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- Fruit and Vegetable consumption and overweight among school-age children within the “COSI” Portuguese StudyPublication . Rito, Ana Isabel; Carvalho, Maria Ana; Ramos, Carlos; Breda, JoãoIntroduction: Overweight among children has increased dramatically in the last few years and various environmental, genetic and social factors have been associated with weight gain. Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption among children might be useful strategy for weight management in children. However evidence for the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and being overweight in childhood are inconsistent. The present study aims to describe fresh fruit, “100% Juice”, vegetables and soup (FJVS) consumption among children and examine whether low consumption of FJVS is associated with overweight in a sample of Portuguese schoolchildren. Methods: Children´s overweight and obesity prevalence estimate was obtained from the first data collection (2008) of the new National Nutritional Surveillance System- “COSI Portugal” among the seven geographic Regions (North, Centre, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Alentejo, Algarve, Azores and Madeira). Children’s dietary intake was measured using a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire completed by the parents. Overall, 3225 questionnaires were returned. Height and weight were measured according to international standards, and BMI was calculated. To determine the magnitude of the association between FJVS consumption and overweight, crude Odds Ratio estimates, including CI, were computed using unconditional logistic regression. Results: 3812 children were included in the analyses (50,3% boys with a mean age (±SD) of 7,03 years ±0,72). Using Portuguese Health General Directorate terminology which uses CDC (2000) criteria for defining nutritional status 32,1% children were overweight (IMC ≥P85) , 14,5% were obese (IMC ≥P95) and 2,2% were underweight(IMC≤P5) . According to children’s FJVS consumption only 2%, 3,5% and 1,8% ate fresh fruit, vegetables and soup every day, respectively. Otherwise, 21,6% children consume 100% fruit juice every day. There was no difference between FJVS consumption among boys and girls, except for the soup consumption that was higher in girls (p=0,01). There were also no differences between FJVS consumption among age groups. Normal weight children ate FJVS more frequently than overweight and this differences were statistically significant for fresh fruit consumption (p=0,012). With regard to FJVS consumption (≥4 times/week and <4 times/week), no differences between overweight and non-overweight children were found for fresh fruit (<4 times/week: OR=1,03, 95% CI 0,86-1,24), 100% juice (≥4 times/week: OR=1,11, 95% CI 0,93-1,32) and soup consumption (<4 times/week: OR=1,12, 95% CI 0,91-1,38). However the consumption of vegetables less than 4 times a week shown to be a risk factor for overweight children (OR=1,20, 95% CI 1,02-1,40). Conclusions: The low intake of vegetables was associated with increased risk of overweight in Portuguese schoolchildren.
- Proximate composition of plant origin traditional foods from Black Sea Area CountriesPublication . Albuquerque, T.G.; Costa, H.S.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Fontes, T.; Mota, C.; Santos, M.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; D’Antuono, F.; Alexieva, I.; Fedosova, K.; Karpenko, D.; Kilasonia, Z.; Kocaoglu, B.; Koval, N.; Stroia, A.L.; Finglas, P.Within the frame of the European Project BaSeFood (Sustainable Exploitation of Bioactive Components Black Sea Area traditional foods), thirty-three traditional foods from six Black Sea Area Countries (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine) were selected and prepared according to the traditional recipe, ingredients and traditional preparation methods. The aim is to promote and preserve traditional foods and to produce new and reliable data of the overall nutritional composition. Water content is being determined by gravimetric method, using a dry air oven at 101 °C ± 2 °C for 2 h, until constant weight. Total fat is being performed with an acid hydrolysis method followed by extraction using a Soxhlet with petroleum ether, as the extraction solvent. The obtained residue is dried for 1 h 30 min at 101 °C ± 2 °C, until constant weight, according to the acid hydrolysis method. Total dietary fibre, ash and total protein content are being determined by the AOAC official methods 985.29, 945.46 and 991.20, respectively. Total nitrogen for protein content is being determined by the Kjeldahl method in combination with a copper catalyst using a block digestion system. To assure the quality of analytical results, methods used in the laboratory are accredited by ISO/IEC/17025 or successful participation in proficiency testing schemes. Herbs, spices, aromatic plants and fermented products are those which presented the highest water content. In contrast, products from oilseeds have the lowest water content (3.94 g/100 g) and the highest total fat (58.2 g/100 g), total protein (20.8 g/100 g), ash (3.25 g/100 g), total sugars (45.8 g/100 g) and total dietary fibre (11.3 g/100 g) contents. For cereals and cereals based foods, a great variability in the water content was found (5.99 to 75.8 g/100 g). All results are given per 100 g of edible portion. Traditional foods from the same group have generally similar proximate analysis pattern. In the products from oilseeds, the highest content in macronutrients was found, except for water content. The proximates composition will be useful to include new nutritional data into national food composition databases.
