Nutrition impacts of non-solid cooking fuel adoption on under-five children in developing countries

This paper examines the nutrition impacts of using non-solid cooking fuel on under-five children in developing countries.We draw on data from more than 1.12 million children in 62 developing countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys(DHS).Results from both fixed effects(FE)and instrumental variable(IV)estimates show that using non-solid cooking fuel significantly improves the nutrition outcomes of under-five children.Compared with their peers from households mainly using solid fuel,children from households mainly using non-solid fuel exhibit a lower probability of experiencing stunting(by 5.9 percentage points)and being underweight(by 1.2 percentage points).Our further investigation provides evidence for several underlying mechanisms,such as improved indoor air quality,induced reduction in children’s respiratory symptoms,benefits on maternal health,and reduction in maternal time spent on fuel collection or cooking.Heterogenous analyses suggest that the nutrition benefits of using non-solid cooking fuel are more prominent among boys,children above three years old,and those from households of lower socioeconomic status,rural areas,and Southeast Asia.

Dietary cooking oils and cardiometabolic measurements in an elderly Chinese population

OBJECTIVE To investigate three features of dietary cooking oil intake,namely,the consumption,cooking style,and composition of fatty acids in relation to several cardiometabolic measurements in an elderly Chinese population.METHODS The elderly(≥65 years)participants for this study were recruited from two community health centers in the urban area of Shanghai.A questionnaire was administered to collect information on dietary oil consumption(low,medium and high)and cooking styles(fry or stir-fry vs.others)and the composition of fatty acids(poly-unsaturated vs.mono-unsaturated).The cardiometabolic measurements included anthropometry,blood pressure,fasting plasma glucose and serum lipids.RESULTS The 1186 study participants had a mean age of 70.9±5.4 years.The mean dietary oil consumption was 35.0 g/d,being low(<25 g/d),medium(25-49 g/d)and high(≥50 g/d)in 485,467 and 234 participants,respectively.The proportion of the fry or stir-fry cooking style and oils rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids was 30.4%and 27.4%,respectively.Both before and after adjustment for sex,age,current smoking and alcohol intake,dietary oil consumption was significantly(P≤0.02)and positively associated with the prevalence of treated hypertension and fasting plasma glucose concentration.With similar adjustments as above and additional adjustment for dietary oil consumption,the fry or stir-fry cooking style was significantly(P≤0.048)and positively associated with body mass index,but inversely with systolic and diastolic blood pressure and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,and the dietary intake of oils rich in mono-unsaturated fat acids was significantly(P≤0.02)and positively associated with diastolic blood pressure,serum triglycerides,total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,and the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia.CONCLUSIONS This study showed that both the consumption and composition of fatty acids of the dietary oils mattered with regard to several cardiometabolic measurements in an elderly Chinese population.

Trans-PRK for recurrent epithelial corneal erosion induced by cooking oil accidentally after EVO ICL

Dear Editor,We report a case with trans-photorefractive keratectomy(PRK)for recurrent epithelial corneal erosion caused by cooking oil after EVO-implantable contact lens(ICL)(EVO Visian ICL;STAAR Surgical AG,Switzerland),which should be distinguished from postoperative complications of EVO-ICL.Most corneal burns are classified as chemical and thermal burns,referring to direct contact injury to the cornea.

Effect of cooking processes on tilapia aroma and potential umami perception

Tilapia is a freshwater fish group with a sustainable prospect but suffers off-notes appearing during cooking processes.To promote pleasant odorants by thermal cooking processes,tilapia fillets were cooked in different ways(roasting,microwave-heating,boiling and steaming).Their aroma profiles were analysed with special focus on off-notes and umami-enhancing odorants by principal component analysis,and correlated with the heating time,colour,moisture and water activity by partial least squares regression analysis.Results showed that the“green”and“earthy”off-notes were highly correlated with the boiling process(excess of water,short heating time),while most of the umami-enhancing odorants had a high association with the roasting process(low water content,long heating time,better Maillard reaction).This study indicated that roasting is the most adapted cooking process promoting Maillard-derived aromas,umami-enhancing aromas and meanwhile,reducing off-notes.This research helps in understanding the off-note generation in tilapia and promoting desirable umami-enhancing odorants.

