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Purpose/Objectives: Purpose was to investigate the nutrient content of Swedish school meals consumed by students in the context of national recommendations regarding food composition and intake. Methods: Composite samples of lunch meals consumed by six students during a five-day period were collected using the double portion method and analyzed for total energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients. Results: The consumed meals contained lower than recommended levels of energy, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, vitamin C, folate, and vitamin E, whereas the amount of sodium consumed was too high. Applications to Child Nutrition Professionals: The low protein content of students' diets indicates that more food should be consumed. Students also specifically need to increase their consumption of food rich in omega-3 fatty acids and carbohydrates, while higher intake of vitamin C and vitamin E can be achieved via increased vegetable consumption. Dairy products should be included in the meal or as a supplement in order to ensure sufficient intake of riboflavin, calcium and magnesium. Levels of sodium should be reduced.

Interest in organic food is increasing among consumers, thus making it possible to improve the profitability of Swedish apples. One way to obtain a swift increase in organic apple production is to convert existing orchards to organic growing. The main objective of this study was to compare the horticultural performance of an apple orchard converted to organic growing with the previous Integrated Fruit Production (IFP). The trial was conducted in the south of Sweden during the years 2000-2002. The accumulated yield for organic 'Aroma' was 66.2 kg/tree compared with 77.9 kg and 99.5 kg for two IFP-treated sections. For 'Karin Schneider,' the yield was 20.7 kg/tree in the organic section, and 21.9 kg and 26.1 kg for the two IFP sections. The lower yield in organic sections was mainly due to a smaller amount of fruit. This reduction may have been caused by the use of a sulphur-containing fungicide, which could have had a fruit-thinning effect. The most important difference between treatments was apparently connected with the use of less efficient fungicides in the organic sections. In these sections, 10% of the fruit was damaged by scab, whereas less than 1% had scab in the IFP sections. Lack of efficient fungicides was also apparent after storage; 8% of organically grown 'Aroma' fruit was affected by the storage disease bull's-eye rot, compared with 0.4% in the IFP sections, while corresponding figures for 'Karin Schneider' were 4% and 0%, respectively. The two cultivars differed considerably from one another in various fruit quality parameters, but no major treatment effects were found in fruit covering colour, ground color, firmness, sugar content or malic acid content. Higher amounts of nitrogen and boron were found in fruit from the IFP sections, but this finding was probably caused by foliar spraying with nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berries contain bioactive compounds that may affect children’s cognitive function positively, while hunger and thirst during lessons before lunch affect academic performance negatively. This pilot study addresses methodological challenges in studying if a berry smoothie, offered to schoolchildren as a mid-morning beverage, affects academic performance. The objective was to investigate if a cross-over design can be used to study these effects in a school setting. Therefore, in order to investigate assay sensitivity, 236 Swedish children aged 10–12 years were administered either a berry smoothie (active) or a fruit-based control beverage after their mid-morning break. Both beverages provided 5% of child daily energy intake. In total, 91% of participants completed the study. Academic performance was assessed using the d2 test of attention. Statistical analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test in StatXact v 10.3. The results showed that the children consumed less of the active berry smoothie than the control (154 g vs. 246 g). Both beverages increased attention span and concentration significantly (p = 0.000). However, as there was no significant difference (p = 0.938) in the magnitude of this effect between the active and control beverages, the assay sensitivity of the study design was not proven. The effect of the beverages on academic performance was attributed the supplementation of water and energy. Despite careful design, the active smoothie was less accepted than the control. This could be explained by un-familiar sensory characteristics and peer influence, stressing the importance of sensory similarity and challenges to perform a study in school settings. The employed cross-over design did not reveal any effects of bioactive compound consumption on academic performance. In future studies, the experimental set up should be modified or replaced by e.g. the parallel study design, in order to provide conclusive results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Black currant berries contain many biochemical compounds with proven or potential human health benefits. We studied the content of total and single polyphenols, ascorbic acid, soluble sugars, and titratable acidity for two advanced selections and three cultivars of black currant at two distant locations in Sweden (south: 56°06'N; north: 65°21'N) over a 3 year period. Regression analyses revealed the effect of genotype to be considerably larger than that of location and year. However, significant effects of location, year, and interactions were also revealed. A principal component analysis nevertheless separated the genotypes. The content of ascorbic acid, total phenols, total anthocyanins, and soluble sugars was highest in berries from the south, whereas the content of phenolic acids and titratable acidity was highest in berries from the north. The results show that selection of cultivars and production sites are important for cultivation of high-quality black currant raw material for health-promoting products.