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Objective: The colonic microbiota ferment dietary fibres, producing short chain fatty acids. Recent evidence suggests that the short chain fatty acid propionate may play an important role in appetite regulation. We hypothesised that colonic delivery of propionate would increase peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in humans, and reduce energy intake and weight gain in overweight adults.\ud \ud Design: To investigate whether propionate promotes PYY and GLP-1 secretion, a primary cultured human colonic cell model was developed. To deliver propionate specifically to the colon, we developed a novel inulin-propionate ester. An acute randomised, controlled cross-over study was used to assess the effects of this inulin-propionate ester on energy intake and plasma PYY and GLP-1 concentrations. The long-term effects of inulin-propionate ester on weight gain were subsequently assessed in a randomised, controlled 24-week study involving 60 overweight adults.\ud \ud Results: Propionate significantly stimulated the release of PYY and GLP-1 from human colonic cells. Acute ingestion of 10 g inulin-propionate ester significantly increased postprandial plasma PYY and GLP-1 and reduced energy intake. Over 24 weeks, 10 g/day inulin-propionate ester supplementation significantly reduced weight gain, intra-abdominal adipose tissue distribution, intrahepatocellular lipid content and prevented the deterioration in insulin sensitivity observed in the inulin-control group.\ud \ud Conclusions: These data demonstrate for the first time that increasing colonic propionate prevents weight gain in overweight adult humans. more...

Practical difficulties are frequently encountered in understanding the meaning of creaminess as used as a sensory attribute, and in the compositional and physical characteristics of foods that give rise to creaminess. Selected factors have been investigated in this project. The size of dispersed particles (solid, liquid and gaseous) on the perceived creaminess was of particular interest during the course of the work, and this was varied using appropriate changes in processing, during production of samples for analysis. Additional factors investigated included the presence of an added cream flavour in artificial creams, fat content in artificial creams and air content in chocolate mousses. Sensory characterisation of samples was carried out using sensory profiling, while physical characterisation of the samples was by means of particle size measurements, microscopy and rheology. The results show that perceived creaminess is a complex attribute in multi-phase food systems, being dependent on both flavour and textural characteristics of products, with different dependencies on these characteristics, depending on the product type concerned. The project demonstrated the value of manipulating processing and formulation variables as a means of generating a range of food structures for the investigation of creaminess. It is evident, however, that the concept of creaminess might differ between different structural types, limiting opportunities for devising general rules governing the factors controlling creaminess. Further studies should focus on specific structural types that are open to manipulation, and further research is in progress to investigate systematic changes to a mousse structure. more...

Section 1 (SI) of the 1980 Child Care Act confirmed the powers and duties that local authorities have possessed since 1948 to use financial assistance in exceptional circumstances, to diminish the need to receive children into or keep them in care or to bring (them) before a ‘juvenile court’. The 1989 Children Act retains this provision but locates these powers within the broader context of promotion of the welfare of the child. The 1989 Children Act envisages social work based on negotiated and explicit agreements with clients, involving duties on SSDs to publicise their services, to establish complaints procedures and to make their services accessible and understandable. This study of the use of Section 1 in a large city (Northfield) highlights the difficulties in achieving good practice in these respects even when everyone, from councillors to basic-grade social workers, is sympathetic to the clients' situation. It also highlights the transforming effects of money on social work relationships.... more...