Therapeutic Food Development from Maize Grains, Pulses, and Cooking Banana Fruits for the Prevention of Severe Acute Malnutrition.

In children under five years of age, severe acute malnutrition is a complex and challenging problem, especially those living in poor communities. Therefore, this study aimed to formulate ready-to-use therapeutic foods from affordable, locally available cereals, pulses, and banana fruits to overcome the problem of severe acute malnutrition. Maize grains, pulses (soybeans), and cooking banana fruits were ingredients used in formulations of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF). A completely randomized design was done with two replicates. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance. A significant difference existed in the appearance and consistency for RUTF1, RUTF2, and RUTF3 samples (P < 0.05). The study findings revealed that the moisture content varied from 6.7 to 13.4%, energy from 513.2 to 642.41 kcal/100 g, protein from 13.9 to 19.34%%, and crude fat from 24.12 to 35.54%. The calcium content ranged from 225 to 302 g/100 mg, iron from 10.34 to 12.26 g/100 mg, and zinc from 10 to 20 g/100 mg. In this study, the phytate content varied from 314.74 to 369.3 µg/g and crude tannin, from 101.36 to 153.25 µg/g. This study concluded that the ingredients used in the RUTF1, RUTF2, and RUTF3 formulations met the standard ready-to-use therapeutic foods. Therefore, it is important to prescribe ready-to-use dietary supplements made from inexpensive, locally available, and culturally acceptable foods to prevent severe acute malnutrition in infants.

Descriptive sensory analysis of instant porridge from stored wholegrain and decorticated pearl millet flour cooked, stabilized and improved by using a low-cost extruder.

Pearl millet flour, particularly wholegrain flour, is highly susceptible to development of rancid aromas and flavors during storage. Grain decortication and extrusion cooking using a friction-heated single-screw extruder were investigated as potential flour stabilization processes. Raw and extruded wholegrain and decorticated grain pearl millet flours were stored at ambient (25°C) and elevated (40°C) temperatures for 6 months. A trained descriptive sensory panel developed a lexicon of 44 attributes to profile the aroma, flavor, and texture of porridges prepared from the flours. Grain decortication alone did not show an effect on the aroma and flavor profile of porridge. Extrusion cooking of both wholegrain and decorticated flours increased cereal-like aromas (branny, canned sweetcorn, sweet, and wheaty) and flavor (starchy), as well as stiffness and cohesiveness of the porridges. The porridges from the extruded pearl millet flours stored for up to 6 months at ambient and elevated temperatures did not show any indications of rancidity. In contrast, rancidity-associated aromas (chemical, painty, and soapy) and flavor (chemical) increased in porridges from the raw flours stored for 4 weeks and longer. These results indicate that grain decortication did not sufficiently reduce fat content to prevent oxidation, while extrusion cooking stabilized the pearl millet flours. In addition, intensified "cereal-like" aromas and flavors were probably due to Maillard reactions occurring during extrusion cooking. Resulting aroma compounds could have been immobilized in the extruded matrix and not released during flour storage. The application of extrusion cooking with a simple friction-heated single-screw extruder is a viable process for both precooking and extending the shelf life of pearl millet flours. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study demonstrates the potential of extrusion cooking to precook wholegrain pearl millet while preventing fat rancidity in wholegrain pearl millet flour, thereby improving the sensory quality and stability of pearl millet food products. The extensive sensory characterization of pearl millet porridge-type foods can serve as a guidance tool for development, improvement, and quality control of pearl millet foods. Furthermore, it establishes the efficacy of simple friction-heated, single-screw extruders for commercial manufacture of ready-to-eat wholegrain pearl millet food products by small and medium scale entrepreneurs.

Validation and comparison of analytical methods for the determination of uric acid in pulses and cereals by salting out assisted extraction by Rapid resolution liquid chromatography.