Effect of pressure cooking on phenolic compounds of quinoa

Due to good nutritional properties and potential health benefits,quinoa has gained an increasing attention.The study aimed to analyze the effect of pressure cooking on the composition,antioxidant activity,antibacterial activity and bioavailability of phenolic compounds in four types of quinoa,and to evaluate the correlation between phenolics and its biological activities by correlation analysis.The results showed that different varieties of quinoa contained different phenolic components and their biological activities were different.Pressure cooking could significantly increase(P<0.05)the phenolic contents of quinoa,and decrease in vitro digestibility of protein.The antioxidant activity,antibacterial activity and bioavailability of quinoa were also enhanced which were positively related with phenolic contents.HPLC analysis indicated that at least twelve phenolic compounds were found in quinoa,and hyperoside,sinapic acid,rutin and ferulic acid occupied a majority of them.Correlation analysis suggested that hyperoside,quercetin,sinapic acid,ferulic acid and gallic acid made the key contribution to antioxidant and antibacterial activities of phenolic compounds of quinoa.The results provided valuable information for quinoa processing with phenolics as functional ingredient.

Diversified Business Model of On-Demand Cooking:An Analysis Based on the Business Model Canvas

With the acceleration of the pace of social life and the emergence of the convenience economy,the requirements for on-demand cooking services have increased due to the increasing demand for food quality and the health concerns associated with takeaway food,as well as the lack of cooking skills.This paper aims to analyze the business model of on-demand cooking service platforms in China with the theory of Business Model Canvas proposed by Alexander Osterwalder.By exploring the advantages and disadvantages of the business model of on-demand door-to-door cooking,the study seeks to provide relevant recommendations.

Effects of Cooking Temperature and Storage Time on the Quality of Macadamia Nut Oil

The purpose is to study the influence of cooking and storage habits on the quality of macadamia nut oil,so as to provide reference for macadamia nut processingenterprises and consumers.Macadamia oil was treated at 100℃,200℃,300℃,microwave heating,45℃constant temperature storage,natural light for different times,and its acid value,peroxide value,squalene,sterol and fatty acid content were detected according to the national standard method.The results showed that the acid value and peroxide value increased with time.The acid value and peroxide value of macadamia oil cooked at 300℃and stored under natural light were higher than those heated by microwave and stored at 45℃,and increased rapidly with the increase of cooking and light time.The acid value was as high as 0.77 mg/g,with an increase of 63.8%,and the peroxide value was as high as 6.18 mg/g,with an increase of 43.7%.As for squalene,it decreased in varying degrees with heating time and storage time.Squalene in macadamia oil cooked at 300℃and stored under natural light were lower than those heated by microwave and stored at 45℃constant temperature,respectively,and decreased rapidly with the increase of cooking and light time,with the reduction ranges of 38.6%and28.4%respectively;Stigmasterol was not detected in macadamia oil.But in macadamia oil the content ofβ-sitosterol was 0.132 g/100 g,and the content did not change significantly in each treatmentgroup.In the experimental treatment group,the content of fatty acids in macadamia oil had different trends.After treatment at 300℃for 20 minutes,the content of oleic acid decreased by 75.66%,the content of palmitic acid decreased by 75.28%,and thecontent of palmitic acid decreased by 74.12%.In conclusion,low temperature heating,microwave heating and storage away from light can better preserve the quality of macadamia oil,this study will provide a theoretical basisfor the rational utilization of macadamia oil as cooking oil.

Isomerization and bioaccessibility of cypermethrin and fenpropathrin in Pacific oyster during simulated digestion as influenced by domestic cooking methods

Pyrethroids can be ingested by humans through eating contaminated oysters,which is potentially harmful to health.This study aimed to investigate the effects of raw,steaming,and roasting on cypermethrin(CP)and fenpropathrin(FP)in oysters during simulated digestion.Results showed that the amount of released CP and FP was different from raw(CP:0.617μg·g−1,FP:0.266μg·g−1),steaming(CP:0.498μg·g−1,FP:0.660μg·g−1),and roasting(CP:1.186μg·g−1,FP:0.588μg·g−1)at the end of simulated digestion.The share of cis-CP and low-efficiency CP increased significantly(p<0.05),and the share of high-efficiency trans-CP did not maintain a high level for a long time during simulated digestion.The fluorimetric titration and isothermal titration calorimetry confirmed that CP and FP could spontaneously interact with oyster actin,and CP could bind with oyster actin more tightly than FP.This study reveals that cooking methods affect the binding capacity of CP and FP to oyster tissues and influence the changes of CP and FP in oysters during digestion.Furthermore,the current study provides a reference for assessing the potential harm of pyrethroids in oysters to consumers.

