Lipids comprise a large group of chemically heterogeneous compounds. The majority have fatty acids (FA) as part of their structure, making these compounds suitable tools to examine processes raging from cellular to macroscopic levels of organization. Among the multiple roles of FA, they have structural functions as constituents of phospholipids which are the “building blocks” of cell membranes; as part of neutral lipids FA serve as storage materials in cells; and FA derivatives are involved in cell signalling. Studies on FA and their metabolism are important in numerous research fields, including biology, bacteriology, ecology, human nutrition and health. Specific FA and their ratios in cellular membranes may be used as biomarkers to enable the identification of organisms, to study adaptation of bacterial cells to toxic compounds and environmental conditions and to disclose food web connections. In this review, we discuss the various roles of FA in prokaryotes and eukaryotes and highlight the application of FA analysis to elucidate ecological mechanisms. We briefly describe FA synthesis; analyse the role of FA as modulators of cell membrane properties and FA ability to store and supply energy to cells; and inspect the role of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) and the suitability of using FA as biomarkers of organisms.
Understanding dietary patterns is vital to reducing the number of people experiencing hunger (about 795 million), micronutrient deficiencies (2 billion), and overweight or obesity (2.1 billion). We characterize global trends in dietary quality by estimating micronutrient density of the food supply, prevalence of inadequate intake of 14 micronutrients, and average prevalence of inadequate intake of these micronutrients for all countries between 1961 and 2011. Over this 50-year period, the estimated prevalence of inadequate intakes of micronutrients has declined in all regions due to increased total production of food and/or micronutrient density. This decline has been particularly strong in East and Southeast Asia and weaker in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where dietary micronutrient density has declined over this 50-year period. At the global level, micronutrients with the lowest levels of adequate estimated intake are calcium, iron, vitamin A, and zinc, but there are strong differences between countries and regions. Fortification has reduced the estimated prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes in all low-income regions, except South Asia. The food supply in many countries is still far below energy requirements, which suggests a need to increase the availability and accessibility of nutritious foods. Countries where the food energy supply is adequate show a very large variation in dietary quality, and in many of these countries people would benefit from more diverse diets with a greater proportion of micronutrient-dense foods. Dietary quality can be improved through fortification, biofortification, and agricultural diversification, as well as efforts to improve access to and use of micronutrient-dense foods and nutritional knowledge. Reducing poverty and increasing education, especially of women, are integral to sustainably addressing malnutrition.
Francesca Vincenzi, Federica Gaiani, Federica Gaiani
et al.
BackgroundCrohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel condition often leading to complications requiring surgery. Optimizing nutrition before surgery contributes to reducing postoperative complications. The Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED), combined with Modulen as partial enteral nutrition (PEN), has been shown to help restore the intestinal barrier, promote a balanced immune response, and mitigate the inflammatory process (Modulen: Nestlé Italia S.p.A: Milan, Italy). Thus, this approach may be implemented into a prehabilitation protocol to tailor nutritional interventions for candidates undergoing CD surgery.MethodsWe describe four adult CD patients who underwent preoperative nutritional optimization with CDED+PEN. Interventions lasted 2–12 weeks, providing 30–35 kcal/kg/day, and were tailored based on weight and appetite. Adherence, nutritional markers, medical therapy, and surgical outcomes were monitored.ResultsAll patients showed good adherence and tolerance to CDED+PEN, with no flare-ups or treatment discontinuations. CDAI decreased in three of four cases. Nutritional status was maintained in all cases. CRP and albumin remained within normal values. Two patients discontinued biologics before surgery without complications, while two were managed without pharmacological therapy. All patients underwent robotic intestinal resection with no postoperative complications.ConclusionCDED+PEN may be incorporated into the prehabilitation protocol to enhance the nutritional and inflammatory status of CD patients undergoing surgery. Clinical trials assessing its efficacy and tolerance are warranted.
Lia Jiannine, Catherine Holen, Tobin Silver
et al.