An analytical method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of uric acid in cereals and pulses based on salting-out assisted extraction and subsequent analysis by Rapid Resolution Liquid Chromatography (RRLC). Uric acid is a degradation product of purines, which is an indicator of insect infestation and the state of stored grains and pulses. This study aims to compare and validate a high-performance liquid chromatography method with Diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) and fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) for the estimation of uric acid. Protein precipitation with ammonium sulfate and acetonitrile was used for sample cleanup and pre-treatment. The addition of inorganic ions results in preferential solvation and precipitates proteins. The separation was performed on a Zorbax SB C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with an isocratic elution using water-acetonitrile containing 10 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate (95:5, v/v), at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The relative coefficient (r2) for the calibration curve was more than 0.995 over the concentration range of 25-200 mg/kg. This method's precision at concentrations of 25-150 mg/kg was within 7.25%, and the accuracy was 85.1%-92.7%. The method was validated in terms of the LOD, LOQ, repeatability, reproducibility, linearity, uncertainty, specificity & system suitability. The limit of detection and limit of quantification was 16.60 mg/kg and 50.34 mg/kg, respectively.

The acceptance of zinc biofortified rice in Latin America: A consumer sensory study and grain quality characterization.

Zinc deficiency is a major public health problem in vulnerable populations of Latin America and the Caribbean. Biofortification of rice (Oryza sativa L.) with zinc has the potential to alleviate zinc deficiencies. However, as plant breeding processes can alter grain culinary quality and favorable sensory attributes, grain quality and consumer acceptability need to be assessed prior to releasing a variety to the public. A grain quality characterization and a sensory acceptability analysis were carried out with two varieties of zinc biofortified rice and a local control both in Bolivia and Colombia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical parameters that are significant in consumer acceptance and to determine the acceptability of zinc biofortified rice by consumers. Results of physicochemical parameters were analyzed using ANOVA. The sensory acceptability was evaluated in 243 adults utilizing a 7-point hedonic scale and a Wilcoxon's signed rank test was used to determine the overall acceptability of the varieties. Biofortified rice variety T2-11 and MAC-18 -control 1- were equally accepted by consumers in Bolivia with no significant differences (p<0.05). The grain quality analysis reported that both presented long and slender rice grains (L>7.5 mm and L/B>3), an intermediate to high amylose content (>25%) and a similar level of chalkiness. In Colombia, the biofortified variety 035 presented a higher score in overall acceptance in comparison to biofortified variety 021 and the local variety CICA4 -control 2-. However, no significant differences were observed (p<0.05). Conversely to the other two varieties, the biofortified variety 035 presented the largest size grain (L/B = 2.97), a lower chalkiness and an amylose content above 25%. This study shows that the grain quality properties of rice have an influence on acceptability and that zinc biofortified rice varieties are accepted by consumers.

FLOURY ENDOSPERM11-2 encodes plastid HSP70-2 involved with the temperature-dependent chalkiness of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grains.

The frequent occurrence of chalky rice (Oryza sativa L.) grains becomes a serious problem as a result of climate change. The molecular mechanism underlying chalkiness is largely unknown, however. In this study, the temperature-sensitive floury endosperm11-2 (flo11-2) mutant was isolated from ion beam-irradiated rice of 1116 lines. The flo11-2 mutant showed significantly higher chalkiness than the wild type grown under a mean temperature of 28°C, but similar levels of chalkiness to the wild type grown under a mean temperature of 24°C. Whole-exome sequencing of the flo11-2 mutant showed three causal gene candidates, including Os12g0244100, which encodes the plastid-localized 70-kDa heat shock protein 2 (cpHSP70-2). The cpHSP70-2 of the flo11-2 mutant has an amino acid substitution on the 259th aspartic acid with valine (D259V) in the conserved Motif 5 of the ATPase domain. Transgenic flo11-2 mutants that express the wild-type cpHSP70-2 showed significantly lower chalkiness than the flo11-2 mutant. Moreover, the accumulation level of cpHSP70-2 was negatively correlated with the chalky ratio, indicating that cpHSP70-2 is a causal gene for the chalkiness of the flo11-2 mutant. The intrinsic ATPase activity of recombinant cpHSP70-2 was lower by 23% at Vmax for the flo11-2 mutant than for the wild type. The growth of DnaK-defective Escherichia coli cells complemented with DnaK with the D201V mutation (equivalent to the D259V mutation) was severely reduced at 37°C, but not in the wild-type DnaK. The results indicate that the lowered cpHSP70-2 function is involved with the chalkiness of the flo11-2 mutant.

