Search Results (22)

Background: The importance of understanding dietary habits during working hours is becoming increasingly evident. As demonstrated, dietary habits have been shown to exert a considerable influence on the productivity of workers and the creation of a healthier workplace. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the nutritional quality and self-perception of lunches consumed by workers in Piedmont (Italy). Methods: A questionnaire, supported by the EasyDietWeb 4.3.0 software, was used to assess the macronutrient composition of the meals and to evaluate adherence to the “Healthy Eating Plate” (HEP) guidelines. The basal metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure of the subjects were calculated. Results: The survey results, which included 189 participants, revealed that a notable proportion of the respondents consumed homemade meals at their place of work. The majority of meals reported by the participants did not align with the HEP composition due to the absence of one or more components, especially vegetables. The participants’ perceptions of meal balance frequently diverged from the actual nutritional quality of the meals. Finally, overweight participants exhibited a higher risk of reporting diseases (OR = 4.4, 95% CI = 1.6–12.0). Conclusions: This study provides insight into the dietary habits of a specific group of workers regarding their lunch consumption. This underscores the significance of enhancing public awareness regarding dietary choices and nutritional intakes, as adhering to proper dietary routines is paramount for preserving a state of well-being and sustaining a healthy lifestyle. Full article

Local innovations regarding plant-derived spice and flavorant formulations and preparation techniques are mostly recorded nowhere and usually passed on generationally through word of mouth. This study aimed to inventory the utilization of plants and perceptions of novel indigenous food spicing and flavoring among the Vhavenḓa people in South Africa. This study adopted face-to-face interviews with 360 participants using semi-structured questionnaires. This study investigated a total of twenty-seven plant species used to spice-flavor novel indigenous Venḓa foods, including mukokoroshi meat stew, mopane worms, vegetables, homemade achar, eggs, samp meal, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Based on the perceptions by participants from different age groups, indigenous foods spicing and favoring significantly improved food taste and nutrition (43.1%), providing medicinal benefits (33.3%) and cultural identity (23.6%). No study had ever reported the uses of Lannea edulis (Sond.) Engl., Mangifera indica L., Centella asiatica (L.) Urb., Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov., Plectranthus fruticosus L′Hér., Hibiscus sabdariffa subsp. Cannabinus L., Oxalis semiloba subsp. semiloba, and Ziziphus mucronata subsp. mucronata and their preparational techniques for novel indigenous foods, spicing, and flavoring before, in South Africa, or elsewhere. The current study provided insights about spice and flavoring plants that could be used to develop alternative marketable commercial products. The findings of this study provide necessary baseline information for evaluating and profiling the nutritional content of spice-making and flavoring plants in the Vhembe Region. Full article

The consequences of climate change directly affect food production and threaten food security. Therefore, efforts are needed to reduce environmental impacts while ensuring access to food. Massive food services play a key role in this context; however, related literature lacks comparative studies between home cooking and restaurants. Through life-cycle assessment, this research compares the environmental impacts generated by stewed chickpeas, a nutritious and flavorful meal prepared at a large food service offered by a public university, and those prepared at home using two recipes. The system boundaries consider the impact of ingredient production, processing, cooking, cooling, and reheating, as well as waste and wastewater generation. The functional unit (FU) weighs 100 g to facilitate comparison. The findings indicate that the recipe from the massive food service has a significant impact on human health, resulting in 3.54·10⁻⁷ DALY; meanwhile, the other two scenarios generate approximately 7.2·10⁻⁷ DALY. Moreover, regarding biodiversity impact, the recipe from the massive food service reaches 8.57·10⁻¹⁰ species.yr; by contrast, the other scenarios generate around 1.01·10⁻¹⁰ species.yr. Massive food services exhibit a lower environmental impact than home meals in preparing stewed chickpeas. This difference is primarily attributed to the cooling and reheating stages that occur when eating outside the home. Full article

Food waste is a pressing global issue, particularly in urban settings, where substantial amounts of surplus food go unused. In corporate environments, this challenge is compounded by the lack of dedicated platforms to facilitate food sharing and reduce waste effectively. This paper examines the current landscape of food waste, existing solutions, and the need for a specialised platform aimed at corporate employees. The proposed solution is the creation of a user-friendly application that enables the sharing of untouched homemade meals. Suppliers can post their meal boxes with details such as location, type of food, and availability status, while consumers can search for and select meal boxes based on their preferences. This paper addresses the gap in solutions for reducing food waste within corporate environments. The meal-box-sharing app provides a practical and sustainable method for minimising food waste and promoting productivity, health, and safety in the workplace. Full article

