Elemental Composition of Toxic and Essential Elements in Rice-Based Baby Foods from the United States and other Countries: A Probabilistic Risk Analysis.

Consumption of rice-based foods provides essential nutrients required for infants and toddlers' growth. However, they could contain toxic and excess essential elements that may affect human health. The study aims to determine the composition of rice-based baby foods in the USA and outside and conduct a multiple-life stages probabilistic exposure and risk assessment of toxic and essential elements in children. Elemental concentrations were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) in thirty-three rice-based baby foods. This includes 2 infant formulas, 11 rice baby cereals, and 20 rice snacks produced primarily in the United States, China, and other countries. A probabilistic risk assessment was conducted to assess risks of adverse health effects. Results showed that infant formula had higher median concentrations of selenium (Se), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and potassium (K) compared to rice baby cereal and rice snacks. On the contrary, rice snacks had the highest median concentration of Arsenic (As) (127 µg/kg) while rice baby cereals showed the highest median concentration of Cd (7 µg/kg). A higher lifetime estimated daily intake was observed for samples manufactured in the USA compared to those from China and other countries. Hazard quotient (HQ<1) values were suggestive of minimal adverse health effects. However, lifetime carcinogenic risk analysis based on total As indicated an unacceptable cancer risk (> 1E-04). These findings show a need for ongoing monitoring of rice-based foods consumed by infants and toddlers as supplementary and substitutes for breast milk or weaning food options. This can be useful in risk reduction and mitigation of early life exposure to improve health outcomes.

Individual and total sugar contents of street foods in Malaysia - Should we be concerned?

Street foods are often of poor nutritional quality with high sugar content, in which the overconsumption of sugar is associated with obesity. However, sugar content information on local street foods is scarce. Thus, the individual and total sugar contents of 94 types of street foods in Malaysia were analysed. Compared to snacks and main meals, desserts contained the highest amounts of sugar, sucrose, fructose, glucose, and maltose. Sucrose was predominant in 90% desserts, 79.3% snacks, and 68.6% main meals. Most desserts (93.3%) contained medium to high sugar content (≥5 g to >15 g/100 g), while 82.9% main meals and 65.5% snacks had low sugar content. When comparing the sugar contents of 39 foods with other local databases, 58.3% main meals, 55.6% desserts, and 33.3% snacks contained either significantly (p < 0.05) higher or lower sugar contents. Consumers can identify low and high-sugar foods, and policymakers can review health priorities to combat obesity.

Evaluating compliance with local and International Food Labelling Standards in urban Tanzania: a cross-sectional study of pre-packaged snacks in Dar Es Salaam.

BACKGROUND: Urbanization influences food culture, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where there is an increasing consumption of processed and pre-packaged foods. This shift is contributing to a rise in non-communicable diseases. Food labelling standards are crucial for regulating manufacturing practices and helping consumers make healthy food choices. We aimed to assess the compliance of local and imported pre-packaged snacks with Tanzanian and international labelling standards in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 snack products. A checklist based on Tanzanian and Codex labelling standards was used to evaluate adherence. We also examined factors influencing adherence, such as product origin, price, category, purchase location, and package size. RESULTS: The majority of the snacks demonstrated partial adherence to Tanzania (n = 97; 54%) and International (Codex) (n = 120; 67%) labelling standards. Imported products showed significantly better adherence to both Tanzanian (n = 46; 53%) and international (n = 42; 48%) standards. Notably, more than half (n = 110; 66.7%) of the products used English for labelling, and infrequently (n = 74; 41.4%) used the recommended World Health Organization Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling. Product category, origin, and package size were significantly associated with higher levels of international standard adherence (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The inadequate adherence to mandatory labelling standards and the scarce use of Swahili and FoPL highlight the need to strengthen labelling practices and potential challenges faced by consumers in understanding nutritional information. Thus, strengthening and emphasizing good labelling practices are urgently needed as we seek to address diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

Exploring the short-term impact of swapping consumption from standard protein snacks to higher protein snacks on energy intake in social drinkers: Is protein worth a nudge?

