Dimensions of household food waste focused on family and consumers.

Food waste produced in homes represents the largest fraction of food waste generated along the food chain. Therefore, adequate prevention measures based on the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of the problem need to be put in place to reduce waste. The objective of the review was to identify areas of interest in relation to the food waste in households, considering the family unit as a whole as well as individual family members. Quantifying the problem is an important aspect in order to know its scope and dimension, but prevention also involves knowing the causes in a home. This is a complex issue, which, on a family level, is related to socioeconomic status, educational level, composition and number of members of the household as well as culinary and buying food habits. Individual variables such as age, sex, values, awareness, lifestyle and time spent on food preparation were included to characterize consumers. The focus of the problem is also important because most consumers consider food waste from a social perspective, without being aware of the serious environmental and economic problems. Habits and customs of consumers are considered the leading cause of food waste in homes and knowledge of this issue raises consumer awareness as a preventive tool.

Dietary Assesment of Free-Living Elderly Spanish People with Disabilities.

Nutritional research in elderly disabled is difficult in noninstitutionalized people. The dietary intake of a noninstitutionalized disabled population of the eastern region of Spain was evaluated to detect possible nutritional deviations. A total of 329 participants aged 65 and over were recruited. Most participants were overweight. Carbohydrates did not reach 50% of total Kcal/day. Insufficient micronutrient intakes and high consumption of simple carbohydrates and saturated fats (SFA) were found. A decreasing trend of water intake (p < .05) as well as an increasing trend of alcohol consumption (p < .05) with increasing age was found. The area of residence had a relevant impact on nutritional, dietary, and anthropometric characteristics of our population.

Estudio de correlación entre variables clínicas y biomecánicas en pacientes con fibromialgia / Study of correlation between clinical and biomechanical variables in patients with fibromyalgia

Objetivo: Realizar un análisis biomecánico del equilibrio y la marcha en pacientes con fibromialgia para establecer una correlación con el estado funcional percibido. Material y método: Estudio transversal con 42 pacientes diagnosticados de fibromialgia (40 mujeres y 2 hombres). Se excluyeron personas con patologías concomitantes que alterasen la marcha y equilibrio. Se compararon los resultados del estado funcional medido mediante el Cuestionario de Impacto de la Fibromialgia (FIQ), con sus valoraciones biomecánicas del equilibrio medido con la aplicación NedSVE/IBV y cinética de la marcha con el sistema NedAMH/IBV. Resultados: Un 43% de los sujetos presentaba alteración en la valoración global de la prueba de Romberg Ojos Cerrados (ROC). Se encontró una correlación significativa entre el FIQ y la estabilidad medio lateral en la prueba de ROC (p=0,020). La valoración cinética de la marcha de todos los sujetos obtuvo parámetros dentro de la normalidad. No se encontraron correlaciones entre las variables del análisis cinético de la marcha y el resultado de la FIQ. Conclusión: Los hallazgos indican una buena correlación entre la FIQ con fibromialgia y su equilibrio postural medido con posturografía, pero no con los del análisis cinético de la marcha (AU)

Objective: To perform a biomechanical analysis of balance and gait in patients with fibromyalgia to establish a correlation with perceived functional status. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study of 42 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia (40 women and 2 men). Subjects with concomitant conditions affecting balance and gait were excluded. Functional status results measured by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) were compared with the biomechanical assessments of balance measured with the NedSVE/IBV application and gait kinetics with the NedAMH/IBV system. Results: Forty-three percent of subjects had abnormalities on the overall assessment of the Romberg eyes closed (REC) test. A significant correlation was found between FIQ and lateral medial stability on the REC test (p=0.020). Gait kinetics assessment of all subjects obtained parameters within the normal range. No correlations were found between variables in the gait kinetics analysis and the FIQ result. Conclusion: Our findings indicate a good correlation of the FIQ with fibromyalgia and postural balance measured with posturography, but not with the results of gait kinetics analysis (AU)

Carotenoids and color of fruit juice and milk beverage mixtures.

Seventeen commercially available, "ready to drink" fortified beverages consisting of mixtures of fruit juices and milk were analyzed to evaluate their carotenoid profile (including their Z/E stereoisomers) and color during their commercial shelf life. Lightness (L*) was found to be correlated with the content of milk in the mixtures (r= 0.649) whereas red-yellow colors were correlated with the contents of alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and beta-carotene supplied by the fruit. The beverages stored under refrigeration (4 +/- 2 degrees C) showed higher luminosity (L*) and higher saturation of color (C*) and yellowness (b*). Differences (P < 0.05) in the levels of carotenoids were found among the beverages. Common fruits such as apple, lemon, pear, strawberry, kiwifruit, pineapple, and banana were low in carotenoids. However, orange, apricot, mango, and peach contributed significantly (P < 0.05) to increasing beta-cryptoxanthin and beta-carotene concentrations. Passion fruit supplied zeta-carotene, and the presence of carrot increased the levels of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. Conversion of all-Ebeta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin to their Z isomers took place in 8 of the 17 samples containing alpha-carotene and in 9 of the 13 samples containing beta-cryptoxanthin, respectively, which resulted in some loss of provitamin A activity and nutritional value.