Effect of sonication-cooking on the immunoreactivity of soy slurry from germinated soybeans

Soy proteins are globular in nature and are resistant to denaturation with lower intensity thermal treatments like cooking.Likewise,germination can also alter the protein structure through the activity of various enzymes and sonication can disrupt the molecular structure through cavitation and other ultrasound effects,and contribute to some reduction in immunoreactivity(IR)of allergens.This study evaluated the effects of germination and sonication pretreatment in combination with common cooking on lowering the soy allergen IR.Germination was carried out for up to 120 h and ultrasound sonication treatments were given for 20,40 and 60 min at room temperature.Cooking at 100 oC was carried out for 10 to 60 min.The soy allergen IR was evaluated using a commercial sandwich ELISA kit.The combined action of germination,sonication and cooking helped to reduce the soy allergen IR to single digit mg/L levels from the nearly 400 mg/L initial level in the 5%soy slurry(>99%reduction).These levels are lower than the reported threshold values of soy allergens in foods.In addition,the germination and ultrasound process was shown to reduce the anti-nutritional properties and enhance the phenolic and radical scavenging activity by over 50%.

Mechanisms of Lung Cancer Caused By Cooking Fumes Exposure： A Minor Review

Cooking fumes （CFs） are mixtures of many toxic components, such as aldehydes, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fat aerosols and particulate matters. CFs exposure has been proven to be associated with many diseases. Lung cancer takes the leading place among the diseases being reported caused by CFs exposure. Molecular and biochemical studies have found that CFs exposure may lead to lung cancer by gene damage, formation of reactive oxygen species, blockage of related proteins’ function, and even cell death. However, reviews about the mechanisms of how CFs exposure leads to lung cancer are still lacking. Elucidation of the mechanisms of lung cancer caused by CFs exposure may provide a new insight into the prevention of lung cancer caused by CFs exposure, as well as laying the foundation for the toxicity study of CFs. In this minor review, the mechanisms of how CFs exposure leads to lung cancer were summarized and discussed.

QTL Mapping and Q×E Interactions of Grain Cooking and Nutrient Qualities in Rice Under Upland and Lowland Environments

Grain cooking and nutrient qualities are the most important components of rice （Oryza sativa L.） quality. A doubled haploid （DH） population from a cross between two japonica cultivars was used to examine the phenotypic values and potential QTLs for the quality traits. The cooking and nutrient quality traits, including the amylose content （AC）, the gel consistency （CJC）, the gelatinization temperature （GT）, and the protein content （PC）, in rice grown under upland and lowland environments were evaluated. Significant differences for AC, GC, GT, and PC between upland and lowland environments were detected. The phenotypic values of all four traits were higher under upland environment than lowland environment. The value of PC under upland environment was significantly higher （by 37.9%） than that under lowland environment. This suggests that upland cultivation had large effect on both cooking and nutrient qualifies. A total of seven QTLs and twelve pairs of QTLs were detected to have significant additive and epistatic effects for the four traits. Significant Q x E interaction effects of two QTLs and two pairs of QTLs were also discovered. The general contribution of additive QTLs ranged from 1.91% to 19.77%. The Q × E interactions of QTLs QGt3 and QAc6 accounted for 8.99% and 47.86% of the phenotypic variation, respectively, whereas those of the 2 pairs of epistatic QTLs, QAc6-QAcllb and QAc8-QAc9, accounted for 32.54% and 11.82%, respectively. Five QTLs QGt6b, QGt8, QGt11, QGcl, and QPc2, which had relatively high general contribution and no Q x E interactions, were selected to facilitate the upland rice grain quality breeding.

Effects of Cooking on Anthocyanin Concentration and Bioactive Antioxidant Capacity in Glutinous and Non-Glutinous Purple Rice

Purple rice is a source of bioactive antioxidants for rice consumers. Loss of the major antioxidant compounds after a range of cooking processes was evaluated by measuring the changes in anthocyanin concentration （ATC） and antioxidant capacity （DPPH activity） of four non-glutinous and four glutinous genotypes. However, soaking in water prior to cooking generally decreased more ATC and antioxidant capacity in non-glutinous than in glutinous genotypes. Wet cooking （WC） and soaking before wet cooking （S-WC） led to lose almost all the ATC and antioxidant capacity with only slight variation between genotypes. In the glutinous genotype Pieisu, which had the highest raw rice ATC, ATC remained the highest when cooked by the WC method. By contrast, almost no ATC remained after WC and S-WC in the low ATC genotypes such as Kum Doi Saket. Overall, the loss of ATC was greater in non-glutinous than in glutinous genotypes for both WC and S-WC methods, but the reverse occurred for antioxidant capacity. WC using electric rice cooker retained higher ATC than the pressure cooking. Thus, for genotypes with high ATC and antioxidant capacity, the selection of cooking method is critical for retaining and stabilizing rice quality.

