理检查的结果也表明魔芋精粉具有明显的降脂消酯作用。     

新型酶解型结肠定位脉冲胶囊的制备与体外评价

目的:制备以魔芋胶为主要控释材料的结肠定位酶解型脉冲胶囊给药系统,并对其体外释药行为进行评价。方法:用灌注法制备非渗透性胶囊体,粉末直接压片法压制柱塞片,湿法制粒压片法制备含药速释片,将速释片用柱塞片密封于非渗透性胶囊体内制备脉冲胶囊,用释放度测定法考察影响释药时滞的各种因素。结果:药物的脉冲释放受含药片处方影响,柱塞片处方组成能显著影响脉冲胶囊的释药时滞,随柱塞片中魔芋胶比例增加及乳糖比例减少,羟丙甲纤维素黏度增加,释药时滞明显延长。结论:调节柱塞片处方组成可获得具有适当释药时滞的脉冲胶囊,以达到结肠定位释药的目的。     

Box-Behnken效应面法优化对乙酰氨基酚魔芋胶骨架片的处方

目的:考察对乙酰氨基酚魔芋胶骨架片的制备处方,并考察其体外其释药机制。方法:以体外累积释放度为指标,通过单因素考察找出影响释放的主要因素,再采用Box-Behnken效应面优化法筛选出最佳处方。结果:通过体外释放度考察得到制备对乙酰氨基酚魔芋胶骨架片的最佳处方为药物20%、骨架材料17.95%、乳糖33.05%、淀粉28%、滑石粉1%。体外释放度试验表明其体外释药符合Ritger-Peppas动力学模型。结论:采用湿法制粒压片法制得对乙酰氨基酚魔芋胶骨架片,体外释放度试验表明具有较好的缓释特性。     

The Use of Post-Natal Skeleton Development as Sensitive Preclinical Model to Test the Quality of Alternative Protein Sources in the Diet

Dietary protein is necessary throughout all life stages. Adequate intake of protein during juvenile years is essential to enable appropriate synthesis of bone matrix and achieve the full peak bone mass (PBM). Due to socio-demographic changes, accompanied by environmental damage and ethical problems, a transition to the consumption of different and alternative protein sources in the human diet must occur. This transition requires the precise evaluation of protein quality. Here, we utilize a preclinical model of young rats during their post-natal developmental period to define the nutritive quality of a number of alternative protein sources (soy, spirulina, chickpea, and fly larvae) by their health impact on growth performance and skeletal development. We indicate that when restricted (10% of calories) not one of the tested alternative protein sources have succeeded in causing optimal growth, as compared to the referenced source, casein; yet fly larvae protein followed by chickpea flour were found to be superior to the rest. Growth-plate histology and µ-CT analyses demonstrated a number of changes in growth patterns and bone morphometric parameters. Bone mechanical testing, by three-point bending analyses, was sensitive in demonstrating the effect of the reduction in the amount of the dietary protein. Moreover, the rats’ weight and length, as well as their eating patterns, were found to reflect the proteins’ quality better than their amino acid composition. Hence, our study emphasizes the importance of evaluating protein as a whole food source, and suggests a new approach for this purpose.     

Estimating the cost and cost-effectiveness of adding zinc to,and improving the performance of,Burkina Faso's mandatory wheat flour fortification programme

Zinc is an essential micronutrient that promotes normal growth, development and immune function. In the context of persistent dietary zinc inadequacies, large-scale food fortification can help fill the gap between intake and requirements. Burkina Faso mandates wheat flour fortification with iron and folic acid. We used activity-based cost modelling to estimate the cost of adding zinc to the country's wheat flour fortification standard assuming (1) no change in compliance with the national standard, and (2) a substantial improvement in compliance. We used household food consumption data to model effective coverage, that is, the number of women of reproductive age (WRA) predicted to achieve adequate zinc density (zinc intake/1000 kcal) with the addition of fortification to diets. Without interventions, the prevalence of inadequate dietary zinc density was ~35.5%. With no change in compliance, the annual average incremental cost of adding zinc to fortified wheat flour was $10,347, which would effectively cover <1% of WRA at an incremental cost of ~$0.54/WRA effectively covered. Improving compliance added ~$300,000/year to the cost of the fortification programme without zinc; including zinc added another ~$78,000/year but only reduced inadequate intake among WRA by 3.6% at an incremental cost of ~$0.45/WRA effectively covered. Although the incremental cost of adding zinc to wheat flour is low ($0.01/wheat flour consumer/year), given low levels of wheat flour consumption, zinc fortification of wheat flour alone contributes marginally to, but will not fully close, the dietary zinc gap. Future research should explore potential contributions of zinc to a broader set of delivery vehicles.     

‘Raising the Pulse’: The environmental,nutritional and health benefits of pulse-enhanced foods

Diet is a key modulator of non-communicable diseases, and food production represents a major cause of environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, ‘nudging’ people to make better food choices is challenging, as factors including affordability, convenience and taste often take priority over the achievement of health and environmental benefits. The overall ‘Raising the Pulse’ project aim is to bring about a step change in the nutritional value of the UK consumers' diet, and to do so in a way that leads to improved health and greater sustainability within the UK food system. To achieve our objectives, UK-specific faba bean production systems that optimise both end users' diets and environmental and economic sustainability of production will be implemented in collaboration with key stakeholders (including industry, the retail sector and government). Palatable faba bean flours will be produced and used to develop ‘Raising the Pulse’ food products with improved nutritional profile and environmental value. Consumer focus groups and workshops will establish attitudes, preferences, drivers of and barriers to increased consumption of such products. They will inform the co-creation of sensory testing and University-wide intervention studies to evaluate the effects of pulses and ‘Raising the Pulse’ foods on diet quality, self-reported satiety, nutritional knowledge, consumer acceptance and market potential. Nutrient bioavailability and satiety will be evaluated in a randomised-controlled postprandial human study. Finally, a system model will be developed that predicts changes to land use, environment, business viability, nutrition and human health after substitution of existing less nutritionally beneficial and environmentally sustainable ingredients with pulses. Government health and sustainability priorities will be addressed, helping to define policy-relevant solutions with significant beneficial supply chain economic impacts and transformed sustainable food systems to improve consumer diet quality, health and the environment.