South Africa produces high-quality maize, yet food insecurity and malnutrition are prevalent. Maize is a staple for most South Africans and is often eaten as pap, gruel cooked from maize meal (corn flour) and water without diet diversification. Considering the reliance on maize in low-income communities, could nixtamalised maize products be developed that are nutritious, homemade and consumer-acceptable? Nixtamalisation could offer a solution. However, its acceptability and nutritional benefits remain in question. We aimed to develop a product using consumer-led methods. Consumer panels evaluated and selected products using overall acceptability (9-point hedonic scale), Just-About-Right (JAR) and penalty analysis. Consumer-acceptable nixtamalised chutney-flavoured maize chips were moderately liked (7.35) and reached acceptable JAR scores (74.2%). The nixtamalised products were liked and liked very much (56%), 61% of panel members agreed and strongly agreed to purchase and prepare, and 50% to consume nixtamalised products. Nutrient analysis of the chutney chips showed high energy (2302 kJ/100 g) and total fats (23.72), of which saturated fats were 11.47%. Total fibre (17.19 g/100 g), protein (6.64 g/100 g), calcium (163.3) and magnesium (53.67 g/100 g) were promising, while high phosphorous (566.00 mg/100 g) may indicate anti-nutrients present. Nixtamalisation can alleviate food insecurity and malnutrition in countries such as South Africa. Full article

This research examined the potential for utilizing waste materials generated during the production of dishes/meals and organic waste. Specifically, it evaluated the use of orange peel (OP), spent coffee grounds (SCG), and waste cooking oil in the production of soaps. For the purposes of this study, homemade soaps were made from used food oils using the cold saponification method using sodium hydroxide. During the soap preparation, spent coffee grounds and orange peel were added to the samples in increasing concentrations of 1%, 2.5%, and 5%. The quality of the individual types of homemade soaps was evaluated on the basis of physicochemical properties such as pH, moisture, total alkalinity, total fatty matter, malondialdehyde content, fat content, foaminess, and hardness. All soaps produced using the cooking oil met the ISO quality criteria and reveal a high TFM content, low moisture content, and also very good foam stability and satisfactory foaming stability. However, no relationship was observed between the use of OP and SCG in soap production and these parameters. However, according to the ABTS test, OP and SCG significantly contributed to the antioxidant properties of the soaps, while SCG-impregnated soaps performed slightly better in this respect. Soaps with SCG also had the highest levels of flavonoids. On the other hand, the fillers used for the soap formulation reduced their hardness. All soaps showed 100% solubility in water, thus confirming the biodegradability of the product. This study demonstrated the novel potential of incorporating waste products like orange peel, spent coffee grounds, and waste cooking oil into homemade soaps, highlighting their contributions to its antioxidant properties and water solubility while ensuring high quality standards. Full article

Background: Institutionalized individuals with dysphagia are particularly at risk for malnutrition. This study investigated two texture-modified models for patients with dysphagia, as follows: (i) traditional homemade pureed food (PF) and (ii) homogenized meals obtained from dehydrated and rehydrated instantaneous preparations (IPs). Methods: A retrospective pilot study was performed. It included patients affected by medium-severity dysphagia admitted to the nursing home “Sacra Famiglia” Institute of Cocquio Trevisago, Varese. The patients were aged 41–81 years old and all had complex disabilities. They underwent anthropometric and biochemical parameter assessments at baseline, as well as at two months and four months follow-up. Results: The study involved 30 patients, 15 received the IP meal. The comparison between the baseline and the follow-up did not show significant anthropometric and biochemical parameter differences. Conversely, the IP group reported significantly higher levels of consumption and satisfaction, evaluated using a modified Chernoff scale based on three levels of smiles, than the PF group. Conclusions: The present findings provide promising indications to improve the diet of patients affected by dysphagia, since meal satisfaction is a relevant factor that has been shown to be associated with better patient mood, motivation to eat, and adherence to prescribed diet. Full article

Due to the increasing interest in sorghum for human nutrition, recent literature reviews highlight its nutrient and bioactive contents, potential health benefits and its ‘gluten-free’ feature. Moreover, a current view of research advances on sorghum-based food products is needed to help both food scientists and industry identify current trends and forward-looking approaches. Studies on homemade processing are still scarce. Thus, this review aimed to provide the latest information regarding the use of sorghum to develop ready-to-eat products or food ingredients based on studies published in the last decade (2012–2022), which then guided discussions on recent advances and prospects. The articles were identified by searching the Elsevier Scopus database. Sorghum has great potential as a functional and sustainable food that can be used in daily meals as a substitute for common cereals like wheat, rice and corn. The studies in the review show that it is possible to process sorghum in a wide variety of ways to obtain ready-to-eat products and ingredients for food products and preparations, such as popping, lamination, extrusion and wet cooking. The studies also show promising approaches to use sorghum in acceptable and nutrient-dense bakery and pasta products, highlighting their gluten-free versions. However, more efforts to make these novel food products available to consumers should be made. Full article