Evaluation of the Cooking Cultures and Practices in Rural Uganda

Many communities across the globe still practice poor cooking cultures as part of their well-being to prepare food and other heating activities. Such bad cooking practices are not environmentally friendly, are wasteful and have adverse health effects. This work presents the results of the survey that was conducted to establish the existing cooking practices commonly used in Uganda, identify the commonly used fuel during cooking, identify perceptions on improved cooking stoves (ICS), perceived preferences during cooking as well as identify whether users are aware of the health challenges due to poor cooking and describe community opinions of ICS for rural communities in Uganda. The interviews were conducted on household levels across all the regions covering Uganda’s major rural regions. It was observed that the largest population of rural Ugandans still use the 3 stone stove fire for cooking with a percentage of 53.5%, Charcoal stove, 27.3%, Improved cooking stove, 16.9%, Electric cookers,1.2%, LPG 0.7% and biogas 0.5% for the preparation of their various types of cooked foods while forest firewood is the commonly used biomass fuel for cooking with a percentage of 66.8% compared to Charcoal, Briquettes, Saw dust and others with a percentage of 27.1%, 0.7%, 0.7%, 1.1% respectively. This reveals the great majority of users whose life is at risk as 3 stone stoves are characterized by low efficiency and high smoke production which increases the health risks of the users as well as increase the risk of deforestation rates. Household cooks showed great willingness to pay for a novel stove type in all the 4 regions but from the survey data, it was indicated that the preferences varied from one region to another with a great majority preferring minimal smoke production with increased heat retention capacity. It was revealed that 91.4% of the interviewed households were aware of the health challenges due to poor cooking methods which they resolved by using open space during cooking. There was variation in the quantity of food cooked in a day, time spent on cooking and how often the cooking is done from one region to another due to the difference in economic activities as well as the different climate factors. While using cooking stoves, users preferred large cooking pot space with minimal smoke production and rapid heating. Such information can act as a basis for the design of an improved cooking stove for the rural Ugandan community as engineered products must be designed to suit the needs of the end-user.

Automatic Cooking Robot for Chinese Dishes

Until now, most of the kitchen works are done manually, which often make people bored and suffer from cooking oil smoke pollution. With the development of the robotic technology, it becomes more and more urgent for the appearance of the automatic cooking machines that can substitute man for most of those works. With this aim in mind, in this paper, a kind of automatic cooking robot is presented, which mainly consists of five parts ： the wok mechanism, the stirring-fry and dispersing mechanism, the feeding mechanism, fire control system and the assistant ingredients processing mechanism. Experiment results have proved that the robot has achieved the goal with respect to appearance, smell, and taste of the dishes cooked by the robot, according to the master cook＇s view.

Changes in Activities of the Key Enzymes Related to Starch Synthesis in Rice Grains During Grain Filling and Their Relationships with the Filling Rate and Cooking Quality

With 10 rice cultivars (lines) as materials, the changes in activities of adenosine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase(ADPGPase), starch synthase (SSase) and starch branching enzyme (Q-enzyme) in the grains during grain filling, and theirrelationships with the filling rate, gel consistency (GC), alkali spreading value (ASV) and amylose content (AC) werestudied. The results showed that changes in activities of ADPGPase, SSase and Q-enzyme exhibited a single peak duringgrain filling, and the time of the activity peaks for the former two enzymes was earlier than that of the maximum grain-fillingrate (Tmax), and the time reaching the peak for Q-enzyme was synchronous with Tmax. The activities at early grain fillingstage, and the mean and maximum activities of each enzyme during grain filling period were positively and significantly orvery significantly correlated with the mean and maximum grain filling rate and starch content (mg grain-1) in the grains.Activities of ADPGPase at all grain filling stages and those of Q-enzyme at the early and mid filling stages were notsignificantly correlated the cooking quality (GC, ASV and AC). SSase activities at the early filling stage were significantlyand negatively correlated with GC and ASV, and positively correlated with AC. Activities of SSase at mid and late grainfilling stages and Q-enzyme at the late filling stage were significantly and positively correlated with GC and ASV, andnegatively correlated with AC. Spraying zeatin or abscisic acid at early grain filling stage could obviously regulate theactivities of ADPGPase, SSase and Q-enzyme in the grains.

