Effect of Fortification Breadsticks with Milk Thistle Seeds Powder on Chemical and Nutritional Properties

This work aim to verify the importance of milk thistle seed powder (MTSP) as a medicinal plant and effect of fortification wheat flour (WF) with MTSP on chemical and nutritional properties. Therefore, the chemical composition such as ether extract, dietary fiber, crude protein, vitamin C, amino acids and minerals contents were determined. Also, the antioxidative properties such as phenolic compounds and flavonoid compounds and scavenging activity on DPPH free radicals were also determined. Furthermore, the possibility to use MTSP in bread sticks preparation, where the use of MTSP as replacer of WF at different extents (4, 8 and 12%) to prepare bread sticks rich in protein and minerals, as well as organoleptic evaluation of prepared bread sticks were investigated. Results indicated that MTSP have high amount of protein (25%), ether extract (25.56%), crude fiber (29.68%), minerals content (4.55%), vitamin C (4.59 mg∕g), flavonoids (20,65 mg/g), and phenolic compounds (40.33 mg as Gallic /g) (antioxidants) which, could be used as alternative natural source for synthetic antioxidants in industry. The indispensable and dispensable amino acids are more abundant in MTSP protein. Sensorial evaluation of the obtained products indicated that successful replacement was 4, 8 and 12% of MTSP. So, it could be recommended to use the investigated plant seeds in bread sticks production for its nutritional concept and antioxidative effects. Finally, the use of inexpensive available natural sources of bioactive material and incorporated to our low-cost foods for treatment or protection of our widespread disease is innovated road to produce low price therapeutic foods available to wide levels of our people.

The association between consumption of monounsaturated fats from animal- v. plant-based foods and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective nationwide cohort study

Although higher dietary intake of MUFA has been shown to improve glycaemic control and lipid profiles, whether MUFA consumption from different sources is linked to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains unclear. We aimed to prospectively assess the associations of plant-derived MUFA (P-MUFA) and animal-derived MUFA (A-MUFA) intakes with T2D risk in a nationwide oriental cohort. Overall, 15 022 Chinese adults, aged ≥20 years, from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS 1997–2011) were prospectively followed up for a median of 14 years. Consumption of MUFA from plant and animal sources was assessed using 3-d 24-h recalls in each survey, and the cumulative average of intake was calculated. Multivariable-adjusted Cox models were constructed to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) of T2D according to quartiles of MUFA intake. P-MUFA were mainly consumed from cooked vegetable oils, fried bread sticks and rice, while A-MUFA were mainly consumed from pork, lard and eggs. Intake of P-MUFA was associated with a higher risk of T2D (HRQ4 v. Q1 1·50 (95 % CI 1·18, 1·90); Ptrend = 0·0013), whereas A-MUFA showed no significant association (HRQ4 v. Q1 0·84 (95 % CI 0·59, 1·20); Ptrend = 0·30). When further considering the cooking method of food sources, consumption of P-MUFA from fried foods was positively associated with T2D risk (HRQ4 v. Q1 1·60 (95 % CI 1·26, 2·02); Ptrend = 0·0006), whereas non-fried P-MUFA were not associated. Intake of MUFA from fried plant-based foods may elevate T2D risk among the Chinese population.

Fat and Moisture Content in Chinese Fried Bread Sticks: Assessment and Rapid Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Method Development

Fried bread sticks (FBS) are one of the most widely consumed deep fried food products in China. Understanding the fat and moisture content in FBS will help consumers make healthy food choices as well as assist food processors to provide FBS with desirable quality. Rapid Fourier transform near-infrared methods (FT-NIR) were developed for determining fat and moisture content in FBS collected from 123 different vendors in Shanghai, China. FBS samples with minimum sample preparation (either finely or coarsely ground) were used for NIR analyses. Spectra of FBS were treated with different mathematic pretreatments before being used to build models between the spectral information and fat (7.71%–30.89%) or moisture (17.39%–32.65%) content in FBS. Finely ground samples may lead to slightly more robust PLS models, but the particle sizes of ground FBS samples did not seriously affect the predictability of the models with appropriate mathematical treatments. The fat and moisture content in FBS predicted by FT-NIR methods had very good correlation with their values determined via traditional methods (fat,R2=0.965; moisture,R2=0.983), which clearly indicated that FT-NIR methods could be used as an effective tool for rapid determination of fat and moisture content in FBS.