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Article
Publication date: 24 February 2021

Ljubica Ivanović, Ana Topalović, Višnja Bogdanović, Dijana Đurović, Boban Mugoša, Milka Jadranin, Vele Tešević and Vladimir Beškoski

The purpose of this paper is to determine the polyphenol content, antioxidative potential and antiproliferative activity of Swiss chard from Montenegro, grown under different…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the polyphenol content, antioxidative potential and antiproliferative activity of Swiss chard from Montenegro, grown under different irrigation and fertilization regimes.

Design/methodology/approach

Swiss chard was grown in the open field (Lješkopolje, Montenegro) where it was subjected to different fertilization and irrigation regimes. Chard samples were analyzed for previously identified polyphenols and for antioxidant parameters. Additionally, in order to complete the biological activities, chard extracts were tested for antiproliferative activity against MFC-7 and HT-29 tumor cell lines.

Findings

The polyphenols identified in Swiss chard were flavonoids: vitexin-2?-O-xyloside, vitexin-6?-O-acetyl-2?-O-xyloside, vitexin-6?-O-malonyl-2?-O-xyloside and isorhamnetin-3,7-diglucoside. In the antioxidant tests, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), chard extract had values of 7.00 and 8.50 (mean values) µmol Trolox (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid) equ/d.w., respectively. The tested chard extracts inhibited cell proliferation at different concentrations (3.125–50.0 µg/mL) against the MCF-7 cell line, after 24 and 48 h of incubation. The antiproliferative activity, expressed in terms of IC50, was 32.97 and 86.45 µg/mL after 24 h of incubation and 20.76 and 23.33 µg/mL after 48 h of incubation, for treated and untreated chard extracts, respectively.

Originality/value

These data suggest Montenegrin Swiss chard grown under different irrigation and fertilization treatments can be considered as a functional food and should be included in an everyday diet. The collected data could help in the growth improvement of chard with functional food properties.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 123 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2010

Antoine G. Farhat and Talar M. Fossian

Lebanese meals rich in vitamin C are taken for granted to contain this vitamin without consideration of its losses during the cooking and storing processes. This paper aims to…

Abstract

Purpose

Lebanese meals rich in vitamin C are taken for granted to contain this vitamin without consideration of its losses during the cooking and storing processes. This paper aims to examine the impact of different cooking pots, refrigeration and conventional reheating or via microwaving (MWR) on vitamin C depletion.

Design/methodology/approach

Two samples of three meals rich in vitamin C (AB: Aadas Bhamoud made of lentils and Swiss chard; CS: cauliflower stew; ML: Meloukhieh made of Jew's mallow) were analyzed in triplicates when they were raw, cooked in double based stainless steel (DBSS) or pressure cookers (PCs), refrigerated at 4 C for 48 h, and when reheated in an open pot or in a microwave reaching 70 C. The titration with 2,6‐dichlorophenolindophenol method was used for vitamin C analysis.

Findings

Relative vitamin C losses throughout the processing stages were 37.64, 65.43 and 79.00 percent for ML, CS and AB, respectively. DBSS tended to deplete vitamin C less than PC. AB lost 34.4 and 49.2 percent vitamin C with DBSS and PC, respectively; CS lost 52.3 and 57.5 percent with DBSS and PC, respectively; and ML lost 16.3 and 27.4 percent with DBSS and PC, respectively. Vitamin C loss at refrigeration was significant for both cooking pots used for the meals AB and ML but not for CS. Reheating resulted in further significant losses across meals and reheating methods.

Practical implications

The study highlights the importance of avoiding unnecessary cooking practices to minimize vitamin C depletion and more accurately estimating its daily intake.

Originality/value

The study presents for the first time the quantification of vitamin C losses in Lebanese meals subjected to different processing types and stages.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 40 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2018

Ljubica Ivanović, Ivana Milašević, Ana Topalović, Dijana Ðurović, Boban Mugoša, Mirko Knežević and Miroslav Vrvić

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate both nutrient and phytochemical content of Swiss chard grown under different fertilization and irrigation treatments and the effect of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate both nutrient and phytochemical content of Swiss chard grown under different fertilization and irrigation treatments and the effect of these treatments on the tested parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

Samples of fresh Swiss chard were collected from the experimental field of Ljeskopolje, Montenegro, where chard was grown under different fertilization and irrigation treatments. Swiss chard samples were analyzed for nutritional and antioxidant parameters.

Findings

In this study, the authors found that 100 g of Swiss chard is a good source of total chlorophyll (47.13 mg), carotenoids (9.85 mg), minerals as well as vitamin C (26.88 mg) expressed as mean values. Total phenol and flavonoid compounds content were (138.59 µg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and 11.91 µg catechin equivalent (CAE) per mg of water extract, respectively), also expressed as mean values. The total antioxidant capacity (IC50 values) determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay ranged from 2.93 to 4.44 mg/mL of aquatic water extract. Different fertilization regimes affected the following parameters: phosphorous, protein content, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and vitamin C (p<0.05), while different irrigation regimes did not have any effect on the tested parameters (p>0.05), while interaction effect between fertilization and irrigation was found only for sodium and copper (p<0.05).

