Browsing by Author "Costea, C."
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- BaSeFood. Nutritional data on traditional foods and analytical data on plant raw materialsPublication . Costa, H.S.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; D’Antuono, L.F.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Fedosov, S.; Hayran, O.; Jorjadze, M.; Karpenko, D.; Finglas, P.Introduction. The Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods (BaSeFood) consists of a research consortium of 13 partners [1]. A general objective is to contribute towards the establishment of a rationale for integrating the concept of health-promoting for traditional foods. The specific aim of this study was to produce analytical data detailing the nutritional and bioactive content of selected traditional foods from six Black Sea area countries, and to evaluate the diversity of bioactive compounds content of some plant raw materials. Results. A total of 33 traditional foods from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine were selected and prioritised in WP1. Within WP2, a list of components for the nutritional composition of each traditional food was prioritised on the basis of (1) inclusion of relevant data in national food composition databases; (2) the most relevant components to be analysed for each food and (3) their importance in relation to the increased risk of diet‐related chronic diseases. The prioritised list of components to be quantified in the selected traditional foods was: water, ash, total protein, total fat, individual fatty acids, total starch, total sugars, total dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Besides the nutritional composition and total polyphenols determination, additional analyses on carotenoids ( carotene, -carotene, -cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, lutein and lycopene) were performed. A common approach on sampling and sample handling of traditional foods using harmonised guidelines was established, for all countries, to ensure that representative food samples would be analysed in order to produce reliable and high quality data [2,3]. The following relevant results were obtained for raw materials. Kales confirmed to be an interesting source of glucobrassicin; variability of glucosinolate, carotenoids and phenolic content was detected. Among primitive wheats, einkorn wheat was the richest in carotenoids and phenolics content, with slightly different sterol composition from the others species. Among oilseeds, sesame was the richest source of sterols and tocols, whereas walnuts were by far the richest in phenolic compounds; the importance of the initial oxidative conditions of raw materials for further processing is stressed. Conclusions. The use of a common methodology to study traditional foods will be essential to maintain the European cultural heritage, thus enabling future generations to experience and enjoy local specialities. Furthermore, this study provides new data on the nutritional composition and bioactive compounds content of the selected traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries in order to elucidate their role in the dietary pattern of each country. Moreover, knowledge base of traditional foods and related plant raw materials from Black Sea Area countries will contribute to promote local biodiversity and sustainable diets, by maintaining healthy dietary patterns within local cultures.
- Carotenoids of Traditional Foods from Black Sea Area Countries and their relation with Immune ResponsePublication . Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Finglas, P.; D'Antuono, F.; Trichopoulou, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Dubtsov, G.; Fedosova, K.; Hayran, O.; Kilasonia, Z.; Costa, H.S.Carotenoids are colourful compounds which provide photoprotection of plants and participate in their photosynthesis. Particularly β-carotene may enhance the human immune response. Some epidemiological studies have suggested an association between carotenoids intake and reduced incidence of some forms of cancer, which might be related with the antioxidant properties of carotenoids, namely by their ability of reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) damages in cell membranes. Moreover, carotenoids may also influence the activity of redox-sensitive transcription factors and the production of cytokines and prostaglandins. Carotenoids were extracted from Black Sea Area Countries (BSAC) traditional foods with a mixture of hexane/ethanol, 4:3 (v/v). In all samples, a procedure with and without saponification step was applied. Separation and quantification was performed by Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC). Chromatographic separation was performed with a UPLC® BEH guard-column (2.1 x 5 mm, 1.7 µm particle size) and a UPLC® BEH analytical column (2.1 x 50 mm, 1.7 µm particle size). Mobile phases were (A) ultrapure water; (B) acetonitrile/methanol (containing ammonium acetate)/dichloromethane (75:20:5, v/v/v). The flow-rate was 0.5 mL/min. From the 28 analysed traditional foods for carotenoids content, α-carotene was quantified in 7. The highest level was found for rodopian dried beans, followed by vegetable okroshka. β-carotene was quantified in 53.4% of the analysed traditional foods from BSAC. The sample with highest β-carotene content was plums jam followed by kale soup and nettles sour soup. Once more, as it was expected, the group that most contributes for β-carotene intake is the vegetable and vegetables based foods followed by fruit or fruit based foods. Wild plum sauce was the sample that presented the highest β-cryptoxanthin content (63.8 µg/100 g of edible portion). Lycopene was quantified in about 43% of the analysed traditional foods from BSAC. The foods with highest lycopene content were watermelon juice, Ukrainian borsch and sautéed pickled green beans. The analysed traditional foods from BSAC can be considered good sources of bioactive compounds, although it was found a great variability on the content of carotenoids. Due to the putative health benefits of these compounds, the consumption of those with higher content of bioactive compounds should be encouraged and promoted.
