Biophysics of molecular gastronomy.

Chefs and scientists exploring biophysical processes have given rise to molecular gastronomy. In this Commentary, we describe how a scientific understanding of recipes and techniques facilitates the development of new textures and expands the flavor palette. The new dishes that result engage our senses in unexpected ways. PAPERCLIP.

The time between Palaeolithic hearths.

Resolving the timescale of human activity in the Palaeolithic Age is one of the most challenging problems in prehistoric archaeology. The duration and frequency of hunter-gatherer camps reflect key aspects of social life and human-environment interactions. However, the time dimension of Palaeolithic contexts is generally inaccurately reconstructed because of the limitations of dating techniques1, the impact of disturbing agents on sedimentary deposits2 and the palimpsest effect3,4. Here we report high-resolution time differences between six Middle Palaeolithic hearths from El Salt Unit X (Spain) obtained through archaeomagnetic and archaeostratigraphic analyses. The set of hearths covers at least around 200-240 years with 99% probability, having decade- and century-long intervals between the different hearths. Our results provide a quantitative estimate of the time framework for the human occupation events included in the studied sequence. This is a step forward in Palaeolithic archaeology, a discipline in which human behaviour is usually approached from a temporal scale typical of geological processes, whereas significant change may happen at the smaller scales of human generations. Here we reach a timescale close to a human lifespan.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass Cooking and Severe Infant Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to household air pollution is a risk factor for severe pneumonia. The effect of replacing biomass cookstoves with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstoves on the incidence of severe infant pneumonia is uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, controlled trial involving pregnant women 18 to 34 years of age and between 9 to less than 20 weeks' gestation in India, Guatemala, Peru, and Rwanda from May 2018 through September 2021. The women were assigned to cook with unvented LPG stoves and fuel (intervention group) or to continue cooking with biomass fuel (control group). In each trial group, we monitored adherence to the use of the assigned cookstove and measured 24-hour personal exposure to fine particulate matter (particles with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 µm [PM2.5]) in the women and their offspring. The trial had four primary outcomes; the primary outcome for which data are presented in the current report was severe pneumonia in the first year of life, as identified through facility surveillance or on verbal autopsy. RESULTS: Among 3200 pregnant women who had undergone randomization, 3195 remained eligible and gave birth to 3061 infants (1536 in the intervention group and 1525 in the control group). High uptake of the intervention led to a reduction in personal exposure to PM2.5 among the children, with a median exposure of 24.2 µg per cubic meter (interquartile range, 17.8 to 36.4) in the intervention group and 66.0 µg per cubic meter (interquartile range, 35.2 to 132.0) in the control group. A total of 175 episodes of severe pneumonia were identified during the first year of life, with an incidence of 5.67 cases per 100 child-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.55 to 7.07) in the intervention group and 6.06 cases per 100 child-years (95% CI, 4.81 to 7.62) in the control group (incidence rate ratio, 0.96; 98.75% CI, 0.64 to 1.44; P = 0.81). No severe adverse events were reported to be associated with the intervention, as determined by the trial investigators. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of severe pneumonia among infants did not differ significantly between those whose mothers were assigned to cook with LPG stoves and fuel and those whose mothers were assigned to continue cooking with biomass stoves. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; HAPIN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02944682.).

Effects of Cooking with Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass on Stunting in Infants.