Mosquitoes are arthropods that represent a real public health problem in Africa. Morphology and molecular biology techniques are usually used to identify different mosquito species. In recent years, an innovative tool, matrix-assisted desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), has been used to identify many arthropods quickly and at low cost, where equipment is available. We evaluated the ability of MALDI-TOF MS to identify mosquitoes collected in Senegal and stored for several months in silica gel, and to determine the origin of their blood meal. A total of 582 mosquitoes were collected and analysed. We obtained 329/582 (56.52%) MALDI-TOF MS good-quality spectra from mosquito legs and 123/157 (78.34%) good-quality spectra from engorged abdomens. We updated our home-made MALDI-TOF MS arthropod spectra database by adding 23 spectra of five mosquito species from Senegal that had been identified morphologically and molecularly. These included legs from Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles cf. rivulorum, Culex nebulosus, Anopheles funestus, and three spectra from abdomens engorged with human blood. Having updated the database, all mosquitoes tested by MALDI-TOF MS were identified with scores greater than or equal to 1.7 as An. gambiae (n = 64), Anopheles coluzzii (n = 12), An. arabiensis (n = 1), An. funestus (n = 7), An. cf rivulorum (n = 1), Lutzia tigripes (n = 3), Cx. nebulosus (n = 211), Culex quinquefasciatus (n = 2), Culex duttoni (n = 1), Culex perfescus (n = 1), Culex tritaeniorhynchus (n = 1), and Aedes aegypti (n = 2). Blood meal identification by MALDI-TOF MS revealed that mosquitoes had fed on the blood of humans (n = 97), cows (n = 6), dogs (n = 2), goats (n = 1), sheep (n = 1), and bats (n = 1). Mixed meals were also detected. These results confirm that MALDI-TOF MS is a promising technique for identifying mosquitoes and the origin of their blood meal. Full article

Aquaponics has the potential to contribute to food security in urban Nepal, where agricultural land near cities is rapidly being converted for other uses. This technology’s use is expanding in Nepal, but the relatively high cost of commercial fish food is a hindrance. As a result, some aquaponics operators are resorting to alternative, less expensive fish foods. Since the primary input of nutrients to the plants grown in aquaponics comes from the fish food, an evaluation of the impact of fish foods on plant and fish growth is needed to help operators evaluate the costs and benefits of commercial compared to alternative fish diets. This study evaluated the growth of lettuce and common carp, the most common species of plant and fish used in aquaponics in Nepal, with three fish diets (commercial fish food, commercial chicken food, and a homemade diet with mustard oil cake and rice bran) at a commercial aquaponics farm with nine identical systems allowing for three replicates of the three fish food treatments. There were no significant differences in the measurements of lettuce growth (stem length, root length, and stem mass) and few differences in nutrient concentrations in leaf tissue. The specific growth rate of the carp fingerlings was lowest for the fish in the systems fed with the homemade diet (0.21) compared to those fed commercial fish food or commercial chicken food (0.31 and 0.28, respectively). These findings suggest that aquaponics operators who have been buying the more expensive commercial fish food with fish meal as its protein source can save 50–95% of the related costs by using commercial chicken food or the homemade diet defined in this study. This could potentially encourage the expansion of aquaponics systems in Nepal. Full article

Because of growing urbanization and lack of time to prepare meals at home, eating out or getting food delivered have become common trends for many people. The consumption of food from unknown sources may impose an increased chance of contamination with microbiological hazards, especially if sanitary conditions are not met. We evaluated data from health surveillance agencies and scientific articles on foodborne diseases (FBD) reported internationally according to the exposure sites. We observed that the data are influenced by cultural, political, and socioeconomic differences. For instance, in New Zealand, Australia, United States, Denmark and India, the occurrence of FBD outbreaks was greater from foods prepared in commercial establishments and street vendors than from households. Conversely, in China, countries of the European Union and Brazil, the results are the opposite. Additionally, the pandemic imposed new eating behavior patterns, increasing delivery services and foods prepared in so-called “Dark Kitchens”. The underreporting and heterogeneity of data among countries prevented a precise conclusion to the question of whether homemade foods are inherently safer than foods prepared out. Nevertheless, a lower level of development in a country influences its sanitation conditions, as well as the number of street food vendors, the search for cheaper foods, and insufficient knowledge of the population on good hygiene practices, which can all increase the chances of FBD cases. Full article