Background The primary aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an energy drink vs. a caffeine-matched control on measures of sustained attention.Methods Using a randomized, double-blind design (n = 107), subjects were assigned to an energy drink (C4 – Nutrabolt®) or a caffeine-matched control (200 mg caffeine). The following assessments were conducted before and approximately 45 minutes after consuming an energy drink or caffeine-matched control: psychomotor vigilance test (PVT), Memtrax (memory), handgrip strength, and wall-sit endurance.Results Both the energy drink and the caffeine-matched control improved pre vs. post for the PVT; however, there were no differences in the delta score. The energy drink group had a significant decrease in the Memtrax assessment (% correct) whereas reaction time increased with no change in the control; however, there were no differences in the delta score between groups for either the % correct score or reaction time. There were no significant differences in the handgrip or wall-sit assessments for either group.Conclusions Consuming 200 mg of caffeine, whether it is part of an energy drink or is a stand-alone ingredient, induces significant improvements in sustained attention and alertness (i.e. reaction time assessed by the PVT). However, there were no differences in memory, handgrip strength, or wall-sit endurance.
ObjectivesAssociation between different dietary indices and periodontitis remained unclear. This study aims to compare the associations of four commonly dietary indices (including Healthy Eating Index-2020, HEI-2020; alternative Mediterranean Diet Score, aMED; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, DASH; Dietary Inflammatory Index, DII) with the risk of periodontitis.MethodsA cross-sectional study was designed using a publicly available data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2009 and 2014 (N = 8,571 adults over 30 years). After adjusting for confounders, dietary indices were included in logistic regression models by single, double and overall forms to explore the association with periodontitis. Odds ratios (ORs) for the dietary indices were adjusted by one-fourth of their scoring range to compare the effect sizes; and diminishing marginal receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis with univariate exclusion in the overall model was used to compare the contribution of the dietary indices to periodontitis. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) was used to explore the non-linear association in both the total population and various sub-populations.ResultsAlthough all dietary indices exhibited a significant effect on periodontitis in single exposure model; only DASH and DII retained complete significance in the double exposure condition. In the overall model, aMED and DASH presented significantly positive associations, the corresponding OR were 1.147 (95%CI: 1.002–1.313) and 1.310 (95%CI: 1.139–1.507); but DII showed a negative association with OR of 0.675 (95%CI: 0.597–0.763). The ROC analyses showed that the contribution of dietary indices to periodontitis was second only to sex and ethnicity. The non-linear tests showed an approximately linear association for HEI-2020, aMED, and DASH, but a significant non-linear association for DII (p = 0.024). Subgroups of females, younger than 50 years old, non-Hispanic White, smokers, and the ratio of family income to poverty ≤ 2.4 were more consistent with the association found in the total population.ConclusionA poor habit for DASH was robustly linked to the occurrence of periodontitis, while the other three dietary patterns were not. Our research suggests that including the DASH index in the evaluation of periodontitis risk and implementing targeted prevention strategies may be beneficial.