BACKGROUND: Household air pollution is associated with stunted growth in infants. Whether the replacement of biomass fuel (e.g., wood, dung, or agricultural crop waste) with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking can reduce the risk of stunting is unknown. METHODS: We conducted a randomized trial involving 3200 pregnant women 18 to 34 years of age in four low- and middle-income countries. Women at 9 to less than 20 weeks' gestation were randomly assigned to use a free LPG cookstove with continuous free fuel delivery for 18 months (intervention group) or to continue using a biomass cookstove (control group). The length of each infant was measured at 12 months of age, and personal exposures to fine particulate matter (particles with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 µm) were monitored starting at pregnancy and continuing until the infants were 1 year of age. The primary outcome for which data are presented in the current report - stunting (defined as a length-for-age z score that was more than two standard deviations below the median of a growth standard) at 12 months of age - was one of four primary outcomes of the trial. Intention-to-treat analyses were performed to estimate the relative risk of stunting. RESULTS: Adherence to the intervention was high, and the intervention resulted in lower prenatal and postnatal 24-hour personal exposures to fine particulate matter than the control (mean prenatal exposure, 35.0 µg per cubic meter vs. 103.3 µg per cubic meter; mean postnatal exposure, 37.9 µg per cubic meter vs. 109.2 µg per cubic meter). Among 3061 live births, 1171 (76.2%) of the 1536 infants born to women in the intervention group and 1186 (77.8%) of the 1525 infants born to women in the control group had a valid length measurement at 12 months of age. Stunting occurred in 321 of the 1171 infants included in the analysis (27.4%) of the infants born to women in the intervention group and in 299 of the 1186 infants included in the analysis (25.2%) of those born to women in the control group (relative risk, 1.10; 98.75% confidence interval, 0.94 to 1.29; P = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: An intervention strategy starting in pregnancy and aimed at mitigating household air pollution by replacing biomass fuel with LPG for cooking did not reduce the risk of stunting in infants. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; HAPIN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02944682.).

The evolution of early hominin food production and sharing.

How did humans evolve from individualistic to collective foraging with sex differences in production and widespread sharing of plant and animal foods? While current evolutionary scenarios focus on meat, cooking, or grandparental subsidies, considerations of the economics of foraging for extracted plant foods (e.g., roots, tubers), inferred to be important for early hominins (∼6 to 2.5 mya), suggest that early hominins shared such foods with offspring and others. Here, we present a conceptual and mathematical model of early hominin food production and sharing, prior to the emergence of frequent hunting, cooking, and increased lifespan. We hypothesize that extracted plant foods were vulnerable to theft, and that male mate guarding protected females from food theft. We identify conditions favoring extractive foraging and food sharing across mating systems (i.e., monogamy, polygyny, promiscuity), and we assess which system maximizes female fitness with changes in the profitability of extractive foraging. Females extract foods and share them with males only when: i) extracting rather than collecting plant foods pays off energetically; and ii) males guard females. Males extract foods when they are sufficiently high in value, but share with females only under promiscuous mating and/or no mate guarding. These results suggest that if early hominins had mating systems with pair-bonds (monogamous or polygynous), then food sharing by adult females with unrelated adult males occurred before hunting, cooking, and extensive grandparenting. Such cooperation may have enabled early hominins to expand into more open, seasonal habitats, and provided a foundation for the subsequent evolution of human life histories.

Climate and health benefits of a transition from gas to electric cooking.

Household electrification is thought to be an important part of a carbon-neutral future and could also have additional benefits to adopting households such as improved air quality. However, the effectiveness of specific electrification policies in reducing total emissions and boosting household livelihoods remains a crucial open question in both developed and developing countries. We investigated a transition of more than 750,000 households from gas to electric cookstoves-one of the most popular residential electrification strategies-in Ecuador following a program that promoted induction stoves and assessed its impacts on electricity consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and health. We estimate that the program resulted in a 5% increase in total residential electricity consumption between 2015 and 2021. By offsetting a commensurate amount of cooking gas combustion, we find that the program likely reduced national greenhouse gas emissions, thanks in part to the country's electricity grid being 80% hydropower in later parts of the time period. Increased induction stove uptake was also associated with declines in all-cause and respiratory-related hospitalizations nationwide. These findings suggest that, when the electricity grid is largely powered by renewables, gas-to-induction cooking transitions represent a promising way of amplifying the health and climate cobenefits of net-carbon-zero policies.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass for Cooking and Effects on Birth Weight.