Changes of colour and carotenoids contents during high intensity pulsed electric field treatment in orange juices.

Liquid chromatography (LC) was the method chosen to evaluate the effects of high intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF), with different electric field intensities (25, 30, 35 and 40 kV/cm) and different treatment times (30-340 micros), on orange juice cis/trans carotenoid contents. In parallel, a conventional heat treatment (90 degrees C, 20 s) was applied to the orange juice in order to compare the effect on the carotenoid contents. HIPEF processing of orange juice is an alternative to the thermal treatment of pasteurization, provided that it is kept refrigerated, because, when the most extreme conditions of this kind of treatment are applied, the decrease in the concentration of carotenoids with vitamin A activity is very small, and also most of the carotenoids identified have a slightly increased concentration after application of the most intense treatments, although always less than in untreated fresh juice. In any case, pasteurization treatment causes a greater decrease in the concentration of most of the carotenoids identified and the carotenoids with vitamin A activity. The total carotenoid concentration decreased by 12.6% in pasteurized orange juice with respect to untreated fresh orange juice, as opposed to decreases of 9.6%, 6.3% or 7.8% when fields of 25, 30 or 40 kV/cm were applied. Orange juice treated with HIPEF shows a greater tendency towards the colour yellow and a lesser tendency towards red with respect to untreated orange juice, while the luminance of the juice remains practically invariable. This tendency is less than in pasteurized orange juice.

Effect of storage period under variable conditions on the chemical and physical composition and colour of Spanish refrigerated orange juices.

The effects of the physicochemical and quality characteristics of various minimally pasteurized refrigerated orange Spanish juices and their changes with storage time and temperature were investigated. Essential oils, acidity, conductivity, diacetyl index, hydroxymethylfurfural, formol index, viscosity and ascorbic acid varied with storage time more significantly at 10 degrees C than at 4 degrees C. Density, colour and pectinmethylesterase did not vary at 4 degrees C. Some of the parameters could be used as indicators of quality loss or spoilage of the juices. The degradation kinetics of the concentration of remaining ascorbic acid against time follows a straight line whose slope indicates the degradation rate. A period of at least 42 days at 4 degrees C and 35 days at 10 degrees C was established as the shelf life of the juices.

Use of polarography as a quality-control method for determining diacetyl in citrus and vegetable juices, yoghurt and butter.

The determination of diacetyl permits the detection of microbial growth in the processing of citrus fruit before the appearance of other organoleptic, chemical or microbiological changes. It also makes it possible to detect a break in the cold chain during distribution and sale. The study proposed a polarographic method for the determination of diacetyl that allowed routine analysis with the aim of detecting possible contamination in the citrus juice manufacturing chain (orange and orange-carrot). The analytical performance of the method in terms of a linearity from 0 to 960 microg ml(-1), a recovery of 97 to 98%, a precision of 3.2 to 4.8%, and a sensitivity of 0.2 ng ml(-1) for juices indicated the robustness of the method. The same method was also applied to butter and yoghurt with detection limits of and 0.4 ng g(-1).

Determination of liposoluble vitamins in cooked meals, milk and milk products by liquid chromatography.

A method for the simultaneous determination of liposoluble vitamins in cooked meals was established. Saponification was performed with 50% (w/v) KOH at 80 degrees C, and ascorbic acid was added as antioxidant. The subsequent extraction was carried out with diethyl ether. This was followed by a liquid chromatographic separation on a reversed-phase C18 column with methanol-water (94:6, v/v as the mobile phase. Retinyl acetate was used as the internal standard. The analytical parameters linearity, detection limit (0.19 and 8.33 microg/100 g for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively), precision of the method (RSD=5.24 and 6.99% for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively) and recovery assays (95.6 and 96.5% for retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively) show that the method studied is useful for measuring these compounds in foods and cooked meals.

Contents of vitamins B(1), B(2), B(6), and B(12) in pork and meat products.

