Beta-carotene and its protective effect on gastric cancer

Beta-carotene is an important natural pigment that is very beneficial to human health.It is widely found in vegetables and fruits.The three main functions are antioxidant effects,cell gap junction-related functions and immune-related functions.Because of its diverse functions,beta-carotene is believed to prevent and treat many chronic diseases.Gastric cancer is one of the most important diseases it can treat.Gastric cancer is a type of cancer with a high incidence.Its etiology varies,and the pathogenesis is complex.Gastric cancer seriously affects human health.The role of beta-carotene,a natural nutrient,in gastric cancer has been explored by many researchers,including molecular mechanisms and epidemiological studies.Molecular studies have mainly focused on oxidative stress,cell cycle,signal transduction pathways and immune-related mechanisms of beta-carotene in gastric cancer.Many epidemiological surveys and cohort studies of patients with gastric cancer have been conducted,and the results of these epidemiological studies vary due to the use of different research methods and analysis of different regions.This paper will summarize the results of these studies,mainly in terms of molecular mechanisms and epidemiological research results,which will provide a systematic basis for future studies of the treatment and prognosis of gastric cancer.This paper will help researchers identify new research directions.

Sand Storage, Extending the Shelf-Life of Fresh Sweetpotato Roots for Home Consumption and Market Sales

Uni-modal rainfall pattern has long dry spell wherein sweetpotato is scarce, expensive but cheap at harvest. The crop is mostly consumed, processed or sold. Extending shelf-life of roots is crucial for Malawi and Northern Ghana as the crop has high value. Trials were conducted in the countries at the community level. In the dry season, temperature is cool in Malawi while warm in Ghana, but thru harmattan, the night is cool with low relative humidity. In Malawi, orange-fleshed sweetpotato Zondeni var., white and yellow types were assessed in three types of storage, Afghan ventilated pit store, storage in dry sand of pit-steps, and of a granary In Ghana, local moistened heap and sandbox were compared. In Malawi, weight losses were calculated relative to the quantity stored at start, it was not cumulative. At 1.5 months no significant difference was among treatments. By 3.5 months the pit-steps method emerged to be superior and continued to 6.5 months. Losses in granary were due to shriveling, in the pit-stepsdue to termites and rats, and in ventilated pit due to termites, rats and Java black rot. Sprouting was high in pit-steps, but it was simply removed and roots returned to storage. At 6.5 months, the beta-carotene of Zondeni roots was traceable. Farmers gained high price when selling them as roots were scarce. Women favored the pit-steps because it was manageable. In Ghana, the sandbox was superior to local moistened heap. Methods designed were suitable for home consumption, but will require modification for commercialization.

Nutritional, Physicochemical and Microbial Quality of Ultrasound-Treated Apple-Carrot Juice Blends

Three different apple-carrot juice blends (60:40, 75:25 and 90:10, v/v) were prepared and treated with ultrasound with comparison to the conventional thermal pasteurization. Total aerobic viable count (TAC) were significantly lower in juice blends with lower pH (apple-carrot ratio of 90:10, v/v) than the blends with higher pH after one month storage at 4?C. TAC were similar in ultrasound-treated and thermal pasteurized juice blends. Changes of turbidity of juice during storage followed the same pattern of TAC. Other juice quality parameters such as color, pH, titratable acid, total soluble solids, antioxidant capacity and beta-carotene did not change significantly during the storage period. The results suggest that ultrasound treatment has a potential to use as an alternative non-thermal technique for traditional thermal pasteurization process for maintaining the quality of beverages prepared from fruit and vegetable juices.