Residual α-amylase activity in stored pasteurized yogurt hydrolyses hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate (HPDSP), threatening product quality and motivating this study to establish safe enzymatic thresholds for texture stability. Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase (HEa) demonstrated superior thermal stability with a static half-life 5–10 times longer than that of Aspergillus oryzae (ASa) at 85–100 °C. HEa effectively hydrolysed HPDSP, reducing starch residue to 77 % at ultra-trace concentrations of 1.0 × 10−4 U/L, respectively. Conversely, ASa exhibited negligible hydrolysis even at a concentration of 1 U/L. Rheological analysis revealed that elevated α-amylase concentrations significantly decreased yogurt viscosity and yield stress. However, controlled enzyme levels (ASa ≤ 1.0 × 10−1 U/L or HEa ≤ 1.0 × 10−3 U/L) maintained optimal viscosity and shear-thinning behaviour throughout storage. These findings highlight the importance of stringent α-amylase level control to maintain consistent texture and quality in pasteurized yogurt products during storage.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Food processing and manufacture
Herbert Tato Nyirenda, David Mulenga, Hilda Nyambe-Silavwe
Summary: Background and aims: A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of culinary nutrition interventions; however, there is limited research on the analytical techniques, components, and the combined impact of these interventions alongside contextual factors in addressing child growth failure. This paper examines the combined effect of culinary nutrition interventions and contextual factors in reducing child growth failure within mining communities. Methods and materials: This study employed a cross-sectional design, targeting children under the age of five and their caregivers. A total of 706 participants were included, selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, direct child measurements, and structured interviews. Anthropometric data were analysed using the WHO growth standards. Statistical analysis involved descriptive statistics and logistic regression, with an emphasis on examining interaction effects. Results: The results revealed that 34.7% of the children experienced growth failure while 55% of the caregivers participated in culinary nutrition programs. Children whose caregivers participated in culinary programs had significantly lower odds of experiencing growth failure (OR = 0.69∗∗, P = 0.019, 95% CI). Factorial analysis demonstrated that the impact of culinary interventions on reducing child growth failure was more pronounced in households with adequate food (OR = 0.46∗, P = 0.085, 90% CI), households with vegetable gardens (OR = 0.50∗∗, P = 0.005, 95% CI), children with a good appetite (OR = 0.44∗∗, P = 0.032, 95% CI), households practicing food preservation (OR = 0.52∗, P = 0.054, 90% CI), and those producing their own food (OR = 0.46∗∗, P = 0.016, 95% CI). Conclusion: The findings highlight the synergistic impact of culinary nutrition interventions alongside key factors in addressing child growth failure, particularly in mining communities. It emphasizes the importance of integrating both nutritional programs and the social environment to effectively combat child malnutrition and stunting in these vulnerable populations.
Toqeer Ali Syed, Abdulaziz Alshahrani, Ali Ullah
et al.
The issue of limited household budgets and nutritional demands continues to be a challenge especially in the middle-income environment where food prices fluctuate. This paper introduces a price aware agentic AI system, which combines personal finance management with diet optimization. With household income and fixed expenditures, medical and well-being status, as well as real-time food costs, the system creates nutritionally sufficient meals plans at comparatively reasonable prices that automatically adjust to market changes. The framework is implemented in a modular multi-agent architecture, which has specific agents (budgeting, nutrition, price monitoring, and health personalization). These agents share the knowledge base and use the substitution graph to ensure that the nutritional quality is maintained at a minimum cost. Simulations with a representative Saudi household case study show a steady 12-18\% reduction in costs relative to a static weekly menu, nutrient adequacy of over 95\% and high performance with price changes of 20-30%. The findings indicate that the framework can locally combine affordability with nutritional adequacy and provide a viable avenue of capacity-building towards sustainable and fair diet planning in line with Sustainable Development Goals on Zero Hunger and Good Health.
Pascal Wullschleger, Majid Zarharan, Donnacha Daly
et al.
We investigate the utility of Large Language Models for automated taxonomy generation and completion specifically applied to taxonomies from the food technology industry. We explore the extent to which taxonomies can be completed from a seed taxonomy or generated without a seed from a set of known concepts, in an iterative fashion using recent prompting techniques. Experiments on five taxonomies using an open-source LLM (Llama-3), while promising, point to the difficulty of correctly placing inner nodes.
Frank J. Velez, Nethraja Kandula, Yotam Blech-Hermoni
et al.