BACKGROUND: Exposure during pregnancy to household air pollution caused by the burning of solid biomass fuel is associated with adverse health outcomes, including low birth weight. Whether the replacement of a biomass cookstove with a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstove would result in an increase in birth weight is unclear. METHODS: We performed a randomized, controlled trial involving pregnant women (18 to <35 years of age and at 9 to <20 weeks' gestation as confirmed on ultrasonography) in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda. The women were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to use a free LPG cookstove and fuel (intervention group) or to continue using a biomass cookstove (control group). Birth weight, one of four prespecified primary outcomes, was the primary outcome for this report; data for the other three outcomes are not yet available. Birth weight was measured within 24 hours after birth. In addition, 24-hour personal exposures to fine particulate matter (particles with a diameter of ≤2.5 µm [PM2.5]), black carbon, and carbon monoxide were measured at baseline and twice during pregnancy. RESULTS: A total of 3200 women underwent randomization; 1593 were assigned to the intervention group, and 1607 to the control group. Uptake of the intervention was nearly complete, with traditional biomass cookstoves being used at a median rate of less than 1 day per month. After randomization, the median 24-hour personal exposure to fine particulate matter was 23.9 µg per cubic meter in the intervention group and 70.7 µg per cubic meter in the control group. Among 3061 live births, a valid birth weight was available for 94.9% of the infants born to women in the intervention group and for 92.7% of infants born to those in the control group. The mean (±SD) birth weight was 2921±474.3 g in the intervention group and 2898±467.9 g in the control group, for an adjusted mean difference of 19.6 g (95% confidence interval, -10.1 to 49.2). CONCLUSIONS: The birth weight of infants did not differ significantly between those born to women who used LPG cookstoves and those born to women who used biomass cookstoves. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; HAPIN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02944682.).

Enhanced stability and clinical absorption of a form of encapsulated vitamin A for food fortification.

Food fortification is an effective strategy to address vitamin A (VitA) deficiency, which is the leading cause of childhood blindness and drastically increases mortality from severe infections. However, VitA food fortification remains challenging due to significant degradation during storage and cooking. We utilized an FDA-approved, thermostable, and pH-responsive basic methacrylate copolymer (BMC) to encapsulate and stabilize VitA in microparticles (MPs). Encapsulation of VitA in VitA-BMC MPs greatly improved stability during simulated cooking conditions and long-term storage. VitA absorption was nine times greater from cooked MPs than from cooked free VitA in rats. In a randomized controlled cross-over study in healthy premenopausal women, VitA was readily released from MPs after consumption and had a similar absorption profile to free VitA. This VitA encapsulation technology will enable global food fortification strategies toward eliminating VitA deficiency.

Influence of parboiling conditions on rice grain quality characters and insect infestation with rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae. L) of some rice cultivars.

Parboiling improves rice grain hardness and reduces susceptibility to Sitophilus oryzae infestation by gelatinizing the starch and enhancing resistance.A newly designed electric machine was used to parboil four Egyptian rice cultivars-Sakha 108, Giza 178, Super 300, and Egyptian Yasmin-at 70, 75, and 80 °C and determine their susceptibility to Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) infestation. Results indicated that heating affected most traits in all four rice cultivars during both study seasons 2021 and 2022. Super 300 rice cultivar exhibited the highest hulling values (81.23 and 81.42%) when heated to 80 °C, while the Yasmin rice cultivar showed the lowest values for hulling (77.66 and 77.45%) at 70 °C. while Giza 178 cultivar showed a significant decrease in broken percentage (90.85 and 94.02%) compared to control when heated to 80 °C. The results also indicated that the Yasmin rice cultivar had the highest values for white belly, hardness, and gel consistency at 80 °C, while the Sakha 108 cultivar showed the lowest values for these traits at 70 °C. Furthermore, the protein, elongation, and water uptake characters significantly responded to the different investigated treatments. Yasmin cultivar at 80 °C showed the highest significant values for protein (9.26 and 9.47%), elongation (65.02 and 65.44%), and water uptake (453.2 and 455.1 ml water/100 g milled grains) in both seasons. Sakha 108 cultivar had the lowest values for these traits at 70 °C. The S. oryzae insects responded differently to the rice cultivars. Using Dobie's Index of Susceptibility, all cultivars were classified as resistant to S. oryzae infestation. Super 300 was moderately resistant before parboiling but resistant after heat treatment. In conclusion, the study underscores the influence of pre-storage parboiling on rice weevil infestation, suggesting that heat treatment could serve as an effective control measure. These findings emphasize the importance of parboiling conditions in enhancing rice grain quality and bolstering resistance to insect infestation.