- BaSeFood Newsletter, Issue 5Publication . Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Finglas, P.; Costa, H.S.
- Evaluation of the analytical measurement uncertainty by two methods in food vitamin A and E determinationPublication . Dias, M. Graça; Vasco, Elsa; Santos, MarianaRationale. ISO 17025 prescribes the estimation of the measurement uncertainty and specifies requirements concerning this estimation and how it should be reported. Besides,for a consistent interpretation of an analytical method result it is necessary to evaluate the confidence that can be placed in it. This can be provided by the quantification of its accuracy (trueness and precision) in the form of a measurement uncertainty estimate. Objective. To compare two approaches to estimate the analytical measurement uncertainty in the HPLC analysis of vitamins A (all-trans-retinol and 13-cis-retinol) and E ( -tocopherol) in infant milk powder. Materials and methods. The normal phase HPLC analytical method was based on EN 12822 e 12823-1. Identification was carried out based on retention time and quantitative determination by external standard method. Analytical measurement uncertainty was laboratory estimated based on method in-house validation data (evaluation of calibration curve parameters, precision, reference material analysis, detection and quantification limits) and laboratory performance results in proficiency tests (BIPEA and FAPAS), for infant milk powder. Results. Combined relative standard uncertainty obtained from laboratory validation data was 0.22 for vitamin A infant milk powder content of 100-500 μg/100 g, and 0.080 for vitamin E infant milk powder content of 15 mg/100 g. Estimation based on proficiency tests was 0.17 and 0.14, respectively for vitamin A and E. Conclusions. Results from the analytical measurement uncertainty estimation by the two methods were in good agreement for vitamin A although for vitamin E the result obtained from the intraboratory data was lower than from the interlaboratory data. According to the obtained results to give a correct impression of accuracy with which these constituent levels can be known in samples similar to the analysed, results should present at maximum two significant figures.
- Analysis of Carotenoids, Vitamins and Folates in Traditional Foods from Black Sea AreaPublication . Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Ribeiro, T.; Valente, A.; Finglas, P.; Flores, A.C.; Santos, M.; D’Antuono, L.F.; Costa, H.S.; on behalf of the BaSeFood Black Sea area partnersNowadays, consumers are much more aware of nutritional composition and show especially interest in compounds with putative health benefits. Therefore, in the last few years, great attention has been devoted to the study of bioactive compounds in order to promote the consumption of traditional foods. The European project BaSeFood (Sustainable Exploitation of Bioactive Components Black Sea Area Traditional Foods) aims to study the traditional foods from the Black Sea Area, namely their nutritional and bioactive composition. In the frame of this project, the present work has analysed carotenoids, vitamins and folates in 33 traditional foods. Carotenoids and retinol and -tocopherol were extracted from samples with hexane/ethanol (4:3, v/v) and quantified by Ultra-high Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) with diode array detection (DAD). Some samples required saponification with methanolic KOH prior to chromatographic analysis. In general, the most abundant carotenoid was β-carotene. Most of the samples contain -tocopherol and do not present retinol. In order to quantify L-ascorbic acid, samples were stabilized with perchloric acid and metaphosphoric acid in ultrapure water. After dilution with mobile phase, samples were quantified by High Performance LC (HPLC)-DAD. One of the samples with highest L-ascorbic content was fruit of the evergreen cherry laurel (29.7 mg/100 g). Vitamin B2 was extracted after acid hydrolysis followed by dephosphorylation and HPLC with fluorescence detection (method EN 14152:2003, accredited according to ISO 17025). The determination of the total folate content in foodstuffs was carried out by a microbiological assay (EN 14131:2003, accredited according to ISO 17025). One of the highest vitamin B2 and total folate levels was found for roasted sunflower seeds (0.19 mg and 113 µg per 100 g of edible portion, respectively).
- Riboflavin content in selected traditional foods from Black Sea Area countriesPublication . Costa, H.S.; Flores, C.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Santos, M.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; D’Antuono, F.; Alexieva, I.; Hayran, O.; Kaprelyants, L.; Karpenko, D.; Kilasonia, Z.; Koval, N.; Stroia, A.L.; Finglas, P.Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is an essential water-soluble vitamin present in a wide variety of foods, namely in milk, dairy products, cereal products, meat products and green leafy vegetables. The primary form of the vitamin is an integral component of the coenzymes flavin mononucleotide and flavin-adenine dinucleotide. It is in these bound coenzyme forms that riboflavin functions as a catalyst for redox reactions in numerous metabolic pathways and in energy production. The daily recommended allowance for riboflavin is 1.3 mg/day and 1.1 mg/day, for males and females, respectively. Due to its unquestionable importance in human nutrition, riboflavin was determined in the selected traditional foods analysed in the frame of the European Project BaSeFood (Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods). Riboflavin was determined according to the method EN 14152:2003. The sample is extracted after acid hydrolysis followed by dephosphorylation (with enzymatic treatment) and quantified by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence detection. The quantification limit of the method is <0.02 mg/100 g. This is an accredited method and the laboratory participates successfully in proficiency testing schemes. All the analyses were carried out protected from light because riboflavin is very sensitive to light. Analysis are being carried out in selected traditional foods from six Black Sea Area countries, which belong to the following groups: cereals and cereal based foods; vegetables; fruits; products from oilseeds; herbs, spices and aromatic plants; and fermented products. Our results show that 76.5 % of the analysed traditional foods had riboflavin content higher than 0.02 mg/100 g per edible portion. Roasted sunflower seeds presented the highest concentration of riboflavin (0.19 mg/100 g per edible portion). Therefore, traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries can give a good contribution to riboflavin dietary intake.
