The Intake of Phosphorus and Nitrites through Meat Products: A Health Risk Assessment of Children Aged 1 to 9 Years Old in Serbia.

This study provides the data on dietary exposure of Serbian children to nitrites and phosphorus from meat products by combining individual consumption data with available analytical data of meat products. A total of 2603 and 1900 commercially available meat products were categorized into seven groups and analysed for nitrite and phosphorous content. The highest mean levels of nitrite content, expressed as NaNO2, were found in finely minced cooked sausages (40.25 ± 20.37 mg/kg), followed by canned meat (34.95 ± 22.12 mg/kg) and coarsely minced cooked sausages (32.85 ± 23.25 mg/kg). The EDI (estimated daily intake) of nitrites from meat products, calculated from a National Food Consumption Survey in 576 children aged 1-9 years, indicated that the Serbian children population exceeded the nitrite ADI (acceptable daily intake) proposed by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) in 6.4% of children, with a higher proportion in 1-3-year-old participants. The mean phosphorus concentration varied from 2.71 ± 1.05 g/kg to 6.12 ± 1.33 g/kg in liver sausage and pate and smoked meat products, respectively. The EDI of phosphorus from meat products was far below the ADI proposed by EFSA, indicating that the use of phosphorus additives in Serbian meat products is generally in line with legislation.

Dietary Exposure and Risk Assessment of Aflatoxin M1 for Children Aged 1 to 9 Years Old in Serbia.

The present study was conducted to estimate the exposure and characterize the risk for the child population of Serbia to Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) from milk and milk-based food. A total of 3404 samples comprising milk and different milk-based food samples were collected from various regions of Serbia from 2017 to 2019. Evaluation of AFM1 exposure was carried out using the deterministic method, whereas risk characterization was evaluated using the margin of exposure (MOE) and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Detection rates for AFM1 in milk and milk-based food samples ranged between 2% and 79%, with the highest incidence (79%) and mean level (22.34 ± 0.018 ng kg-1) of AFM1 being detected in pasteurized and UHT milk. According to the three consumption estimates, the values of estimated daily intake (EDI) were higher for toddlers as compared with children aged 3-9 years. Children aged 1-3 years had the highest risk of exposure to AFM1 in milk, with an estimated daily intake of 0.164 and 0.193 ng kg-1 bw day-1 using lower bound (LB) and upper bound (UB) exposure scenarios, respectively. Such difference could result from the higher consumption to weight in younger children. Based on the estimated daily intake (EDI) found in this study, the risk of AFM1 exposure due to consumption of milk and milk-based food was low since the MOE values obtained were >10,000. In addition, the risk of HCC cases/year/105 individuals of different age groups showed that the value of HCC, using potency estimates of 0.0017 (mean), was maximum (0.00034) in the age group 1-3 years, which indicates no health risk for the evaluated groups. The present study revealed the importance of controlling and preventing AFM1 contamination in milk through continuous monitoring and regular inspection to reduce the risk of AFM1 exposure, especially in children.

Demographic and socio-economic predictors of diet quality among adults in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate associations of demographic and socio-economic factors with diet quality among population subgroups in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis of 2017 B&H dietary survey data. Diet quality was assessed by the Prime Diet Quality Score (PDQS) utilizing data from two non-consecutive 24 h diet recalls. Socio-economic variables were extracted from the 2015 B&H Household Budget Survey. Homogeneity of means across population subgroups was evaluated using multivariable regression. SETTING: B&H population survey. PARTICIPANTS: A population-based sample of 853 adults. RESULTS: The mean PDQS was 15·8 (range 7-28 out of a possible 42 points). In general, Bosnian adults had low PDQS due to high intakes of refined grains, high-fat dairy and processed meats, and low intakes of whole grains, nuts and fish. The PDQS was significantly higher (P < 0·0001) among older individuals (17·0) compared with those in the youngest group (14·5), among individuals living in the central and northern regions (16·5) compared with those living in the south (15·1; P < 0·0001), and among people who are married/cohabitating (16·1) v. single (14·8; P = 0·02). In energy-adjusted models, socio-economic status (P = 0·04) and tertiles of household spending (P = 0·002) were inversely associated with the PDQS. CONCLUSIONS: Diet quality in this population was low. Young and middle-aged individuals, singles and those living in the south had significantly lower quality diets compared with other subgroups. Public health action is needed to promote higher consumption of whole grains, nuts and fish, and a higher variety of fruits and vegetables.

Assessment of vitamin D intake among Libyan women - adaptation and validation of specific food frequency questionnaire.

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has pandemic proportions worldwide. Numerous studies report on high prevalence of VDD in sunny regions like Near East and North Africa (NENA). Previous studies indicated that Libyan population was at risk of VDD. To contribute to the body of evidence, measurement of vitamin D status on children, adults, in Misurata region was conducted, and confirmed with validated dietary intake study. Serum 25(OH)D was analysed using electrochemiluminescence protein binding assay. Existing Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ) were adapted to Libyan Women Food Frequency Questionnaire (LW-FFQ). Repeated 24 h dietary recalls and LW-FFQ were employed in vitamin D intake evaluation. LW-FFQ was validated using 24 h dietary recall and vitamin D status as referent methods. The questionnaires included anthropometry and lifestyle information. Vitamin D status assessment revealed inadequate levels (25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l) in almost 80% of participants. Women (25-64 y) were identified as the most vulnerable group with vitamin D inadequacy present in 82% (61.6% had 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/l, and 20.2% had 25-50 nmol/l 25(OH)D). Average Vitamin D intake within the study sample (n = 316) was 3.9 ± 7.9 µg/d, with 92% participants below both Institute of Medicine (IOM) (10 µg/d) and European Food Safety Authority (15 µg/d) recommendations. Measured vitamin D status, in 13% of this group, correlated significantly (p = 0.015) with intake estimates. Based on self-report, consumption of vitamin D supplements does not exist among study participants. Additional lifestyle factors influencing vitamin D status were analysed. Only 2% of study participants spend approximately 11 min on the sun daily, 60.4% were obese, 23.1% were overweight and 71.2% reported low physical activity. These findings confirm previous reports on high prevalence of VDD in women across NENA, and in Libya. The situation calls for multi-sectoral actions and public health initiatives to address dietary and lifestyle habits.

Specialized food composition dataset for vitamin D content in foods based on European standards: Application to dietary intake assessment.

A review of national nutrition surveys from 2000 to date, demonstrated high prevalence of vitamin D intakes below the EFSA Adequate Intake (AI) (<15µg/d vitamin D) in adults across Europe. Dietary assessment and modelling are required to monitor efficacy and safety of ongoing strategic vitamin D fortification. To support these studies, a specialized vitamin D food composition dataset, based on EuroFIR standards, was compiled. The FoodEXplorer™ tool was used to retrieve well documented analytical data for vitamin D and arrange the data into two datasets - European (8 European countries, 981 data values) and US (1836 data values). Data were classified, using the LanguaL™, FoodEX2 and ODIN classification systems and ranked according to quality criteria. Significant differences in the content, quality of data values, missing data on vitamin D2 and 25(OH)D3 and documentation of analytical methods were observed. The dataset is available through the EuroFIR platform.