Household cooking fuel and gallbladder cancer risk: a multi-centre case-control study in India.

PURPOSE: Gallbladder cancers (GBC), unique to certain geographical regions, are lethal digestive tract cancers, disproportionately affecting women, with limited information on risk factors. METHODS: We evaluated the association between household cooking fuel and GBC risk in a hospital-based case-control study conducted in the North-East and East Indian states of Assam and Bihar. We explored the potential mediation by diet, fire-vents, 'daily exposure duration' and parity (among women). We recruited biopsy-confirmed GBC (n = 214) men and women aged 30-69 years between 2019 and 2021, and controls frequency-matched by age, sex and region (n = 166). Information about cooking fuel, lifestyle, personal and family history, female reproductive factors, socio-demographics, and anthropometrics was collected. We tested associations using multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: All participants (73.4% women) were categorised based on predominant cooking fuel use. Group-1: LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) users in the previous 20 years and above without concurrent biomass use (26.15%); Group-2: LPG users in the previous 20 years and above with concurrent secondary biomass use (15.9%); Group-3: Biomass users for ≥ 20 years (57.95%). Compared to group-1, accounting for confounders, GBC risk was higher in group-2 [OR: 2.02; 95% CI: 1.00-4.07] and group-3 [OR: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.08-3.73] (p-trend:0.020). These associations strengthened among women that attenuated with high daily consumption of fruits-vegetables but not with fire-vents, 'daily exposure duration' or parity. CONCLUSION: Biomass burning was associated with a high-risk for GBC and should be considered as a modifiable risk factor for GBC. Clean cooking fuel can potentially mitigate, and a healthy diet can partially reduce the risk among women.

Food-Related Online Media (Mukbang and Cookbang) Exposure and Dietary Risk Behaviors in Korean Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that prolonged smartphone use is associated with dietary risk behaviors among adolescents. However, little is known about whether the exposure to food-related online media contents, such as mukbang (eating broadcast) and cookbang (cooking broadcast), is associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors, independent of overall duration of smartphone use. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the associations between the frequency of mukbang/cookbang watching and dietary risk behaviors among Korean adolescents, using nationally representative survey data. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we examined the data from 50,044 middle and high school students in the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey 2022. Participants reported their frequency of mukbang/cookbang watching, mean duration of smartphone use, frequency of breakfast eating, frequency of nighttime eating, and intakes of fast foods, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and high-caffeine drinks. We performed multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between mukbang/cookbang watching and dietary risk behaviors, accounting for complex survey sampling and adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Frequent mukbang/cookbang watching (≥5 times/wk compared with never) was positively associated with dietary risk behaviors, including frequent breakfast skipping (OR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.28), frequent nighttime eating (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.33, 1.54), and frequent intakes of fast foods (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.58, 1.80), SSBs (OR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.30, 1.66), and high-caffeine drinks (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.33, 1.50), adjusting for duration of smartphone use. All mukbang/cookbang viewers, including those who perceived that mukbang/cookbang videos had "no influence" on their dietary behavior, had higher prevalence of dietary risk behaviors than nonviewers (perceived "no influence" compared with nonviewers-OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.26, breakfast skipping; OR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.24, nighttime eating; OR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.30, 1.50, fast foods; OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.38, SSBs; OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.37, high-caffeine drinks). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that frequent mukbang/cookbang watching may be associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors among Korean adolescents.

Expression and characterization of a lipase EstA from Bacillus subtilis KM-BS for application in bio-hydrolysis of waste cooking oil.