Multi-Mycotoxin Occurrence and Exposure Assessment Approach in Foodstuffs from Algeria.

A survey on 120 cereal samples (barley, maize, rice and wheat) from Algerian markets has been carried out to evaluate the presence of 15 mycotoxins (ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B1 and B2, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, zearalenone, fusarenon X, citrinin, sterigmatocystin, enniatins A, A1, B and B1, and beauvericin). With this purpose, a QuEChERS-based extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) were used. Analytical results showed that 78 cereal samples (65%) were contaminated with at least one toxin, while 50% were contaminated with three to nine mycotoxins. T-2 toxin, citrinin, beauvericin and deoxynivalenol were the most commonly found mycotoxins (frequency of 50%, 41.6%, 40.8% and 33.3%, respectively). Fumonisins (B1 + B2), enniatins B and B1, deoxynivalenol and zearalenone registered high concentrations (289-48878 µg/kg, 1.2-5288 µg/kg, 15-4569 µg/kg, 48-2055 µg/kg and 10.4-579 µg/kg, respectively). Furthermore, concentrations higher than those allowed by the European Union (EU) were observed in 21, 8 and 1 samples for fumonisins, zearalenone and deoxinivalenol, respectively. As a conclusion, the high levels of fumonisins (B1 + B2) in maize and deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and HT-2 + T-2 toxins in wheat, represent a health risk for the average adult consumer in Algeria. These results pointed out the necessity of a consistent control and the definition of maximum allowed levels for mycotoxins in Algerian foodstuffs.

Genome-wide association study reveals that different pathways contribute to grain quality variation in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor).

BACKGROUND: In sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), one paramount breeding objective is to increase grain quality. The nutritional quality and end use value of sorghum grains are primarily influenced by the proportions of tannins, starch and proteins, but the genetic basis of these grain quality traits remains largely unknown. This study aimed to dissect the natural variation of sorghum grain quality traits and identify the underpinning genetic loci by genome-wide association study. RESULTS: Levels of starch, tannins and 17 amino acids were quantified in 196 diverse sorghum inbred lines, and 44 traits based on known metabolic pathways and biochemical interactions amongst the 17 amino acids calculated. A Genome-wide association study (GWAS) with 3,512,517 SNPs from re-sequencing data identified 14, 15 and 711 significant SNPs which represented 14, 14, 492 genetic loci associated with levels of tannins, starch and amino acids in sorghum grains, respectively. Amongst these significant SNPs, two SNPs were associated with tannin content on chromosome 4 and colocalized with three previously identified loci for Tannin1, and orthologs of Zm1 and TT16 genes. One SNP associated with starch content colocalized with sucrose phosphate synthase gene. Furthermore, homologues of opaque1 and opaque2 genes associated with amino acid content were identified. Using the KEGG pathway database, six and three candidate genes of tannins and starch were mapped into 12 and 3 metabolism pathways, respectively. Thirty-four candidate genes were mapped into 16 biosynthetic and catabolic pathways of amino acids. We finally reconstructed the biosynthetic pathways for aspartate and branched-chain amino acids based on 15 candidate genes identified in this study. CONCLUSION: Promising candidate genes associated with grain quality traits have been identified in the present study. Some of them colocalized with previously identified genetic regions, but novel candidate genes involved in various metabolic pathways which influence grain quality traits have been dissected. Our study acts as an entry point for further validation studies to elucidate the complex mechanisms controlling grain quality traits such as tannins, starch and amino acids in sorghum.

Recent developments in applications of radio frequency heating for improving safety and quality of food grains and their products: A review.

