Browsing by department "Department of Food and Nutrition"
Now showing items 81-95 of 95
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(2020)In UHT-heating (Ultra High Temperature) product is heated above 130 degrees for a few seconds, which destroys all micro-organisms and prolongs shelf life of the product. UHT-heating is divided into direct and indirect heating. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of direct and indirect UHT-heating on the composition and quality of skimmed milk. The properties were also examined with a protein drink, but to a lesser extent. Differences between indirect and direct UHT-heating and off-flavours formed from proteins were examined by sensory evaluations and proteins in the samples were examined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis method (SDS-PAGE), which separates proteins according to their size. Sensory evaluations and electrophoresis analyzes were organized after production and during storage at regular intervals until best before date, storing samples at different storage temperatures. In sensory evaluations the differences between direct and indirect UHT-heating were relatively small from the production to best before date, but mainly direct UHT-heated milks received better or as good evaluation results as indirect UHT-heated milks. Milks stored in cold temperature received better evaluation results than those stored in warm temperature, and storage temperature had a greater effect on milk evaluation results than UHT-heating. Changes (reddish colour, caramel taste) caused by Maillard reaction were observed in both UHT-heated milks after one month of warm storage. In electrophoresis analyzes the protein bands of direct and indirect UHT-heated milks differed immediately after production and during storage. After production protein bands of milks heated by direct UHT-heating method corresponded more to the protein bands of raw milk. The intensity of protein bands decreased how longer and how warmer temperature the milk samples were stored. Whey proteins β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin were visible in milks heated by direct UHT-heating method, but not indirect, while casein protein bands (αs1-casein and β-casein) were intensively visible in electrophoresis analyzes of both heating methods, as well as large protein aggregates (molecular size over 250 kDa) at top of the gel.
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Surface layer protein SlpC expression in different growth modes of Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 14869 (2020)Bacterial surface layers (S-layers) usually consist of a single protein or glycoprotein species and they form the outermost layer of many bacteria. Three S-layer protein genes have been found in Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 14869, but the expression of only two of them, slpB and slpD, has been described in planktonic conditions. Preliminary results have suggested that the third gene, slpC, may be expressed in biofilm cells. The aim of this thesis was to study the expression of S-layer protein genes slpB, slpC and slpD in the different growth modes of L. brevis ATCC 14869. Surface proteins were detached both chemically for SDS-PAGE analysis and enzymatically for surfaceome analysis by LC-MS/MS and label-free quantification (LFQ). Messenger RNA transcript levels of the S-layer protein genes were analyzed by reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR). The expression of all three S-layer protein genes slpB, slpC and slpD was confirmed in the study. In the surfaceome analysis, SlpD was the most abundant protein detected on the cell surface, representing more than a third of all identified proteins, whereas SlpB and SlpC were less abundant. The S-layer proteins were detected by gel electrophoresis. Transcripts of all three genes were observed; slpD transcript amounts were the highest, whereas slpB and slpC transcript amounts were lower. The S-layer proteins and their transcripts were present in equal amounts in biofilm and planktonic cells. In this study, SlpC expression is demonstrated for the first time in L. brevis ATCC 14869. The expression of slpB, slpC and slpD was at the same level in biofilm and planktonic cells.
