Protein, iron, zinc and calcium concentrations of potatoes following traditional processing as “chuño”

Samples from unprocessed and processed cooked tubers of the nine most abundant potato cultivars used to prepare the traditional freeze-dried food product, “chuño” in the central highlands of Peru were prepared and analyzed for their protein and mineral concentrations. The protein, iron, zinc and calcium concentration of cooked chuño of the nine cultivars evaluated ranged from 0.49 to 1.15 g, from 0.29 to 0.65 mg, from 0.04 to 0.14 mg and from 18.9 to 31.0 mg per 100 g on a fresh weight basis, respectively. Potatoes processed as chuño have a lower concentration of protein and zinc than unprocessed tubers, and a higher content of calcium, while iron concentration may be expected not to be subjected to changes. Water used in preparing the chuño is suggested to be the cause for an increased calcium concentration in the final product, as the water used had higher calcium content before (1.35 mequiv./l) than after (0.84 mequiv./l) use in the preparation. Thus, water seems to be source of the increased calcium concentration.     

Mould incidence and mycotoxin contamination in maize kernels from Swat Valley,North West Frontier Province of Pakistan

Mould incidence and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination as well as proximate composition and minerals content of maize kernels from Swat Valley, North West Frontier Province of Pakistan was studied during the year, 2007. Results indicated that the mean moisture content of the kernels was within the recommended safe storage levels of ?15%. Across the whole valley, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium and Rhizopus were the most predominant fungal genera identified and amongst the mycotoxigenic species, Aspergillus flavus had the highest incidence. AFB1 content ranged from none to 30.92 μg/kg with the average values of 14.94 and 16.22 μg/kg for Upper and Lower Swat regions, respectively. Similar trend was observed for OTA with the contamination level ranged from <0.001 to 7.32 μg/kg. A significant numbers of samples contained AFB1 and OTA levels above the safe limits as recommended by the USFDA and EU but on the average the results were within the safe limit. These results indicate that maize consumers in Swat Valley may be exposed to the danger of aflatoxins and ochratoxins poisoning. Thus, there is a need for policy makers to establish and enforce maize quality standards and regulations related to moulds and mycotoxins across the area.     

A review of select vitamins and minerals used by postmenopausal women

Objectives

The purpose of this review is to summarize the effectiveness of select vitamins, minerals and trace elements in postmenopausal women for their effects on bone health, cardiovascular health, breast cancer, cognition and vasomotor symptoms.

Methods

Review of the relevant literature and results from recent clinical studies, as well as critical analyses of published systematic reviews and meta-analyses were obtained from PubMed and Cochrane Library of Reviews. Vitamin A, the B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, selenium and zinc were selected for review. In circumstances where the vitamin, mineral or trace element has not been studied for a given condition, no information was provided.

Results and discussion

All vitamins, minerals and trace elements play an important role in maintaining health and wellbeing among menopausal women. Adequate dietary intake is essential and supplementation should be considered in women with documented malabsorption syndromes or deficiencies. Based on a review of the literature, supplementation with vitamin C, D, K and calcium can also be recommended for proper maintenance of bone health. The only supplement studied for vasomotor symptoms was vitamin E and this vitamin lacked clinical support. Supplementation in healthy postmenopausal women with vitamins and minerals in diet or pill forms cannot be recommended currently for any other indications.     

Micronutrients and their supplementation in chronic cardiac failure. An update beyond theoretical perspectives

Physicians’ use of micronutrients to improve symptoms or outcomes in chronic illness has until recently been guided by limited data on the actions of individual agents in vitro or in animal studies. However several recently published clinical trials have provided information about which groups of patients are likely to benefit from which combination of micronutrients. Patients with chronic cardiac failure (CCF), particularly elderly individuals, have several reasons to be deficient in micronutrients including reduced intake, impaired gastrointestinal absorption and increased losses on the background of increased utilisation due for example to increased oxidative stress. Studies of nutritional supplementation in CCF patients have usually concentrated on specific agents. However given that many micronutrients have synergistic influences upon metabolic processes this strategy might merely lead to a shifting of a limiting step. Rather, a strategy of increasing the availability of multiple agents at once might be more logical. The aim of this article is to briefly review the experimental rationale for each of the micronutrients of potential benefit in chronic heart failure and examine the current clinical trial evidence supporting their use.     

Preliminary chemical and nutritional characterization of liver from longnose skates (Raja rhina)

Skates (Raja rhina) have recently become a small commercial fishery in Alaska and along the western United States coast. Most of the skate byproduct is discarded or made into meal; therefore, there is opportunity to enhance the utilization for skate byproducts. The objective of this research project was to chemically characterize longnose skate livers. Livers from five long nose skates, caught off the coast of Kodiak, Alaska, were obtained immediately after the fins (called “wings”) had been removed by a commercial processor. Each liver was subjected to the following analysis: proximate composition, minerals, amino acids, α-tocopherol, protein gel electrophoresis, fatty acid profiles, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and biogenic amines (BA). Livers were composed of lipid (49.6%), moisture (41.0%), protein (10.9%) and ash (0.8%). High levels of α-tocopherol were found in the livers (142 μg/g oil). Fatty acid profile indicated that the lipids extracted from livers contained high concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (16.0%) and docosahexaenoic acid (17.7%). Average TBARS values were low at 1.5 μg malondialdehyde/g oil, indicating low levels of lipid oxidation. The lysine content as percent of total amino acids on a weight basis was 6.1% and methionine content was 2.8%. Analysis of BA found putrescine (31 mg/kg liver) and spermine (85 mg/kg liver) present. Preliminary results suggest long nose skate livers as an abundant source of n-3 fatty acids and amino acids.     

