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Researches conducted worldwide indicate a frequent deficiency in mineral matters. Due to the increased need during the period of accelerated growth and development, children belong to the group that is exposed to the highest risk of mineral matter deficiency. Our objectives were to determine the iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and calcium intake in the collective diet of the preschool population in the in the northwestern region of Bosnia- in the Republic of Srpska and to estimate the adequacy of the application of the international food composition tables for nutrition planning relating to mineral matters. Samples of food intended for children’s diet were collected in the preschool institution “Radost” (a kindergarten), in the city of Prijedor. In daily portions, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Ca contents were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Contents of mineral matters in daily meals were also calculated by the food composition tables. An average daily meal contained 2.86 mg of Fe, 1.71 mg of Zn, 0.19 mg of Cu, 0.21 mg of Mn, and 83.5 mg of Ca. With calculation method, contents of all minerals are significantly higher than the experimental data for all used food composition tables. The obtained results indicate a significant deficiency in mineral matters in the collective diet of the preschool population in the Republic of Srpska, a certain non-compliance with the applicable recommendations, and also suggest a need to create food composition tables for food being consumed in our region.

A 16-week experiment was conducted to compare effects of various levels of sodium selenite (SS) and Se-enriched yeast (SY), on the whole-egg Se content and hen's productivity. One hundred Shaver 579 hens, 27 weeks old, were placed on one of five experimental treatments. Each treatment was replicated four times with five hens per cage. Treatments consisted of feeding a low Se diet without supplementation (basal diet) or basal diet with one of two levels of supplemented Se (0.4 or 0.8 mg/kg) supplied by SS or SY. All supplemented treatments had significantly higher whole-egg Se concentration from basal diet (P lt 0.05). On the same supplemented level, hens fed on SY had higher egg Se content from hens feed on SS (P lt 0.001). No effects of dietary treatments on egg weight, percentages of dirty and cracked egg, and feed intake and conversion of feed were observed throughout the trial (P lt 0.05). In the first 8 weeks, there was no significant difference (P lt 0.05) in hen-day egg production among treatments. From the ninth week on to the end of the trial, supplementation of SY to hen's diet resulted in a higher egg production than SS (P lt 0.01).

Functional foods are foods that may provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. Numerous scientifically proven pieces of evidence in many epidemiological studies indicate that nutrition abundant in certain foods (e.g. fruits and vegetables) is directly correlated with a decreased risk of degenerative diseases. Biologically active compounds in functional foods may impart health benefits or desirable physiological effects. Functional attributes of many traditional foods are being discovered, while new food products are being developed with beneficial components. These results are closely related to nutrition's potentials in preventing chronic diseases. Based on these facts the concept of functional foods has been developed. Rigorous scientific investigation has to confirm the positive physiological effects of these compounds upon health. Labeling claims that are used on functional foods are of two types: (1) structure and function claims, which describe effects on normal functioning of the body, but not claims that the food can treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure a disease (claims such as 'promotes regularity', 'helps maintain cardiovascular health', and 'supports the immune system' fit into this category); and (2) disease risk reduction claims, which imply a relationship between dietary components and a disease or health condition. Structure and function claims do not require preapproval by the FDA, and they require much less stringent scientific consensus than disease-risk reduction claims. Many biologically active compounds are unstable during treatments and storage. They undergo many common chemical reactions such as oxidation, hydrolysis, thermal degradation and Maillard reaction, contributing to the lowering of bioavailability. Anyhow, beneficial effect of bioactive compounds depends directly on the applied treatment in the production of foods. Funkcionalna hrana je hrana koja ima povoljan uticaj na ljudsko zdravlje mimo uobičajenih nutritivnih funkcija. Biološki aktivna jedinjenja su nosioci povoljnog dejstva funkcionalne hrane. Brojni naučni dokazi govore u prilog tome da je ishrana bogata pojedinim namirnicama (kao što su to na primer voće i povrće) direktno u vezi sa smanjenim rizikom od hroničnih, nezaraznih bolesti, tako da se na tim saznanjima razvio koncept funkcionalne hrane. Otkrivaju se funkcionalne osobine tradicionalnih namirnica, ali se dizajniraju i nove funkcionalne namirnice. Uobičajene izjave koje prate tu vrstu namirnica mogu se svrstati u dve kategorije: (1) izjave o odnosu strukture i funkcije (engl. Structure and function claims) moraju da budu istinite i da ne dovode u zabludu potrošača. Te izjave ne moraju da budu odobrene od strane FDA; (2) zdravstvene izjave (engl. Health claims ili disease-specific claims) moraju da budu autorizovane od strane FDA i da poseduju značajnu naučnu potvrdu (Hillovi kriterijumi). Neophodno je rangiranje dokaza različitih tipova studija koje podržavaju zdravstvenu izjavu. Veliki broj biološki aktivnih jedinjenja su nestabilna tokom tretmana i čuvanja. Ona podležu mnogobrojnim hemijskim reakcijama, kao što su to oksidacija, hidroliza, termička degradacija i Maillardova reakcija, što rezultira smanjenjem bioiskoristljivosti. Povoljan efekat biološki aktivnih jedinjenja direktno zavisi od primenjenog tretmana.