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(2020)Johdanto Lihavuus on yleinen terveysongelma, jonka syntyyn ei ole yhtä yksiselitteistä tekijää, vaan se muodostuu vähitellen usean osatekijän yhteisvaikutuksesta. Elintavoilla ja syömiskäyttäytymisellä voi olla merkittävä rooli lihavuuden kehittymisessä. Syömiskäyttäytyminen koskettaa jokaista, niin normaalipainoista, ylipainoista ja lihavaa, sillä jokainen syö ja säätelee syömistään. Syömiskäyttäytymisen voidaan ajatella rakentuvat eri osatekijöistä: siitä mitä syödään, milloin syödään, missä syödään, miten syödään, kenen seurassa syödään, milloin syöminen aloitetaan ja lopetetaan sekä milloin syöminen on sallittua, hyväksyttävää tai sopivaa. Tavoitteet Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää haastateltavien kokemuksiin ja näkemyksiin perustuen syömiskäyttäytymistä onnistuneessa laihdutuksessa ja painonhallinnassa. Tutkimuksen pääpaino on haastateltavien muuttuneissa syömiskäyttäytymisen piirteissä. Menetelmät Laadullinen aineisto koostuu 14 haastattelusta, jotka tehtiin marras-joulukuussa 2017. Haastateltavat olivat iältään 51–74-vuotiaita, joista yhdeksän naista ja viisi miestä. Haastattelututkimuksen sisäänottokriteereinä olivat onnistunut laihdutus ja painonhallinta kolmen vuoden ajan; paino sai nousta korkeintaan 5 % laihdutuksen jälkeen ja kokonaispainonpudotuksen tuli olla vähintään 5 % alkuperäisestä painosta. Menetelmänä käytettiin teemahaastattelua, ja aineisto analysoitiin laadullisella teoria- ja aineistolähtöisellä sisällönanalyysilla. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset Syömiskäyttäytymiseen vaikuttavia tekijöitä olivat stressi, motivaatio, intuitiivinen syöminen, minäpystyvyys ja hyvinvointi. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella näyttää siltä, että stressi voi vaikuttaa yksilön voimavaroihin ja elämänhallinnan tunteeseen heikentävästi, ja siten toimia yksilön painoa lisäävänä tekijänä. Sisäinen motivaatio, intuitiivinen syöminen ja yksilön hyvä minäpystyvyyden tunne auttavat elintapamuutosten toteuttamisessa. Yksilön hyvinvointi toimii pysyvää painonhallintaa edistävänä tekijänä, ja keskeisessä roolissa on ryhmän tuki. Haastateltavat kokivat, että elintapamuutokset olivat haastavia, mutta mahdollisia toteuttaa pitkällä aikavälillä. Syömiskäyttäytyminen on kokonaisvaltaista toimintaa, johon liittyvät tunteet ja erilaiset elämäntilanteet. Syömiskäyttäytymisen muutokset näyttäytyivät merkityksellisinä onnistuneessa laihdutuksessa ja painonhallinnassa, mihin vaikuttavat ihmisen motivaatio, autonomiaa tukeva sosiaalinen ympäristö ja pystyvyyden tunne, joita voidaan selittää itsemääräämisen teorian kautta.
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(2020)Sataprosenttinen kauraleivonta on viime vuosina yleistynyt. Gluteenittomana viljana kauran leivontaominaisuudet ovat huonot. Kauraleivontaa optimoidaan toistaiseksi koeleivonnalla, joka on työlästä, aikaa vievää ja vaatii osaavan leipurin. Työn tavoitteena oli selvittää, voiko kauraleivontaa optimoida taikinan konsistenssin avulla. Konsistenssi kuvaa taikinan virtausominaisuuksia ja kertoo taikinan reologiasta. Lisäksi työssä tutkittiin kahden myllyn kaurajauhojen eroja. Kahdeksan lajikkeen täysjyväkaurajauhoista valmistettiin taikinoita eri taikinatuloksilla, eli vaihdellen taikinan veden määrää, ja taikinoiden konsistenssit mitattiin käyttäen käänteisen ekstruusion menetelmää. Menetelmässä puristusvoima, jonka koetin tarvitsee näytteeseen painautumiseen, kuvaa taikinan konsistenssia. Neljästä kauralajikkeesta leivottiin sataprosenttisia kauravuokaleipiä valituilla taikinan konsistensseilla. Nostatus- ja paisto-olosuhteet optimoitiin taikinakohtaisesti. Leipiä vertailtiin aistinvaraisesti, halkileikkauksen huokoskoon ja -jakauman, leivän ominaistilavuuden sekä leivän sisuksen rakenteen perusteella. Leivän