A lipase EstA from Bacillus subtilis KM-BS was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells. The recombinant enzyme achieved high activity (49.67 U/mL) with protein concentration of 1.29 mg/mL under optimal conditions at the large-scale expression of 6 h and post-induction time at 30 °C using 0.1 mM isopropyl-ß-d-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The optimal temperature and pH of the purified enzyme were at 45-55 °C and pH 8.0 - 9.0, respectively. Activity of the purified enzyme was stable in the presence of 1 mM Ca2+; stimulated by 1 mM Mg2+ and Mn2+, and inhibited by Fe3+. A significant amount of fatty acids was released during the hydrolysis of waste cooking oil under the catalysis of purified lipase, indicating that this recombinant lipase showed promise as a suitable candidate in industrial fields, particularly in biodiesel and detergent sector.

Peanut oral immunotherapy using an extensively heated and baked novel composition of peanuts.

BACKGROUND: Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is an increasingly acceptable therapeutic option for peanut-allergic (PA) children, despite significant side effects. Major peanut allergenic proteins are heat-resistant and are not rendered hypoallergenic after baking or cooking. Lyophilized peanut protein-MH (LPP-MH) is a novel composition from developing peanuts, enabling cooking-induced reduction in allergenicity. We aimed to explore the safety and efficacy of OIT, with extensively heated and baked (EHEB) LPP-MH in PA children. METHODS: In a single-arm, single-center, pilot study, PA children with a single highest tolerated dose of <100 mg peanut protein were placed on a 40-week OIT protocol with 300 mg daily of heat-treated LPP-MH. A repeat open peanut food challenge was performed after 40 weeks of treatment and at a 6-12 months of follow-up visit. RESULTS: Thirty-three children with PA were enrolled, with a mean cumulative tolerated dose (MCTD) of 71.2 mg PP (95% CI 45-100 mg). After 40 weeks, 32/33 patients were able to consume more than 300 mg of natural PP, with MCTD of 1709 mg (CI 365-3675 mg). There were no severe allergic reactions requiring epinephrine, during any of the observed LPP-MH challenges or any treatment related doses at home. After 6-12 months on daily maintenance, the MCTD was 8821 mg (95% CI 1930-13,500 mg). This enabled most children age-appropriate dietary inclusion of peanuts. CONCLUSION: An OIT protocol with heat-treated LPP-MH, a novel composition from developing peanuts, seems a potentially safe and efficacious OIT modality for PA children, enabling the introduction of dietary levels of peanut proteins in highly allergic PA children. Validation in randomized controlled studies is mandated.

Volatile fingerprints of beef cooking methods using sol-gel-based solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS).

RATIONALE: The aroma profile of food is a complex mixture of volatile compounds that constitutes a major component of the overall eating experience. The food service industry and chefs therefore constantly seek ways to investigate and thereby enhance the aroma profile. Oven cooking, sous vide and pan fry are three cooking methods of beef commonly practised by chefs. Near real-time analysis of volatile compounds from these three cooking methods will provide insight into respective volatile fingerprints and help improve cooking techniques. METHODS: Volatile compounds from three beef cooking methods were captured using an in-house sol-gel based solid phase microextraction (SPME) method and analysed using direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS). A volatile organic compound (VOC) standard was used to demonstrate successful implementation of the sol-gel coating technique. Volatile features discriminating the three cooking methods were shortlisted and statistically assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The VOC standard was successfully adsorbed by the sol-gel method and detected by DART-MS. Hierarchical cluster analysis clearly demarcated three beef cooking methods based on their volatile fingerprints. Out of 65 significant features differentiating the cooking methods, 50 were at highest concentrations from pan-fry cooking only, followed by 14 with highest concentrations from oven cooking followed by pan frying. Sous vide followed by pan frying showed lowest concentrations of almost all volatile features. CONCLUSIONS: The sol-gel-based solid-phase microextraction technique combined with DART-MS was successful in differentiating beef cooking methods based on their volatile fingerprints. A workflow for rapid assessment of the volatile profile from beef cooking methods was established, providing a baseline to further explore volatile profiles from other key ingredients.