- Carotenoids, vitamins (A, B2, C and E) and total folate of traditional foods from Black Sea Area countriesPublication . Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Finglas, P.; Ribeiro, T.; Valente, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Hayran, O.; Jorjadze, M.; Kaprelyants, L.; Karpenko, D.; D'Antuono, L.F.; Costa, H.S.BACKGROUND: Carotenoids, vitamins (A, B2, C and E) and total folate are related to health promotion. However, there are still many food matrices for which the content of these compounds is not available. In order to fill this gap, traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries (BSAC) were analysed in order to investigate their potential health benefits. RESULTS: The most abundant carotenoid was β-carotene. Plum jam was the sample with the highest β-carotene content (608 μg 100 g−1 edible portion). The group of vegetables and vegetable-based foods contributed most to β-carotene content. Evergreen cherry laurel presented the highest L-ascorbic acid content (29.9 mg 100 g−1 edible portion), while the highest riboflavin and total folate contents were found for roasted sunflower seeds. Approximately 61% of the analysed samples showed quantifiable amounts of α-tocopherol but did not contain retinol. CONCLUSION: Despite the great variability in the content of carotenoids, vitamins and total folate, most of the analysed traditional foods from BSAC can be considered good sources of these compounds. Therefore, owing to their putative health benefits, the consumption of those with higher contents of these compounds should be encouraged and promoted.
- Comparison of proximate data among traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries per food groupPublication . Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Finglas, P.; Trichopoulou, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Fedosova, K.; Jorjadze, M.; Karpenko, D.; Koçaoglu, B.; D’Antuono, L.F.; Costa, H.S.Introduction. Traditional foods from 6 Black Sea Area Countries (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine) were prioritized within the frame of the European Project BaSeFood (Sustainable Exploitation of Bioactive Components Black Sea Area traditional foods). The selected traditional foods were categorized into 6 food groups: 1) Cereal or cereal based foods; 2) Fruit or fruit based foods; 3) Vegetable or vegetable based foods; 4) Oilseeds or oilseed products; 5) Herbs, spices and aromatic plants; and 6) Low or non-alcoholic fermented products. One of the aims within BaSeFood project was to produce an overview of the nutritional value of each traditional food and compare it among the categorized food groups. Material and methods. The 33 selected traditional foods were prepared according to a recorded traditional recipe, ingredients and traditional preparation methods. The following components were determined: moisture, ash, total nitrogen (for protein), total fat, individual fatty acids, starch, total sugars and dietary fibre for each food. Results. Our results show that vegetables and vegetable based foods; herbs, spices and aromatic plants; and low or non-alcoholic fermented foods and beverages of plant origin were the food groups with the lower energy content mainly due to its high water content (>60.0 g/100 g). Oilseeds or oilseed products were the group that presented the highest mean content of ash (2.23 g/100 g), total protein (15.9 g/100 g) and total fat (72.0 g/100 g). Sour rye bread, which belongs to the cereals and cereal based foods group, contained the highest starch content (66.3 0.55 g/100 g). The highest total sugars content (85.3 0.30 g/100 g) was found in rose jam, a food from the fruit or fruit based foods group. All results are given per 100 g of edible portion. Conclusions. The proximate composition of the selected traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries is important in order to elucidate their role in the dietary pattern of populations and will be useful to include new nutritional data in national food composition databases.