vanhenemista seurattiin määrittämällä leivän sisuksen kovuus aineenkoestuslaitteella kolmen vuorokauden ajan leivonnasta. Lisäksi jauhojen beetaglukaani- ja proteiinipitoisuudet, partikkelikokojakauma, vedensidontakyvyt ja liisteröitymiskäyrä määritettiin. Tässä työssä kahden myllyn erilaiset jauhamisprosessit vaikuttivat suuresti täysjyväkaurajauhojen ominaisuuksiin ja leivontakäyttäytymiseen. Toisen myllyn jauhojen lämpökäsittely oli ollut puutteellinen, sillä jauhoista löytyi lipaasiaktiivisuutta. Jauhojen, joiden lämpökäsittely oli ollut huolellisempi, vedensidontakyky oli lähes kaksinkertainen toisen myllyn jauhoihin verrattuna. Erot taikinan konsistensseissa kahden eri myllyn kaurajauhojen välillä erosivat merkitsevästi ja samat taikinan konsistenssit eivät soveltuneet leivontaan eri myllyjen jauhoilla. Leivontatuloksissa nähtiin myös lajikekohtaisia eroja, joita jauhojen partikkelikoko, beetaglukaani- tai proteiinipitoisuus eivät yksin selittäneet. Suurimman taikinan konsistenssin muodostaneen jauhon proteiini- ja beetaglukaanipitoisuudet olivat suurimmat. Täysjyväkauraleipien leivonnassa onnistuttiin nostatus- ja paisto-olosuhteiden lajikekohtaisella optimoinnilla. Sen sijaan kauraleivonnan optimointi taikinan konsistenssin avulla oli haastavaa lajikkeen, ja myllyprosessin aiheuttamien vaihtelujen takia. Täysjyväkaurajauhojen leivontakäyttäytymisen ymmärtämiseksi, myllyprosessin vaikutuksia kaurajauhojen ominaisuuksiin tulisi tutkia lisää.
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(2020)The main problems with cultivated peat soil are its weak carrying capacity, high greenhouse gas emissions, coldness, and acidity. There is very little research on using industrial by-products as soil amendments in peat soil. The aim of this thesis was to study the effects of industrial by-products paper mill sludge and gypsum on the sustainability of soil structure, greenhouse gas (CO2 and N2O) emissions and soils heat and gas dynamics in peat soil. The study was performed in the laboratory on samples taken from a field test. The tested treatments were unfertilized, control, gypsum 3 kg m-2, paper mill sludge 3 kg m-2, paper mill sludge 15 kg m-2 and paper mill sludge 15 kg m-2 + gypsum 3 kg m-2. The water-stable aggregates were determined by wet sieving with 0.25 mm mesh and 2 mm mesh at three different moisture contents. The greenhouse gas emissions of the soil were determined by gas chromatography at field capacity. The thermal properties of the soil were determined by measuring the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of the soil at field capacity and at saturation. In addition, soil pH, hydraulic conductivity of saturated soil, and water-holding capacity at matrix potentials pF 0; 0.4; 1; 2 and 4.2 were measured. Soil amendments had no effect on the water-stable aggregates in field moisture. The soils CO2 emissions increased with paper mill sludge treatments and decreased with gypsum treatment. Individual soil amendments had no effect on the N2O emissions of the soil, but the combined effect of paper mill sludge and gypsum increased the N2O emissions. The soils CH4 consumption decreased with gypsum treatment. Soil amendment treatments had no effect on soil thermal conductivity or thermal diffusivity at field capacity. However, in water-saturated samples the thermal conductivity and heat diffusivity of the soil was increased by the combined effect of paper mill sludge and gypsum. Unlike gypsum, paper mill sludge was found to have a clear liming effect. Soil amendments had no effect on the hydraulic water conductivity or water-holding capacity of saturated soil at any matrix potential. Based on the results, the soil amendments used did not have a major impact on the cultivation problems in peat soil, but further research on their use as soil amendments is needed.
