Variations in Food Safety Concerns, Hygiene Practices, and Purchasing Behaviors During Pandemic Era: What We Learnt from Coronavirus Disease 2019.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the food safety concerns, purchasing behaviors, and hygiene practices of individuals who contracted and did not contract the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A total of 2393 individuals 18-65 years years of age, 760 who contracted and 1633 who did not contract SARS-CoV-2 infection, participated in the study. Participants were administered a questionnaire to assess demographic information, food safety concerns, hygiene practices, purchasing behavior, and fear of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Results indicated that 56.3% of participants expressed concern about food safety, and 67% were concerned about infected individuals while shopping. Participants who did not contract COVID-19 had higher levels of food safety concerns and generally adhered to better hygiene practices such as handwashing, hygienic food preparation, sanitizer use, and cleaning and disinfection practices (p < 0.05). Overall, purchasing behaviors did not significantly differ by the infection status, except for a significant difference in reduced purchase frequency (p < 0.001). In addition, purchasing behavior varied in relation to fear levels (p < 0.05). As the pandemic appears to be increasingly controlled, the insights gained from managing outbreaks might contribute to improved understanding and preparedness for global pandemics and food safety education in the future.

Comparing application methods of reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) extract in deep-fried meatballs: impact on heterocyclic aromatic amine formation.

BACKGROUND: The present research was conducted to investigate the impact of reishi mushroom extract (RME) on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in meatballs. Sample preparations involved applying RME using either the spreading or addition method, with varying concentrations (0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% of RME), followed by deep-frying at temperatures of 150 and 190 °C for 3 min. RESULTS: The types and levels of HAAs varied based on the frying temperature, method of extract application, and the extract concentration. Notably, total HAA contents increased with rising the frying temperature (P < 0.01) and varied from undetectable levels to 4.91 ng g-1 across all analyzed meatballs. The addition method was more effective than the spreading method (P < 0.01), and among the concentrations tested 0.25% RME exhibited the highest efficacy in reducing total HAAs (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the addition method inhibited lipid oxidation more efficiently compared to the surface spreading method (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that RME had mitigating effects on HAAs depending on the concentration and frying conditions in deep-fried meatball samples. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

The relationship between social media addiction and emotional appetite: a cross-sectional study among young adults in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: The present study focused on the relationship between addiction to social media (SM) and emotional appetite in young adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey. SETTING: The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EMAQ) were used, and the duration and frequency of SM tools usage were analysed. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred and twenty-four participants (144 men and 380 women) aged between 18 and 25 years. RESULTS: The mean of SM usage duration of participants was 3·2 ± 2·2 h per d along with a mean of BSMAS score of 16·1 ± 5·9. Concerning emotional appetite, the mean scores for positive and negative aspects of EMAQ were 4·4 ± 1·9 and 3·1 ± 1·2, respectively. The predominant SM tools were YouTube (92·6 %) and Instagram (90·3 %). Notably, a significant association was observed between SM addiction and the frequency of access to YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, with addiction levels increasing as access frequency rose (P < 0·01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a possible relationship between SM addiction and emotional appetite among young adults. However, further research with more prominent participants and a lengthier follow-up duration is necessary to elucidate how SM tools affect eating behaviour.

Is inflammatory potential of the diet related to oral and periodontal health?

Inflammation is among the risks of periodontal diseases. The relationship between the inflammatory load of the diet and inflammation has been shown in previous studies, but the relationship between periodontal diseases and the inflammatory load of the diet is not clear. In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and periodontal health. Board approved the protocol. Information about the study was given to the patients who met the criteria of the study and agreed to participate in the study. Oral health status was evaluated by measuring the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT). Periodontal health status was determined using the plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI). Twenty-four-hour dietary record was taken for 1 day to calculate the inflammatory load gained from daily diet, and the DII score was used. The study group consisted of 138 participants. DMFT scores were found with median 4.0, and no statistically significant difference was observed between DII quartiles. 65.8% of the participants had absence or small amount of plaque accumulation, while 39.2% had moderate or dense amount of plaque accumulation according to the PI classification. While DII did not differ by PI classification, DII quartile between second and third found a difference according to the GI classification. The new definition of periodontal health has been proposed as the absence of clinically detectable inflammation. It seems that pro-inflammatory properties of the diet and periodontal health are related. But future randomized controlled trials are needed.