Food grains constitute a vital part of the daily diet of the population worldwide, and are generally considered as safe products with high storage stability due to their low moisture contents. However, post-harvest losses (PHL) caused by insects, fungi, food-borne pathogens, and undesirable enzymes remain a major concern for the grain industry. Thermal treatments are commonly used to reduce the PHL of grains and their products without any chemical residues. Among which, radio frequency (RF) technology has been regarded as a promising alternative to traditional heating methods for improving safety and quality of food grains due to its fast, volumetric, and deep penetration heating characteristics. This review provided comprehensive information about principles of RF technology and its main applications including disinfestation, pasteurization, enzyme inactivation, drying, and roasting for processing food grains and their products. The methods to improve the RF heating uniformity and effects of RF heating on product quality were also reviewed. Finally, the current problems and recommendations for future work related to RF processing of grains and their products were discussed. This review would improve the understanding of RF heating for food grains and their products and promote the application of RF technology in the food grain industry.

Written Nutrition Guidelines, Client Choice Distribution, and Adequate Refrigerator Storage Are Positively Associated with Increased Offerings of Feeding America's Detailed Foods to Encourage (F2E) in a Large Sample of Arkansas Food Pantries.

BACKGROUND: Millions of food-insecure households in the United States obtain food from food pantries each year. These foods are often of insufficient nutritional quality. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to describe the frequency with which Arkansas food pantries offer foods included in Feeding America's Detailed Foods to Encourage (F2E) framework, and examine food pantry characteristics associated with increased frequency of offering F2E and other foods. DESIGN: This was a 27-item cross-sectional online survey that assessed food pantries' characteristics (eg, storage capacities, number of clients served) and typical food offerings. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Partnering with five of Arkansas's six food banks, 764 e-mail invitations were sent to food agency managers across the state. A final sample of 357 food pantries was included in the analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes of interest were the frequencies of offering specific F2E and F2E in general. The F2E framework was developed by Feeding America to more accurately assess food banks' inventories, and its categories (Fruits and Vegetables; Protein; Dairy; and Grains) are generally consistent with MyPlate. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics were computed for all food pantry characteristics and frequency of foods offered. Associations between food pantry characteristics and the frequency of offering F2E were examined via multiple linear regression and path analysis. RESULTS: Only 18.5% of food pantries had written nutrition guidelines, and only 19.3% offered client choice distribution. The F2E most commonly offered were meat/poultry/seafood without breading and not fried (59.6%) and peanut butter (58.2%). The least commonly offered F2E were nuts/seeds with nothing added (3.8%) and low-fat/1%/skim cheese (8.2%). Written nutrition guidelines (P<0.001), client choice distribution (P=0.003), and adequate refrigerator storage (P=0.010) were associated with more frequently offering F2E. CONCLUSIONS: This study fills a gap in knowledge by documenting food pantry characteristics that are associated with the frequencies of offering specific types of healthy foods.

Novel multi-analyte method for detection of thirty photoinitiators in breakfast cereal and packaged juice.

Multilayer print designs are commonly used in commercial food packaging to attract consumers. UV-curable ink is generally used in this type of printing due to its ease of application, space saving, and rapid drying; however, there have been a number of health alerts related to the contamination of food by photoinitiators in UV-curable ink. In this study, we established a multi-analyte method by which to detect 30 photoinitiators simultaneously. We then applied this method to the analysis of five breakfast cereals and ten types of packaged juice to detect the presence of photoinitiator contamination. Sample treatment was performed using the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method for the extraction of photoinitiators. Chromatographic separation of two isomers, methylbenzophenone (MBP) and isopropylthioxanthone (ITX), was achieved using a pentafluorophenyl propyl (PFP) column (1.7 µm, 100 × 2.1 mm i.d.) and MeOH: 5 mM formic acid-ammonium formate (pH 4.0) in gradient elution. The average recovery of photoinitiators from cereal was between 62.0 and 120.3%, with a coefficient of variation between 0.4 and 14.4%. The average recovery of photoinitiators from packaged juices was between 84.4 and 122.9% with a coefficient of variation between 0.5 and 9.5%. The contamination results were as follows: 13.1 ng/g triphenyl phosphate (TPP) was detected in one breakfast cereal, and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzophenone (BP-3), 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl-ketone (Irgacure 184), methyl-2-benzoylbenzoate (MOBB), and 2,4-diethyl-9H-thioxanthen-9-one (DETX) were detected in one of the packaged juices at levels ranging from 2.2 to 152.9 ng/g.

