Given a choice between cultured buttermilk or a bowl of ice cream, most Americans would choose the latter. Buttermilk may be a healthier option, because it feeds us friendly bacteria that fortify our digestive system, but ice cream is infinitely more satisfying—even if we perceive it to offer us mostly flavor and calories.
Adding probiotic bacteria to ice cream and frozen desserts removes potential guilt and gives us reason to enjoy our favorite scoop. But for the manufacturer, adding these microscopic organisms requires a little know-how.
Probiotics: It’s alive
National Yogurt Association, McLean, VA, notes that probiotics are living microorganisms, which upon ingestion in sufficient number, exert health benefits beyond basic nutrition. “Probiotics need to be viable in order to have any nutritional value, and thus must be incorporated post-pasteurization," says Peggy Pellichero, senior food technologist—dairy team leader, David Michael & Co., Philadelphia. “Interestingly enough, the freezing process does not kill the organisms, it just puts them into a dormant state until consumed."
While the probiotics must be added after pasteurization so they won’t be killed by high temperature, there isn’t consensus as to which step they should be incorporated. “We generally recommend that they be added at the flavor vat," says Jon Hopkinson, Ph.D., senior applications scientist—frozen desserts, Danisco USA, New Century, KS. “Flavoring should not be added at exactly the same time, as concentrated flavors can damage the probiotic cell. Further, it would be good practice to avoid excessive mixing or air incorporation into the mix." Shear and oxygen exposure during manufacture can impact the survivability of probiotic organisms.
According to Mike Bush, vice president of business development, Ganeden Biotech, Inc., Mayfield Heights, OH, the most important part of the formulation process is finding the best possible way to add the probiotic within the manufacturing process where the highest amount of cell survival can be demonstrated.
“Because probiotic organisms can be extremely fragile, they need to be protected from extremes ranging from temperature and pH to pressure and rapid environmental shifts," says Bush. “One of the issues in manufacturing frozen products is the shift in temperature from cold to frozen. Many times, there are large losses when temperature shifts from the mixing temperature to freezing temperatures, and such shifts make many such applications cost-prohibitive."
Probiotics generally survive well in ice cream and frozen desserts, but care is needed. “Anything that can affect the formation of ice crystals in ice cream can affect the bacteria," cautions Hopkinson. “Slow hardening and heat-shock cycles can, therefore, affect the viability of the probiotics. In resale mixes that are frozen for distribution, it is very important that the freezing process be as fast as possible for the same reason."
The pH of the frozen dessert is important. “It would seem counterintuitive in light of recent frozen yogurt popularity, but very low pH product should be avoided," Hopkinson continues.
Bush notes that, since traditional probiotics tend to be more fragile than spore-forming strains, sometimes they require an extra step or change to the manufacturing process to increase viability. “The spore-forming probiotics do not require this," he says.
Spore-forming probiotics are hardier than other probiotics. “The use of such spore-forming organisms eliminates many of the inherent limitations found with non-spore-forming organisms and make difficult applications possible," Bush says. “For example, in frozen applications, the Bacillus coagulans spores simply remain dormant and are very stable through the end of the shelf life of the finished product." The company offers a strain of B. coagulans that is a spore-forming bacterium, meaning it builds a hardened structure inside the cell that protects the cell’s genetic material from extreme temperatures, pressure and low pH.
Lactic acid bacteria are among the hardiest of the non-spore-formers, because they naturally produce a protective layer of exo-polysaccharides. However, these secretions don’t completely envelop the bacteria, so they are only partially shielded.
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Friday, September 03, 2010
Researchers Study Obesity Risk Factors
Researchers at South Dakota State University are using spatial analysis to investigate nationwide data to determine factors that influence the predisposition to obesity in various parts of the country. The findings, published in the June 29 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the rate of obesity is high in much of the rural South United States, but low in the rural West and in New England states.
As reported by Newswise, the researchers used Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from telephone surveys compiled annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BRFSS data includes self-reported height and weight, as well as respondents’ answers to questions about their levels of physical activity, and about fruit and vegetable consumption.
“The advantage of using BRFSS compared to a variety of other data sources is that we can get wall-to-wall national coverage. They actually do sampling in every county across the United States," the researchers wrote. “So we can map things, first of all, and we can also use various spatial statistics to test hypotheses about what the environmental correlates of obesity, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption are at a national level as opposed to other studies that have been more localized."
