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Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a toxin produced by Aspergillus species of fungi. Findings in the literature has shown the potential of probiotic treatment to alleviate AFB1 toxicity. This study explores the effects of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota (LcS) supplementation on the growth performance, intestinal health, and excretion of faecal AFB1 metabolite of AFB1- exposed rats. Thirty-two male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into control, AFB1, AFB1+LcS and LcS groups. AFB1 was given at a complete dosage of 25 µg AFB1/kg body weight, while LcS supplementation at 2×109 CFU/mL per day for four weeks. The average body weight of the AFB1 group showed no significant increase from week 2 to 4, while other groups had an increment throughout the study. The food intake of the AFB1 and AFB1+LcS groups had significantly reduced throughout the treatment period. AFB1 exposure caused several changes in the histomorphometry parameters but was normalised with LcS supplementation. The AFB1 group showed mild to moderate inflammation in all intestinal parts, whereas only mild inflammation was observed in the jejunum and ileum of the AFB1+LcS group. Faecal Bifidobacterium spp. counts showed an increment in three groups, while the AFB1 group showed a significant reduction. The faecal AFB1 in the AFB1 group was significantly lower than in the AFB1+LcS group. In conclusion, AFB1 affected growth performance and intestinal health, and wherein the effects were alleviated by LcS supplementation. Further investigation on intestinal permeability and serum and urinary AFB1 level is suggested to understand the mechanism of probiotic-AFB1 interaction in alleviating AFB1 toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented foods are an important diet component of people around the world. Kefir, or fermented milk, is popular worldwide due to its high nutritional value, with cow's milk being the common substrate for traditional kefir fermentation. However, the scarcity of animal-based milk in some countries, plus cultural, religious, and health reasons, have seen non-dairy milk kefir from almond milk gaining popularity among consumers globally. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the proximate composition and anti-microbial activity of kefir produced from 100% cow or 100% almond or an equal (1:1) mixture of both kinds of milk. This study used the AOAC 2000 method for the proximate analysis, while the agar well diffusion method examined the anti-microbial activity of the milk samples against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhi. Results revealed that the three kefir samples showed significantly different (p<0.05) moisture, total dietary fiber, and fat contents and were within the CODEX acceptable range for kefir. All samples exhibited varying degrees of inhibition between the different pathogens. The diameters of the inhibition zone of the tested kefir samples were significantly different toward Salmonella typhi (p<0.05), with the mixture of almond and cow milk notably producing better inhibition towards all tested bacteria. The above-said milk mixture also gave a better overall nutrient profile (lower fat and higher fibre). While almond milk might be a suitable substrate for kefir, it was not effectively inhibitory for all bacteria. The overall results thus conveyed the promising use of almond and cow milk mixture as an alternative substrate for kefir fermentation, further supporting its potential use as a probiotics source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was aimed to determine the effects of adding milk, sugar and sweeteners to the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of Camellia Sinensis (green tea) powder. Six green tea samples were brewed in cold water and whisked: Green tea powder (G), green tea powder with sugar (GS), green tea powder with aspartame (GA), green tea powder with milk (GM), green tea powder with milk and sugar (GMS) and green tea powder with milk and aspartame (GMA). The total phenolic content of green tea powder samples was evaluated by using Folin-Ciocalteu assay while α,α-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were used to measure the antioxidant activity. Results showed that milk addition significantly enhanced by 59.84% of total phenolic content and also increased 26.3% (DPPH) and 42.35% (FRAP) of antioxidant activity of green tea powder, as compared to green tea samples without milk (p<0.05). Strong and positive correlations were found between the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of green tea powder by using DPPH (r=0.990) and FRAP assays (r=0.997). In conclusion, it might be beneficial when milk is added to green tea as it could help to increase its antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The demand for commercial gluten-free food products are increasing due to rising prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases. The market growth is forecasted to increase in numbers. However, to date nutritional comparison of gluten-free and gluten-containing food products is not done extensively in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the nutritional composition and cost per 100 g between gluten-free and gluten-containing food products in selected grocery stores in Kuala Lumpur. Methods: A total of 106 food products comprising of gluten-free food products (n=41) and gluten-containing food products (n=65) were determined and compared for its nutritional composition and cost per 100 g. The products were obtained from 4 main grocery stores in Kuala Lumpur that supply gluten-free food products. The differences in nutritional composition and cost between both products were analysed by using independent samples t-test. Results: The results showed no difference in energy content between both products. Across the food products, 15 % of gluten-free food products showed higher carbohydrate content compared to its counterparts. Protein content in gluten-free products was 63 % lower than gluten-containing products. Among all gluten-free food products included in this study, only lasagne sheet has lower content of dietary fibre compared to its counterparts. The cost for majority of gluten-free food products was significantly higher, which was two- to fourfold higher compared to gluten-containing products. Conclusion: This study indicated that gluten-free food products showed no nutritional advantage especially in its macronutrients, hence, avoidance of gluten for healthy population may not be beneficial and rather costly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major source of dietary sugar, and their consumption is on the rise among children and adolescents. Excessive sugar intake is a significant contributor to overweight, obesity, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The consumption of SSBs, particularly that of children and adolescents, has been of interest as of late, as they are implicated in affecting body weight status. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine the predictive criterion-related validity of the SSB questionnaire that was administered to children and adolescents to assess their SSB and non-SSB intake. A nationwide cross-sectional study involving 5211 respondents aged 7-17 years old and their parents was conducted. The self-administered Malay questionnaire was distributed to collect information on socioeconomic background, the frequency of eating out at restaurants or other food premises, the availability of SSBs at home, and SSB consumption patterns of children and adolescents within a week. The predictive criterion-related validity was determined by using six hypotheses that can differentiate between two independent sample means of SSB consumption based on age, gender, locality, monthly household income, frequency of eating out at restaurants or other food premises, and availability of SSBs at home. The independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to conduct the validation process. Five out of six hypotheses were accepted . Significant mean differences were observed between sociodemographic factors, such as age ( t =-10.56, p <0.001), localities ( t =-5.37, p <0.001), monthly household income ( F =26.83, p <0.001), and SSB consumption. Behavioural factors, including eating out at restaurants or other food premises ( t =9.93, p <0.001) and environmental factors such as the availability of SSBs at home ( F =136.24, p <0.001) also showed a significant difference with SSB consumption. The SSB questionnaire demonstrated the ability to differentiate between groups. Thus, this SSB questionnaire appears to be valid to measure the SSB consumption of children and adolescents., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects at Universiti Putra Malaysia (JKEUPM) issued approval JKEUPM-2022-029. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: This work was supported by "The Impact and Effectiveness of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) Taxation in Malaysia" research grant (vot. number: 6300312) funded by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) with support from the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Financial relationships: Norhasmah Sulaiman declare(s) a grant from United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Prof. Dr. Norhasmah Sulaiman is the principal investigator for the grant from UNICEF. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Bakeri et al.)