Drinking alcoholic beverages stimulates food intake and contributes to the passive overconsumption of dietary energy. As protein is the most satiating of all the macronutrients, increased levels in snacks taken with alcohol have the potential to minimize excess energy consumption. We hypothesized that swapping consumption from retail-available standard protein (SP) snacks to higher protein (HP) snack foods would increase satiety and reduce acute food energy intake in social drinkers. A randomized single-blind crossover trial with 19 healthy participants aged 19-31 years was conducted. Participants attended two separate testing sessions, where they ingested white wine (30 g alcohol) and were offered ad libitum access to either HP snacks with a protein-fortified dip or SP snacks with a dip. There were no significant differences in mean food mass, food energy intake, or subjective appetite ratings between the high and SP snacks (all p > .05). Mean protein intake was significantly increased with HP snacks compared with standard snacks (p < .001). Plasma glucose median incremental area under the curve and mean peak were significantly higher with the SP snacks (all p < .05) but remained within the reference range. This study demonstrated that consumption of a higher amount of protein after a moderate alcohol dose does not result in a change in food mass and energy intake or promote satiety in healthy young adults. The potential for a simple swap to different snack types is unlikely to bring substantial benefits to social drinkers and reduce passive energy consumption.

Associations between ultraprocessed and minimally processed snacks consumption and overweight/obesity among college students in South Florida.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the association between ultraprocessed and minimally processed snack consumption and overweight/obesity among college students. PARTICIPANTS: College students. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Participants completed an online survey with questions on socio-demographics, beverages and snacks consumption, and weight status. ANCOVA and logistic regression was used; analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, physical activity, and sleep duration. RESULTS: A total of 435 students completed all questions in the survey. Most students were female (73.3%), Hispanics (61.1%), had a mean age of 24.7-year old and 40% had overweight/obesity. Those with overweight/obesity also had higher odds of consuming soft drinks in higher frequency and quantity than those without overweight/obesity (p < .05). Never consuming unsweetened yogurt/cheese and lower frequency and consumption of fruits were associated with higher odds of overweight/obesity (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Higher frequency and consumption of soft drinks while lower frequency and consumption of unsweetened yogurt/cottage cheese and fruits were associated with overweight/obesity.

Higher ultra-processed food intake is associated with an increased incidence risk of cardiovascular disease: the Tehran lipid and glucose study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death worldwide, although limited data are currently available regarding the impact of consuming ultra-processed food (UPF) on its incidence. Given the increased consumption of UPF in Iran, we aimed to investigate the association between UPF intake and CVD risk. METHODS: Individuals without CVD (n = 2050) aged ≥ 30 years old were recruited from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). Dietary data were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and UPF intakes were assessed based on the Nova food classification. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for potential confounders were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the risk of CVD across tertiles of UPF intake. RESULTS: A 10.1% incidence of CVD occurred over a median follow-up of 10.6 years, with a 22% increase in CVD risk per each 50 g/day UPF intake. Participants with the highest intake of UPF had a 68% greater incidence of CVD compared to those with the lowest intake (HR = 1.68, 95% CI=1.14-2.48) after controlling for potential confounders. Regarding sub-groups of UPF, participants in the 3rd tertile compared to the reference had a significantly increased risk of CVD (HR = 1.56, 95% CI=1.04-2.34). Nevertheless, intake of bread, fast food, sweetened beverages, sweets and desserts, high-fat dairy products, and other UPFs were not associated with greater CVD risk. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the hypothesis that the incidence of CVD is enhanced with the higher consumption of UPF in a representative sample of the Iranian population.

