Abstract
Vitamin D2 deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient insufficiencies among children. Few foods, mainly those derived from animal sources, naturally contain this vitamin. The basidiomycete mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus could be used as an innovative and sustainable ingredient for food fortification with vitamin D2. This study was aimed at exploring children’s acceptance of a whole-cereal-based product (breadsticks) combined with increasing concentrations of P. ostreatus powder rich in vitamin D2. The food neophobia trait (fear of trying unfamiliar and new food) on sample acceptability was also investigated. One hundred and three children (47 girls and 56 boys, aged 9–11 years) were recruited, and breadstick-liking was studied in relation to gender and neophobic traits. Results showed that the samples enriched in vitamin D2 were well accepted by children even if liking decreased with increasing concentration of mushroom powder. Generally, neophilic subjects gave higher liking scores compared with the neophobic ones, especially for the modified samples. New, well-accepted fortified products could be developed using an adequate concentration of mushroom powder to deal with the increasing vitamin D2 deficiency among children.
Highlights
Vitamin D deficiency is recognized to be a worldwide problem [1], which has raised the need to develop new dietary strategies to increase its intake
The recommended intake of vitamin D has been defined as 15 μg/day [5]
Some studies have demonstrated that vitamin D3 is more efficient than vitamin D2 [21], while other studies have shown that vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 treatment yield equivalent outcomes in the treatment of hypovitaminosis D among young children [22]
Summary
Vitamin D deficiency is recognized to be a worldwide problem [1], which has raised the need to develop new dietary strategies to increase its intake. A nuclear receptor for the bioactive form of vitamin D (i.e., 1,25(OH) D) is present in at least 38 human tissues and organs [2] and is probably related to the risk-reduction potential of vitamin D towards other diseases. 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and various cancers [3] Based on these considerations, it is crucial to maintain, both by sunlight exposure and by dietary intake [4], an adequate vitamin D status. Sunlight exposure that leads to the endogenous production of this vitamin is not sufficient to reach the recommended vitamin D daily intake This is especially true in specific populations, such as African Americans with dark skin pigmentation which decreases UVB exposure, as well as elderly people with a low level of vitamin D3 precursor [1]. Vitamin D2 , Nutrients 2019, 11, 2441; doi:10.3390/nu11102441 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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