Journal of Food Science and Nutritional Disorders

Effect of Salt and Inhibitoron the Isolation, Purification and Characterization of α -Amylase from Aspergillusniger Produced from Pigeon Pea

2021-12-29T08:19:42+00:00

α-Amylase an industrially used enzyme can be obtained from Aspergillusniger and can be produced from food sources such as pigeon pea. α-Amylase was produced from Aspergillusniger isolated from pigeon pea, purified and characterized. This process was achieved using ammonium sulphate, ion exchange DEAE column and gel filtration (Sephadex A-50 and sephadex G-100) chromatography. The effect of salt and inhibitor was determinedAmmonium sulphate precipitation results showed that the highest specific α-amylase activity was (1.01 U/ml. mg) obtained at 11.27% saturation level, with a purity of 1.81-fold of the crude extract and yielding 1.00%. Further purification using gel filtration increased the enzyme purity and yielding 8.94-fold relative to the crude extract 3.01% and yielding Specific activity after purification was 4.99 U/mg. The effect of salts on α-Amylase activity increased to 258.09% when in MgSO₄, while decreased to 7.71% and 21.07% when in MnSO₄ and CuCl₂respectively and yielded no result when in PbNO_3.Its reaction with chemical inhibitors such as Bromosuccinimide was activated to 136.465% and was inhibited at Mercaptoethanol to 0%. All these were determined using a visible spectrophotometer with an absorbance of 540nm, against the control that contains 100µL of the enzyme and 100µL of 1% starch solution.Therefore α -amylase produced from Aspergillusniger can be exploited for potential usage for industrial applications of enzymes in a wide range of production and its application in food processing.

Importance of Food and Nutrition for Adolescents

2022-09-26T14:49:43+00:00

A short review of importance of food and nutrition for adolescents is described. Adolescent food habits frequently run counter to the special nutritional needs of this age group. Importance and effect of nutrient supplements on physical and mental health is discussed.

Food Chain Arsenic: Additional body burden on health of arsenic

2021-10-28T18:16:42+00:00

Food Chain Arsenic: Additional body burden on health of arsenic

Total arsenic, arsenic species, and trace elements in crop and vegetable grown in areas irrigated with arsenic contaminated water in Bangladesh and West Bengal-India

2021-10-28T00:42:35+00:00

In this study, tube well water, soil, crop, and vegetable were collected from agricultural field where irrigated with arsenic contaminated water. Estimation of total arsenic and other metals and metalloids in soil, vegetable, and paddy (rice & husk) samples by using ICP-MS after microwave digestion. But arsenic species in paddy (rice + husk), rice, husk, and vegetable by IC-ICP-MS after TFA extraction.

Results show that the average arsenic concentration in contaminated soil, rice, and vegetable were 3.81, 3.62, and 5.66 times higher than the control samples, respectively. The overall observations indicated that arsenic concentration in vegetable and paddy were positively correlated with arsenic in soil. Also, for paddy arsenic concentration decreases shoot > seed (rice) > husk and in vegetables the distribution is leaf> stem > fruit.

The regression analysis was carried out between arsenic and other metals in soil samples. However, no significant co-relation was observed between As & Mn, As & Cu, As & Ni, or As & Pb. But a significant (<0.05) positive correlation found between As & Zn (r =+0.763, p = 0.027) and also a strong negative correlation was observed between As & Hg (r = -0.802, p = 0.009).

Arsenic along with Se, Mn, Cu, Hg, Pb & Ni were analyzed in rice & husk of 3 paddy samples cultivated with arsenic contaminated water. The regression analysis was carried out between arsenic and other metals. Linear regression shown negative correlation between As & Se (r= -0.999, p = 0.018), As & Pb (r = -0.992, p = 0.078) and positive correlation between As & Cu (r =+0.998, p = 0.03). But no satisfactory correction observed between As & Mn, As & Hg, and As & Ni. It has been observed selenium concentration decreases with increase arsenic concentration in both rice and husk, collected from As contaminated field in Bangladesh. This has also been observed in two vegetable samples those we had studied. All analyzed elements concentration (µg/gm) were less in “Kachu (Taro)” comparing “Data (Stem amaranth)” except arsenic. Arsenic was very high in “Kachu” comparing “Data” even though they were irrigated with same water containing arsenic 205 µg/L.

The overall conclusion from arsenic species analysis in rice, paddy (rice + husk), and some vegetables are that inorganic arsenic is the dominating species of arsenic. It appears from all four-rice analysis that inorganic arsenic is the major portion of arsenic in rice. All four-husk analysis shows only presence of inorganic arsenic. No methylated form of arsenic was found in any husk samples, but arsenic species in a paddy (rice+ husk) sample shows high inorganic arsenic (76.46%) and 19.37% DMA & 4.23% MMA. It shows presence of inorganic arsenic & DMA, and possibility of an unknown arsenic species in Lady's Finger. It was very high arsenic concentration in a vegetable named “Kachu” which grows inside soil a popular food in West Bengal-India and Bangladesh. Most interesting, its inorganic arsenic concentration is quite high, but it has no detectable amount of methylated form of arsenic and possible of an unknown arsenic species.