Effect of a Technology-Integrated Curriculum on Sugary Drink and Snack Intake of Elementary-Aged Youth Experiencing Low Income.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the results of a technology-integrated intervention on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and energy-dense snack intake with third graders experiencing low income. DESIGN: A 2 × 2 quasi-randomized cluster-block, parallel-group experimental research design. SETTING: Low-income schools in Rhode Island. PARTICIPANTS: Two-hundred seventeen intervention and 242 control third-grade students in low-income (89.6% and 88.2% free/reduced meals, respectively), ethnically and racially diverse (63% Hispanic/20% Black and 62% Hispanic/18% Black, respectively) schools. INTERVENTION(S): A 13-week in-school program held once per week for 1 hour. The hands-on, technology-integrated program used a modified version of the Body Quest: Food of the Warrior curriculum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Intake of SSB and energy-dense snacks, both salty and sweet snacks, using baseline (week 1) and postassessment (week 13) previous day self-recall. ANALYSIS: Generalized mixed modeling with nesting. RESULTS: Intervention students significantly reduced their SSB intake by 38% (0.5 times/d; F[1, 540] = 4.26; P = 0.04) and salty snack intake by 58% (0.8 times/d; F[1, 534] = 6.58, P < 0.01) from baseline to postassessment as compared with the control students. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Findings suggest a technology-integrated curriculum is effective in decreasing SSB and salty snacks in elementary-aged students of low-income, minoritized populations. Improved dietary habits can potentially influence other facets of students' lives.

Biogenic Salvia species synthesized silver nanoparticles with catalytic, sensing, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.

Salvia (Lamiaceae family) is used as a brain tonic to improve cognitive function. The species including S. plebeia and S. moorcroftiana are locally used to cure hepatitis, cough, tumours, hemorrhoids, diarrhoea, common cold, flu, and asthma. To the best of authors' knowledge, no previous study has been conducted on synthesis of S. plebeia and S. moorcroftiana silver nanoparticles (SPAgNPs and SMAgNPs). The study was aimed to synthesize AgNPs from the subject species aqueous and ethanol extracts, and assess catalytic potential in degradation of standard and extracted (from yums, candies, and snacks) dyes, nitrophenols, and antibiotics. The study also aimed at AgNPs as probe in sensing metalloids and heavy metal ions including Pb2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Ni2+, and Zn2+. From the results, it was found that Salvia aqueous extract afforded stable AgNPs in 1:9 and 1:15 (quantity of aqueous extract and silver nitrate solution concentration) whereas ethanol extract yielded AgNPs in 1:10 (quantity of ethanol extract and silver nitrate solution concentration) reacted in sunlight. The size of SPAgNPs and SMAgNPs determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were 21.7 nm and 19.9 nm, with spherical, cylindrical, and deep hollow morphology. The synthesized AgNPs demonstrated significant potential as catalyst in dyes; Congo red (85 %), methylene blue (75 %), Rhodamine B (<50 %), nitrophenols; ortho-nitrophenol (95-98 %) and para-nitrophenol (95-98 %), dyes extracted from food samples including yums, candies, and snacks. The antibiotics (amoxicillin, doxycycline, levofloxacin) degraded up to 80 %-95 % degradation. Furthermore, the synthesized AgNPs as probe in sensing of Pb2+, Cu2+, and Fe3+ in Kabul river water, due to agglomeration, caused a significant decrease and bathochromic shift of SPR band (430 nm) when analyzed after 30 min. The Pb2+ ions was comparatively more agglomerated and chelated. Thus, the practical applicability of AgNPs in Pb2+ sensing was significant. Based on the results of this research study, the synthesized AgNPs could provide promising efficiency in wastewater treatment containing organic dyes, antibiotics, and heavy metals.

Using coupons to encourage healthier child snack purchases in corner stores: results from the CHOMPS study.

