Effect of a 12-Week Dietary Intervention with Folic Acid or Folate-Enhanced Foods on Folate Status in Healthy Egyptian Women

The Egyptian government introduced wheat-flour fortification with iron and folic acid to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects, but suspended it for technical reasons. We previously developed novel legume foods with enhanced folate content. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of 12-week intervention with folate-enhanced foods versus folic acid supplement in improving folate status in Egyptian women. A randomized, parallel intervention trial with two active groups (n = 19, n = 18) and one blinded control group (n = 20) was executed over 12 weeks. Volunteers received either germinated legume foods and orange juice (≈250 μg/d folate) or folic acid supplement (500 μg/d) or apple juice (0 μg/d folate). Folate status was assessed by erythrocyte and plasma folate and total homocysteine (tHcy) at day 0, and after 8 and 12 weeks of intervention. After 12 weeks, mean plasma folate increased by 14 (P < 0.0001) and 12 (P < 0.0001) nmoL in the folic acid and food group, respectively. Erythrocyte folate concentration increased in the folic acid group from 614 to 912 (P < 0.0001) and in the food group from 631 to 914 nmoL (P < 0.0001). After 12 weeks, 90% of subjects in the folic acid group and 70% in the food group had erythrocyte folate concentrations exceeding 906 nmol/L. tHcy concentration was decreased by 20% (P = 0.007) and 18% (P = 0.006) in the folic acid and food group, respectively, but remained unchanged in the control group during intervention. Folate-enhanced foods effectively improve folate status in women of reproductive age. These foods could be used as a complement to folic acid fortification.

Development of Novel Confectionary Bars by Utilizing Date “Tagyat Variety”

In present study, we aimed at producing novel date-based bars (DBs) by using “Tagyat variety”. The materials used were date “Tagyat”, Dried mill, peeled white sesame seeds, peeled peanut, grated coconut, cacao powder and corn starch. The raw materials and produced DBs were chemically analyzed. The energy values for DBs were calculated. Minerals and amino acids were determined for all produced DBs. The DBs were organoleptically evaluated. Tagyat date had the higher moisture, total, reducing and non-reducing sugars contents (22.23%, 66.81%, 53.55% and 12.60%, respectively). Dried milk, peanut and peeled white sesame had the higher crude protein content being 31.94%, 28.59% and 23.99%, respectively. Peeled white sesame seeds, peeled peanuts and grated coconuts had the highest amount of crude fat being 54.35%, 52.21% and 49.93%, respectively. Dried milk and cacao powder had higher total ash content which contained 5.25% and 5.23%, respectively. The moisture content of BDs was in range of 16.16% to 17.49%. The crude protein content of the six BDs varied from 9.16% to 12.35%. Crude fat of BDs ranged from 10.13% to 11.75%. Ash content of BDs ranged from 2.39% to 2.78%. The reducing and non-reducing sugar content of BDs varied from 46.32% to 48.07% and 41.14% to 43.08%. The energy values of BDs ranged from 372.28 to 382.87 K cal·100 g-1. Novel DBs contain appreciable amounts of K (ranged from 621.94 to 719.85 mg·100 g-1), P (ranged from 92.53 to 113.83 mg·100 g-1), Ca (ranged from 59.77 to 69.48 mg·100 g-1), Mg (ranged from 37.69 to 43.81 mg·100 g-1), Na (ranged from 28.41 to 35.48 mg·100 g-1), Fe (ranged from 3.29 to 5.14 mg·100 g-1) , Zn (ranged from 3.10 to 3.60 mg·100 g-1), Cu (ranged from 1.21 to 1.40 mg·100 g-1) and Mn (ranged from 0.95 to 1.10 mg·100 g-1). The SDB and SDKB DBs had the highest amounts of EAA, Ratios of E:N, E:T, E:P and EAAI (%), which contained 46.654 and 44.853 g/16 g N, 0.983% and 0.890%, 0.496% and 0.471%, 0.467% and 0.449% and 86.86% and 83.51%, respectively. The amino acid methionine was the most deficient amino acid in all formulated DBs. The SDKB was the highest sensory characteristics, and it was followed by SDB to be 90.77% and 88.98%, respectively for instance.

Proximate and Elemental Composition of Important Fish Species in Makkah Central Fish Market, Saudi Arabia

In spite of the established nutritive value of seafood, fishes have a special ability to store some toxic substances such as heavy metals because of its own respiration system. The goal of current study was to explore the proximate chemical composition, minerals content and levels of heavy metals in edible portions of some important commercial fish species available at Makkah Central Fish Market, Saudi Arabia. The obtained results showed that Indian oil sardine fish had the highest value of crude oil (dry weight) recorded 38.00%, while, rusty parrot fish sample had the least of 1.17%. In contrast, rusty parrot fish had the highest value of crude protein represented 90.75% (dry weight), meanwhile, Indian oil sardine had the least of 54.19%. Consuming about 250 g of Indian oil sardine will cover 100% of Fe RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances), eating 500 g of the same fish will cover about 30% of Ca RDA. While, 500 g of gilt head bream which has the highest content of K, Na and Mg will cover about 11.7%, 1.5% and 4.1% of these minerals RDA, respectively. As physical hazards, fourteen samples from the thirty three studied samples exceeded the permissible limit of Pb and Cd representing about 42%. Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to eat head, gills or viscera of all fishes.