scholarly journals Total and Free Sugar Content of Pre-Packaged Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages in Slovenia

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Zupanič ◽  
Krista Miklavec ◽  
Anita Kušar ◽  
Katja Žmitek ◽  
Nataša Fidler Mis ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Zupanic ◽  
Igor Pravst

AbstractIn 2015, World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines to reduce the consumption of free sugars to no more than 10% of the total daily energy intake, with additional health benefits achieved when aiming to less than 5%. For the general population, following these recommendations has proven difficult due to the massive amount of free sugar available in pre-packed products on the market. In Slovenia, a series of actions have been undertaken to reduce the availability and consumption of foods high in free sugar, including food industry responsibility pledges from soft drink and dairy industry (in 2015 and 2017, respectively).To monitor the efficacy of those actions as well as general trends in free sugar content on the Slovenian food market, the cross-sectional study from 2015 was repeated in 2017. Data from 21,115 pre-packed food items were systematically collected from major retailer shops in Ljubljana, Slovenia. All products were photographed and their European/International Article (EAN) codes scanned to assemble an online database. The products were later assigned to one of the 49 pre-defined food categories, matching those from 2015. The categories that contributed to free sugar consumption in 2015 the most were re-analysed in 2017.Results showed that in the category of Chocolate and sweets, which in 2015 contributed one third of all free sugar sold on Slovenian market, mean free sugar content increased by 4.7 %. Among Soft drinks, which followed shortly after, free sugar content dropped by 8 %. The decrease was also observed among Jellies (10.7 %) Yogurt products (5.7 %), Breakfast cereals (1.7 %), Biscuits (0.9 %), as well as Fruit and vegetable juices (0.9 %). On the other hand, large increase was observed among Ice creams and edible ices (31.3 %) and in the category of Jam and spreads, in which mean free sugar content increased by 20.3 %.The data showed some favourable trends in free sugar content in many food categories that contribute an important share to an overall free sugar consumption. However, free sugar in certain food categories such as Chocolate and sweets is still on the rise, exposing the need for additional actions that would encourage industry to reformulate products with a lesser amount of free sugar. Moreover, industry self-regulation may be one of, but not the only measure to efficiently reduce free sugar consumption among general population.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Zupanič ◽  
Maša Hribar ◽  
Nataša Fidler Mis ◽  
Igor Pravst

Ultra-processed, pre-packaged foods are becoming a growing part of our diet, while displacing whole and minimally processed foods. This results in an increased intake of free sugar, salt, and saturated fats, that have a profoundly negative effect on health. We aimed to assess the trend in free sugar content in pre-packaged foods in Slovenia and evaluate the efficacy of industry self-regulations designed to combat the excess consumption of free sugar. A nation-wide data collection of the Slovenian food supply was performed in 2015 and repeated in 2017. In 2017, 54.5% of all products (n = 21,115) contained free sugars (median: 0.26 g free sugar/100 g). Soft drinks became the main free sugar source among pre-packaged goods (28% of all free sugar sold on the market) in place of chocolates and sweets, of which relative share decreased by 4.4%. In the categories with the highest free sugar share, market-leading brands were often sweeter than the average free sugar value of the category. This indicates that changes in on-shelf availability towards a greater number of healthier, less sweet products are not necessarily reflected in healthier consumers’ choices. Relying solely on voluntary industrial commitments to reduce free sugar consumption will likely not be sufficient to considerably improve public health. While some further improvements might be expected over the longer term, voluntarily commitments are more successful in increasing the availability of healthier alternatives, rather than improving the nutritional composition of the market-leading products. Additional activities are, therefore, needed to stimulate reformulation of the existing market-leading foods and drinks, and to stimulate the consumption of healthier alternatives.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3404
Author(s):  
Lok Yin Chan ◽  
Daisy Coyle ◽  
Jason Wu ◽  
Jimmy Chun Yu Louie

There is limited information regarding the free sugar content of pre-packaged foods in Hong Kong. This study aims to assess the free sugar content and identify the most frequently used free sugar ingredients (FSI) in pre-packaged foods in Hong Kong. Data from 18,784 products from the 2019 FoodSwitch Hong Kong database were used in this analysis. Ingredient lists were screened to identify FSI. Total sugar content was derived from nutrition labels on packaging. Free sugar content was estimated based on adaptation of a previously established systematic methodology. Descriptive statistics of the total sugar and free sugar content, as well as the mean ±SD contribution of free sugar to total sugar of the audited products were calculated, stratified by food groups. Almost two-thirds (64.5%) of the pre-packaged foods contained at least one FSI. ‘Sugar (sucrose)’ was the most popular FSI that was found in more than half (54.7%) of the products. ‘Fruit and vegetable juices’ (median 10.0; IQR 8.3–11.5 g/100 mL) were found to have a higher median free sugar content than ‘Soft drinks’ (8.0; 6.0–10.6 g/100 mL). Mean ±SD contribution of free sugar to the total sugar content was 65.8 ± 43.4%, with 8 out of 14 food groups having > 70% total sugar as free sugar. To conclude, free sugar, especially sucrose, was extensively used in a wide variety of pre-packaged products sold in Hong Kong. Further studies are needed to assess the population intake of free sugar in Hong Kong to inform public health policy on free sugar reduction.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
So-Ra Yoon ◽  
Yun-Mi Dang ◽  
Su-Yeon Kim ◽  
Su-Yeon You ◽  
Mina K. Kim ◽  
...  