Genomic Prediction and Genome-Wide Association Studies of Flour Yield and Alveograph Quality Traits Using Advanced Winter Wheat Breeding Material.

Use of genetic markers and genomic prediction might improve genetic gain for quality traits in wheat breeding programs. Here, flour yield and Alveograph quality traits were inspected in 635 F6 winter wheat breeding lines from two breeding cycles. Genome-wide association studies revealed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 5D significantly associated with flour yield, Alveograph P (dough tenacity), and Alveograph W (dough strength). Additionally, SNPs on chromosome 1D were associated with Alveograph P and W, SNPs on chromosome 1B were associated with Alveograph P, and SNPs on chromosome 4A were associated with Alveograph L (dough extensibility). Predictive abilities based on genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) models ranged from 0.50 for flour yield to 0.79 for Alveograph W based on a leave-one-out cross-validation strategy. Predictive abilities were negatively affected by smaller training set sizes, lower genetic relationship between lines in training and validation sets, and by genotype-environment (G×E) interactions. Bayesian Power Lasso models and genomic feature models resulted in similar or slightly improved predictions compared to GBLUP models. SNPs with the largest effects can be used for screening large numbers of lines in early generations in breeding programs to select lines that potentially have good quality traits. In later generations, genomic predictions might be used for a more accurate selection of high quality wheat lines.

Prevention and control strategies for children Kashin-Beck disease in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate prevention and control strategies for children with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) in China through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We conducted literature searches of articles indexed in Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Springerlink, Elsevier, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang data until February 2019. Search terms included "Kashin-Beck disease" or "KBD," and "improvement of water" or "change of grain" or "salt-rich selenium" or "comprehensive measures." Eligible studies were prospective trials of interventions in endemic area. Data extraction was performed by 2 independent authors using predefined data fields that also included quality evaluation. RESULTS: We screened 1183 potentially relevant articles, and included 22 studies that reported 24 trials, with data from 3700 healthy children and 2961 children KBD. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (95% CIs) for primary prevention new incidence in healthy children following interventions to comprehensive measures, change of grain, salt-rich selenium, and improvements of water were 0.15 (0.02, 0.95), 0.15 (0.03, 0.70), 0.19 (0.09, 0.38), and 0.20 (0.09, 0.42), respectively. The OR (95% CI) for clinical improvement in children KBD following interventions to improvement of water, salt-rich selenium, comprehensive measures, and change of grain were 5.03 (3.21, 7.89), 4.39 (3.15, 6.11), 2.98 (1.61, 5.52), and 2.35 (1.59, 3.47), respectively. All interventions showed significant differences and were effective (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive measures and change of grain were the most effective measures in preventing new case, whereas improvement of water and salt-rich selenium resulted in clinical improvements in children KBD.

Assessing the impact of corn variety and Texas terroir on flavor and alcohol yield in new-make bourbon whiskey.

The whiskey industry is dominated by whiskey styles with recipes that contain corn as the primary grain. However, little research has been conducted to investigate whiskey specific distinctions arising from different corn varieties and growing environments (i.e. terroir). Further, no studies have investigated the aroma or flavor impacts of different varieties and terroirs. Here, three different commodity yellow dent hybrid corn varieties were grown on different farms in Texas, spanning from the Texas Panhandle to the Mexico-United States border. Using novel small-batch mashing techniques, a newly developed new-make (i.e. unaged whiskey,immediate by-product of distillation) bourbon sensory lexicon, a trained sensory panel, high-performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry (GC-MS/O), we report for the first time a method for evaluating sample effects on alcohol yield and flavor in new-make bourbon whiskey. We discover that variety, terroir and their interactions, previously ignored, can substantially affect valuable sensory aspects of whiskey, suggesting the importance of scientifically evaluating corn genetics and agronomy for developing better whiskey. Excitingly, our data suggest milled corn with higher levels of benzadehyde, readily measured by GC-MS/O, correlates with improved sensory aspects of distillate, which must be expensively evaluated using a trained human sensory panel.