Adherence to Mediterranean diet and dietary changes according to the fear of COVID-19 during the pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to the implementation of restrictions to reduce transmission worldwide. The restrictions and measures have affected the psychological health and eating habits. The objective of the present study was to evaluate dietary habits, lifestyle changes, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and fear of COVID-19 in Turkey during the pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey of socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle habits was used for data collection. The fear of COVID-19 levels of the participants was determined by the fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S). The Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) was used to evaluate participants' adherence to the MD. The differences between the FCV-19S and MEDAS according to gender were compared. Eight hundred and twenty subjects (76⋅6 % women and 28⋅4 % men) were evaluated within the study. The mean of MEDAS (ranged between 0 and 12) was 6⋅4 ± 2⋅1, and almost half of the participants moderately adhered to the MD. The mean of FCV-19S (ranged between 7 and 33) was 16⋅8 ± 5⋅7, while women's FCV-19S and MEDAS were significantly higher than men's (P < 0⋅001). The consumption of sweetened cereals, grains, pasta, homemade bread and pastries of the respondents with high FCV-19S were higher than in those with low FCV-19S. High FCV-19S was also characterized by decreased take-away food and fast food consumption in approximately 40 % of the respondents (P < 0⋅01). Similarly, women's fast food and take-away food consumption decreased more than men's (P < 0⋅05). In conclusion, the respondents' food consumption and eating habits varied according to the fear of COVID-19.

Comparison of the reducing effects of blueberry and propolis extracts on heterocyclic aromatic amines formation in pan fried beef.

This study was aimed to examine the effects of natural antioxidant-based marinades on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in cooked beef. Samples were marinated overnight with different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1%) of blueberry or propolis extracts, and pan fried at 150 and 200 °C for a total of 10 min. Individual and total HAAs were detected at different levels according to the cooking temperature, extract type and concentration. Total HAA levels increased as the cooking temperature increased (P < 0.01), and ranged from non detectable levels to 38.27 ng/g across all samples analysed. Mitigation up to 61.2% and 100% in total HAA levels were achieved by propolis and blueberry extracts, respectively. The inhibitory effects of blueberry extract on total HAAs formation were significantly higher than propolis extract (P < 0.01). Thereby, this study showed that natural antioxidant-based marinades containing blueberry and propolis extracts had mitigating effects on HAAs formation in beef samples pan-fried at 150 and 200 °C.

Effect of olive leaf extract marination on heterocyclic aromatic amine formation in pan-fried salmon.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the reducing effects of varying levels of olive leaf extract (0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1% and 2%) on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in pan-cooked salmon at 180 and 220 °C were examined. RESULTS: All salmon samples were analyzed for ten HAAs: IQx, IQ, MeIQx, MeIQ, 4,8-DiMeIQx, 7,8-DiMeIQx, PhIP, AαC, MeAαC and Trp-P-2. The most abundant HAA was MeIQ (≤2.98 ng g-1 ) followed by Trp-P-2 (≤2.40 ng g-1 ), MeIQx (≤0.83 ng g-1 ), IQ (≤0.41 ng g-1 ), 7,8-DiMeIQx (≤0.29 ng g-1 ), 4,8-DiMeIQx (≤0.16 ng g-1 ) and IQx (≤0.06 ng g-1 ). However, PhIP, AαC and MeAαC were undetectable in all samples. In the control samples, HAAs were found at levels ranging from not detected to 2.40 ng g-1 . Total HAA content was between 0.81 and 4.03 ng g-1 . The olive leaf extracts reduced the total HAA levels at all certain concentration levels at 180 °C and the reducing effects were found to be 32.78-77.69%. CONCLUSION: The current study displayed that olive leaf extracts could be efficient when added in up to 1% concentration prior to cooking for reducing HAA formation without changing organoleptic characteristics of salmon. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Reducing effect of artichoke extract on heterocyclic aromatic amine formation in beef and chicken breast meat.

The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of different levels of artichoke extract (0, 0.5, and 1.0%) on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in beef and chicken breast meat cooked by either pan-frying or oven-roasting. All meat samples were cooked at three different temperatures (150, 200, and 250°C) and the levels of 12 HAAs (IQ, IQx, MeIQ, MeIQx, 4,8-DiMeIQx, 7,8-DiMeIQx, PhIP, harman, norharman, AαC, MeAαC, and Trp-P-2) were assessed. The total HAA content in beef and chicken breast ranged from not detectable to 49.26ng/g, and not detectable to 83.06ng/g, respectively. The inhibitory effects of 0.5 and 1.0% artichoke extracts on total HAAs levels were found to be 6-46% and 25-98% in beef, and 5-97% and 14-95% in chicken breast, respectively. The present study showed that artichoke extracts could mitigate HAA formation especially in oven-roasted beef and chicken breast meat.