Strains of Salmonella are a frequent cause of foodborne illness and are known to contaminate poultry products. Most Salmonella testing methods can qualitatively detect Salmonella and cannot quantify or estimate the Salmonella load in samples. Therefore, the aim of this study was to standardize and validate a partitioned-based digital PCR (dPCR) assay for the detection and estimation of Salmonella contamination levels in poultry rinses. Pure culture Salmonella strains were cultured, enumerated, cold-stressed for 48 h, and used to inoculate whole carcass chicken rinse (WCCR) at 1–4 log CFU/30 mL and enriched at 37 °C for 5 h. Undiluted DNA samples with primer and probes targeting the Salmonella-specific invA gene were used for the dPCR assay. The dPCR assay was highly specific, with a limit of detection of 0.001 ng/μL and a limit of quantification of 0.01 ng/μL. The dPCR assay further showed no PCR reaction inhibition up to 5 μg of crude DNA extract. The assays accurately detected all cold-stressed Salmonella in inoculated WCCR samples following a 5-h enrichment. Most importantly, when converted to log, the dPCR copies/μL values accurately estimated the inoculated Salmonella levels. The dPCR assay standardized in this study is a robust method for the detection and estimation of Salmonella concentration in contaminated food samples. This approach can allow same-day decision-making for poultry processors attempting to maintain limits and controls on Salmonella contamination.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Food processing and manufacture
Amid growing global food demands and environmental concerns, entomophagy (insect consumption) offers a sustainable protein alternative, though its acceptance is limited in regions where it is not traditionally practiced. This study explores the role of cognitive goal-oriented hope in shaping attitudes toward entomophagy. We surveyed 270 adults, measuring their attitudes before and after providing information about entomophagy. The results show that individuals with higher levels of cognitive goal-oriented hope experienced significantly more positive attitude shifts after receiving information on entomophagy. The findings highlight that hope not only correlates with positive attitude changes but also plays a direct role in moderating the impact of information on attitudes. This suggests that hope enhances openness to new ideas and can be cultivated through targeted policy, education, and communication strategies to promote sustainable dietary practices. These insights offer a foundation for designing effective interventions to encourage the acceptance of insect-based foods.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Food processing and manufacture
Salma Aulia Kencanaputri, Ibnu Malkan Bakhrul Ilmi, Sintha Fransiske Simanungkalit
Latar Belakang: Permasalahan gizi lebih pada remaja (10-18 tahun) saat ini cukup tinggi yaitu >15%. Asupan makan diketahui dapat mempengaruhi status gizi. Konsumsi pangan yang beragam diketahui dapat menurunkan peluang risiko gizi lebih pada remaja. Namun tidak demikian, remaja saat ini lebih sering mengonsumsi asupan makanan yang kurang baik seperti makanan tinggi kandungan gula, lemak, dan natrium serta rendah serat diketahui dapat meingkatkan risiko terjadinya gizi lebih.
Tujuan: Mengetahui hubungan kebiasaan keragaman pangan, konsumsi makanan manis, minuman manis, dan junk food dengan gizi lebih di usia remaja.
Metode: Penelitian ini merupakan studi observasional analitik dengan menggunakan metode cross–sectional yang dilakukan di SMAN 6 Depok. Metode analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis univariat dan bivariat dengan uji chi-square kemaknaan 95%. Sampel berjumlah 112 responden yang diambil menggunakan rumus uji hipotesis beda dua proporsi menurut Lemeshow, serta menggunakan prosedur pengambilan sampel dengan metode stratified random sampling. Uji validitas dan reliabilitas dengan tingkar signifikansi sebesar 0,05 telah dilakukan pada kuesioner sebelum disebarkan.
Hasil: Analisis uji validitas menunjukkan valid dan uji realibilitas menunjukkan nilai Cronbach Alpha > r tabel (0,314). Analisis bivariat menunjukkan bahwa remaja mayoritas tidak mengalami gizi lebih (80,4%), remaja mengonsumsi pangan yang beragam (86,6%), dan remaja jarang mengonsumsi makanan (80,4%) dan minuman (69,6%) manis, serta junk food (70,5%).
Kesimpulan: Tidak terdapat hubungan antara kebiasaan konsumsi keragaman pangan, konsumsi makanan manis, konsumsi minuman manis, dan konsumsi junk food dengan gizi lebih di usia remaja.