Dissipation of the Insecticide Cyantraniliprole and Its Metabolite IN-J9Z38 in Proso Millet during Cultivation.

The dissipation patterns of cyantraniliprole and its metabolite IN-J9Z38 were investigated using proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) under open-field conditions to establish a pre-harvest interval. A simple and sensitive analytical method was developed for analyzing residues using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) for multiple reaction monitoring of target compounds. The analytical method was validated in terms of the instrumental limit of quantitation, method limit of quantitation, linearity, accuracy, and precision. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of cyantraniliprole and IN-J9Z38 residues in the field samples of four plots, which were treated twice with an oil dispersion formulation, according to the date of pesticide treatment before harvest. In the case of cyantraniliprole in grain and straw, there was a 91.1 and 89.1% decrease, respectively, from the initial residues (14-7 days) to the final plot (40-30 days before harvest). However, IN-J9Z38 gradually increased over time, indicating that cyantraniliprole transformed into IN-J9Z38 during cultivation. The biological half-lives of total cyantraniliprole were 11.3 and 9.4 days for grain and straw, respectively. The results obtained in this study will inform regulation and management of pesticide use for the minor crop proso millet.

Evaluation of a high-protein DDGS product in broiler chickens: performance, nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolisable energy, and standardised ileal amino acid digestibility.

1. New production processes and additional uses for corn co-products have increased the availability of distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) with varying energy and amino acid digestibility, for use in poultry feed. The objective of this study was to determine the performance, N-corrected metabolisable energy (AMEn), and amino acid (AA) digestibility of a 34% CP (as fed) high-protein DDGS (HP-DDGS) included in poultry diets for Cobb 500 broiler chickens.2. A total of 832 Cobb 500 broilers were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments containing 5% conventional DDGS (CV-DDGS) as a control or 10%, 15% and 20% HP-DDGS and fed for 42 d. After the performance trial, 240 birds from the original 832 were selected for a concurrent AMEn and AA digestibility experiment consisting of two AMEn diets and two AA diets.3. Birds fed diets containing 15% and 20% HP DDGS gained less weight than birds fed the CV-DDGS (P < 0.05) but did not differ in feed intake (FI), and therefore had a less efficient FCR than the control (P < 0.05). The AMEn of HP-DDGS was determined to be 11.4 MJ/kg. The standardised ileal amino acid digestibility (SIAAD) of the essential amino acids Lys and Met were determined to be 80.9% and 88.6%, respectively.4. HP-DDGS can be included in broiler diets up to 10% without any negative impact on performance or requiring supplemental Lys and Arg. The results from the AA digestibility study indicated that HP-DDGS could be a good source of digestible Lys.

Certification of Ochratoxin A Reference Materials: Calibration Solutions OTAN-1 and OTAL-1 and a Mycotoxin-Contaminated Rye Flour MYCO-1.

Background: Among the regulated mycotoxins that contaminate global food supplies, ochratoxin A is particularly harmful as a nephrotoxin and suspected carcinogen. Objective: To support global measurement comparability, certified calibration solutions for ochratoxin A and [13C6]-ochratoxin A (OTAN-1 and OTAL-1, respectively) as well as a mycotoxin-contaminated rye flour certified reference material (CRM) known as MYCO-1 were developed. Methods: Quantitative proton NMR was used along with maleic acid as an external standard traceable to the Système international (SI) to measure the concentration of ochratoxin A and [13C6]-ochratoxin A for the calibration solutions. OTAN-1 and OTAL-1 were then used as a pair in double isotope dilution MS to certify the mass fraction of ochratoxin A in MYCO-1. The natural ochratoxin A CRM served as the primary standard for traceable quantitation, while the synthetic [13C6]-ochratoxin A CRM served as the internal standard. Results: The certified mass fraction of ochratoxin A or [13C6]-ochratoxin A in the two mycotoxin calibration solution standards was established to be 11.03 ± 0.32 µg/g (k = 2) for OTAN-1 and 4.89 ± 0.18 µg/g (k = 2) for OTAL-1. The mass fraction of ochratoxin A in the rye flour standard MYCO-1 was certified at 4.05 ± 0.88 µg/kg (k = 2). Conclusions: These CRMs will support regulatory testing as they can be used in the method development, validation, calibration, and QC analysis of ochratoxin A. Highlights: This report highlights the methods used to certify OTAN-1, OTAL-1, and MYCO-1 as well as the challenges associated with producing such materials, which can be applied to a wide variety of other CRMs.