Analysis showed that the rural South and parts of the Great Plains had low proportions of people who are physically active in their leisure time, while the rural West, New England, and the upper Midwest had high proportions.
Analysis showed the West Coast, New England and parts of the South had the highest proportions. But the Lower Mississippi Valley, the Great Plains and the Mid-Appalachian Mountain region had low proportions of adults consuming fruits and vegetables five times or more per day.
They noted current idea in research is that factors in society can set up “obesogenic environments"—
factors that discourage physical activity or encourage eating the wrong foods—give rise to obesity.
The researchers also plan to study whether distance from supermarkets could play a role in obesity. Preliminary analysis of data from the 48 contiguous United States revealed the probability of obesity increased with distance from supermarkets, while consumption of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day decreased. The research also showed clear differences between large metropolitan areas and sparsely populated rural areas.
“Sometimes people have to drive 25 or 30 miles to get to a supermarket or grocery store," the researchers wrote. “But big cities on the East Coast or West Coast have a high population density. If they have a large number of people, they have a large number of stores. So the distance to the supermarkets in general is much, much shorter compared to the distances to the supermarkets on the Great Plains."
Sources:
Newswise: Research Explores Factors in Obesity
As reported by Newswise, the researchers used Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from telephone surveys compiled annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BRFSS data includes self-reported height and weight, as well as respondents’ answers to questions about their levels of physical activity, and about fruit and vegetable consumption.
“The advantage of using BRFSS compared to a variety of other data sources is that we can get wall-to-wall national coverage. They actually do sampling in every county across the United States," the researchers wrote. “So we can map things, first of all, and we can also use various spatial statistics to test hypotheses about what the environmental correlates of obesity, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption are at a national level as opposed to other studies that have been more localized."
Analysis showed that the rural South and parts of the Great Plains had low proportions of people who are physically active in their leisure time, while the rural West, New England, and the upper Midwest had high proportions.
Analysis showed the West Coast, New England and parts of the South had the highest proportions. But the Lower Mississippi Valley, the Great Plains and the Mid-Appalachian Mountain region had low proportions of adults consuming fruits and vegetables five times or more per day.
They noted current idea in research is that factors in society can set up “obesogenic environments"—
factors that discourage physical activity or encourage eating the wrong foods—give rise to obesity.
The researchers also plan to study whether distance from supermarkets could play a role in obesity. Preliminary analysis of data from the 48 contiguous United States revealed the probability of obesity increased with distance from supermarkets, while consumption of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day decreased. The research also showed clear differences between large metropolitan areas and sparsely populated rural areas.
“Sometimes people have to drive 25 or 30 miles to get to a supermarket or grocery store," the researchers wrote. “But big cities on the East Coast or West Coast have a high population density. If they have a large number of people, they have a large number of stores. So the distance to the supermarkets in general is much, much shorter compared to the distances to the supermarkets on the Great Plains."
Sources:
Newswise: Research Explores Factors in Obesity
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables may help protect some smokers
Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables may help protect some smokers from lung cancer, a new European study suggests.
But, the researchers stressed that quitting smoking will do far more to reduce risk than "an apple a day" or having a salad for lunch.
In the study, participants who ate a diet that contained a diverse mix of fruits and vegetables appeared to have a 27 percent lowered risk of a common type of lung cancer, the researchers reported.
"First and foremost, the best way to reduce one's risk of lung cancer is to quit smoking. That is of paramount importance," said principal investigator Dr. H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, project director of cancer epidemiology at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. "However, we realize that there are still millions worldwide who cannot and don't want to quit smoking. To just ignore them would be somewhat of a pity. This study shows there is a possibility of reducing one's risk even if one is a smoker."
Keep in mind that "wide variety" meant more than a banana with breakfast and a helping of peas and carrots with dinner. Think kale and spinach; berries and melons; cabbage, cauliflower and eggplant -- some 40 different fruits and vegetables in all.
The researchers analyzed data on more than 450,000 adults from 10 European countries. Participants filled out questionnaires about dietary habits and lifestyle, including occupation, medical history, tobacco and alcohol use and physical activity.
Over the course of nine years, 1,613 of the people were diagnosed with lung cancer.