Mudathir Muhammad Salahudeen, Muhammad Auwal Mukhtar, Saadu Salihu Abubakar
et al.
Over time, agriculture is the most consistent activity, and it evolves every day. It contributes to a vast majority of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria but as ironic as it may be, there is still hunger in significant parts of the country due to low productivity in the agricultural sector and comparison to the geometric population growth. During the first half of 2022, agriculture contributed about 23% of the country's GDP while the industry and services sector had a share of the remaining 77%. This showed that with the high rate of agricultural activities, Nigeria has not achieved food security for the teeming population. and more productivity levels can be attained. Technology can/will assist Nigeria in overcoming global poverty and hunger quicker in both rural and urban areas. Today, there are many types of agricultural technologies available for farmers all over the world to increase productivity. Major technological advancements include indoor vertical farming, automation, robotics, livestock technology, modern greenhouse practices, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Mobile phones have one of the highest adoption rates of technologies developed within the last century. Digitalization will bring consumers and farmers closer together to access the shortest supply chain possible and reduce rural poverty and hunger. The paper will review the different agricultural technologies and propose a mobile solution, code Sell Harvest, to make farming more sustainable and secure food. Keywords: Sell Harvest, Agriculture, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Farming.
Djavan De Clercq, Elias Nehring, Harry Mayne
et al.
Coverage of ChatGPT-style large language models (LLMs) in the media has focused on their eye-catching achievements, including solving advanced mathematical problems and reaching expert proficiency in medical examinations. But the gradual adoption of LLMs in agriculture, an industry which touches every human life, has received much less public scrutiny. In this short perspective, we examine risks and opportunities related to more widespread adoption of language models in food production systems. While LLMs can potentially enhance agricultural efficiency, drive innovation, and inform better policies, challenges like agricultural misinformation, collection of vast amounts of farmer data, and threats to agricultural jobs are important concerns. The rapid evolution of the LLM landscape underscores the need for agricultural policymakers to think carefully about frameworks and guidelines that ensure the responsible use of LLMs in food production before these technologies become so ingrained that policy intervention becomes challenging.
Slavomír Švancár, Lukáš Chrpa, Filip Dvořák
et al.
The global food delivery market provides many opportunities for AI-based services that can improve the efficiency of feeding the world. This paper presents the Cloud Kitchen platform as a decision-making tool for restaurants with food delivery and a simulator to evaluate the impact of the decisions. The platform contains a Technology-Specific Bridge (TSB) that provides an interface for communicating with restaurants or the simulator. TSB uses a planning domain model to represent decisions embedded in the Unified Planning Framework (UPF). Decision-making, which concerns allocating customers' orders to vehicles and deciding in which order the customers will be served (for each vehicle), is done via a Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW), an efficient tool for this problem. We show that decisions made by our platform can improve customer satisfaction by reducing the number of delayed deliveries using a real-world historical dataset.
Viktor Plusnin, Nadezhda Khoroshavkina, Ali Abonakour
et al.
This study investigates the dynamics of non-spatial specializations in hippocampal place cells during exposure to novel environments. Hippocampal place cells, known for their role in spatial mapping, exhibit multi-modal responses to sensory cues. The research focuses on understanding how these cells adapt their specialization in response to novel stimuli, specifically examining non-spatial determinants such as odors and social interactions. Using a social-driven food odor recognition model in mice, the study records CA1 hippocampal neuron activity through miniscope imaging. The experimental design involves demonstrations of novel odors to mice, followed by observation sessions with food options. The analysis employs deep neural network tools for behavior tracking and the custom-developed INTENS software package for identifying neural specializations. Results indicate multiple specializations, particularly those related to odor, with differences observed between training and testing sessions. The findings suggest a temporal aspect to the formation of these specializations in novel conditions, necessitating further investigation for precise tracking.
AbstractCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a global health problem and leading cause of death worldwide. Thrombus formation, one of the CVDs, is essentially the formation of fibrin clots. The existing thrombolytic agents have the disadvantages of high price, short half‐life, and high bleeding risk; hence, there is an urgent need to find the alternative thrombolytic agents. In recent years, traditional fermented foods have been widely investigated for their outstanding effects in the prevention and treatment of thrombus formation. In this review, we have focused on fibrinolytic enzymes produced by microorganisms during the fermentation of traditional fermented foods and their potential use for treating CVDs. First, we discussed about the sources of fibrinolytic enzymes and microbial strains that produce those enzymes followed by the optimization of fermentation process, purification, and physicochemical properties of fibrinolytic enzymes. Finally, we have summarized the thrombolytic effects of fibrinolytic enzymes in humans and mice. Fibrinolytic enzymes produced by microorganisms during the fermentation of traditional fermented foods not only lyse thrombi but also acts as anti‐atherosclerotic, anti‐hyperlipidemia, and neuroprotection agents. Therefore, fibrinolytic enzymes from traditional fermented foods have great potential for the prevention and treatment of CVDs.
Latar Belakang: Ilmu genetik berkembang sangat pesat memberikan dampak signifikan teradap suatu penyakit yang dapat dicegah dan dikelola oleh tenaga kesehatan professional, tetapi di Indonesia sendiri pengaplikasian dietetik masih belum banyak diketahui oleh karena itu ahli gizi perlu berperan dalam pengaplikasian nutritional genomics ini di dalam praktik kerja dietetik. Peran ahli gizi penting dalam memberikan informasi mengenai bagaimana gizi dan genetik berinteraksi dalam mempengaruhi Kesehatan dan memberikan alternatif intervensi gizi yang lebih dini.
Tujuan: Mengetahui peran ahli gizi dalam memberikan pelayanan gizi berbasis gen di indonesia.
Metode: Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologi, yang dilakukan di lima provinsi di Indonesia. Data informan di dapatkan dari penelitian kuantitatif, dengan teknik pengambilan informan yaitu purposive sampling dengan jumlah informan sebanyak enam orang. Pengumpulan data menggunakan structured interview dilaksanakan secara online dengan menggunakan Zoom Meeting. Analisis data yang digunakan yaitu analisis tematik dengan software NVIVO v.12.
Hasil: Tenaga gizi yang sudah dan yang belum menerapkan pelayanan gizi berbasis gen ini sebagian besar sudah mengetahui terkait pelayanan gizi berbasis gen. Namun, sebagian dari mereka tidak mengetahui terkait definisi nutrigenetik dan nutrigenomik. sebagiannya mengetahui terkait peran tenaga gizi yaitu sebagai konselor untuk memberikan konseling, memberikan saran terkait pola makan yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan pasien, memberikan motivasi kepada pasien untuk menjalankan diet sesuai dengan kebutuhan pasien.
Kesimpulan: Peran tenaga gizi dalam memberikan pelayanan gizi berbasis gen yaitu sebagai konselor untuk memberikan konseling, memberikan saran terkait pola makan yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan pasien, dan memberikan motivasi kepada pasien untuk menjalankan diet sesuai dengan kebutuhan pasien.
This paper computes composite indicators of corporate social responsibility (CSR) from an efficiency perspective for food and beverage manufacturing firms in various world regions over the period from 2011 to 2018. From a methodological perspective, we extend the measurement of composite indicators within data envelopment analysis, allowing for the non-convexities of the production set and for the appropriate comparison of indicators between groups of firms. From an empirical point of view, we contribute by comparing the efficiency in CSR practices of food and beverage companies across regions of Europe, the United States and Canada, and Asia Pacific. The study reveals differences in CSR efficiency between food and beverage firms in the regions considered, with USA and Canadian firms tending to perform best, followed by European firms, and Asian Pacific firms achieving the worst efficiency results. The study also shows that regional catching up in performance occurred over the analyzed period.