Search Results (6)

The aim of this work was to characterise Lenticchia di Castelluccio di Norcia (an Italian PGI lentil landrace) and assess the impact of cooking and storage on antioxidant activity. After opening the package (T₀), samples were analysed using a set of chemical assays (i.e., total phenolic content, DPPH, ABTS, and ORAC assays). Analyses were also conducted on boiled, pressure-cooked, and 6-month-stored (T₁) products. At both T₀ and T₁, raw Lenticchia di Castelluccio di Norcia PGI showed higher total phenolic content (T₀: 9.08 mg GAE/g, T₁: 7.76 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (DPPH T₀: 33.02 µmol TE/g, T₁: 29.23 µmol TE/g; ABTS T₀: 32.12 µmol CE/g, T₁: 31.77 µmol CE/g; ORAC T₀: 3.58 μmol TE/g, T₁: 3.60 μmol TE/g) than boiled and pressure-cooked samples. Overall, pressure-cooking led to a smaller decline in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity than the common boiling procedure. Domestic storage led to a significant reduction in total phenolic content—both in raw and cooked products—but not in antioxidant activity. In summary, these results highlighted interesting amounts of phenols and antioxidant properties of this product, showing the impact of routine procedures. Given the relevance of pulses as sustainable plant-based meat alternatives and their importance in the prevention of non-communicable diseases, health professionals should consider these aspects in the context of correct nutrition education and scientific communication. Full article

Household-level food storage can help families save money, minimize food waste, and enhance food safety and security. Storing food within households may, however, be affected by domestic routines, like food shopping and cooking. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate how consumers’ attitudes and behaviors influence food storage at the household level. This study aimed to assess the determinants of household-level food storage, ascertain consumers’ behavior and perception towards food storage, and assess the effect of household-level food storage on food safety, wastage, food expenditure and security. Dzorwulu and Jamestown, both located in Accra, Ghana, served as the study’s primary sites. The study employed a survey and structural equation modeling to evaluate key determinants of household-level food storage practices and their impacts. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 400 food household heads, sampled using a systematic sampling procedure. The results showed that food shopping drives food storage. There was, however, significant negative association (p < 0.001) between food shopping and time of food storage. Although cooking impedes household-level food storage, there was significant positive association (p < 0.001) between frequency of cooking and storage period of food commodities. The findings also revealed that household-level food storage promotes food safety, reduces food expenditure and waste, and contributes to enhancing food security by 43%. To promote household-level food storage and ensure food safety and security, future study should concentrate on enhancing conventional household-level food storage practices that are efficient, cheaper and easily implementable. Full article

The community-based Small Changes, Healthy Habits (SCHH) program was developed to teach skills and techniques to help adults in Louisiana make and maintain small behavioral changes in their food selection, preparation, and consumption, and in physical activity routines. The content of this four-week program included habit formation and goal setting techniques; physical activity guidance; strategies for a healthier home food environment; a grocery store tour focused on label reading for healthier food selections; basic knife and cooking skills. The program was piloted at ten sites throughout the state. A survey with 14 core items was applied before and after the program to evaluate participant acquisition of skills and behaviors associated with topic areas. A total of 47 participants provided complete data sets. Post-program, these participants reported increased confidence in preparing healthy meals at home (p = 0.04); changes in fats (p = 0.03) and salt (p = 0.01) intake; increased frequency of reading nutrition labels (32%); decreased frequency of meals eaten outside the home (Improvement Index = 0.27); and decreased time/day spent sitting (p < 0.05). These short-term results suggest that the SCHH program has potential to positively affect healthy eating and to reduce sedentary behaviors, both of which are fundamental to good health and wellness. Full article

This article presents a Finnish social design study that was targeted at future Generation Z consumers. The main objective was to gain understanding of the target group’s attitudes, routines and skills relating to food consumption, diets and food waste within their households. The sustainability framework studied the Generation Z experience, obstacles and opportunities relating to behavior patterns, in addition with current habits—with respect to planning, shopping, cooking, eating and storing—and future motivations. The aim of the social design investigations was to provide contributions to the design outcome: a behavior change application that steered young consumers’ behavior patterns towards a more sustainable direction. The design framework was applied in two case studies that focused on 17–26-year-old consumers in Finland. The main method was qualitative online focus group discussions. Based on the results, the most important behavior change opportunities related to social aspects, the role of company sponsoring, localization and context-awareness potential in young consumers’ close environment and the need to engage wider sustainability aspects—such as carbon footprint, comparison of diets and financial savings—to the behavior change framework. Based on the results, the participants took the climate change challenge associated with food waste and biased diets very seriously. Full article

Although previous studies have discussed food waste at the household level and the antecedents of food disposal in western countries, very few studies have investigated food waste practices in Asian countries at the household or individual levels. As the food waste issue has drawn considerable concerns, the aim of this study was to examine how moral norms, perceived behavioral control, and food choices affect household food waste under the mediating role of household storing and cooking routines, as well as the moderating role of unplanned events. A questionnaire survey of Taiwanese families eventually obtained 954 valid questionnaires for analysis. Overall model fit and the study hypotheses were tested by structural equation modeling method (SEM). The SEM results showed that household storing and cooking routines significantly mediate the effects of moral norms and food choices on household food waste. Moreover, the moderating effect of unplanned events is statistically significant, indicating that under a higher degree of unplanned events, families are less likely to reduce food waste through household storage practices and cooking routines. Several implications and suggestions are also discussed for the reduction of household food waste. Full article

Diarrhoeal disease is a significant contributor to child morbidity and mortality, particularly in the developing world. Poor sanitation, a lack of personal hygiene and inadequate water supplies are known risk factors for diarrhoeal disease. Since risk factors may vary by population or setting, we evaluated the prevalence of diarrhoeal disease at the household level using a questionnaire to better understand household-level risk factors for diarrhoea in selected rural areas in South Africa. In a sub-sample of dwellings, we measured the microbial quality of drinking water. One in five households had at least one case of diarrhoea during the previous summer. The most widespread source of drinking water was a stand-pipe (inside yard) (45%) followed by an indoor tap inside the dwelling (29%). Storage of water was common (97%) with around half of households storing water in plastic containers with an opening large enough to fit a hand through. After adjusting for confounders, the occurrence of diarrhoea was statistically significantly associated with sourcing water from an indoor tap (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 2.73, 95% CI: 2.73, 1.14–6.56) and storing cooked/perishable food in non-refrigerated conditions (AOR: 2.17, 95% CI: 2.17, 1.44–3.26). The highest total coliform counts were found in water samples from kitchen containers followed by stand-pipes. Escherichia coli were most often detected in samples from stand-pipes and kitchen containers. One in four households were at risk of exposure to contaminated drinking water, increasing the susceptibility of the study participants to episodes of diarrhoea. It is imperative that water quality meets guideline values and routine monitoring of quality of drinking water is done to minimise diarrhoea risk in relevant rural communities. The security of water supply in rural areas should be addressed as a matter of public health urgency to avoid the need for water storage. Full article