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(2019)Ihmisen suolistomikrobisto on monimuotoinen ekosysteemi, jonka koostumuksen ja toiminnan on osoitettu olevan merkittävässä asemassa ihmisen terveyden kannalta. Mikrobien osallisuus erilaisissa tautitiloissa tekee niistä mahdollisia kohteita tai keinoja lääkehoidolle. Tutkimuksissa yhdeksi tehokkaista hoitokeinoista esimerkiksi toistuvissa Clostridium difficile -infektiossa on osoittau-tunut ulosteensiirto, jossa terveen henkilön ulostetta viedään sairastuneen henkilön suolistoon. Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tavoitteena oli mitata onnistuneissa ulosteensiirroissa C. difficile -infektion hoidossa Helsingin yliopistollisen keskussairaalan (HYKS) gastroenterologian poliklinikalla käytetystä ulosteensiirteestä tutkimusryhmämme kehittämän menetelmän avulla eristettyjen Bacteroidales -lahkoon kuuluvien 16 eri bakteeri-isolaatin kykyä vähentää tulehdusta in vitro sekä niiden adheroitumista HT-29- ja Caco-2-soluihin sekä mukukseen. Lisäksi haluttiin selvittää, oliko tutkittavien bakteeri-isolaattien mahdollinen kyky vähentää tulehdusta riippuvaista adheesiosta. Menetelmä, jossa mitattiin bakteeri-isolaattien kykyä vähentää tulehdusta, perustui siihen että HT-29-solut inkuboitiin ensin tutkittavan isolaatin kanssa ja sen jälkeen soluihin indusoitiin tulehdus endotoksiini lipopolysakkaridin (LPS) avulla. Tämän jälkeen soluista tuottuneen proinflammatorisen interleukiini-8:n (IL-8) määrä mitattiin ELISA-kittiä käyttäen. Adheesion mittaus puolestaan perustui siihen, että bakteeri-isolaatit leimattiin ensin radioaktiivisella leimalla ja inkuboitiin epiteelisolujen tai mukuksen kanssa, jonka jälkeen adheroitumattomat bakteerit pestiin solujen päältä ja soluihin jäljelle jääneen radioaktiivisen säteilyn määrä mitattiin. Mitatun säteilyn määrästä voitiin laskea, kuinka paljon bakteeri-isolaateista oli prosentuaalisesti adheroitunut epiteelisoluihin. Menetelmä, jossa tulehdus-adheesio-riippuvuussuhdetta selvitettiin, perustui siihen, että HT-29-solut inkuboitiin ensin tutkittavan isolaatin kasvatusliuoksen kanssa, jonka jälkeen soluihin indusoitiin tulehdus LPS:n avulla. Tämän jälkeen soluista tuottuneen IL-8:n määrä mitattiin ELISA-kittiä käyttäen. Tulosten perusteella näytti siltä, että kymmenellä kuudestatoista tutkitusta isolaatista oli kantaspesifisesti kyky alentaa merkitsevästi proinflammatorisen IL-8:n tuottoa. Isolaattien adheroitumis-% vaihteli epiteelisolulinjojen sekä tutkittujen lajien ja niiden kantojen välillä. Isolaattien adheroituminen Caco-2-soluihin oli voimakkainta, kun taas mukukseen se oli erittäin heikkoa. Lisäksi adheesiomittauksen tulokset yhdessä tulosten, jossa tarkasteltiin isolaattien kasvatusliuoksen vaikutusta IL-8:n tuottoon, osoittivat että tutkittujen isolaattien kyky alentaa IL-8:n tuottoa ei välttämättä ole riippuvaista adheesiosta, mikä jatkossa lisää mielenkiintoa selvitää bakteerien tuottamien molekyylien merkitystä tulehduksen vähentämisen tai eston kannalta.