Objectives: To examine youths' (ages 6-15 years) autonomous snack purchases in corner stores and pilot use of coupons to encourage more healthful snack purchases. Methods: This pilot study involved four corner stores proximal to K-8 schools in Massachusetts. Kids-only coupons of varying discounts were provided in store and paired with simple visual and verbal economic and health messages. Observational data about youths' autonomous snack purchases was recorded pre- and post-intervention. Outcomes of interest were snack item, price, and nutrient content. Comparisons of purchase characteristics and nutritional content across intervention conditions were made using Chi-squared and t-tests. Results: Across all stores, 2,973 purchase observations were recorded totaling approximately $6,000. Researchers estimated that about 55% of shoppers were 10-12 years old. Modest coupon usage (2.2% of purchases) was noted. However, candy purchases decreased, and the percentage of purchase events that included at least one healthier food item more than doubled, regardless of coupon use. Improvements in the nutritional content of snacks were also observed. Conclusion: Kids-only coupons have the potential to assist with shifting autonomous snack purchase behavior in outside of school settings.

Nutritionally Valuable Components and Heat-Induced Contaminants in Extruded Snack Products Enriched with Defatted Press Cakes.

This research studies the influence of the addition of defatted press cakes (from the production of hazelnut, camelina, pumpkin, and hemp seed oil) on nutritionally important components: fibre, resistant starch, polyphenols, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and acrylamide in directly and indirectly expanded snacks. The amounts of press cakes added to corn grits were 3, 6, and 9%. Extrusion was carried out in a laboratory single-screw extruder. For indirectly expanded products (SCFX), supercritical CO2 was injected during extrusion, and secondary expansion was completed in the microwave oven. The type and content of press cake, as well as the type of product, significantly influenced total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. Press cakes increased the contents of both soluble and insoluble fibre (from 1.94% d. m. and 1.28% d. m. for extrudates without press cakes up to 3.17% d. m. and 6.94% d. m. for SCFX extrudates with press cakes, respectively), and resistant starch was not markedly influenced by their addition. The influence of the content of press cake on HMF was not significant, whereas the type of cake and the type of extrusion influenced HMF significantly. In a raw mixture of corn grits with 3% of pumpkin press cake, HMF was below the limit of detection, and the highest content was found in the classically extruded sample with the addition of 9% of camelina press cake (580 ppb). In all samples, the acrylamide content was below the limit of detection, indicating that safe products were obtained. This research shows potential for the implementation of supercritical CO2 extrusion in the production of safe, nutritionally improved snack products. Future research might bring about the design of cost-effective processes applicable in the industry.

The effect of discretionary snack consumption on overall energy intake, weight status, and diet quality: A systematic review.

The consumption frequency and portion size of discretionary snacks are thought to contribute to a greater food intake and risk of overweight or obesity in the developed world but evidence from epidemiological studies is inconclusive. To investigate this, we systematically evaluated evidence on the effects of discretionary snack consumption on weight status, energy intake, and diet quality. Articles involving discretionary snacks reported against the outcome measures of any primary, peer-reviewed study using human participants from free-living conditions for all age groups were included. A total of 14,780 titles were identified and 40 eligible publications were identified. Three key outcomes were reported: weight status (n = 35), energy intake (n = 11), and diet quality (n = 3). Increased discretionary snack consumption may contribute modestly to energy intake, however, there is a lack of consistent associations with increased weight/BMI. Although cross-sectional analyses offered conflicting findings, longitudinal studies in adults showed a consistent positive relationship between discretionary snack intake and increasing weight or body mass index. Given that experimental findings suggest reducing the size of discretionary snacks could lead to decreased consumption and subsequent energy intake, food policy makers and manufacturers may find it valuable to consider altering the portion and/or packaging size of discretionary snacks.