- New splicing mutation in the cystatin B genePublication . Amaral, Olga; Freitas, Joel; Pinto, Eugénia; Duarte, Ana Joana; Ribeiro, Isaura; Ribeiro, Diogo; Chaves, João
- A multiplex assay for X-linked intellectual disability assessmentPublication . Jorge, Paula; Marques, Isabel; Oliveira, Bárbara; Santos, RosárioX-linked intellectual disability (XLID) represents a common cause of monogenic mental retardation, where X-linked conditions are easily identified in affected males, who inevitably manifest a phenotype when harboring a mutant allele, due to their hemizygozity (Chiurazzi et al., 2008). Among the genetic causes involved in XLID, mutations in the Fragile Mental Retardation 1 (FMR1), AF4/FMR2 family member 2 (FMR2) and Aristaless Related Homeobox (ARX) genes emerge as important causes. FMR1 (FRAXA, locus A) and FMR2 (AFF2, FRAXE, locus E) contain polymorphic repetitive regions susceptible to suffer dynamic mutations, a process that may give rise to pathogenic expansions. The expansion to over 200 [CGG] triplets in the FMR1 gene, known as full mutation, is associated with the Fragile X Syndrome [FXS; MIM#300624], the most common form of familial severe intellectual disability (ID). In the case of the ARX gene, different mutational phenomena occur that include insertions, deletions, duplications, missense, nonsense and splice mutations. This makes it difficult to establish genotype/phenotype correlations and concomitantly clinical and molecular guidelines for the molecular analysis of ARX gene (Shoubridge et al., 2010). With the aim to perform pre-screening in ID populations, a multiplex molecular test was developed based on basic PCR methods. The method was applied in intellectually-disabled individuals after exclusion of FMR1 full mutation, focusing on mutational hotspots within the FMR1, FMR2 and ARX genes.
- Variability of glucosinolates and phenolics in local kale populations from Turkey, Italy and PortugalPublication . Ferioli, F.; Manco, M.; Giambanelli, E.; D'Antuono, L.F.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Koçaoglu, B.; Hayran, O.Rationale and objectives. Leafy forms of Brassica oleracea L. are generally known as kales or collards. They are traditional crops of several areas of Europe (Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Holland, Italy) and in Turkey, well rooted in local farming and food systems, but far lesser known as commercial crops. Glucosinolates are typical components of the Brassicaceae family, to which kales belong, presently valued as health promoting phytochemicals. Leafy kales are virtually the only edible crops containing high relative glucobrassicin content, at the same time, a total gluocosinolate amount compatible with human consumption. With this respect, these local and somewhat neglected species, can play a major role for the valorisation, in a healthy food context, of the glucobrassicin / indole-3-carbinol system. The EU funded project BaSeFood targeted kales as interesting raw materials for further investigation. Materials and methods. Mature kale leaves have been collected in two context: a) on field, in locally grown crops in Turkey, Italy and Portugal during winter 2009-2010; b) from an experimental trial planted in Cesena, Italy, using 7 Italian, 6 Turkish and 2 Portuguese populations, in wither 2010. The samples were freeze dried and stored and - 20 ° C until extraction by means methanol/water. Gucosinolates were transformed in the corresponding desulpho-derivatives before analysis. The analyses were carried out by means of HPLC, under appropriate conditions fro the two classess of compounds. Results. The main glucosinolates and phenolics have been identified. Ample variability was detected either in dependence on the origin of the material and within each origin. Conclusions. For the first time, kale populations of different origin were compared in a common environment. This work allowed therefore the characterisation of kale biodiversity. It also allowed the individuation of strains with better opportunities for exploitation in the preparation of health promoting traditional foods.
- Bisphenol a releasing by plastic container with gas chromatography tandem mass spectometryPublication . Rocha, S.; Domingues, V.F.; Mansilha, C.; Pinho, C.; Gameiro, P.; Delerue-Matos, C.