- Fatty acids composition and total fat content in traditional foods from Black Sea Area countriesPublication . Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Finglas, P.; D'Antuono, L.F.; Trichopoulou, A.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Fedosova, K.; Karpenko, D.; Kilasonia, Z.; Koçaoglu, B.; Costa, H.S.Objectives: This work was performed within the collaborative research program Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods (BaSeFood), funded by the European Commission. The overall objective of this study was to determine the total fat content and fatty acids (FA) composition among 33 traditional foods from six Black Sea Area countries (BSAC). Method: Total fat analysis was performed by an acid hydrolysis method with Soxhlet extraction (AOAC 948.15, 2000). Preparation of FA methyl esters was carried out by a combined method of methylation and transesterification. For FA determination chromatographic analysis was performed using a gas chromatograph with mass detector. FA methyl esters were separated in an Agilent HP-88 column (100 m x 0.25 mm i.d., 0.25 µm). Helium was the carrier gas. Split ratio of 50:1 and an injection volume of 1.0 µL were used. FA methyl esters were identified by comparing the retention times of the standards with those of the samples. Results: Total fat content ranged between 0.138 ± 0.0 g/100 g for Uzvar (Ukraine) and 99.9 ± 0.0 g/100 g for flax oil and mustard oil. From the 33 analysed traditional foods, 27.3% had fat contents below the limit of quantification (< 0.1 g/100 g). The highest content for saturated and polyunsaturated FA was found for flax oil (15.3 ± 0.6 g/100 g and 58.5 ± 0.5 g/100 g, respectively). Mustard oil showed the highest value for monounsaturated FA (55.1 ± 0.7 g/100 g), although it also has a high polyunsaturated FA content (38.0 ± 0.6 g/100 g of edible portion). Conclusions: In general, there was a great variability of results with respect to the FA profile of the analyzed traditional foods from BSAC, since there is a wide range of traditional foods from different countries and cultures. Some traditional foods from BSAC are a good source of unsaturated FA which are related to several health benefits. Acknowledgements: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n.º 227118.
- New nutritional composition data on selected traditional foods consumed in Black Sea Area countriesPublication . Costa, H.S.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; D'Antuono, L.F.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Fedosov, S.; Hayran, O.; Karpenko, D.; Kilasonia, Z.; Finglas, P.BACKGROUND: Traditional foods are an important part of the culture, history, identity and heritage of a region or country and are key elements in dietary patterns. In most countries there is limited information on the nutritional composition of such foods and therefore there is a need to investigate, register and promote traditional foods. One of the aims within the ‘Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods’ (BaSeFood) project is to generate for the first time new data on the nutritional composition of traditional foods from six Black Sea Area countries to promote their sustainable development and exploitation. RESULTS: Thirty-three traditional foods were analysed in an accredited laboratory to determine their nutritional composition, and the data were fully documented. The nutrient content varied widely because of the nature and variety of the analysed foods. The energy content ranged between 4 kcal per 100 g for kvass southern and 900 kcal per 100 g for mustard oil, with the exception of the analysed teas, which did not contribute to energy intake. CONCLUSION: The use of a common methodology for the study of traditional foods will enable countries to further investigate these foods. Moreover, a new nutritional knowledge base of traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries will contribute to promote local biodiversity and sustainable diets by maintaining healthy dietary patterns within local cultures.
- Nutritional composition of traditional foods from Black Sea Area countriesPublication . Costa, H.S.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; Alexieva, I.; Costea, C.; Fedosova, K.; Hayran, O.; Kilasonia, Z.; Kolesnov, A.; Koval, N.V.; D’Antuono, F.; Finglas, P.A exploração sustentável de compostos bioactivos de alimentos tradicionais da Região do Mar Negro (BaSeFood) é um projecto de 3 anos, financiado pelo 7º Programa-Quadro. Este projecto consiste num consórcio de investigação contituído por 13 parceiros, designadamente Itália (dois), Reino Unido, Grécia, Portugal, Sérvia e seis países da Região do Mar Negro: Rússia, Ucrânia (dois), Roménia, Bulgária, Turquia e Geórgia. Os alimentos tradicionais são elementos característicos e únicos que diferenciam os padrões alimentares de cada país. Na maioria dos países, a informação sobre a composição nutricional de tais alimentos é ainda limitada, portanto, é necessário investigar, registar e promover os alimentos tradicionais. Um dos objectivos no âmbito do projecto BaSeFood é fornecer novos dados sobre a composição nutricional de alimentos tradicionais da Região do Mar Negro de origem vegetal para promover a sua exploração e o seu desenvolvimento sustentável. Trinta e três alimentos tradicionais foram prioritizados e a sua composição nutricional foi determinada. Os seguintes parâmetros foram determinados: humidade, cinza, azoto total (para o teor de proteína), gordura total, ácidos gordos individuais, colesterol, amido, açúcares totais, fibra alimentar, vitaminas (A, E, C e B2), folatos, minerais e oligoelementos (sódio, ferro, zinco e selénio). Verificou-se que existe uma grande variabilidade na composição nutricional dos alimentos do grupo dos frutos e vegetais analisados neste estudo, destacando a vasta gama de ingredientes disponíveis na Região do Mar Negro, bem como a sua biodiversidade.