Baked milk and egg diets revisited.

Most children with milk and egg allergy are nonreactive to modified forms of milk and egg in bakery products such as muffins because of conformational changes in proteins. These baked milk (BM) and baked egg (BE) diets have become commonplace in the management of milk and egg allergy, respectively. Current laboratory- and skin test-based diagnostic approaches remain limited in their ability to predict BM/BE tolerance, resulting in various approaches to introduce these foods. One approach to introduce BM/BE is to offer a medically supervised oral food challenge and then advise dietary introduction of baked products for children who have tolerance. Another approach is adapted from a home-based protocol of graded ingestion of BM or BE originally intended for non-IgE mediated allergy, often referred to as a "ladder." The ladder advises home ingestion of increasing amounts of BM or BE. For children who have allergy to BM or BE, the ladder is essentially oral immunotherapy, although not always labeled or recognized as such. Risk assessment and education of patients suitable for home introduction are essential. A home approach that may be called a ladder can also be used to escalate diets after demonstrated tolerance of baked forms by introducing lesser cooked forms of milk or egg after tolerating BM or BE. A randomized controlled trial provided clear evidence that baked diets can hasten the resolution of IgE-mediated milk allergy. Moreover, BM/BE foods have an emerging role in the treatment of non-IgE-mediated allergy. There is tangential evidence for BM and BE diets in the prevention of IgE-mediated allergy.

Factors Determining Black Carbon Exposures among Pregnant Women Enrolled in the HAPIN Trial.

Residential biomass burning is an important source of black carbon (BC) exposure among rural communities in low- and middle-income countries. We collected 7165 personal BC samples and individual/household level information from 3103 pregnant women enrolled in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network trial. Women in the intervention arm received free liquefied petroleum gas stoves and fuel throughout pregnancy; women in the control arm continued the use of biomass stoves. Median (IQR) postintervention BC exposures were 9.6 µg/m3 (5.2-14.0) for controls and 2.8 µg/m3 (1.6-4.8) for the intervention group. Using mixed models, we characterized predictors of BC exposure and assessed how exposure contrasts differed between arms by select predictors. Primary stove type was the strongest predictor (R2 = 0.42); the models including kerosene use, kitchen location, education, occupation, or stove use hours also provided additional explanatory power from the base model adjusted only for the study site. Our full, trial-wide, model explained 48% of the variation in BC exposures. We found evidence that the BC exposure contrast between arms differed by study site, adherence to the assigned study stove, and whether the participant cooked. Our findings highlight factors that may be addressed before and during studies to implement more impactful cookstove intervention trials.

Heat Exposure among Adult Women in Rural Tamil Nadu, India.

Exposure to heat is associated with a substantial burden of disease and is an emerging issue in the context of climate change. Heat is of particular concern in India, which is one of the world's hottest countries and also most populous, where relatively little is known about personal heat exposure, particularly in rural areas. Here, we leverage data collected as part of a randomized controlled trial to describe personal temperature exposures of adult women (40-79 years of age) in rural Tamil Nadu. We also characterize measurement error in heat exposure assessment by comparing personal exposure measurements to the nearest ambient monitoring stations and to commonly used modeled temperature data products. We find that temperatures differ across individuals in the same area on the same day, sometimes by more than 5 °C within the same hour, and that some individuals experience sharp increases in heat exposure in the early morning or evening, potentially a result of cooking with solid fuels. We find somewhat stronger correlations between the personal exposure measurements and the modeled products than with ambient monitors. We did not find evidence of systematic biases, which indicates that adjusting for discrepancies between different exposure measurement methods is not straightforward.

Ozone Chemistry on Greasy Glass Surfaces Affects the Levels of Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Environments.