Originality/value

Swiss chard produced in Montenegro on a sandy clay loam soil with acid reaction contains appreciable amount of minerals, crude fibers, vitamin C, chlorophylls, carotenoids and polyphenols. The nutrient and phytochemical content of chard is equal or superior to other green leafy vegetables which are considered as functional food. It was identified as a potentially rich source of essential nutrients and phytochemical compounds. The promotion of higher consumption and production of Swiss chard may represent a natural and sustainable alternative for improving human health.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 121 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 1954

This Bill was read a second time without a division in the House of Commons on July 23rd after a debate lasting nearly five hours. Opposition speakers, including particularly Dr…

30

Abstract

This Bill was read a second time without a division in the House of Commons on July 23rd after a debate lasting nearly five hours. Opposition speakers, including particularly Dr. Edith Summerskill and Mr. Willey (former Parliamentary Secretaries to the Ministry of Food between 1945 and 1951), attacked the Government for having whittled down, very extensively, the contemplated Regulations (to be made when the Bill is on the statute book) dealing with cleanliness in the handling of food. As is generally known, the draft regulations have for several months been the subject of many discussions between trade organisations and the Ministry of Food. As a result, the Minister has decided to modify or drop several of the proposals which he had at first intended to carry into effect by regulations, and to substitute for some of them “codes of practice.”

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 56 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Book part
Publication date: 26 August 2020

Sabina Hodžić, Siniša Bogdan and Suzana Bareša

This chapter examines the financial performance efficiency of the restaurant sector in Croatian counties over the period 2013–2017. Today's tourists are ambitious explorers who…

Abstract

This chapter examines the financial performance efficiency of the restaurant sector in Croatian counties over the period 2013–2017. Today's tourists are ambitious explorers who travel in order to find and explore new experiences and motives for travelling as long as there are interesting things, activities and offers which correspond to their preferences. Among the many motives that today's tourist decides to travel, gastronomic tourism certainty plays an important role. The observation period began in 2013, since that was the year when Croatia acceded to the European Union and joined all the other prominent European food destinations. In order to evaluate the financial performance efficiency, the methodology of the data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied separately to the data processing of each year. The results of the Charnes–Cooper–Rhodes model showed that only four counties (Lika-Senj, Zadar, Istria and Dubrovnik-Neretva) achieved continuous efficiency over the whole observed period. In 2013 the results of scale efficiency showed that 10 counties (Krapina-Zagorje, Karlovac, Bjelovar-Bilogora, Lika-Senj, Požega-Slavonia, Zadar, Šibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia, Istria and Dubrovnik-Neretva) achieved a score of 1, and in later years there was a decrease. One of the main obstacles of the existing inefficiencies in the entire restaurant sector in Croatian counties is certainly changeable tax legislation and lack of employees in the restaurant sector.

Article
Publication date: 20 December 2021

Sahin Namli, Hilal Samut and Yesim Soyer

This study aimed to investigate how enteric pathogens and their biofilm populations on fresh produce survive according to time that contamination has occurred on leaves and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate how enteric pathogens and their biofilm populations on fresh produce survive according to time that contamination has occurred on leaves and contamination route: seed irrigation water.

Design/methodology/approach

Cress was contaminated in two different ways: contamination of seeds and irrigation water with 8-log MPN/mL bacterial load, Salmonella Newport, Escherichia coli O157:H7, O104:H4 or O78:H2. While contaminated seeds were cultivated for seed contamination, contaminated irrigation was applied at the end of each week to separate groups of samples obtained from cultivated surface-sterile seeds to understand how long these pathogens could survive until harvest.

Findings

The results indicated these pathogens survived until harvest, and formed biofilms on cress leaves grown using both contaminated seeds and irrigation water. No significant difference was observed among populations of Salmonella and E. coli groups in terms of survival (∼4.5–6.0 log MPN/g) and biofilm formation (∼4.4–5.7 log MPN/g) for contamination by seed. Also, SEM images revealed biofilm-like structures, the proofs of the attachment of these pathogens on leaf surfaces.

Originality/value

From our knowledge this is the first study focusing on the survival and biofilm formation of one Salmonella serotype (Newport) and three E. coli serotypes (O157:H7, O104:H4, and O78:H2), representing enterohemorrhagic and enteroaggregative E. coli pathogenic subgroups, under the same irrigation and growth schemes. Furthermore, this study mimics the contamination of seeds and irrigation water with sewage or wastewater and may shed light on contamination of fresh produce grown using poor wastewater treatment.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 124 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2009

Vikram Bhatt, Leila M. Farah, Nik Luka and Jeanne M. Wolfe

The Edible Campus project was begun in spring 2007 in Montréal. An action-research project launched by volunteers and researchers from two leading local NGOs and university-based…

Abstract

The Edible Campus project was begun in spring 2007 in Montréal. An action-research project launched by volunteers and researchers from two leading local NGOs and university-based researchers (Alternatives, [online]; Santropol Roulant, [online]; McGill University's Minimum Cost Housing Group, [online]), it sought creative solutions to turn underutilised urban spaces into productive places. It involved citizens in the creation of green community spaces by incorporating productive growing in containers on a prominent but concrete-covered part of McGill University's downtown campus. Not only is it an investigation into making cities more food-secure by increasing urban food production, it is also a live demonstration of how ‘edible landscapes’ can be woven into urban spaces without diminishing their utility or functionality.