Capsaicinoid content, among other factors, affects the perception of spiciness of commercial kimchi. Here, we investigated whether the physicochemical properties of kimchi affect the spicy taste of capsaicinoids perceived by the tasting. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to evaluate the capsaicinoid content (mg/kg) of thirteen types of commercial kimchi. The physicochemical properties such as pH, titratable acidity, salinity, free sugar content, and free amino acid content were evaluated, and the spicy strength grade was determined by selected panel to analyze the correlation between these properties. Panels were trained for 48 h prior to actual evaluation by panel leaders trained for over 1000 h according to the SpectrumTM method. Partial correlation analysis was performed to examine other candidate parameters that interfere with the sensory evaluation of spiciness and capsaicinoid content. To express the specific variance after eliminating the effects of other variables, partial correlations were used to estimate the relationships between two variables. We observed a strong correlation between spiciness intensity ratings and capsaicinoid content, with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.78 at p ≤ 0.001. However, other specific variables may have influenced the relationship between spiciness intensity and total capsaicinoid content. Partial correlation analysis indicated that the free sugar content most strongly affected the relationship between spiciness intensity and capsaicinoid content, showing the largest first-order partial correlation coefficient (rxy/z: 0.091, p ≤ 0.01).


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Teresa Gontijo de Castro ◽  
Helen Eyles ◽  
Cliona Ni Mhurchu ◽  
Leanne Young ◽  
Sally Mackay

Abstract Objective: To assess trends in relative availability, sugar content and serve size of ready-to-drink non-alcoholic beverages available for sale in supermarkets from 2013 to 2019. Design: Repeat cross-sectional surveys. Data on single-serve beverages to be consumed in one sitting were obtained from an updated brand-specific food composition database. Trends in beverages availability and proportions with serve size ≤ 250 ml were assessed by χ2 tests. Sugar content trends were examined using linear regressions. The proportion of beverages exceeding the sugar threshold of the United Kingdom Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) was assessed. Setting: New Zealand. Results: From 2013 to 2019, there was (i) an increase in the availability of sugar-free/low-sugar beverages (n 25 (8·4 %) to n 75 (19·1 %); P < 0·001) and craft sugar-sweetened soft drinks (n 11 (3·7 %) to n 36 (9·2 %); P < 0·001), and a decrease in availability of fruit/vegetable juices/drinks (n 94 (31·8 %) to n 75 (19·4 %); P < 0·001); (ii) small decreases in sugar content (mean g/100 ml) of sugar-sweetened soft drinks (3·03; 95 % CI 3·77, 2·29); fruit/vegetable juices/drinks (1·08; 95 % CI 2·14, 0·01) and energy drinks (0·98; 95 % CI 1·63, 0·32) and (iii) slight reduction in the proportion of beverages with serve size ≤ 250 ml (21·6 to 18·9 %; P < 0·001). In 2019, most beverages were sugar-sweetened or had naturally occurring sugars (79·1 %) and serve size > 250 ml (81·1 %) and most sugar-sweetened beverages exceeded the SDIL lower benchmark (72·9 %). Conclusions: Most single-serve beverages available for sale in 2019 were sugary drinks with high sugar content and large serve sizes; therefore, changes made across the years were not meaningful for population’s health.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1861
Author(s):  
Billy Yin Sing O ◽  
Daisy H. Coyle ◽  
Elizabeth K. Dunford ◽  
Jason H.Y. Wu ◽  
Jimmy Chun Yu Louie

This study aims to examine the use of non-nutritive (NNSs) and low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) in pre-packaged foods in Hong Kong and the differences in the number of NNSs/LCSs used between products from different regions. In a cross-sectional audit, the types of NNSs/LCSs used in 19,915 pre-packaged foods in Hong Kong were examined by searching the ingredients list of the included products for keywords related to 20 common NNSs/LCSs and their respective E-numbers. Prevalence of use of NNSs and LCSs, the co-presence of NNSs/LCSs and free sugar ingredients (FSI), and the number of NNSs/LCSs used in the included foods were computed. Pearson’s χ2 test was used to compare the total number of NNSs and/or LCSs used in food items from different regions. Sucralose (E955) was the most commonly used NNS (1.9%), followed by acesulfame K (E950, 1.6%). Sorbitol was the most commonly used LCS (2.9%). Overall, the use of LCSs was less common compared with NNSs (3.7% vs. 4.5%). The use of different types of NNSs varied substantially between food types. Notably, 20.2% of potato crisps and 15.2% of other crisps or extruded snacks contained at least one NNS and/or LCS. Co-presence of FSIs and NNSs/LCSs were most common in confectionery (15.7%) and snack foods (15.5%). Asian prepackaged foods were more likely to contain NNSs/LCSs (10.1%) compared with those from other regions. To conclude, NNSs/LCSs were used in a wide range of non-diet pre-packaged products which could be a public health concern due to their higher consumption frequencies than “diet” products.


Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 98
Author(s):  
Hyo Bin Oh ◽  
Ji Won Lee ◽  
Da Eun Lee ◽  
Soo Chang Na ◽  
Da Eun Jeong ◽  
...  

Ginseng processing often involves multiple drying and heat treatments. Ginseng is typically processed within one week of harvesting or is stored at low temperatures to prevent spoilage. Black ginseng (BG) is manufactured by repeating the heat treatment and drying process of ginseng several times. We compared the suitability of low-temperature stored ginseng (SG) and harvested ginseng (HG) as the components for black ginseng production. SG and HG were processed into black ginseng and the appearance change, free sugar content, and benzo[a]pyrene (BAP) content were observed. Appearance observations showed the SG to be suitable in terms of quality when heat-treated at a temperature of 95 ℃ or higher. The BAP content of the SG increased significantly as the steaming process was repeated. A maximum BAP concentration of 5.31 ± 1.12 μg/kg was measured in SG steamed from 2 to 5 times, making it unsuitable for processing into BG. SG and HG showed similar trends in the content of sucrose, fructose, and glucose during steaming. This study aimed to facilitate the proper choice of base material to improve the safety of black ginseng by limiting BAP production during processing.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 3009
Author(s):  
Leng Huat Foo ◽  
Ying Jing Tan

Schools are an important food environment to cultivate and promote healthy food choices and practices among children and adolescents. The aim of the present study was to assess the type and quality of food and beverages sold in school canteens in public primary and secondary schools in Kelantan, Malaysia. Eligible schools were randomly selected from the list of all schools and detailed information of all food and beverage items sold in the school canteens were collected during school days. Food and beverages were classified based on food groups derived from the Malaysian Food Dietary Guideline and the Recommended Foods for Healthy Cafeteria Guideline. An assessment of the traffic-light nutrition food-labelling system of the total sugar content in all pre-packaged foods was also undertaken. A total of 568 food items were identified, with secondary school canteens selling a greater proportion of food items than the primary schools (55.5% vs. 44.5%). In terms of the main food groups, grains and cereal products represented the largest food group served (33–36%), followed by beverages (21–25%) and confectionary and sweet foods (12–13%). In contrast, the vegetable and fruit group represented the smallest proportion of food items sold (1–3%). Comparisons between primary and secondary schools showed a similar trend and pattern of food types and quality of foods sold, except for animal-based foods. A greater percentage of food items in this category was found among secondary schools (12.1%) versus primary schools (6.7%). When total sugar content of all pre-packaged foods was quantified based on the traffic-light nutrition-labelling system, almost one-third of foods and beverages were classified as high (29.1%). Confectionary (19.1%) and flavoured milk and fruit drinks (10.0%) both exceeded the recommended sugar levels of >22.5 g per 100 g and >11.25 mL per 100 m L, respectively. Only one of these packaged foods and beverages (0.9%) was classified as a healthy food choice. About a quarter of the food items available in school canteens were classified as prohibited based on a new revised list of prohibited food and beverage items. These findings indicate that, despite the Guidelines, a large number of unhealthy food items are being sold in school canteens. Hence, interventions such as sustainable healthy school canteen menus should be implemented to promote healthy food choices amongst school-aged children.


2019 ◽  
Vol 964 ◽  
pp. 209-214
Author(s):  
Elly Agustiani ◽  
Atiqa Rahmawati ◽  
Fibrillian Zata Lini ◽  
Dimas Luthfi Ramadhani

Siwalan (Borassus flabellifer L.) is a palm family that is widely planted in the Tuban area of ​​East Java. Siwalan sap has a relatively high sugar content of about 10-15 g / 100 ml. The sap is obtained by tapping the inflorescences. In general, siwalan sap is used for fresh drinks or alcoholic beverages with maximum storage in 3 days. Based on the sugar content in the sap of siwalan, acetic acid products can be made through fermentation of glucose to ethanol, then the ethanol is fermented into acetic acid. Acetic acid is widely used as a preservative of food and health drinks. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of ethanol fermentation aerobic pH on acetic acid product. Anaerobic fermentation uses saccharomyces cereviceae to produce ethanol, and aerobic fermentation uses acetobacter aceti for acetic acid production. In aerobic ethanol fermentation using pH 3; 3.5; 4 and 5. The concentration of ethanol was analyzed using GC ULTRA Scientific Gas Chromatography, DSQ II detector, and MS 220 column. Acetic acid produced from the aerobic fermentation process was analyzed using an alkalimetric method. Anaerobic fermentation uses Saccharomyces cereviceae with 1-day log phase, while aerobic fermentation uses acetobacter aceti with a 5 day log phase. Aerobic fermentation to produce acetic acid was observed in 5 days to obtained maximum acetic acid concentration, the highest acetic acid concetration is about 2.595 g/l and yield of acetic acid is obtained 0.519% (b/v) at pH 5. Low acetic acid concentration due to low intitial sugar content in siwalan sap.


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