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(2021)High moisture extrusion (HME) can be used to create meat-like structures in plant-protein-based products. This study aimed to describe sensory and textural properties of minced-meat-like products made from a legume ingredient and a plant fibre concentrate using HME. Extrudates with two different ratios of the ingredients, both with and without added hydrocolloid, were produced for the study. Sensory profiling (n = 9) was conducted as generic descriptive analysis (GDA). Instrumental texture profile analysis (TPA) as well as a consumer study (n = 55) were done to complement the data. GDA attributes, TPA parameters and consumers’ hedonic responses were compared, and connections were studied. Also, TPA results were compared to those from sensory analysis, aiming to find connections between instrumentally and sensorially measured parameters. The dry ingredient ratio clearly affected hedonic responses, while the effect of added hydrocolloid was smaller. Several descriptive sensory attributes, such as bitterness, gumminess, cohesiveness and stickiness, were related to the hedonic responses to smell, texture and taste. Plant fibre concentrate content was also clearly linked to these descriptive attributes. Samples perceived as gummy, cohesive, less bitter and less sticky got higher hedonic responses, but TPA parameters could predict neither GDA attributes nor hedonic responses. The results of this study showed that certain ingredients have a clear impact on sensory attributes and therefore hedonic responses of the final products. To further improve the consumer acceptance, pre-processing of the ingredients could be studied. To explain the differences in textural properties, more research on the molecular level assembly of specifically fibres and carbohydrates in the matrix is needed.
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(2020)Background: Majority of studies on the association of diet and physical activity are conducted in high-income countries and to date, none have been conducted in Kenya although unhealthy lifestyle behaviours are on the rise and may pose more severe risk in low-to-middle-income than in high-income countries. Methods: Study consists of 9-14-year old pre-adolescents (N=104) living in a middle- or low-income area in Nairobi. Dietary data was collected using 7-day FFQ and physical activity data by accelerometer. Dietary patterns were formed through principal component analysis and Dietary Diversity Score created by counting the number of food groups that were used daily. Statistical analysis was conducted using linear regression analysis with wealth index, area, age, gender and BMI as confounding variables. Results: Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was weakly and negatively associated with the Snacks, fast food and meat dietary pattern alone and in combination with age and gender and significantly in combination with BMI (p=0.041), while time spent in sedentary behaviour showed no relation. Time spent in MVPA could not explain the variation in adherence to the Traditional Kenyan pattern while time spent in sedentary behaviour showed weak, negative association with adherence to this diet pattern, although it did not reach significance. Neither time spent in sedentary behaviour nor time spent in MVPA could explain variation in Dietary Diversity Score or adherence to the Dairy and plant protein pattern. Conclusions: Physical activity showed some association with diet, but the connections were mostly weak, and the socio-economic position and environment are possibly stronger determinants of lifestyle behaviour in urban Kenya.
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(2020)In the literature review muscle composition, aspects affecting meat quality, the effects of heating and product safety were presented. Different tenderization techniques were evaluated and in particular different enzymes that are used in meat tenderizing purposes were targeted on as well as the effects of mechanical tenderization. The experimental part consisted of preliminary experiments and actual experiments. Preliminary experiments tested at which equipment and concentrations the experimental part is conducted. In the actual experimental part, the meat was tenderized mechanically and enzymatically, as well as by the process in use by using a long cooking time (control sample). Processing time was reduced by pretreatment. All samples were measured for pH as well as cooking loss and sensory properties were evaluated with a semi trained panel. In addition, the amount of soluble collagen was measured from the enzymatically treated samples and the control sample. The results indicate, that pre-treatments did not significantly change the pH or cookingloss. In addition, there were no statistically significant differences in sensory evaluations for either pre-treatment compared to the natural sample. Furthermore, the amount of soluble collagen was not statistically significant between enzymatically treated sample and the control sample. However, with regard to mechanical tenderizing, it is unclear whether the changes are sufficient to reach the same level of tenderness as in the control sample with shorter heat treatment time, but with the use of enzymatic pre-treatment, the processing time can be shortened and keep the same level of tenderness.
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(2020)To study the feasibility of replacing dairy proteins with plant proteins to stabilise emulsions, 9 emulsions were prepared at pH= 3 with sunflower oil and 1% protein solutions containing WPI, SC, PPI individual proteins and their blends (3:1, 1:1, 1:3). Changes in droplet size and zeta-potential were measured to investigate the emulsion stability. The interfacial composition, surface loads, and the protein adsorption behaviour were studied to analyse the interface. Furthermore, the dilatational rheology of the interface was studied as the interfacial properties play a critical role in emulsion stability. All proteins showed good emulsifying and stabilising abilities at pH=3, as they contributed to form emulsions with relatively small droplets (0.355-0.411µm), and prevented destabilisation for 2 weeks. Such results were related to the strong electrostatic repulsion between the droplets and the viscoelastic film formed by proteins. No synergistic or antagonistic effect was observed by using dairy and pea protein blends, indicating pea proteins could be used to partially replace the dairy proteins. A preferential adsorption of dairy proteins over pea proteins was found, with SC being the most dominating type at the interface due to the higher diffusion rate and structural flexibility. However, globular WPI and PPI formed stronger interfacial films than SC and its blend owing to the extensive intermolecular interactions.