Changes in Cooking and Nutrition Qualities of Grains at Different Positions in a Rice Panicle under Different Nitrogen Levels

Cooking and nutrition qualities of grain are two of the most important aspects of rice quality. To understand the difference in cooking and nutrition qualities among the grains at different positions within a rice panicle, the distributions of gel consistency （GC）, amylose content （AC） and crude protein content （CPC） of grains in a panicle in association with different nitrogen levels （0, 120 and 240 k c/ha） were investigated by using two rice varieties, Yangdao 6 （indica） and Wuyujing 3 （japonica）. In general, the grains at the basal part of a panicle had lower GC and higher AC than those at the upper or middle part of a panicle. The 1^st grain on the secondary branch with earlier flowering exhibited the highest GC, whereas the 2nd grain on the primary branch with later flowering showed the highest AC. For Yangdao 6, CPC in the grains on the primary branches was lower at the middle part of a panicle than at the upper or basal part of a panicle. For Wuyujing 3, there were no significant differences in CPCs in the grains among the upper, middle and basal parts of a panicle. GC in the grains was increased, whereas AC was reduced from zero nitrogen application （ON） to low amount of nitrogen application （LN）, and the result was reversed from LN to medium amount of nitrogen application （MN）. CPC was increased with the increase in the amount of nitrogen application.

Characterization of fine organic particulate matter from Chinese cooking

PM 2.5 samples were collected by a three-stage cascade impactor at two kinds of Chinese restaurants to characterize fine organic particulate matter from Chinese cooking sources. Major individual organic compounds have been quantified by GC/MS, including series of alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanals, alkan-2-ones and PAHs. Alkanes and ketones make up a significant fraction of particle-phase organic compounds, ranging from C 11 to C 26, and C 9 to C 19, respectively. In addition, other organic compound classes have been identified, such as alkanols, esters, furans, lactones, amides, and nitriles. The mass concentrations of fine particles, alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and PAHs in air emitted from the Uigur style cooking are hundreds times higher than ambient PM 2.5in Beijing.

Effect of Stewing in Cooking Step on Textural and Morphological Properties of Cooked Rice

Stewing of rice grains by steam after boiling in excess water can be used for cooking rice perfectly. The effects of this procedure in cooking of three varieties of Iranian rice （Sang Tarom, Domsiyah and Fair） on textural and morphological properties of cooked rice grains were investigated. The results showed that this step in rice cooking reduced the hardness and increased the adhesiveness of rice grains significantly. By the use of the scanning electron microscopy, it was shown that the outer surface of cooked rice stewed by steam had less porosity and closer pores due to the modification during cooking, and better gelatinization and more expansion of starch granules compared to non-stewed samples. The use of this procedure in rice cooking to provide a fully cooked and gelatinized, softer and stickier final product is recommended.

Effects of Chalkiness on Cooking,Eating and Nutritional Qualities of Rice in Two indica Varieties

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of chalkiness on cooking, eating and nutrition qualities of rice using Gangyou 527 （indica hybrid rice） and Zhaiyeqing 8 （conventional indica rice） as materials. Compared with the milled rice without chalkiness, amylose content, final viscosity, setback and consistence increased significantly, while gel consistence, peak viscosity and breakdown decreased remarkably and other RVA values did not have significant changes in the chalky rice of Gangyou 527. The differences in the above indices between the chalky and non-chalky rice was not remarkable in Zhaiyeqing 8. The crude protein content of chalky rice in Zhaiyeqing 8 was significantly lower than that of non-chalky rice, but there was no remarkable change between the chalky and non-chalky rice in Gangyou 527. Glutelin content fell significantly, and albumin, globulin, prolamine and lysine contents did not change significantly in chalky rice compared with non-chalky rice in the two varieties.

Current scenario and potential of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil in Pakistan: An overview

Biodiesel utilization has been rapidly growing worldwide as the prime alternative to petrodiesel due to a global rise in diesel fuel demand along with hazardous emissions during its thermochemical conversion.Although,several debatable issues including feedstock availability and price,fuel and food competition,changes in land use and greenhouse gas emission have been raised by using edible as well as inedible feedstocks for the production of biodiesel.However,non-crop feedstocks could be a promising alternative.In this article,waste cooking oils have been recommended as a suitable option for biodiesel production bearing in mind the current national situation.The important factors such as the quantity of waste cooking oil produced,crude oil and vegetable oil import expenses,high-speed diesel imports,waste management issues and environmental hazards are considered.Moreover,process simulation and operating cost evaluation of an acid catalyzed biodiesel production unit are also conducted.The simulation results show that the production cost of waste cooking oil-based biodiesel is about 0.66 USD·L-1.We believe that the present overview would open new pathways and ideas for the development of biofuels from waste to energy approach in Pakistan.