The concentration of B vitamins (B(1), B(2), B(6), and B(12)) was determined in three pork muscles (Longissimus dorsi, loin; Biceps femoris, ham; and Triceps brachii, shoulder) and in pork and other meat products (cooked, pickled, and cured), of importance because they are consumed in high quantities. The results were compared with values reported by other authors and their contribution to the daily intake of these vitamins estimated. This showed that pork provides, on average, 97, 25.8, 35/43.7 (men/women), and 37% of the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) for vitamins B(1), B(2), B(6), and B(12), respectively.

Simultaneous determination of thiamin and riboflavin in mushrooms by liquid chromatography.

A simple, fast, inexpensive, and reliable method useful for the simultaneous, routine determination of thiamin and riboflavin in mushrooms is examined. It uses the extraction procedure, with slight modifications, proposed by the AOAC for the extraction of thiamin and riboflavin, followed by a liquid chromatographic separation on a reversed-phase Spherisorb ODS column with methanol/water as mobile phase gradient. Fluorometric detection is used at the following excitation and emission wavelengths, respectively, 360 and 425 nm in the case of thiamin and 422 and 515 nm for riboflavin. The analytical parameters of linearity, the precision of the method (RSD = 2.45 and 2.51% for thiamin and riboflavin, respectively), and the results of the comparison with the corresponding AOAC fluorometric methods show that the studied method is useful for the measurement of thiamin and riboflavin in fresh mushrooms.

Kinetics of ascorbic acid degradation in green asparagus during heat processing.

The effect of heating on ascorbic acid in green asparagus during a simulated retort operation was investigated. The asparagus was heated in trays of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer for selected time intervals at four temperatures ranging from 110 to 125 degrees C. It was found that the rate of degradation followed first-order kinetics. Kinetic parameters were obtained by using two least squares methods. The activation energy and z value were 35 kcal/mol and 20 degrees C, respectively.

Determination of vitamin B6 (pyridoxamine, pyridoxal and pyridoxine) in pork meat and pork meat products by liquid chromatography.

A liquid chromatographic method for determining vitamin B6 compounds in pork meat and pork meat products is examined. It uses the same extraction procedure as that applied for thiamin and riboflavin determination, followed by a liquid chromatographic separation on a reversed-phase C18 column with 0.01 M H2SO4 as mobile phase at 30 degrees C. 4-Deoxypyridoxine is used as internal standard. The analytical parameters linearity, precision of the method (R.S.D. = 7.3 and 6.9% for pyridoxamine and pyridoxal, respectively) and accuracy obtained by recovery assays (99 and 85.1% for pyridoxamine and pyridoxal, respectively) show that the studied method is useful to measure these compounds in pork meat.

Determination of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids in blood plasma and serum by liquid chromatography.

A liquid-chromatography (LC) method with ultraviolet detection for measuring ascorbic (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) in human blood and serum was studied. The method used an ODS reversed-phase column and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide as an ion-pairing agent. AA was measured before and after the reduction of DHA with dithiothreitol. The absence of interferences resulting from hemolysis products was verified and also the stability of the ascorbic acid in metaphosphoric acid extracts. The analytical parameters, linearity (1-80 micrograms/ml), accuracy (recovery, 96.7-100.7%) and precision (C.V. = 3.1%), show that the method is reliable and adequate for measuring the total vitamin C content in serum and plasma.

Determination of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn content of infant formulas by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV).

The differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) method described is based on the one reported by Hasse et al., but adapted to normal laboratory conditions. The values obtained in the estimation of the analytical parameters (linearity, detection and quantification limits, precision and accuracy) show that in the conditions described the method is sensitive enough, reliable and useful for determining these elements in infant formulas. A comparison between DPASV and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) methods in the conditions described here shows that the former is less sensitive but that they are similar in precision. The cadmium, copper, lead and zinc contents of different types of infant formulas marketed in Spain are reported.

Abnormal ocular movements in Parkinson's disease. Evidence for involvement of dopaminergic systems.

Quantitated automated electro-oculographic data from 45 parkinsonian patients were compared with those from 30 normal control subjects. Patients were selected with idiopathic Parkinson's disease without other associated neurological disease or dementia; 20 had never received antiparkinsonian drugs and in 25 such treatment had been stopped for at least 2 days. Saccade latency, amplitude and peak velocity, smooth pursuit peak velocity, optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) maximal and mean velocities and vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) suppression by vision or imagination were significantly altered in patients, whereas VOR gain in darkness was normal. Alterations of saccade latency and smooth pursuit peak velocity were more severe in the more advanced stages of the disease and saccade latency directed towards the symptomatic side was slightly delayed in hemiparkinsonian patients. Saccade amplitude improved 90 min after a single oral dose of L-DOPA. These results suggest a possible dopaminergic control of some ocular movements.