Effects of low-carbohydrate,high-fat diets on apparent digestibility of minerals and trace elements in rats

ObjectiveKetogenic low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diets reduce growth and bone mineral density in children with epilepsy and in rats. Part of this effect might be due to a reduced availability of calcium in high-fat diets. The aim of this study was to determine mineral digestibility by total collection method in LCHF diets compared with a chow diet and a standard high-fat diet (HFD, high in fat and carbohydrates).MethodsTwelve-wk-old male Wistar rats were pair-fed isoenergetic amounts of either six different LCHF diets based on tallow and casein (crude fat 75%–50%, crude protein 10%–35%), with chow or with a HFD diet. Mineral-to-energy ratio was matched in all diets. Circulating parathyroid hormone was measured by immunoassay.ResultsThe apparent digestibility of calcium was reduced in all HFDs (high-fat diets, LCHF diets and the HFD diet) by at least 30% compared with the chow diet (P < 0.001). Fecal calcium excretion correlated positively with fecal fat excretion, presumably because of formation of calcium soaps. Apparent digestibility of phosphorous was higher in all HFDs. This resulted in a decrease of the ratio of apparently digested calcium to apparently digested phosphorous in all HFDs below a ratio of 1:1. Plasma parathyroid hormone was not affected by any diet.ConclusionThe alteration of apparent calcium and phosphorus digestibility may affect the impact of HFDs on bone metabolism.     

Effect of lower grain sized particles on natural radiation level of the Ponnaiyar river sediments

River sediment depositions on the bottom of rivers most frequently consist of sand and gravel particles with different grain sizes, which make them particularly valuable for the building construction. Knowledge of radioactivity present in building material enables one to assess any possible radiological hazard to mankind by the use of such materials. The natural radionuclide (²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K) contents have been analyzed for the sediment samples of Ponnaiyar River with an aim of evaluating the radiation hazard nature. To know the radiological characteristics of the sediment, dose rate is calculated and are compared with recommended values. Mineral characteristics of the sediments have been analyzed through FTIR and XRD techniques. Extinction coefficient and Crystallinity index is calculated to know the relative distribution of major minerals and crystalline nature of quartz, respectively. Multivariate statistical analyses were carried to find the relationship between the radioactivity characteristics and minerals, the results obtained in the study suggest that the level of natural radioactivity of the present sediments mainly depends upon the amount of kaolinite (clay). Mineral characterization of various grain sized sediments show clay and magnetic minerals are rich in lower grain sized (≤120 μm) samples. The level of radioactivity has also been measured for >120 μm sediments and results show that both activity concentrations and dose rate are considerably lowered when compared with the respective values of the bulk samples. The removal of ≤120 μm particles from the sediments of the river make it safer to use these materials for building construction.     

Total nutritional capacity and inflammation inhibition effect of Acalypha alnifolia Klein ex wild—An unexplored wild leafy vegetable

Investigation of the nutritional as well as trace elements of a wild leafy vegetable, Acalypha alnifolia, and evaluation of the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties of acetone and methanol leaf extracts are the main objectives of the present study. The powdered A. alnifolia leaf sample was subjected to nutritional and mineral analysis. Plant leaves were extracted (using the Soxhlet apparatus) as successive solvent extractions. The extract doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg of acetone and methanol extracts were used for pharmacology study. The analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic experiments were carried out by using animal models. The obtained result proves that the plant possesses essential nutritive values and useful biological properties. The higher dose of acetone extract has significant potency when compared with methanol extract at p < 0.005. On the whole, the plant is rich in minerals and has good biological properties; hence, this plant is suggested for cultivation and regular use for nutritional supplement.     

Comparative evaluation of serum levels of main minerals and postmenopausal osteoporosis

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between serum main minerals and postmenopausal osteoporosis.Study designA total of 728 postmenopausal women were included in this study. Women were separated into two groups according to presence or absence of osteoporosis (OP). BMD was measured in total femur (TF), femoral neck (FN) and lumbar spine (L1–L4) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Risk factors for OP were recorded by using a structured questionnaire.Main outcome measuresWomen's blood were collected and serum concentrations of iron, copper, zinc, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, ionized calcium, inorganic phosphorus were measured.ResultsLow serum copper levels were significantly associated with OP according to BMD values for TF, FN and L1–L4. There was a significant relationship between low serum zinc levels and OP for L1–L4 spines. Low iron serum levels were also significantly associated with OP in BMD measurements of TF. Low serum magnesium levels had significant association with OP of L1–L4 spines and TF. Serum levels of calcium, ionized calcium, potassium, sodium and inorganic phosphorus were not associated with OP.ConclusionsIn postmenopausal women, the low serum levels of copper, zinc, iron and magnesium appear to be an important risk factor for OP.     

Genome health nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics--diagnosis and nutritional treatment of genome damage on an individual basis.

The term nutrigenomics refers to the effect of diet on gene expression. The term nutrigenetics refers to the impact of inherited traits on the response to a specific dietary pattern, functional food or supplement on a specific health outcome. The specific fields of genome health nutrigenomics and genome health nutrigenetics are emerging as important new research areas because it is becoming increasingly evident that (a) risk for developmental and degenerative disease increases with DNA damage which in turn is dependent on nutritional status and (b) optimal concentration of micronutrients for prevention of genome damage is also dependent on genetic polymorphisms that alter function of genes involved directly or indirectly in uptake and metabolism of micronutrients required for DNA repair and DNA replication. Development of dietary patterns, functional foods and supplements that are designed to improve genome health maintenance in humans with specific genetic backgrounds may provide an important contribution to a new optimum health strategy based on the diagnosis and individualised nutritional treatment of genome instability i.e. Genome Health Clinics.