Cadmium contamination in agricultural soils of China and the impact on food safety.

Rapid industrialization in China during the last three decades has resulted in widespread contamination of Cd in agricultural soils. A considerable proportion of the rice grain grown in some areas of southern China has Cd concentrations exceeding the Chinese food limit, raising widespread concern regarding food safety. In this review, we summarize rice grain Cd concentrations in national Chinese markets and in field surveys from contaminated areas, and analyze the potential health risk associated with increased dietary Cd intake. For subsistence rice farmers living in some contaminated areas of southern China who mainly consume locally-produced Cd-contaminated rice, their estimated dietary Cd intake is now comparable to that for the population in the region of Japan where the Itai-Itai disease was first reported. Interventions must be taken urgently to reduce Cd intake for these farmers. We also analyze i) the main reasons causing elevated grain Cd concentrations in southern China, ii) the dominant biogeochemical processes controlling the solubility of Cd in paddy soils, and iii) molecular mechanisms for the uptake and translocation of Cd in rice plants. Based on these analyses, we propose a number of countermeasures to address soil Cd contamination, including i) mitigation of Cd transfer from paddy soils to rice grain, and ii) intervention in those farmers who consume home-grown Cd-contaminated rice. Liming to increase soil pH to 6.5 and gene editing biotechnology are effective strategies to decrease Cd accumulation in rice grain. For these local farmers with high-Cd exposure risk, local governments should monitor the Cd concentration in their home-grown rice and exchange those high-Cd rice with low-Cd rice in order to reduce their dietary Cd intake.

Sugary Cereals at Early Childhood Education Centers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, 2017.

The objective of this study was to describe the provision of sugary cereals by early childhood education (ECE) centers participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) before required implementation of the updated CACFP meal pattern standards. We distributed a web-based survey, which included a question on breakfast cereals, to a random sample of 5,483 CACFP-participating ECE centers nationwide. Of the 1,343 centers that responded, 30% did not meet the updated requirement for cereal; 38% of independently owned or operated centers did not meet the requirement. Results indicate the need for additional training and technical assistance on the updated CACFP standards for sugar in cereal.

Development of a DNA Barcoding-Like Approach to Detect Mustard Allergens in Wheat Flours.

The spread of food allergens is a topic of global importance due to its impact on public health. National and International regulations ask food producers and manufacturers to declare product compositions on the label, especially in case of processed raw materials. Wheat flour (Triticum aestivum) can be contaminated by a wide range of species belonging to the Brassicaceae in the field or during grain harvests, storage, and processing. Among them, mustards (Brassica nigra, Brassica juncea and Sinapis alba) are well known allergenic species. Often, food quality laboratories adopt an ELISA approach to detect the presence of mustard species. However, this approach shows cross-reactivity with other non-allergenic species such as Brassica napus (rapeseed). In the last few years, DNA barcoding was proposed as a valid identification method, and it is now commonly used in the authentication of food products. This study aims to set up an easy and rapid DNA-based tool to detect mustard allergenic species. DNA barcoding (matK and ITS2) and chromosome markers (A6, B, C1 genome regions) were selected, and specific primers were validated on incurred reference food matrices. The developed test was proven to be able to distinguish mustard from rapeseed and wheat, overcoming cross-reactivity with Brassica napus.