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(2020)Sorghum and millets are important crops in the world and they are rich of phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds have good antioxidant ability and they are regarded as the good natural protective screens for oxidative damage. However, the previous studies has only focused on the amount and antioxidant property of phenolic compounds in sorghum and millets and there were limited studies about the effect of sourdough fermentation on the phenolic compounds. Hence, it is necessary to study the fate of phenolic compounds during the sourdough fermentation. The aim of the experimental work was to study the changes of phenolic compounds, namely the soluble and bound phenolics, during lactic acid bacteria fermentation of wholegrain sorghum and millets, and to study the factors contributing to their modifications. Two millet varieties, i.e. finger miller and pearl millet (millet Jaune), and two types of sorghum, i.e. white sorghum and red sorghum were used in this study. Each experiment consisted of two samples, one unfermented and one fermented. The fermented sample was fermented by W. Confusa A16, which was isolated from a sourdough pancake in Burkina Faso and identified in University of Helsinki. During the experiment part, different extraction solvents and methods were used in order to obtain a better extraction of phenolics. Ethanol and methanol were selected as the extraction solvent for soluble phenolics and ultrasonic bath was used to assisst the extraction of insoluble-bound phenolics. And the content of phenolic compounds were determinated by Folin-Ciocalteu assay in coupled with spectrophotometer. The results showed that methanol as the extraction solvent was more efficient in extracting the soluble phenolics than ethanol. And ultrasonic bath could shorten the extraction time of bound phenols from 16h to 2.5h with a good extraction result compared with non-ultrasonic bath. In this study, the content of extracted phenolic compounds varied among different classes and subclasses. Sorghum generally contained higher content of phenolic compounds than millets. And the total phenolic compounds in red sorghum was higher than white sorghum. The changes of total phenolic compounds and insoluble-bound phenolic compounds during sourdough fermentation followed the same trend, both of which decreased after sourdough fermentation. Conversely, soluble phenolic compounds increased during sourdough fermentation both in millet and sorghum samples. Increased enzymatic activities and the increased acidic medium environment during sourdough fermentation might form new interactions between phenolics and other macromolecules or cause the structure changes of phenolics, thus lead to changes of the amount of extractable phenolic compounds. However, the results obtain from this experiment are not completely consistent with literature data, which might be related to the different cultivar of the sorghum and millet raw materials used and the experimental methods adopted .