A single all-out bout of 30-s sprint-cycle performed on 5 consecutive days per week over 6 weeks does not enhance cardiovascular fitness, maximal strength, and clinical health markers in physically active young adults.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the effects of a single all-out bout of 30-s sprint-cycle performed daily for 5 consecutive days per week for 6 weeks, on aerobic fitness, muscle strength and metabolic-health markers in physically active young males and females. METHODS: Healthy, physically active 20-28 year olds, were randomly assigned to either experimental (EXP, N = 11) or non-training control (CON, N = 8) group. With supervision, the EXP group performed one bout of 30-s sprint-cycle daily, Mondays to Fridays over 6 weeks, while CON group continued with their usual lifestyle. The followings were measured at pre- and post-intervention: maximal aerobic power, peak torque of knee extensors and flexors at velocities 30° s-1 and 300° s-1, resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, body fat percentage, fasting lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, and fasting insulin levels. RESULTS: There were no significant improvements in the EXP group for all the measured variables (all P > 0.05); except for significant interaction effects in peak torque of knee extensors at 30° s-1 (P = 0.044) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P = 0.046). Post hoc test indicate that CON group showed decline in their low-density lipo-proteins levels (P = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Six weeks of one all-out bout of 30-s sprint-cycle per day, for 5 consecutive days per week, was ineffective in improving cardiovascular fitness, maximal strength, and most health markers in physically active young adults. The present results when combined with the previous literature suggest that there is a possibility of a minimum threshold for a number of sprint-cycle bouts needed to be performed before any form of cardio-metabolic-health benefit is accrued.

Competitive Foods' Nutritional Quality and Compliance with Smart Snacks Standards: An Analysis of a National Sample of U.S. Middle and High Schools.

Snacks and beverages are often sold in addition to meals in U.S. schools ("competitive foods"), but their current nutritional quality and compliance with national Smart Snacks standards are unknown. This study assessed competitive foods in a national sample of 90 middle and high schools. Differences in compliance by school characteristics were measured using mixed methods analysis of variance. Overall, 80% of the schools in the sample sold competitive foods; but they were less commonly available in schools with universal free school meal (UFSM) policies. A total of 840 unique products were documented and, on average, 75% were compliant with Smart Snacks standards. A total of 56% aligned with recommended added sugar limits (<10% of calories); and 340 unique products (40%) aligned with both sugar and Smart Snacks standards. Approximately one-fifth of competitive foods contained synthetic dyes, and 31% of beverages contained artificial sweeteners. Smart Snacks standards compliance was greater when competitive foods were overseen by food service departments, in comparison with others (e.g., principals, student organizations, or outside vendors [77% vs. 59% compliance; p = 0.003]). Therefore, district wellness policies should consider requiring food service departments to oversee competitive foods. Federal and state policies should limit added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and synthetic dyes. This appears to be highly feasible, given the substantial number of products that meet these criteria. UFSM policies should also be considered to support healthier school meal environments more broadly.

Upcycling imperfect broccoli and carrots into healthy snacks using an innovative 3D food printing approach.

Vegetables are healthy foods with nutritional benefits; however, nearly one-third of the world's vegetables are lost each year, and some of the losses happen due to the imperfect shape of the vegetables. In this study, imperfect vegetables (i.e., broccoli and carrots) were upcycled into freeze-dried powders to improve their shelf-life before they were formed into food inks for 3D printing. The rheology of the food inks, color analysis of the uncooked and cooked designs, and texture analysis of the cooked designs were determined. The inks with 50% and 75% vegetables provided the best printability and shape fidelity. 3D printing at these conditions retained a volume comparable to the digital file (14.4 and 14.3 cm3 vs. 14.6 cm3, respectively). The control, a wheat flour-based formulation, showed the lowest level of stability after 3D printing. The viscosity results showed that all the food inks displayed shear-thinning behavior, with broccoli having the greatest effect on viscosity. There was a significant color difference between uncooked and cooked samples, as well as between different formulations. The hardness of the baked 3D-printed samples was affected by the type and content of vegetable powders, where carrot-based snacks were notably harder than snacks containing broccoli. Overall, the results show that 3D food printing can be potentially used to reduce the loss and waste of imperfect vegetables.

Achieving high diet quality at eating occasions: findings from a nationally representative study of Australian adults.