Vegetable consumption was divided into eight categories: leafy vegetables; fruiting vegetables; root vegetables; cabbages; mushrooms; grain and pod vegetables; onion and garlic; and stalk vegetables. Vegetables did not include legumes, potatoes and other tubers.
The 14 fruits tracked included fresh, dried and canned fruits but excluded nuts, seeds and olives.
Participants were then divided into four groups, or quartiles, based on the diversity of their diet. Those in the highest quartile ate between 23 and 40 different types of fruits and vegetables during the prior two weeks. Those in the lowest quartile ate less than 10 different types of fruits and vegetables.
Smokers who ate the greatest variety of fruits and veggies were 27 percent less likely to get squamous cell lung cancer, which accounts for about 25 percent to 30 percent of all lung cancers, than smokers who ate the least variety.
"It is important to realize the risk reduction one can achieve by eating a greater variety of fruits and vegetables will be minor in relation to quitting smoking," Bueno-de-Mesquita stressed.
The study is published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. It should be noted that the study relied on "self reports" -- in which the participants described to the researchers their fruit and vegetable consumption. Such studies, while valuable, are not considered the "gold standard" of research -- a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
But what is it about fruits and vegetables that may ward off the changes in cells that cause tumors to grow?
There probably isn't one "magic" compound in the fruits and vegetables, Bueno-de-Mesquita said, but instead many compounds that interact with each other and the body in ways that aren't yet understood.
It can be dangerous to put too much stock in any one substance, he added. A study in Finland found smokers who took the antioxidant beta carotene and vitamin E supplements actually had an increased risk of lung cancer.
Previous research has also linked fruits and vegetables with lowered risk of cancer. A 2007 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research report concluded that fruits probably protect against lung cancer, but there was no evidence that vegetables did.
But other research has suggested eating a variety of vegetables can reduce the risk of other types of cancers, including colorectal, gastric, breast, oral and pharyngeal cancer and squamous cell esophageal cancer.
Marjorie McCullough, strategic director of nutritional epidemiology at the American Cancer Society, said fruits and vegetables may help to protect against lung cancer, but every smoker should be working on quitting.
"Quitting smoking is far and away the most important way to lower the risk of lung cancer, but eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may further help lower the risk of several cancers," McCullough said.
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can also help prevent obesity, which is a risk factor for certain cancers, she added.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on lung cancer.
But, the researchers stressed that quitting smoking will do far more to reduce risk than "an apple a day" or having a salad for lunch.
In the study, participants who ate a diet that contained a diverse mix of fruits and vegetables appeared to have a 27 percent lowered risk of a common type of lung cancer, the researchers reported.
"First and foremost, the best way to reduce one's risk of lung cancer is to quit smoking. That is of paramount importance," said principal investigator Dr. H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, project director of cancer epidemiology at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. "However, we realize that there are still millions worldwide who cannot and don't want to quit smoking. To just ignore them would be somewhat of a pity. This study shows there is a possibility of reducing one's risk even if one is a smoker."
Keep in mind that "wide variety" meant more than a banana with breakfast and a helping of peas and carrots with dinner. Think kale and spinach; berries and melons; cabbage, cauliflower and eggplant -- some 40 different fruits and vegetables in all.
The researchers analyzed data on more than 450,000 adults from 10 European countries. Participants filled out questionnaires about dietary habits and lifestyle, including occupation, medical history, tobacco and alcohol use and physical activity.
Over the course of nine years, 1,613 of the people were diagnosed with lung cancer.
Vegetable consumption was divided into eight categories: leafy vegetables; fruiting vegetables; root vegetables; cabbages; mushrooms; grain and pod vegetables; onion and garlic; and stalk vegetables. Vegetables did not include legumes, potatoes and other tubers.
The 14 fruits tracked included fresh, dried and canned fruits but excluded nuts, seeds and olives.
Participants were then divided into four groups, or quartiles, based on the diversity of their diet. Those in the highest quartile ate between 23 and 40 different types of fruits and vegetables during the prior two weeks. Those in the lowest quartile ate less than 10 different types of fruits and vegetables.
Smokers who ate the greatest variety of fruits and veggies were 27 percent less likely to get squamous cell lung cancer, which accounts for about 25 percent to 30 percent of all lung cancers, than smokers who ate the least variety.