The chemistry of ozone (O3) on indoor surfaces leads to secondary pollution, aggravating the air quality in indoor environments. Here, we assess the heterogeneous chemistry of gaseous O3 with glass plates after being 1 month in two different kitchens where Chinese and Western styles of cooking were applied, respectively. The uptake coefficients of O3 on the authentic glass plates were measured in the dark and under UV light irradiation typical for indoor environments (320 nm < λ < 400 nm) at different relative humidities. The gas-phase product compounds formed upon reactions of O3 with the glass plates were evaluated in real time by a proton-transfer-reaction quadrupole-interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer. We observed typical aldehydes formed by the O3 reactions with the unsaturated fatty acid constituents of cooking oils. The formation of decanal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (6-MHO), and 4-oxopentanal (4-OPA) was also observed. The employed dynamic mass balance model shows that the estimated mixing ratios of hexanal, octanal, nonanal, decanal, undecanal, 6-MHO, and 4-OPA due to O3 chemistry with authentic grime-coated kitchen glass surfaces are higher in the kitchen where Chinese food was cooked compared to that where Western food was cooked. These results show that O3 chemistry on greasy glass surfaces leads to enhanced VOC levels in indoor environments.

Diverse Metabolic Effects of Cooking Oil Fume from Four Edible Oils on Human BEAS-2B Cells: Implications for Health Guidelines.

The 2021 WHO guidelines stress the importance of measuring ultrafine particles using particle number concentration (PNC) for health assessments. However, commonly used particle metrics such as aerodynamic diameter and number concentrations do not fully capture the diverse chemical makeup of complex particles. To address this issue, our study used high-throughput mass spectrometry to analyze the properties of cooking oil fumes (COFs) in real time and evaluate their impact on BEAS-2B cell metabolism. Results showed insignificant differences in COF number size distributions between soybean oil and olive oil (peak concentrations of 5.20 × 105/cm3), as well as between corn oil and peanut oil (peak concentrations of 4.35 × 105/cm3). Despite the similar major chemical components among the four COFs, variations in metabolic damage were observed, indicating that the relatively small amount of chemical components of COFs can also influence particle behavior within the respiratory system, thereby impacting biological responses. Additionally, interactions between accompanying gaseous COFs and particles may alter their chemical composition through various mechanisms, introducing additional chemicals and modifying existing proportions. Hence, the chemical composition and gaseous components of COFs hold equal importance to the particle number concentration (PNC) when assessing their impact on human health. The absence of these considerations in the current guidelines underscores a research gap. It is imperative to acknowledge that for a more comprehensive approach to safeguarding public health, guidelines must be regularly updated to reflect new scientific findings and robust epidemiological evidence.

Fresh fruit, dried fruit, raw vegetables, and cooked vegetables consumption associated with progression trajectory of type 2 diabetes: a multi-state analysis of a prospective cohort.

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of fresh fruit, dried fruit, raw vegetables, and cooked vegetables on type 2 diabetes (T2D) progression trajectory. METHODS: We included 429,886 participants in the UK Biobank who were free of diabetes and diabetes complications at baseline. Food groups were determined using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Outcomes were T2D incidence, complications, and mortality. Multi-state model was used to analyze the effects of food groups on T2D progression. RESULTS: During a follow-up of 12.6 years, 10,333 incident T2D cases were identified, of whom, 3961 (38.3%) developed T2D complications and 1169 (29.5%) died. We found that impacts of four food groups on T2D progression varied depending on disease stage. For example, compared to participants who ate less than one piece of dried fruit per day, the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for those who ate ≥ 2 pieces of dried fruit per day were 0.82 (0.77, 0.87), 0.88 (0.85, 0.92), and 0.86 (0.78, 0.95) for transitions from diabetes-free state to incident T2D, from diabetes-free state to total death, and from incident T2D to T2D complications, respectively. Higher intake of fresh fruit was significantly associated with lower risk of disease progression from diabetes-free state to all-cause death. Higher intake of raw and cooked vegetables was significantly associated with lower risks of disease progression from diabetes-free state to incident T2D and to total death. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that higher intake of fresh fruit, dried fruit, raw vegetables, and cooked vegetables could be beneficial for primary and secondary prevention of T2D.