This study examined differences in food groups consumed at eating occasions by the level of adherence to dietary guidelines in Australian adults (≤19 years) and whether consumption differed with respect to age, sex and education levels. Secondary analysis of the 2011-2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (n 9054) was performed, using one 24-h dietary recall with self-reported eating occasions. Dietary Guideline Index scores were used to assess adherence to the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines. Mean differences (95 % CI) in servings of the five food groups and discretionary foods at eating occasions were estimated for adults with higher and lower diet quality, stratified by sex, age group and education. Using survey-based t-tests, differences of at least half a serving with P values < 0·05 were considered meaningful. Compared with adults with lower diet quality, women and men aged 19-50 years with higher diet quality consumed more serves of vegetables at dinner (mean difference (95 % CI), women; 1·0; 95 % CI (0·7, 1·2); men: 0·9; 95 % CI (0·6, 1·3)) and fewer serves of discretionary foods at snacks (women: -0·7; 95 % CI (-0·9, -0·5); men: -1·0; 95 % CI (-1·4, -0·7). Other food groups, such as grains, dairy products and alternatives, meats and alternatives, were not significantly different between adults with lower and higher diet quality, across any eating occasions and age groups. Discretionary food intake at lunch, dinner and snacks was consistently greater among adults with lower diet quality, regardless of education level. Our findings identify dinner and snacks as opportunities to increase vegetable intake and reduce discretionary food intake, respectively.

The effect of apple pomace powder and calcium ions on selected physicochemical properties of freeze-dried carrot-orange-ginger snacks.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the effect of various amounts of dried apple pomace (AP) powder and calcium ions on selected physicochemical properties of restructured freeze-dried snacks in comparison with products obtained with low-methoxyl pectin (LMP). The material was prepared using frozen carrot, orange concentrate, ginger, water, and various concentrations of AP (1, 3, 5%) and calcium lactate (0, 0.01, 0.05%). The reference samples were without additives, and with 0.5 or 1.5% of LMP combined with 0.01% of calcium lactate. RESULTS: The material was studied in terms of water content and activity, hygroscopic properties, structure, texture, color, and polyphenol content (TPC), and antioxidant activity. The addition of AP resulted in reducing water activity and porosity. As a consequence of the increasing density of the structure, the reduction of hygroscopic properties by up to 16% followed the increasing amount of AP. Apple pomace and calcium ions strengthened the structure. The addition of 3% and 5% of AP gave a hardening effect close to or better than 0.5% LMP. Because of the pigment dilution, LMP caused significantly greater total color change than AP. The incorporation of AP also increased TPC and enhanced antioxidant activity in comparison with the reference materials by up to 18%. CONCLUSION: The results showed that dried AP powder can be applied successfully as an additive enhancing stability, texture and bioactive compound content, thus fortifying the physicochemical properties of restructured freeze-dried fruit and vegetable snacks. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Exercise in the workplace: examining the receptivity of practical and time-efficient stair-climbing "exercise snacks".

In the workplace, people are often sedentary for prolonged time and do not regularly engage in physical activity-two factors independently linked to premature morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the receptivity of incorporating practical stair-climbing "exercise snacks" (Snacks; three isolated bouts of ascending 53-60 stairs performed sporadically throughout the day) into workplace settings compared to more traditional high-intensity interval training (HIIT; performed as three bouts of 53-60 stairs within a structured HIIT workout) and to explore if these exercise strategies could influence sedentary and physical activity behaviour. Fourteen participants (12 women; Mage = 38.9 ± 10.2 years) completed two supervised exercise trials (Snacks and HIIT) followed by 1 week participating in either form of exercise in their workplace. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), affective valence, enjoyment, and self-efficacy were measured at the supervised exercise sessions. During the follow-up period, sedentary behaviour and physical activity were measured with an accelerometer. Affective valence was more positive (p = 0.03; η2 p = 0.21) and there was a lower rise in RPE (p = 0.01; η2 p = 0.29) during Snacks than HIIT. Post-exercise enjoyment of, and self-efficacy towards, Snacks and HIIT were high and similar (ps > 0.05). After the supervised trials, 10/14 of the participants preferred Snacks and 4/14 preferred HIIT (p = 0.18). On days when participants chose to perform either exercise modality, the average number of sit-to-stands in a 24 h period was increased (48.3 ± 8.7 to 52.8 ± 7.8; p = 0.03; Hedge's g = 0.73) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity tended to increase (21.9 ± 18.2 to 38.1 ± 22.1 min; p = 0.06; Hedge's g = 0.60) compared to days when they chose not to exercise. Stair-climbing exercise snacks may be an attractive approach to implement in the workplace setting and has potential to positively impact sedentary behaviour and physical activity metrics.