The capitalization of agri-food waste is essential for the sustainability of a circular economy. This work focuses on a solution to eliminate such waste, meat and bone meal (MBM), which is produced in large quantities by the food industry and is prohibited for use as animal feed under the European directives. Therefore, with the focus of converting waste to energy, the catalytic pyrolysis of MBM in the presence of mesoporous silica nanocatalysts (SBA-3 and SBA-16 materials and metallic derivates) was investigated in a home-made reactor for the production of renewable energy. The mesoporous silica materials were synthesized using relatively simple methods and then characterized in order to determine their morpho-structural characteristics. The MBM pyrolysis behavior under different experimental conditions was examined in detail, both in the presence and absence of the new catalysts. The resulting MBM-based pyrolysis products, MBM_PYOILs and MBM_PYGASs, were also assessed as potential alternative fuels, highlighting comparable energy values to conventional fuels. The outcomes of this investigation offer a potential pathway to the clean production of gas and oil, thus promoting the high-grade utilization of MBM waste. Full article

This study aimed to describe street food and takeaway food purchasing patterns in Sarajevo and Banja Luka, throughout the day and by city location. A cross-sectional evaluation of street food and takeaway food customers was conducted in 2017. All eligible vending sites (n = 348) in the vicinity of selected markets and bus stops were included. Data on the food items purchased, and time and geographic location of the purchases were collected. A total of 755 customers purchased 929 food items. Takeaway venues showed higher customer influx (5.0 vs. 2.0 customers observed per 10 min of observation, p < 0.001) and buying rates (6.7 vs. 2.0 items bought per 10 min of observation, p < 0.001; 1.5 vs. 1.0 items bought per customer, p < 0.001) than street food sites. These rates were higher in city peripheries for street food venues, and in city centres for takeaway establishments. The purchase of industrial food products prevailed throughout the day in street food venues, whereas most takeaway purchases comprised homemade foods, with or without industrial beverages. The proportion of customers buying foods and beverages together was higher in takeaway venues (15.3% vs. 6.0%, p < 0.001), especially during lunchtime and in city centres. In street food vending sites, sweet and savoury snacks seemed to be preferred in the afternoon, whereas in takeaway food establishments, savoury pastries and main dishes were mostly purchased at breakfast or lunch, and bread during the morning. Soft drinks and industrial juices were frequently purchased in both types of vending site and at all hours of the day, particularly in the afternoon. Our findings provide an overview of street food and takeaway food buying habits and consumer demands in these cities, reflecting local food culture and dietary behaviours. The identification of the meal contexts and city sub-regions in which specific purchasing practices emerge point to potential priority targets. These insights can be useful when designing interventions adapted to the specificities of these food environments and the food habits of customers. Full article

Early nutrition plays a crucial role not only in providing essential nutrients for proper child development, but may also be an important step in creating desirable eating behaviors, which can be transmitted into adulthood. The aim of this study was to assess possible links between early feeding factors, such as breastfeeding, complementary feeding (timing and method) as well as types of complementary foods and mealtime environment during the first three months of complementary feeding and eating behaviors in children aged 1–3 years old. This cross-sectional, online survey involved 467 mothers of toddlers aged 1–3 years old from the whole of Poland. The questionnaire consisted of questions about early feeding and the Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ). The adjusted linear regression model revealed that longer duration of any breastfeeding was negatively related to enjoyment of food (EF), desire to drink (DD) and positively related to satiety responsiveness (SR) and slowness in eating (SE) subscales. Moreover, offering homemade complementary foods more often than commercial may be related to higher SR. Eating meals during distraction seems to be negatively associated with EF, and positively with DD and SE subscales. Our study highlights possible links between early feeding factors and toddlers’ eating behaviors, so further investigation, also including dietary factors, is needed. Full article

The World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic in March 2020. Global efforts have been made to prevent the disease from spreading through political decisions and personal behaviors, all of which rely on public awareness. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of dietary habits on weight and physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was distributed using social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and email communication. A total of 472 adults (age range, 18–59 years), over half of the study population (68.0%) being females, 55.5% being between 19 and 29 years old, 15.0%—between 30 and 39 years old, and 11.2%—older than 50 years old, participated in the study. Our results indicated that the overall body weight was slightly increased among the 50+ age group (47.2%, p > 0.05), but it highly increased among the 30–39-years-old age group (32.4%, p > 0.05) as compared to before the pandemic lockdown period. Therefore, our results show that a significant difference (p < 0.05) was found for all the assessments: weight status, physical activity patterns, hours spent on screen time, homemade meals, and changes in dietary habits before and during the full COVID-19 curfew period. This study demonstrated that changes in eating habits were commonly reported among the participants who represented the full COVID-19 curfew period and that changes in eating habits and decreased physical activity led to weight gain. Full article