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The reactions between a food additive and the components of the food to which it is added are not restricted to the preservative action. Dr B.L. Wedzicha describes the chemical consequences of the use of sulphur dioxide as a food additive.

Most foods to which sulphur dioxide is added contain significant amounts of protein and it is conceivable that reaction of the additive with disulphide groups may account for a considerable part of the sulphite which is lost irreversibly. The reaction takes place by SN2 displacement at the disulphide bond as shown in figure 1 with formation of a thiosulphonic acid (Bunte salt) and a thiol. In biscuit manufacture, sulphite ion is added to weaken the dough through cleavage of disulphide groups thereby modifying its rheological properties; analysis of the organic sulphite derived product has shown that it is all in the form of S‐sulphoprotein. The secondary and tertiary structure of many enzymes are due to disulphide links and it is reasonable to suggest that cleavage of these bonds is one way in which enzymes are inactivated by sulphite. Damage to structural proteins in microbial cells could also form part of the basis for its antimicrobial effect.

Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. The economic importance of an annual world production of tea estimated to be in the region of 1–1·5 million tonnes has resulted in considerable attention being paid to the understanding of the chemical and physical changes which take place during tea manufacture. The three main types of tea, black, green and instant tea, are made by processing the young shoot or flush, comprising the terminal bud and two adjacent leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinesis), shown opposite.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, texture is defined as ‘the constitution, structure or substance of anything with regard to its constituents or formative elments’ in the extended use of the word, its primary use relating to the character of textile fabrics. This description has been used to describe the quality characteristics of foods for nearly a century but it is only in recent years that any serious attempt has been made to relate the subjective appraisal of texture with instrumental measurement

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the nutrient and sensory properties of dambu, a steamed granulated dumpling product produced from maize (Zea mays), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and acha (Digitaria exilis), grains. It is a popular midday meal of the Fulanis of Nigeria, normally sprinkled into fermented skimmed milk or whole milk and sugar may be added to taste.

Dambu was prepared in the laboratory using decorticated clean cereal grains, which were pulverized into coarse particles, mixed with spices and water, and steamed for 20 min. Analysis was carried out on the products following document and established procedures.

Data obtained indicated that dambu contained an appreciable amount of protein (10.1‐10.7 per cent) and fat (2.2‐3.4 per cent). The moisture and ash contents were found to range from 35 to 38 per cent and 0.5 to 1.2 per cent, respectively; crude fibre ranged from 1.8 to 2.1 per cent; carbohydrate ranged from 45 to 49 per cent and the energy ranged from 247 to 264 kcal/100 g. The amino acid profiles of the dambu showed that the different dambu products contain both essential and non‐essential amino acids. The mineral contents were found to be high in potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and magnesium. The mean scores of aroma, chewiness, and overall acceptability for the products were not significantly different (p > 0.05) but difference existed in the texture and appearance.

The consumption of dambu from different cereal grains is encouraged; especially where a particular cereal is off season, the other grains could be used as a substitute and complementary.

The findings here suggested that dambu is necessary to cereal industry and baby foods (weaning foods).

The results of this research contribute to the knowledge of cereal meals, especially those that are indigenous to Nigeria and West Africa.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the storage stability of improved dambu, a steamed granulated dumpling product generally made from millet, was produced from maize (Zea mays), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and acha (Digitaria exilis). It is a popular mid‐day meal of the Fulanis of Nigeria normally sprinkled into fermented skimmed milk or whole milk and sugar may be added to taste.

Improved dambu was prepared in the laboratory using decorticated clean cereal grains which were pulverished into coarse particles, mixed with spices, preservative (sorbic acid) and water and steamed for 20 min. The improved dambu products were packaged in low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), LDPE with plastic and LDPE with paperboard and stored at room temperature (25 ^○C) for six days. Analysis was carried out on the products following documented and established procedures.

Data obtained indicated that during storage, pH decrease was observed while titratable acidity increased for improved dambu products. The microbial load (cfu/g) increased with storage time for all the products packaged in LDPE, LDPE with plastic and LDPE with paperboard. Dambu has a limited storage life of one day at room temperature (25 ^○C) and four days with 0.2 per cent (w/w) sorbic acid as preservative. Micro‐organisms of significance in the products are Aspergillus sp, Penicillum sp, Candida sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter aerogenes. The nature of the microflora suggested that dambu is a good substrate for fungal growth. In the comparative study of dambu products with and without sorbic acid, there was no significant difference in the mean scores for all the assessed parameters.

The consumption of dambu from different cereal grains is encouraged especially where a particular cereal is off season. The shelf‐life of dambu was extended to four days by using 0.2 per cent (w/w) sorbic acid as preservative and packaged in LDPE with plastic and LDPE with paperboard. Further research should be carried out to extend the shelf‐life more.

The findings have suggested that dambu is necessary to cereal industry and baby foods (weaning foods).

The results of this research contributes to the knowledge of cereal meals, especially those that are indigenous to Nigeria and West Africa.