Effect of drying temperature and storage time on the crispiness of homemade apple snacks.

BACKGROUND: The apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) plays an important role in the trendy market of dried snacks because of its exceptional flavor and texture. In addition to the health benefits, there is also a general disposition to consume organic and do-it-yourself products. RESULTS: Three different drying temperatures, 65, 75, and 85 °C, were tested using a commercial ventilated drying oven in 'Royal Gala' and 'Golden Delicious' cultivars. Physical changes, including texture, color, shrinkage ratio, and microstructure, were evaluated for the temperatures and cultivars considered. Based on the results, particularly in terms of shrinkage, hardness, and crispiness, a drying temperature of 75 °C was selected to perform texture profile analyses throughout the drying period. Storability conditions were evaluated to determine the best moment to maintain the physical properties of the dried snacks during storage. Considered the more important property related to consumer preferences, crispiness was followed with puncture tests. CONCLUSION: The storage of apple chips, dried at the various temperatures, that must be performed in 5-10 min after removing from the drying oven, was assessed over the course of a month. Both the drying process and the subsequent storage proved effective in preserving the desired texture of the apple snacks, regardless of the specific cultivar or drying temperature used. Through this study, with a refined understanding of the changes occurring during the drying process and the optimization of storage conditions, we can confidently offer consumers the best combination of crispy and healthy snacks that meet their expectations. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Snack consumption frequency of children and adults in the Vaal region of Gauteng, South Africa.

Background: Energy-dense, nutrient-poor snacks are associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the double burden of malnutrition, especially among poor communities. Aim: To determine and compare the snacking preferences and consumption frequency of children and adults from a low SES community in South Africa. Setting: A preschool, primary school, and an elderly centre in Gauteng. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 90 children (3-8 years) and 100 adults (≥ 18 years) to assess snack consumption frequency and preferences of children and adults by means of a snack survey. Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine the differences in preferences and snack consumption frequency of children and adults. Results: The most preferred and consumed snacks included fruits, potato chips, corn chips, sweets, and cookies. Children frequently ate more potato chips (p < 0.001), corn chips (p < 0.001), cheese curls (p < 0.001), and muffins (p = 0.024) than adults. In contrast, adults frequently consumed more peanuts or nuts (p = 0.024), savoury biscuits (p = 0.048) and biltong (p < 0.001) than children. Conclusion: Apart from fruits, the most preferred and frequently consumed snacks by the sample were highly processed snacks, which are low in fibre and high in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium. Contributions: Findings from this study highlight current snack trends and can guide future nutrition education interventions on healthy snacking and in developing nutritious snacks for the South African community.

Sensory, physicochemical, and functional stability of freeze-dried blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) Snacks. Effect of sweeteners.

The objective of this work was to develop two freeze-dried snacks from blackcurrant and different sweeteners: honey/isomalt (HI) sweetened with honey/isomalt, and isomalt/stevia (IS) sweetened with isomalt/stevia. Both snacks showed high bioactive compounds retention (>75%) and no significant changes in several physicochemical properties after 6 months storage. Fresh snacks were hard and crunchy, and the perception of consumers within liking categories was: HI: 43%, and IS: 72%. After storage HI snack showed higher acceptance by consumers (75% within liking categories) while IS snack showed a decrease in their acceptance (63% within disliking categories). The penalty analysis showed that the sensory shelf-life of both snacks would be limited by the changes produced in texture and color during storage. HI snack could reach six storage months, while IS would be stored up to 3 months. The use of diverse sweeteners allowed obtaining two different products which could be incorporated into a healthy diet.