Corinthian currants finishing side-stream: Chemical characterization, volatilome, and valorisation through wine and baker's yeast production-technoeconomic evaluation.

The industrial currants finishing generates a considerable amount of side-stream (FSS) with great potential for biotechnological exploitation. The chemical composition of FSS generated from the premium quality Vostitsa currants was studied. Its use for wine making (at low temperatures, using both free and immobilized yeast) combined with baker's yeast production (with minor nutrient supplementation), is also proposed. Analysis showed that FSS has a rich volatilome (including Maillard reaction/lipid degradation products), increased antioxidant capacity, and total lipid and phenolic contents, compared to the marketable product (currants). However, acidity levels and the presence of specific volatiles (such as acetate esters and higher alcohols) may be indicative of microbial spoilage. The wines made from FSS were methanol free and contained higher levels of terpenes (indicating hydrolysis of bound forms) and fermentation-derived volatiles, compared to FSS. A preliminary technoeconomic analysis for integrated wine/baker's yeast industrial production, showed that the investment is realistic and worthwhile.

Accuracy and correlates of visual and verbal instruments assessing maternal perceptions of children's weight status: the Healthy Growth Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the accuracy of maternal ability to classify their children's weight status correctly using a verbal and a visual classification instrument and to detect significant correlates of maternal misperceptions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Primary schools in four counties from north, west, central and south Greece. SUBJECTS: A representative sample of 1858 primary-school children aged 9-13 years was examined. Two different instruments to assess maternal perceptions of their children's weight status, i.e. a verbal and a visual one, were used. RESULTS: Verbal and visual maternal underestimation rates of children's weight status were 15·0 % and 41·3 %, respectively. The frequency of underestimation was much higher among overweight and obese children for both instruments. The highest underestimation rates of 87·9 % and 82·1 % in overweight and obese boys, respectively, were obtained with the visual instrument. Multiple logistic regression modelling revealed that the likelihood of both verbal and visual maternal underestimation of their children's weight status was significantly higher for overweight mothers and for those with a lower educational level. Furthermore, children's male gender and a nanny or someone other than the mother as the child's primary caregiver were found to increase the odds of visual and verbal maternal underestimation of children's weight status, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that the verbal instrument used to assess maternal perceptions of their children's weight status was more accurate compared with the visual one. However, both instruments showed that a considerable number of overweight and obese boys had their weight status underestimated by their mothers. Educating mothers to classify their children's weight status correctly might be a key factor for the implementation of successful childhood obesity prevention initiatives.

Social, economic and demographic correlates of overweight and obesity in primary-school children: preliminary data from the Healthy Growth Study.

OBJECTIVE: To record the prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban primary-school children in relation to several socio-economic and demographic factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING/SUBJECTS: A representative sample of 729 schoolchildren (379 male and 350 female), aged 9-13 years, stratified by parental educational level, was examined in the urban region of Athens. Weight and height were measured using standard procedures. The International Obesity Task Force thresholds were used for the definition of overweight and obesity. Several socio-economic and demographic data and the child's 'popularity' score were also recorded with specifically designed standardized questionnaires. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 29·6 % and 11·1 %, respectively. Annual family income of € 12,000-20,000 (OR = 1·58), residence ownership (OR = 1·63) and the grandmother as the child's primary caregiver (OR = 1·38) were significantly associated with higher odds of childhood overweight and obesity. Non-Greek parental nationality (OR = 0·72) and higher 'popularity' scores of children (OR = 0·42) were significantly associated with lower odds of overweight and obesity. The grandmother as the child's primary caregiver and an annual family income of € 12,000-20,000 remained significantly associated with childhood overweight and obesity after adding all significant correlates of childhood overweight and obesity observed at the bivariate level in a multivariate regression model (OR = 1·51 and 1·61, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Among family income, residence ownership, child's primary caregiver, parental nationality and popularity scores that were identified as significant correlates of childhood overweight and obesity at the bivariate level, lower family income and grandmother as the child's primary caregiver were the only factors that remained significantly associated with childhood overweight and obesity at a multivariate level.