Anti-Oxidant Status of Male Adults with and without Prostate Cancer in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Recent studies show increasing prostate cancer incidence in Nigeria. Significant correlations identified between diet and prostate cancer occurrence, indicate that low antioxidant status could contribute to the aetiology of prostate cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional study determined selected antioxidants (lycopene, beta-carotene and retinol) status of 10 (Experimental group) and 17 (Control) male adults with and without PC, recruited from the Urological Section of the Surgical Out-patients’ Department, University College Hospital and the General Out-patient Clinic of the Ring Road State Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Demographic characteristics were assessed using a semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Daily antioxidant intakes were assessed and analyzed using 24-hour dietary recall, and an adapted version of the food database “Total Diet Assessment”. Serum lycopene, beta-carotene and retinol were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Results: The mean age of the PC and the control (72.8 ± 6.2 years and 59.8 ± 4.8 years) was significantly different (p = 0.001). Mean daily lycopene intake (1408.4 ± 233.2 μg) of the PC was significantly lower (P = 0.030) than the controls (3862.3±316.2μg). The mean serum lycopene (19.8 ± 13.2 ng/ml), beta-carotene (43.6 ± 26.0 ng/ml) and retinol (362.2 ± 304.3ng/ml) of the PC were significantly lower (p = 0.008, 0.040 and 0.033 respectively) than the values (70.8 ± 49.8 ng/ml, 57.6 ± 47.7 ng/ml and 395.4 ± 275.6 ng/ml respectively) of the controls. Significant inverse correlations were observed between the dietary lycopene intake (r = -0.396, p = 0.041) and serum lycopene (r =-0.502, p = 0.008) with PC;while a significant positive association was observed between dietary intake of retinol with PC (r = 0.394, p = 0.042). Conclusion: The study has revealed low anti-oxidant status, and an inverse association between lycopene status and prostate cancer in the elderly men.

Properties of Baby Food Developed from Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato and Mangoes

Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is a major concern in the world today and is a risk for children in developing countries. Trends have shown that food based interventions are the preferred long-term solution in controlling VAD as opposed to supplements. The orange-fleshed sweetpotato and mangoes are rich in beta-carotene, yet they are not fully utilized. A processed product from these raw materials will make use of surplus produce, promote year round utilization, increase the economic value of the crops and provide variety and convenience of uses. The roots were obtained from the field station, University of Nairobi, while the mangoes were purchased from the local market. The roots were washed, peeled and sliced. They were boiled to softness and mashed. The mangoes were washed, peeled, sliced and pureed in a blender. The two raw materials were mixed using six different formulations. Each formula was pasteurized at 80°C for 5 min in a batch pasteurizer, packaged by hot filling, cooled immediately and stored. The cooking time for the sweetpotatoes was 19.5 min. Losses of beta-carotene and ascorbic acid ranged from 17% - 21% and 18% - 28% respectively after pasteurization. The total solids increased by 3% on average. Changes due to storage of the product at 25°C could be detected by sensory analysis only after six months of storage. After storage, beta-carotene and ascorbic acid decreased by 18% and by 45% respectively. The final stored product could provide 73.7% and 64.5% of retinol equivalent for infants and 1 - 10 year-olds respectively. It could also provide 48.9% of ascorbic acid for children 1 - 10 years old, when consumed in amounts of 100 g per day.

Bioavailability of Beta Carotene in Traditional Fermented, Roasted Granules,<i>Gari</i>from Bio-Fortified Cassava Roots

Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is a major public health issue and of global concern, as it affects millions of preschool children and pregnant women worldwide. Bio-fortification has emerged as a technology with potential to sustainably alleviate VAD especially in the sub-Saharan Africa, using staples like cassava. This work studied bioavailability of beta carotene (BC) in two processed gari samples from bio-fortified cassava varieties: 01/1412 and 01/1371, using 40 weanling albino rats, grouped into four, acclimatized for 1 week and fed experimentally for 4 weeks. Plasma beta carotene (PBC) was determined with HPLC while bioavailable BC calculated using conventional linear dose response plot. The mean rat weight gain was 5.3 g with significant difference (p< 0.001) among them while mean PBC was 60.5 and 61.2 μg/dL for 01/1412 and 01/1371 respectively. From this study, a large variation of PBC among animals was found with a weak linear relationship between feed and PBC, showing that BC bioavailability is not limited to intake. The BC bioavailability of the samples was between 11% and 18% with sample from variety 01/1371 recording higher percentage (18%). Gari from bio-fortified cassava roots processed traditionally, had appreciable bioavailable BC, which can contribute to the fight against VAD and improve nutritional status in developing countries although the magnitude of the problem requires a combination of strategies, of which bio-fortification is just one. However, further work is necessary on public awareness and adoption of the product.