- Provitamin A activity in traditional foods from Black Sea Area countriesPublication . Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Finglas, P.; Trichopoulou, A.; D'Antuono, L.F.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Fedosova, K.; Karpenko, D.; Kilasonia, Z.; Koçaoglu, B.; Costa, H.S.Introduction and objectives: Vitamin A is found in the form of retinol, retinal, retinoic acid or esters in animal sources, while in plant sources, it is in the form of provitamin A. Conjugated double bonds of carotenoids absorb light and are responsible for the brilliant colours of fruits and vegetables ranging from the yellow, orange to red. Moreover, they protect cells from oxidation and cellular damages, preventing of major chronic diseases. The aim of the present work was to determine the provitamin A activity in twenty eight traditional foods from six Black Sea Area countries (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine). Method: Chromatographic separation was performed with a UPLC® BEH guard-column (2.1 x 5 mm, 1.7 µm particle size) and a UPLC® BEH analytical column (2.1 x 50 mm, 1.7 µm particle size). The mobile phases were a gradient of ultrapure water and acetonitrile/methanol (containing 0.05 M ammonium acetate)/dichloromethane (75:20:5, v/v/v). The flow-rate was 0.5 mL/min and carotenoids were monitored at 450 nm. The concentration of each carotenoid was expressed as µg per 100 g of edible portion. Provitamin A activity was expressed as µg of retinol equivalents (RE) or retinol activity equivalents (RAE) per 100 g of edible portion. Results: One RE is equivalent to 1 µg retinol or 6 µg β-carotene or 12 µg of other provitamin A carotenes whileone RAE is equivalent to 1 µg retinol, 2 µg β-carotene dissolved in oil, 12 µg β-carotene or 24 µg of other provitamin A carotenoids. From the 28 traditional foods analysed, 12 did not present any RE or RAE. All the foods of the oilseeds or oilseed products did not present provitamin A activity. The traditional food with highest provitamin A activity was plums jam (Romania), followed by kale soup (Turkey) and nettle sour soup (Romania). Conclusions: Although a great variability was found in the carotenoids content, some of the analysed traditional foods can be considered excellent sources of provitamin A. Due to the putative health benefits of these compounds, the consumption of those with higher provitamin A activity should be promoted. Acknowledgements: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n.º 227118.
- Report on Microbiological characterization of typical BSAC foods/beverages - M2.5Publication . Mudryk, M.; Petrov, V.; Dolgikh, A.; Kutchak, I.; Pauk, A.; Rusyn, Y.; Boyko, N.; Alexieva, I.; Sapundzhieva, T.; Hayran, O.; Koçaoglu, B.; Kaprel'yants, L.; Karpenko, D.; Costea, C.; Costa, H.S.; Finglas, P.
- Selected traditional foods from Romania in the frame of BaSeFood projectPublication . Costea, C.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Finglas, P.; Vasile, A.; Tampu, D.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; D’Antuono, L.F.; Costa, H.S.Introduction. Romania has an old tradition in different dishes that suffered outstanding influences along the time from: a) developed countries cuisines and experiments - French, Prussian; b) invading people (Ottomans), c) neighbourhoods related - Serbian, Hungarian, Ukrainian. Despite the strong influences, national food still maintained its own character. This work aims to determine the nutritional composition of five traditional foods from Romania that have been prioritised in the frame of the BaSeFood project (Sustainable Exploitation of Bioactive Components Black Sea Area traditional foods). Material and methods. Five traditional foods: cornmeal mush, nettle sour soup, plums jam, herbal dish and elderberry soft drink were selected and the nutritional composition was determined. The following components: moisture, ash, total nitrogen (for protein), total fat, individual fatty acids, starch, total sugars and dietary fibre were quantified for each food. Results. The energy value for the analysed Romanian traditional foods varied between 99 kJ/24 kcal for elderberry soft drink and 732 kJ/175 kcal for plums jam. The food with the highest available carbohydrates content was plums jam with 40.1 ± 0.40 g/100 g. Among the analysed traditional foods, total fat varied between 0.237 and 3.58 g/100 g, while total protein ranged from 0.903 to 1.99 g/100 g, with the exception of elderberry soft drink, which does not contain these nutrients. Herbal dish presented the highest content of total dietary fibre (3.48 ± 0.26 g/100 g), followed by plums jam with 3.30 ± 0.14 g/100 g. All results are given per 100 g of edible portion. Conclusions. This study provided new data on nutritional composition of five traditional foods from Romania, in order to preserve and promote these foods.