A 16-week-long experiment was performed to compare the effect of sodium selenite (SS) and selenium-enriched yeast (SY) supplementation on eggshell quality and also to evaluate breaking force correlation with other parameters of shell quality originating from hens fed with selenium supplementation. One hundred Shaver 579 hens (27 weeks old) with similar body size were randomly divided for five dietary treatments: basal diet without selenium supplementation and basal diets with two levels of selenium supplementation (0.4 or 0.8 mg/kg) via SS or SY. No adverse effect of Se inclusion in hen's feed, regardless of its source, on shell breaking force, shell deformation, shape index, shell thickness and shell percentage, were observed throughout the current study (P > 0.05). Moderate correlations were found between breaking force and nondestructive shell deformation for all diets (P (lt) 0.05). There was no significant overall correlation between egg breaking force and shell thickness or/and percentage shell in the presence of selenium supplemention (P > 0.05). Shape index in all four selenium-supplemented groups was not related to the breaking force (P > 0.05). Selenium supplementation of up to 0.8 mg/kg, regardless of its source, in the diet of laying hens in their first phase of laying does not adversely affect eggshell quality.

Zinc is an important mineral that is required for normal bone development. However, the direct effects of zinc on the mineralization of bone cells of human origin are not clear. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of zinc on the differentiation of SaOS-2 human osteoblastlike cells and the formation of mineralized bone nodules. Cells were cultured for 8 d and then transferred to zinc-free medium and treated with varying concentrations (0-50 microM) of zinc. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was used as a measure of osteoblast differentiation, and bone nodules were detected by von Kossa staining. After 4, 6, and 8 d of treatment, zinc increased ALP activity at 1 and 10 microM, but decreased activity at 50 microM. After 9 d of treatment, zinc increased both the number and area of mineralized bone nodules at low concentrations (1 and 10 microM), but decreased both at higher concentrations (25 and 50 microM). These findings demonstrate that zinc has biphasic effects on the differentiation and mineralization of human osteoblast-like cells.

The aim of this work was to explore the effects of a low- and high-zinc diet and vitamin A on the distribution of fatty acids in chylomicrons. Mongolian Gerbils were fed a basal diet (for 3 wk) containing 8 or 38 mg zinc/kg of feed (low-zinc group [termed LZ group] and saturated zinc group [termed SZ group], respectively). The following day, the animals were given sunflower oil containing 50 nmol vitamin A. The results showed that the concentration of zinc in blood plasma was similar in both groups. The amount of plasma chylomicrons was lower in the LZ group than in the SZ group (p lt 0.001). The concentration of retinol in blood plasma was lower in the LZ group than in the SZ group (p lt 0.01). However, the results demonstrated an increase in the blood plasma retinol concentration in the LZ group compared to the SZ group when calculated per milligram of plasma chylomicrons (p lt 0.01). In plasma chylomicrons, fatty acids corresponding to 16:0, 16:1, 17:0, 17:1, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2, 18:3, 20:0, 21:0, and 20:4 were detected. The fatty acid distribution was similar in both groups. There was no major difference in the concentration of fatty acids in plasma chylomicrons between both experimental groups, except for 20:4 (a lower amount was found in the SZ group). Our results show that dietary zinc influences both the amount of chylomicrons in blood plasma and the concentrations of retinol and arachidonic acid in chylomicrons.

The effect of dietary zinc on the distribution of fatty acids in blood plasma chylomicrons was studied. The experiment was performed on male Mongolian Gerbils, fed ad libitum for 3 weeks with standard diet, containing 8 or 38 mg of Zn per kg of food (low zinc diet group, LZ, and saturated zinc diet group, SZ, respectivelly). At the 21st day gerbils were given sunflower oil by gavage. After 2.5 hours, blood was collected from abdominal vein, and samples were pooled (five animals per one sample). Chylomicron fractions were isolated by ultracentrifugation and mass of dried chylomicrons was measured. Fatty acid composition was analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. Significantly higher amount of chylomicrons in blood plasma of SZ than in LZ group was found. In chylomicrons, following fatty acids were found: 16:0, 16:1, 17:0, 17:1, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2, 18:3, 20:0, 21:0 and 20:4. The amount of individual fatty acids in chylomicrons in both groups was similar, except 20:4 where lower amount in SZ group was found. Zinc diet did not affect fatty acid distribution in chylomicrons of both groups. Animals fed with zinc saturated diet had higher amount of fatty acids in blood plasma. Observed results suggest that dietary zinc influences the quantity of fatty acids absorption but not its distribution in chylomicrons. Ispitivan je efekat unosa dijetarnog cinka na distribuciju masnih kiselina u hilomikronima plazme. Eksperiment je rađen na mužjacima gerbila, hranjenim standardnom dijetom, ad libitum, u toku 3 nedelje hrana je sadržala 8 ili 38 mg cinka po kg hrane (grupa sa smanjenim unosom cinka, LZ i grupa sa povećanim unosom cinka, SZ, respektivno). Dvadeset prvog dana, životinjama je dato suncokretovo ulje sondom. Nakon 2,5 časa, krv je uzimana iz abdominalne vene i uzorci su pulovani (5 životinja za jedan uzorak). Hilomikronske frakcije su izolovane ultracentrifugiranjem i merena je masa suvih hilomikrona. Masnokiselinski sastav lipida u hilomikronima je određivan gasno-tečnom hromatografijom. Nađena je značajno veća količina hilomikrona u plazmi SZ grupe nego u LZ grupi. U hilomikronima su nađene sledeće masne kiseline: 16:0, 16:1, 17:0, 17:1, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2, 18:3, 20:0, 21:0 i 20:4. Zastupljenost pojedinačnih masnih kiselina u hilomikronima obe grupe bila je slična, izuzev za 20:4 gde je izmerena niža količina u SZ grupi. Ishrana cinkom ne utiče na distribuciju većine masnih kiselina u hilomikronima. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da cink utiče na metabolizam masti i to u delu formiranja hilomikrona, ali je uticaj ograničen na količinu formiranih hilomikrona, ali ne i distribuciju pojedinih masnih kiselina u hilomikronima.