Acrylamide is a processing chemical contaminant arising from naturally occurring food components during heat treatment. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain and confirm the possibility of its reduction by L‐asparaginase enzyme application.

As acrylamide itself is formed from amino acid L‐asparagine and reducing saccharides via the Maillard reaction, the elimination of one of these precursors by L‐asparaginase enzyme in raw material leads to the suppression of acrylamide content in a final product.

The application of L‐asparaginase solution in a simulated potato matrix results in 50‐90 per cent reduction of acrylamide content depending on the conditions (enzyme dosage, time and temperature of incubation). No significant differences in the activities of bacterial‐ and fungal‐originated enzymes are observed. The positive effect of L‐asparaginase application on acrylamide content reduction is confirmed also in raw potato mash as well as in dehydrated potato‐wheat semi‐products for making of fried pancakes. No detrimental sensorial or quality impacts on final products are observed.

A described way of an enzyme application is suitable for homogenised mixtures like batter or mash where the efficiency of enzyme activity in the whole mass is guaranteed.

The elimination of acrylamide content in thermally treated foods without an undesirable impact on quality of products could lead to the noticeable diminution of acrylamide intake from foods.

This procedure diversifies the possibility of the enzyme application from a cereal sector to potato‐based foods.

Acute and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common and progressive lung disease that makes breathing difficult over time and can even lead to death. Despite this, there is no definitive treatment for it yet. This study aims to evaluate the studies on single and combined herbal interventions affecting COPD.

In this study, all articles published in English up to 2020 were extracted from the Web of Science (WoS) database and collected using Boolean tools based on keywords, titles and abstracts. Finally, the data required for bibliographic analysis, such as the author(s), publication year, academic journal, institution, country of origin, institution, financial institution and keywords were extracted from the database.

A total of 573 articles were analyzed. The number of papers in the lung disease field showed an upward trend from 1984 to 2021, and there was a surge in paper publications in 2013. China, Korea and Brazil published the highest number of studies on COPD, and Chinese medical universities published the most papers. Three journals that received the highest scores in this study were the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, International Immunopharmacology and Plos One. In the cloud map, expression, activation and expression were the most frequently researched subjects. In the plus and author keywords, acute lung injury was the most commonly used word. Inflammation, expression of various genes, nitric oxide-dependent pathways, NFkappa B, TNFalpha and lipopolysaccharide-dependent pathways were the mechanisms underlying COPD. Scientometric analysis of COPD provides a vision for future research and policymaking.

This study aimed to evaluate the studies on single and combined herbal interventions affecting COPD.

The population of older people in the UK is expected to rise rapidly over the next 20 years and therefore identification of effective interventions that prevent functional decline and disablement is a public health priority. This review summarises the evidence for interventions in community settings that aim to prevent or delay disablement in later life.

A search of review‐level literature was conducted for the period September 1999 and 2009 of Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases. It included interventions that aimed to prevent disablement of community dwelling older people (50+ years old). It excluded interventions carried out in institutional care and those focused on specific disease. The reviews were screened using the AMSTAR assessment tool.

The search identified 62 reviews of complex interventions (preventative home visits (n=9), integrated service delivery/case management and comprehensive geriatric assessment (n=6), falls prevention (n=17), exercise (n=15), nutritional needs (n=3), medication review (n=2), telecare/telehealth (n=5), social integration interventions (n=3) and vision screening (n=2).

The review identified many areas of unknown effectiveness, partly due to unstandardised use of outcomes and poor experimental design. The most promising complex interventions include: assessment of risk factors; and direct referral to an easily accessible, comprehensive range of interventions that are tailored to need and include long‐term follow up. There is consistent evidence that exercise can be beneficial, particularly in preventing falls, but overall, the evidence‐base for other specific interventions is limited.

The purpose of this paper is to share good practice with interested professionals, commissioners and health service managers regarding the development of an evidence-based approach to evaluation of an integrated care service providing acute level care for patients in their own homes in South London called the Guys and St Thomas’ @home service.

A literature review related to Hospital at Home (HH) schemes was carried out with an aim of scoping approaches used during previous evaluations of HH type interventions to inform the development of an evaluation strategy for @home. The results of the review were then applied to the Donabedian conceptual model: Structure; Process; and Outcome and contextualised to the population being served by the scheme to ensure a robust, practical and comprehensive approach to evaluation.

Due to the heterogeneity of the studies it was not possible to conduct a systematic review or meta-analysis. In total, 28 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria and included both HH to facilitate early discharge and admission prevention across a wide range of conditions. The key finding was there is a dearth of literature evaluating staff preparation to work on HH, models of delivery, specifically integrated care and trans-disciplinary working and few studies included the experiences of family carers.

This paper will be of value to those involved in the commissioning and delivery of HH and other models of integrated care services type services and will help to inform evaluation strategies that are practical, evidence based and include all stakeholder perspectives.