Radiation processing of minimally processed sprouts (dew gram and chick pea): effect on sensory, nutritional and microbiological quality

Effects of Calcium Fortified Beverage Intake on Insulin Sensitivity and Antioxidant Metabolism in Healthy Elderly

Calcium, one of the most important nutrients, determines the quality of life of the elderly. It has been reported that 7 out of 10 people over the age of 60 have insufficient calcium intake. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcium fortified beverage (CFB) intake on insulin sensitivity and antioxidant metabolism in healthy elderly. A crossover clinical trial was performed and antioxidant status of healthy elderly (age above 65 years, n = 8) was analyzed. Subjects did not take CFB for 0–3 weeks. They then took it for 3–6 weeks. CFB supplementation decreased insulin levels (Δ3–6 weeks: 1.19 ± 0.65 μ IU/mL → Δ0–3 weeks: −0.58 ± 0.38 μ IU/mL). Increasing degree of fasting blood glucose level was suppressed by intake of CFB, although the suppression was not statistically significant. Except for insulin, there were no significant differences in results of biochemical analysis between 0–3 weeks and 3–6 weeks. Catalase activity was significantly increased by CFB supplementation (Δ3–6 weeks: 3.50 ± 5.30 K g/Hb) compared to the no CFB supplementation period (Δ0–3 weeks: −12.48 ± 4.37 K g/Hb). However, the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione-peroxidase were not significantly different between 0–3 weeks and 3–6 weeks. H₂O₂-induced DNA oxidative damage was also decreased significantly by CFB supplementation. Taken together, these results indicate that CFB has beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity and some antioxidant enzymes in healthy elderly.

Sprouted Grains: A Comprehensive Review

In the last decade, there has been an increase in the use of sprouted grains in human diet and a parallel increase in the scientific literature dealing with their nutritional traits and phytochemical contents. This review examines the physiological and biochemical changes during the germination process, and the effects on final sprout composition in terms of macro- and micro-nutrients and bioactive compounds. The main factors affecting sprout composition are taken into consideration: genotype, environmental conditions experimented by the mother plant, germination conditions. In particular, the review deepens the recent knowledge on the possible elicitation factors useful for increasing the phytochemical contents. Microbiological risks and post-harvest technologies are also evaluated, and a brief summary is given of some important in vivo studies matching with the use of grain sprouts in the diet. All the species belonging to Poaceae (Gramineae) family as well as pseudocereals species are included.

Current intervention strategies for the microbial safety of sprouts

Sprouts have gained popularity worldwide due to their nutritional values and health benefits. The fact that their consumption has been associated with numerous outbreaks of foodborne illness threatens the $250 million market that this industry has established in the United States. Therefore, sprout manufacturers have utilized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended application of 20,000 ppm of calcium hypochlorite solution to seeds before germination as a preventative method. Concentrations of up to 200 ppm of chlorine wash are also commonly used on sprouts. However, chlorine-based treatment achieves on average only 1- to 3-log reductions in bacteria and is associated with negative health and environmental issues. The search for alternative strategies has been widespread, involving chemical, biological, physical, and hurdle processes that can achieve up to 7-log reductions in bacteria in some cases. The compilation here of the current scientific data related to these techniques is used to compare their efficacy for ensuring the microbial safety of sprouts and their practicality for commercial producers. Of specific importance for alternative seed and sprout treatments is maintaining the industry-accepted germination rate of 95% and the sensorial attributes of the final product. This review provides an evaluation of suggested decontamination technologies for seeds and sprouts before, during, and after germination and concludes that thermal inactivation of seeds and irradiation of sprouts are the most practical stand-alone microbial safety interventions for sprout production.

Analysis of organic acids in electron beam irradiated chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.): Effects of radiation dose and storage time

Since 2010, methyl bromide, a widely used fumigant was banned from the European Union under the Montreal Protocol guidelines, due to its deleterious effects on health and risk to the environment. Since then, many alternatives for chestnut conservation have been studied (hot water dip treatment being the most common), among them, electron beam irradiation has been proposed as being a safe, clean and cheap alternative. Herein, the effects of this radiation at different doses up to 6kGy and over storage up to 60days in the amounts and profile of nutritionally important organic acids were evaluated. Chestnuts contained important organic acids with quinic and citric acids as main compounds. Storage time, which is traditionally well accepted by consumers, caused a slight decrease on quinic (13-9mg/g), ascorbic (1.2-0.8mg/g), malic (5-4mg/g), fumaric (0.4-0.3mg/g) and total organic (33-26mg/g) acids content. Otherwise, irradiation dose did not cause appreciable changes, either individually or in total (28-27mg/g) organic acid contents. Electron beam irradiation might constitute a valuable alternative for chestnut conservation.