Rice and vegetable are the staple food for poor villagers of Bangladesh and West Bengal-India. This is true for the villagers in Kolsur gram-panchayet (G.P.) in Deganga block of North 24-Parganas district, West Bengal-India, where we studied for arsenic in soil, rice, and vegetable from 10 plots cultivated with arsenic contaminated water. From the results of total arsenic (drinking water + rice + vegetable + Pantavat (rice mixed with water) + water added for food preparation) body burden to North Kolsur villagers is 1185.0 µg for per adult per day and 653.2 µg for per child per day. Amount of arsenic coming from rice, vegetable, and water added for Pantavat and food preparation is 485 µg i.e., 41% of total for adult and 253.2 µg i.e., 38.8% for child, and from rice and vegetable 285 µg i.e., 24% of total for adult and 153.2 µg i.e., 23.4% for child (around age 10 years). Our findings show most of the arsenic coming from food is inorganic in nature. As toxicity of most of the organic arsenic compounds in food is less compared to inorganic arsenic.

Therefore, compared to worldwide arsenic consumption from food, it appears Kolsur villagers are also consuming high amount of inorganic arsenic from food and vegetable, and people appears also at risk from arsenic in food. Kolsur village is an example of many such villages in West Bengal-India and Bangladesh.

Further, products from arsenic irrigated water- soil system rich in arsenic are also coming to common marketplace far away from contaminated areas and even people who are not drinking arsenic contaminated water may get arsenic from food products produced from contaminated fields. In West Bengal-India and Bangladesh rice, vegetable, and other products are coming to cities (including Kolkata in West Bengal-India and Dhaka in Bangladesh) from villages and possibility that city people consuming arsenic contaminated products from contaminated areas cannot be ruled out.

Abbreviation: IC-ICP-MS, Ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-Mass spectrophotometry; FI-HG-AAS, Flow injection-hydride generation -atomic absorption spectrometry

Will Cultivated Meat Take Over The Food Industry?

2021-07-18T07:40:32+00:00

With the world’s ever-increasing meat consumption, the supply of meaty products is beginning to dwindle rapidly, bringing cultivated meat at the forefront of the consummarket. Read on to find more.

Traditional weight loss and dukan diets as to nutritional and laboratory results

2021-07-26T11:36:37+00:00

Background and Aims: Dukan diet, a popular diet with high content of protein and carbohydrate and fat restriction has been widely used for weight loss. We aimed to compare the effects of the Dukan diet with traditional low-calorie diet in nutritional, laboratory and vascular parameters in obese subjects. Methods and Results: Obese subjects classes I or II of both genders, aging 19 to 65 years were allocated into two groups: Traditional low-calorie diet (n=17) and Dukan Diet (n=17). Anthropometric, laboratory and vascular evaluations were performed at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Body composition was evaluated by bioelectric impedance and endothelial function by flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery, at same times. After 12 months, it was verified that Dukan diet was more effective (p<0.05) than traditional diet for: weight loss (-10.6 vs -2.9 kg), body mass index (-3.7 vs -1.1 kg/m²), waist circumference (-11.2 vs -2.1 cm), fat (-5.7 vs -2.0 kg) and lean mass (-4.8 vs 0.8 kg) and basal metabolic rate (-152 vs -28 cal). In Dukan diet group, improvement (p<0.05 vs baseline) was observed in triglyceride levels (172.40 to 111.90 mg/dL) and insulin resistance, based on HOMA-IR index (4.98 to 3.26). The glomerular filtration rate decreased in this group after 3 months (132.50 to 113.80 mL/min) and no changes in flow-mediated dilation were observed throughout the study with both diets. Conclusion: Dukan diet was more effective than traditional diet for weight loss and laboratory parameters and without changes in endothelial function, in the 12-months follow-up of obese subjects.

Breast feeding in refugee context: a scoping review

2021-07-18T07:52:56+00:00

To map in the scientific literature the extent to which forced international migration changes the practice of breastfeeding. Method: Scoping review where the guiding question was: "Does forced international migration change the practice of breastfeeding in refugee women?" and searches were carried out between December 2018 and March 2019 in the databases: LILACS, MEDLINE, SciElo, BDEFN, Scopus and PubMed Central. Results: 8 studies were selected for the review. After the thematic analysis, 4 thematic categories emerged: knowledge versus breastfeeding practice; cultural and religious trends; performance of health services; and barriers to the practice of breastfeeding in resettlement. Conclusion: Forced migration alters the practice of breastfeeding in refugees, being intensified as a socio, ideological and culturally learned practice, or seen as primitive and non-normative conditioned to the destination country.