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(2020)Malnutrition is one of the worlds biggest health problems. It is associated with 45 percent of deaths among children under 5 years. Malnutrition causes health and financial problems addition to the loss of lives. Children’s undernutrition can manifest itself in different forms, of which stunting is the most common. The other forms are underweight, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies. Stunting is defined as low height-for-age. Children are stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviation below the WHO Child Growth Standards median. Stunting is normally associated with chronic malnutrition. Poor nutrition during the first years of life have been linked to many long-term consequences. These are increased morbidity, impaired growth and poor cognition which leads to lost productivity and poverty later in life. The focus of this study is to find factors associated with stunting, to analyse the difference in stunting between the girls and boys and to find possible reasons for it. This thesis is a cross-sectional study from a material collected in Benin ’Enhancing food and nutrition security of vulnerable groups in communities in Benin through increased use of local agricultural biodiversity’ which is a part of a larger ’Improving Food Security in West and East Africa through Capasity Building in Research and Information Dissemination’ (FoodAfrica) project funded by the ministry for foreign affairs of Finland. Benin has 11.8 million inhabitants. Benin is ranked 165 on the Human Development Index. Almost half of the population lives with less than 1.25 USD a day, which is the International Poverty Line. There were 1263 children involved in this study. They were measured (height, weight and upper arm circumference) and their guardian was interviewed. The field part of the study was done by the local Biodiversity International and Abomey Calavin university researchers and data collectors trained by the same. All the children between the ages 6 and 23 months from the chosen villages were selected to the study if they filled the following criteria: the child was given complementary foods, they were not suffering from a severe illness, the family had lived in the region for the last two years and had no plans to move away during the next year. If the family had more than one child with the appropriate age the youngest one was chosen to the study. Participation in the study was voluntary. 26,4 percent of the children in this study were stunted and it was more common with the boys. 30,1 percent of the boys were stunted compared with 22,4 percent of the girls. All the children in this study were short and the average hight was -1,36 on the WHO Child Growth Standards. Many factors were associated with stunting: mothers education (p=0.017), fathers education (p=0.019), feeds other than breast milk during the first 3 days of its life (p=0.003), duration of exclusive breastfeeding (p=0.005), timing of initiation of complementary feeding (p=0.008), source of water used for washing hands before feeding the child (p=0.01) and source of drinking water (p=0.01). After all the factors associated with stunting had been considered using regression analysis the following retained significance: mother’s height (p<0.0001), child’s birth weight (p=0.001) and the consumption of nuts (p=0.003). The findings in this study are similar to previous studies. Mother’s short height and child’s low birth weight are both indicators of maternal undernutrition. Thus securing girl’s optimal growth and improving the nutritional status of women in reproductive age should be the focus of future interventions. After the linear stepwise regression, the type of toilet used was still significant for boys and the length of breastfeeding for all children, but these were not significant after the logistic stepwise regression. Reasons for the difference in stunting between the boys and the girls were not found. Possible reasons include genetic qualities and differences in how boys and girls are treated, but this remains to be resolved.
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(2020)Alternative research methods are needed to complement traditional dietary assessment methods in risk assessment, because traditional methods have bias related to misreporting and a short period of monitoring. The aim was to study whether food purchase data could be used in risk assessment to complement traditional food consumption data to estimate food intake. The study compared statistics from two different Finnish studies. This substudy of LoCard is based on the original grocery purchase data, a subsample provided by consenting retailer loyalty card holders (n=15 756) from 2017. FinDiet 2017 is a national dietary survey with individual level data based on two 24-h-dietary recalls (n=1 655). Four food groups were selected from both data sets: almonds and nuts, bananas, apples, and eggs. Post-stratification weights to correct selection bias for LoCard data were used and the degree of loyalty was taken into account. FinDiet data showed higher consumption of almonds and nuts, and apples than LoCard data. In LoCard data, banana consumption was relatively high compared to FinDiet data. When using post-stratification weights, the magnitude of differences did not change significantly. In conclusion, grocery purchase data cannot be used in risk assessment to estimate food intake as such, because bodyweight information is missing. Thus, consumption estimates per bodyweight cannot be executed. However, when combined with other food consumption data, purchase data have the potential to remediate some limitations of self-reported food consumption, such as misreporting and a short period of monitoring. Food purchase data also add timely information on population consumption and special dietary products. Future studies are needed to evaluate how food purchase data could practically be used in risk assessment process.
