The effect of a bread matrix on mastication of hazelnuts

The effect of the degree of nut mastication on bioavailability of their nutrients has been established previously. In contrast, the effect of incorporation of nuts into composite food matrixes on oral processing behaviour and structural breakdown has been studied scarcely. This study aimed to investigate the effect of incorporation of hazelnuts into bread matrixes in comparison with plain hazelnuts on bolus properties and chewing behaviour. Amount of plain hazelnuts was varied to investigate the effect of portion size on bolus properties and chewing behaviour. Bolus particle size distribution was obtained by image analysis of expectorated boli by n = 20 participants. Median bolus particle diameter (d₅₀) and broadness of particle size distribution (b) were quantified by fitting the cumulative area distribution curve with a modified Rosin-Rammler function. Oral processing behaviour (number of chews, chewing time, chewing frequency) was quantified by means of a stopwatch. Mastication of two hazelnuts resulted in smaller d₅₀ than mastication of six hazelnuts or mastication of two hazelnuts in white bread or baguette. Chewing time of two hazelnuts was significantly shorter than chewing time of six hazelnuts or chewing time of two hazelnuts in white bread or baguette, while chewing frequency did not differ between foods. d₅₀ of six hazelnuts did not significantly differ from d₅₀ of two hazelnuts in either bread matrix. Broadness b of the particle size distribution was significantly smaller for six hazelnuts compared to the other foods. We conclude that d₅₀ was affected by bite size or bite volume rather than by incorporation of hazelnuts into bread. We suggest that incorporation of hazelnuts into bread matrixes has a relatively small impact on size of hazelnut bolus particles produced upon mastication.

How addition of peach gel particles to yogurt affects oral behavior, sensory perception and liking of consumers differing in age

Addition of particles to foods, such as fruit pieces to dairy products or vegetable pieces to soup, is a convenient approach to alter nutritional composition, appearance, perception and acceptance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of addition of peach gel particles to yogurt on oral behavior, sensory perception and liking of consumers differing in age. One homogeneous yogurt and seven yogurts with peach gel particles were prepared. The added peach gel particles varied in size, fracture stress, or concentration. Oral behavior of n = 62 healthy Dutch, young adults (21 ± 2 years) and n = 62 healthy Dutch elderly (70 ± 5 years) participants was characterized by video recordings. Yogurts' sensory properties and liking were scored on nine-point scales. Elderly consumed yogurts with higher number of chews and longer consumption time leading to lower eating rate than young adults. Addition of particles, regardless of characteristics, increased number of chews, consumption time, and decreased eating rate up to 60% for both consumer groups, with an average decrement of 110 g/min for young and of 63 g/min for elderly consumers. With increasing peach gel hardness and concentration, the number of chews and consumption time increased while eating rate decreased. Peach gel particle size did not affect oral behavior. Sensory perception of yogurts with added peach gel particles was similar for healthy young adult and healthy elderly. Only small differences in sensory perception were observed between the young adults and elderly for flavor attributes, crumbliness, juiciness, and perceived particle size. Similarly, minor differences in liking of a few yogurts with peach pieces were observed between both consumer groups. Thus, healthy ageing seems to affect sensory perception of semi-solid foods to a limited extent only. We conclude that changes in food texture by addition of particles can be used as a strategy to steer eating rate and potentially impact food intake of young adult and elderly consumers while maintaining or enhancing food palatability. Additionally, particle characteristics can be modified to target specific consumer groups that might differ in eating capabilities.

Estimates of dietary exposure of Spanish population to packaging contaminants from cereal based foods contained in plastic materials

Food packaging may be a potential source of contamination, through the migration of chemicals from the packaging into the food, thus food consumption is an important route of human exposure to packaging contaminants. In the present study an approach to estimate the exposure to different chemicals transferred from food packaging was designed. As a first step a GC-MS screening was conducted to identify potential contaminants in the materials. Secondly, different chemicals previously identified in the packaging materials were selected for exposure assessment. The proposed methodology was applied to cereal based foods packed with plastic packaging. A variety of chemicals including e.g. acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC), bis (2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) among others were identified and analyzed in the foodstuffs. For this purpose a LC-MS/MS method was developed. The selected foodstuffs were pooled into three groups according to the population age (12-35 months, 3-9 years and 10-17 years) and based on the Spanish consumption data (Enalia). In general, ATBC mean exposure was higher than that of phthalates and DEHA for the three groups considered, with mean dietary exposure values ranging from 1.01 μg/kg bw/day (pool 12-35 months) to 2.01 μg/kg bw/day (pool 3-9 years).