Nutrition & Food Technology Research
Volume:6 Issue: 2, Apr-Jun 2019

Studies indicate over-estimation of basal metabolic rate (BMR) using common equations for the Asian people. The present study aims to develop new predictive equations for the Iranian people and to compare these equations with commonly used formulas. Total, 150healthy subjects aged 18-60 yrare invited to the Laboratory of Nutrition Research, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute. Demographic data are gathered using a questionnaire. Then, anthropometric measures are taken and blood sampling is done for thyroid function tests. If the subject merits all the inclusion criteria, indirect calorimetry will be performed. The value of BMR will be predicted using common equations (Harris-Benedict, FAO/WHO/UNU, Miffilin).
Differences between predicted (using equations) and measured (using indirect calorimetry) values are estimated. Correlations between the two sets of data is performed using Pearson or Spearman coefficients. Between-method agreement is checked using Bland-AltmanPlot. Accuracy of the predicted values using equations isconsidered as the proportion of participants whose calculated BMR is 90-110% of their measured BMR. Multiple regression analysis is employed to develop new predictive equations for the BMR based on the independent variables. Since facilities for the measurement of BMR may not be accessible in many clinical or research settings, BMR is usually estimated using predictive equations. However, several studies have reported inaccuracy of these equations for certain populations. Therefore, development of new population-specific predictive equations seems reasonable. These equations could hopefully reduce the energy estimation errors both in clinical nutritional interventions and community-based nutrition researches.

Depression is the most common mood disorder, which may be experienced by most of the people during their life. Food insecurity may result in mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. The aim of this study was to assess depression status and its relation to household food insecurity in women living in Northwest of Iran. In this cross-sectional community-based study, 480 women with high-school children were selected from East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, using random sampling method. Beck depression inventory, 18-item food security questionnaires and socio-economic questionnaires were completed by the participants and then weight and height of the participants were measured. Independent sample t-test, chi-square test and binary multiple logistic regressions were used for data analysis. The P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. In this study, frequencies of depression and household food insecurity included 43.1 and 48.3%, respectively. Results indicated significant positive correlations between the food insecurity and depression in women. Of the studied socio-economic variables, age, family size, economic status, occupational status of women and their husbands and educational levels were significantly associated with depression. Body mass index (BMI) of women was negatively associated with depression. Results showed that frequencies of depression and household food insecurity were high in participants. It seems that the improvement of socioeconomic status and subsequently improvement of the women's food security can positively affect their mental health.

Apoptosis plays a key role in pathogenesis of various cardiovascular diseases due to loss of terminally differentiated cardiac myocytes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate effects of combined dietary restriction and aerobic training on indices of myocardial apoptosis in male rats. In this study, 32 three-month-old male rats were randomly divided into four major groups: 1) sedentary control (SED), 2)exercise training (EX), 3)diet restriction (DR) and 4)exercise training and diet restriction (EX+DR). All groups participated in the study for three months. Animals in SED and EX groups were fed ad libitum, while animals in DR and EX+DR groups were given access to 50% of the control animal diets. Animals in EX and EX+DR groups were involved in a three-month aerobic training program. Rat hearts were removed 48 h after the last training session. The Bax, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 gene expressions were analyzed using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA method. Results showed that the Bax gene expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were significantly lower in trained rats than untrained rats (P<0.05). Furthermore, Bcl-2 gene expression was significantly higher in EX+DR group than other groups (P<0.05). However, exercise training and dietary restriction did not affect caspase-3 gene expression (P>0.05).  Overall, it seems that combination of dietary restriction and exercise training results in a significant increase in anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene expression. However, further studies are needed to show effects of combined dietary restriction and exercise training on apoptosis.

Production and consumption of freshly-cut fruits have been increased in recent decades.  One of the major problems in storage of freshly-cut fruits, the color change, is a result of the oxidative reactions of phenolic compounds by polyphenol oxidases. Various treatments such as coating and refrigeration are used to improve quality and shelf-life of the fresh-cut fruits. The aim of this study was to assess effects of various functional mucilages as polysaccharide food coatings on qualitative parameters of freshly-cut apple slices during cold storage. In this study, active edible coatings, using Plantago major, P. psyllium and Descurainia Sophia mucilages, were prepared. Then, effects of various coating solutions on physicochemical characterizes of freshly-cut apple slices were assessed during cold storage. Results indicated that samples treated with D. sophia included the greatest titrable acidity value and the lowest brix and browning index (BI), compared to another treatment. On Day 10 of storage, samples treated with P. psyllium showed the highest contents of vitamin C, firmness and inhibitory effects on the bacterial growth. Use of P. psyllium, as an edible coating, produced a 0.7 log CFU/g decrease in bacterial counts. In conclusion, P. psyllium L. mucilage is recommended as a novel edible coating to improve quality of freshly-cut apples.

Milk is an important component of the human diet. Exposure to heavy metals through dairy consumption of contaminated foods endangers human health. The aim of this study was to assess concentrations of lead and cadmium in raw milk samples from east of Iran and their safety risks. In this study, 54 raw milk samples from five regions were selected by cluster sampling and 20 samples of various popular brands of pasteurized milks were randomly purchased from supermarkets in east of Iran. Samples were digested in laboratory using acid digestion method. Concentrations of elements were calculated using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) approach was used to assess safety risks and investigate noncarcinogenic effects of lead and cadmium. The mean concentrations of lead and cadmium in raw milks included 38.15 and 4.67 ±0.001 μg/kg, respectively. The mean concentrations of lead and cadmium in pasteurized milk included 48.49 ±0.001 and 6.84 ±0.001 μg/kg, respectively. Moreover, the target hazard quotient (THQ) for adults and children in all groups were reported within the safe limits. There were hence no possible risks of exposure to lead and cadmium as results of raw and pasteurized milk consumptions. Lead and cadmium levels did not exceed maximum levels (MLs) in any samples of raw and pasteurized milks. Persistent monitoring is a critical action to protect consumers from contaminated foods. The health risk assessment pursuant to Monte Carlo simulation approach demonstrated that children and adults were not at impressive health risk
(THQ < 1).

Red beet juice, a potential source of valuable nutrients, is widely used as a colorant in food industries. In recent years, to avoid reduction of nutritional values of the red beet during concentration by thermal processing, an osmotic distillation (OD) technique has been suggested. Therefore, the major aim of the present study was to investigate effects of the flow rate, volume of feed and brine solutions and membrane active area on efficiency of the membrane concentration process of red beet juice. In this study, osmotic distillation process was used in a laboratory scale unit equipped with a hydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane with a pore size of 0.22 μm at 25˚C after centrifuging red beet juice at 4,000 rpm for 17 min. Furthermore, to investigate effects of feed and brine solution volumes on efficacy of the concentration process, two channel heights (2 cm and 2 mm in both feed and brine sections) were tested. Based on the results, the high feed volume was more effective than the high brine volume for the increasing soluble solid content (SSC) of juice in a constant time. Moreover, it was found that if the process time included more than three hours, the membrane with a higher active area (131.75 cm2) significantly improved total soluble solid content of juice, compared to the membrane with a lower active area (87.83 and 43.91 cm2). Results showed that a higher volume and flow rate of both feed and brine included had the most desirable effects on concentration efficiency. Based on the findings, flux of the total soluble solid content rise can be considered as a practical parameter to study efficiency of the osmotic distillation. Efficiency of the concentration process of red beet juice using osmotic distillation can increase by the modification of module configuration and process setup.