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(2020)Leafy vegetables are quickly perishable foods that are usually stored in bright lighting and transparent packaging. They contain a lot of bioactive components, which are easily destructed by lighting. Rocket (arugula) contains a lot of vitamin E, vitamin C and folate and there are not many studies about rocket. The aim of this study was to investigate how lighting affects the vitamins and quality of rocket during storage. In addition to lighting, the effect of different packaging materials, their light transmittances and their perforations to rocket’s sensory quality and tocopherols contests were studied. The hypothesis of the study was that when stored under lighting, the spoilage of samples is faster than when stored in dark and that perforated bags have the weakest preservation of sample quality and vitamins. Rocket samples were stored under three different lighting conditions which were continuous darkness, continuous fluorescent light (65 μmols-1m-2) and continuous LED light (125 μmols-1m2). The rocket was packaged in five different plastics (OP20, OP20-30-35, PET12-PE40, OPP20CP30, PET30-PE40) and there were perforated and non-perforated versions of them. A weeklong storage test was carried out in a chamber with constant conditions (5 °C, RH 40–50 %) and measurements were performed on days 1, 5 and 7. The tocopherol content of rocket was analyzed from lyophilized day 7 samples later by HPLC. The results of this study imply that lighting reduces the color and sensory quality of the packaged rocket, so the hypothesis was partly fulfilled. However, the spoilage was not significantly faster in the perforated materials. Lighting affected the gas composition of the bags through photosynthesis and respiration, as the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations remained unchanged, while in the dark the oxygen content decreased, and the carbon dioxide content increased. The quality of the rocket was best preserved in dark, as in LED and fluorescent light the samples lightened and yellowed faster and the structure of the samples deterioraetd. When stored in dark, non-perforated materials retained the alpha-tocopherol content of the rocket better than the perforated materials. Conversely, when stored in light, rocket packed in perforated materials had higher alpha-tocopherol contents than the those packed innon-perforated materials. The maximum differences in alpha-tocopherol contents between the rocket samples in different lighting conditions were 180 µg/g for the samples in non-perforated materials and 50 µg/g for the samples in perforated materials. The opaque materials (OPP20-CPP30 and PET30-PE40) retained the sensory quality of the rocket better than the transparent ones. There were no significant differences in alpha-tocopherol contents between the samples in different materials.
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(2019)Background: A few Finnish municipalities have chosen to offer the option of a vegan diet at day-care if the parents request it. The food offered at day-care plays an important part in a child’s nutrition and should be guided by official recommendations. As little evidence exists for the adequacy of a vegan diet for children in day-care more studies on the subject is needed. The food provided by the day-care should cover 2/3 of the daily energy requirements and the quantity of saturated fat, salt and sucrose should be limited. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to compare and analyse the nutritional adequacy of vegan and omnivore meals offered by the municipality of Helsinki. Additionally, to describe the dietary sources of intakes from both meals. Data and methods: This thesis is part of the MIRA Helsinki study, conducted by the University of Helsinki. The objective of the project is to study the impact of a vegan diet on the nutritional status of children in day-care in Helsinki. The data for this thesis was collected through food diaries. The children range in age from one to six years and are divided into two groups based on meals eaten at day-care, vegan meals (n=9) and omnivore meals (n=16). All statistical analyses were done with the SPSS program (version 25). Results: In most cases the dietary intake followed official recommendations. Of concern is that salt intake was high in both groups. The two diets provided similar amounts of energy, carbohydrates and sucrose at day-care. However, protein (p<0,001), fat (p=0,008) and fibre (p<0,001) intakes were significantly more favourable when eating vegan meals. The group eating vegan meals also had a higher intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat (p=0,007; p<0,001) as well as linolenic acid (p<0,001) and α-linolenic acid (p<0,001) in comparison to the omnivore group. Further, the omnivore group had higher intakes of cholesterol (p<0,001) and saturated fat (p=0,007). There was no dietary intake of EPA and DHA in the vegan meals. Intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol outside the day-care were higher than at day-care. The vegan meal group had significantly higher intakes of folate (p<0,001), iron (p<0,001) and zinc (p=0,001) while lower intakes of iodine (p=0,006) and calcium (p=0,01), were noted in comparison to the omnivore group. Although the intake of vitamin C does not significantly differ between the groups, the intake at day-care is low in both groups (vegan meals 38 %, and omnivore 21 % of total intake). In the diet of the children eating vegan meals at day-care, fortified plant-based milk played a central role as a source of many nutrients. Conclusions: Because of the small sample size no general conclusions can be drawn from these results, but it seems the vegan meals have many positive characteristics compared to the omnivore meals. The results may give an insight to nutritional differences between a vegan and an omnivore diet of under school age children in Helsinki. A more plant-based diet would be a sustainable choice for the future, but supplementation is recommended to guarantee sufficient intakes of critical nutrients. More studies are needed on the long-term effects of a vegan diet on young children and the characteristics of a vegan diet in Finland.
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