"It is important to realize the risk reduction one can achieve by eating a greater variety of fruits and vegetables will be minor in relation to quitting smoking," Bueno-de-Mesquita stressed.
The study is published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. It should be noted that the study relied on "self reports" -- in which the participants described to the researchers their fruit and vegetable consumption. Such studies, while valuable, are not considered the "gold standard" of research -- a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
But what is it about fruits and vegetables that may ward off the changes in cells that cause tumors to grow?
There probably isn't one "magic" compound in the fruits and vegetables, Bueno-de-Mesquita said, but instead many compounds that interact with each other and the body in ways that aren't yet understood.
It can be dangerous to put too much stock in any one substance, he added. A study in Finland found smokers who took the antioxidant beta carotene and vitamin E supplements actually had an increased risk of lung cancer.
Previous research has also linked fruits and vegetables with lowered risk of cancer. A 2007 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research report concluded that fruits probably protect against lung cancer, but there was no evidence that vegetables did.
But other research has suggested eating a variety of vegetables can reduce the risk of other types of cancers, including colorectal, gastric, breast, oral and pharyngeal cancer and squamous cell esophageal cancer.
Marjorie McCullough, strategic director of nutritional epidemiology at the American Cancer Society, said fruits and vegetables may help to protect against lung cancer, but every smoker should be working on quitting.
"Quitting smoking is far and away the most important way to lower the risk of lung cancer, but eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may further help lower the risk of several cancers," McCullough said.
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can also help prevent obesity, which is a risk factor for certain cancers, she added.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on lung cancer.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Draft Guidance Expands Menu Labeling Requirements
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Aug. 24 released draft guidance on federal menu labeling requirements that would expand a new law's requirement on calorie counts on menu boards beyond restaurants with 20 or more locations to also include airlines, trains, supermakrket food courts, movie theaters and convenience stores classified as chains. FDA currently is seeking public comment on the proposed guidelines.
Section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in March 2010, set new federal requirements for nutrition labeling for foods sold at certain chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments. Establishments with 20 or more locations may be affected.
The draft guidance document describes implementation of certain provisions of the federal law. For certain restaurants and similar retail food establishments, these statutory provisions include posting the number of calories for standard menu items on menus and menu boards, providing additional nutrition information in writing, and posting clearly on menus and menu boards that such information is available upon request. These establishments also must post calorie information for self-serve items and foods on display.
FDA is aware that industry may need additional guidance from FDA and time to comply with the provisions of section 4205 that became requirements immediately upon enactment of the law. FDA expects to refrain from initiating enforcement action until after a time period established in the final guidance. FDA is interested in comments on the appropriate time period for enforcement after the issuance of final guidance. FDA anticipates issuing final guidance in December 2010.
“One of the most important things we can do when it comes to the nation’s health is to provide simple basic information to the American people so they can make choices that are best for them and their family," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said. “The menu labeling program will help Americans get the facts about food choices that are available to them in restaurants and vending machines so they know what is in the food and can make healthier selections."
Sources:
* FDA: Draft Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling Provisions of Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010
Section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in March 2010, set new federal requirements for nutrition labeling for foods sold at certain chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments. Establishments with 20 or more locations may be affected.
The draft guidance document describes implementation of certain provisions of the federal law. For certain restaurants and similar retail food establishments, these statutory provisions include posting the number of calories for standard menu items on menus and menu boards, providing additional nutrition information in writing, and posting clearly on menus and menu boards that such information is available upon request. These establishments also must post calorie information for self-serve items and foods on display.
FDA is aware that industry may need additional guidance from FDA and time to comply with the provisions of section 4205 that became requirements immediately upon enactment of the law. FDA expects to refrain from initiating enforcement action until after a time period established in the final guidance. FDA is interested in comments on the appropriate time period for enforcement after the issuance of final guidance. FDA anticipates issuing final guidance in December 2010.
“One of the most important things we can do when it comes to the nation’s health is to provide simple basic information to the American people so they can make choices that are best for them and their family," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said. “The menu labeling program will help Americans get the facts about food choices that are available to them in restaurants and vending machines so they know what is in the food and can make healthier selections."
Sources:
* FDA: Draft Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling Provisions of Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010
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