Details

Open House International, vol. 34 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 October 2015

G. Scott Erickson, Marlene Barken and David Barken

This study aims to examine the installation of a garden at an elementary school. Bringing in elements of healthy eating choices, the local food movement and social marketing…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the installation of a garden at an elementary school. Bringing in elements of healthy eating choices, the local food movement and social marketing implications for all stakeholders, this study examines the genesis and launch of the garden and related activities. It reviews initial results, again with an eye to different stakeholder groups.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study methodology was applied.

Findings

The case study method provides some depth of detail to a unique and specific circumstance. As such it allows bringing together so many streams of the literature in a social marketing context and illuminates how and why such an installation works (and does not work).

Research limitations/implications

This analysis focuses on a specific example, in a specific location and at a specific time. While potentially extendable, any such attempt should be made with care.

Practical implications

Social marketing installations are hard. This example demonstrates how even the best-intentioned program, with almost universal agreement on its positive aspects, can be difficult to execute.

Social implications

This case illustrates full range of social marketing concepts applied to an initiative but is particularly illustrative of the potential and importance of including all stakeholders in co-creation while fully understanding their context, perceived benefits and perceived costs/barriers.

Originality/value

This study uniquely brings together several strains of theory (food literacy, health eating choices by children, institutional food services and local food) and applies them separately and together in a single application.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 May 2020

Hüsna Kaya Kaçar, Amanda Avery, Sarah Bennett and Fiona McCullough

This paper aims to understand the association of dietary patterns with perceived fatigue and identify predictors for presence of fatigue in women who are obese and trying to lose…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to understand the association of dietary patterns with perceived fatigue and identify predictors for presence of fatigue in women who are obese and trying to lose weight.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey, hosted by slimming world (SW), comprised of a questionnaire regarding weight, level of fatigue and food frequency questionnaire before joining the weight management programme (T0) and current data (T1) was conducted. In total, 543 non-pregnant women with obesity of child-bearing age (19-49 years) completed the survey (T0-T1). The principal components analysis was used to determine dietary patterns and multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse predictors for presence of fatigue.

Findings

The participants who have a “simple carbohydrate and high fat” dietary pattern were more likely to have fatigue at T0 (p ≤ 0.001) and those who followed a “vegetables” dietary pattern were less likely to have fatigue at T1 (p ≤ 0.05). The study findings indicate that while “simple carbohydrate and high fat” dietary pattern was associated with increased risk of fatigue, “vegetables” dietary pattern was associated with reduced risk of fatigue and a higher percentage of weight loss.

Originality/value

The present study appears to be the first study to examine associations between dietary patterns and fatigue. The strengths of the study included the in-depth analysis of this association in both before joining a weight management programme (SW) and currently as a member of SW with an adequate sample size.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 50 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 December 2015

Annchen Mielmann, Carina Bothma, A Hugo and Celia J Hugo

A lack of available literature exists about sensory data on lucerne (which is mainly used for animal feed) as an underutilised protein source for human consumption in South Africa…

Abstract

Purpose

A lack of available literature exists about sensory data on lucerne (which is mainly used for animal feed) as an underutilised protein source for human consumption in South Africa (SA). Developing tasteless lucerne products is meaningless. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to determine the descriptive sensory profile and consumers’ acceptability of lucerne.

Design/methodology/approach

Three lucerne cultivars and one spinach beet (Beta vulgaris var. cicla L.) cultivar were used: first, to determine sensory descriptive attributes by generic descriptive analysis; and second, to determine consumers’ acceptance of lucerne, which were evaluated for degree of liking for aroma, taste, mouthfeel and overall acceptability with a nine-point hedonic scale. Principal component analysis of attributes for all the lucerne cultivars was applied to identify any factors differentiating between these cultivars.

Findings

“SA Standard” showed the lowest value, of the lucerne samples, for fibrous appearance, chewy and fibrous mouthfeel, bitter taste and bitter and metallic aftertaste. “SA Standard” was the most acceptable lucerne cultivar, indicating its application in future studies to profile new emerging cultivars.

Originality/value

No sensory analysis studies have been performed on South African lucerne cultivars to determine their sensory acceptability. These cultivars could have potential for food nutritionists, food scientists and food product developers and the commercial market.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 117 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

1 – 10 of 22