Inhibitory effect of hawthorn extract on heterocyclic aromatic amine formation in beef and chicken breast meat.

This study focused on the inhibitory effect of different levels of hawthorn extract (0, 0.5, and 1%) on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in beef and chicken breast cooked by either pan-cooking or oven-cooking. All meat samples were cooked at three different temperatures (150, 200, and 250°C) and the levels of twelve HAAs were assessed (IQ, IQx, MeIQ, MeIQx, 4,8-DiMeIQx, 7,8-DiMeIQx, PhIP, harman, norharman, AαC, MeAαC, and Trp-P-2). Varying levels of IQ (up to 4.47ng/g), IQx (up to 0.69ng/g), MeIQ (up to 0.82ng/g), MeIQx (up to 1.01ng/g), 4,8-DiMeIQx (up to 0.10ng/g), 7,8-DiMeIQx (up to 0.23ng/g), PhIP (up to 0.75ng/g), harman (up to 2.15ng/g), norharman (up to 1.08ng/g), AαC (up to 1.86ng/g), MeAαC (up to 0.48ng/g), and Trp-P-2 (up to 12.88ng/g), were detected. Samples cooked at 150°C had very low amounts of HAAs, and the levels of HAAs increased gradually when the cooking temperature rose from 150 to 250°C. The total HAA content in chicken breast and beef ranged between not detectable to 17.60ng/g, and not detectable to 11.38ng/g, respectively. The inhibitory effects of hawthorn extract at 0.5% and 1% on total HAAs levels were found to be 12-100% and 19-97% in chicken breast, respectively, and 42-100% and 20-35% in beef, respectively. This study demonstrated that hawthorn extracts at 0.5% and 1% could mitigate HAA formation, especially at high cooking temperatures.

Dietary inflammatory index is associated with serum C-reactive protein and protein energy wasting in hemodialysis patients: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Malnutrition and inflammation are reported as the most powerful predictors of mortality and morbidity in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Diet has a key role in modulating inflammation and dietary inflammatory index (DII) is a new tool for assessment of inflammatory potential of diet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of DII on dietary intake of HD patients and examine the associations between DII and malnutrition-inflammation markers. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 105 subjects were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measurements, 3-day dietary recall, and pre-dialysis biochemical parameters were recorded for each subject. Subjective global assessment (SGA), which was previously validated for HD patients, and malnutrition inflammation score (MIS) were used for the diagnosis of protein energy wasting. DII was calculated according to average of 3-day dietary recall data. RESULTS: DII showed significant correlation with reliable malnutrition and inflammation indicators including SGA (r = 0.28, P < 0.01), MIS (r = 0.28, P < 0.01), and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) (r = 0.35, P < 0.001) in HD patients. When the study population was divided into three subgroups according to their DII score, significant increasing trends across the tertiles of DII were observed for SGA score (P = 0.035), serum CRP (P = 0.001), dietary energy (P < 0.001), total fat (P < 0.001), saturated fatty acids (P < 0.001), polyunsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.006), and omega-6 fatty acids (P = 0.01) intakes. CONCLUSION: This study shows that DII is a good tool for assessing the overall inflammatory potential of diet in HD patients.

Testing Two Nutrient Profiling Models of Labelled Foods and Beverages Marketed in Turkey.

AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutrient profile of labelled foods and also understand the application of two international nutrient profiling models of labelled foods and beverages. METHODS: WXYfm and NRF 9.3 nutrient profiling models were used to evaluate 3,171 labelled foods and beverages of 38 food categories and 500 different brands. RESULTS: According to the WXYfm model, pasta, grains and legumes and frozen foods had the best scores whereas oils had the worst scores. According to the NRF 9.3 model per 100 kcal, the best scores were obtained for frozen foods, grains and legumes and milk products whereas the confectionery foods had the worst scores. According to NRF 9.3 per serving size, grains and legumes had the best scores and flavoured milks had the worst scores. A comparison of WXYfm and NRF 9.3 nutrient profiling models ranked scores showed a high positive correlation (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The two nutrient models evaluated yielded similar results. Further studies are needed to test other category specific nutrient profiling models in order to understand how different models behave.