Common Food Research Articles

Micronutrients in infants suffering from cow’s milk allergy fed with dietary formulas and breast milk

IntroductionCow’s milk allergy (CMA) is the most common food allergy in infants. As this food allergy indicates a wide range of clinical syndromes due to immunological reactions to cow’s milk proteins, we aimed to evaluate the status of micronutrients in infants suffering from cow’s milk allergy.MethodsIn this historical cohort study, infants with CMA were divided into two equal groups: breastfeeding and diet formula feeding. Data were gathered by a form, including the micronutrients such as iron, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and vitamin D. Groups were compared and data were analyzed by the IBM SPSS version 21.ResultsThis study involved 60 six-month-old infants, and the findings revealed no significant difference between the two groups concerning magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and vitamin D. However, infants in the formula-feeding group exhibited significantly elevated mean serum levels of iron and selenium, whereas breastfed infants displayed higher levels of calcium.ConclusionThe findings of this research revealed a significant difference in calcium, selenium, and iron levels between formula-fed and breastfed infants, even though all variables were within the normal range for both groups. In light of these results, conducting further studies with a larger sample size and extended follow-up periods becomes imperative.

Canola bee pollen is an effective artificial diet additive for improving larval development of predatory coccinellids: a lesson from Harmonia axyridis.

Pollen is a common plant-derived food source for predatory ladybird beetles under field conditions, yet the potential for pollen to improve the quality of artificial diets remains largely unexplored. In this study, we developed three pollen diets by incorporating varying proportions of canola bee pollen (7.5%, 15.0% and 22.5% with 2.5%, 5.0%, and 7.5% of water, respectively) into a conventional diet. The feeding efficiency of Harmonia axyridis, an omnivorous predator, was evaluated and compared on three pollen diets, a conventional nonpollen diet and pea aphids. The larvae fed a medium or high pollen diet exhibited significantly higher survival in the 4th instar, pupa and adult stages than those fed a nonpollen diet. These larvae also developed into significantly heavier adults, and their survival rates in adulthood were comparable to those fed pea aphids. Specifically, we revealed the underlying mechanisms through which a high pollen diet enhances pupal development. Consumption of high pollen diet versus nonpollen diet resulted not only in a significant decrease in pupal glycogen content, but also an increase in adult lipid content. Both diet treatments induced similar changes in carbohydrate and glycogen content compared to the aphid diet while exhibiting different alterations in pupal protein content and adult lipid content. Furthermore, the transcriptome analysis revealed that the nutrient metabolism, immune response, and cuticle development pathways were predominantly enriched among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Canola bee pollen offers diverse advantages in terms of rearing H. axyridis larvae with an artificial diet, which will advance the development of effective diets for predaceous coccinellids. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Identification of a microbial sub-community from the feral chicken gut that reduces Salmonella colonization and improves gut health in a gnotobiotic chicken model.

A complex microbial community in the gut may prevent the colonization of enteric pathogens such as Salmonella. Some individual or a combination of species in the gut may confer colonization resistance against Salmonella. To gain a better understanding of the colonization resistance against Salmonella enterica, we isolated a library of 1,300 bacterial strains from feral chicken gut microbiota which represented a total of 51 species. Using a co-culture assay, we screened the representative species from this library and identified 30 species that inhibited Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium in vitro. To improve the Salmonella inhibition capacity, from a pool of fast-growing species, we formulated 66 bacterial blends, each of which composed of 10 species. Bacterial blends were more efficient in inhibiting Salmonella as compared to individual species. The blend that showed maximum inhibition (Mix10) also inhibited other serotypes of Salmonella frequently found in poultry. The in vivo effect of Mix10 was examined in a gnotobiotic and conventional chicken model. The Mix10 consortium significantly reduced Salmonella load at day 2 post-infection in gnotobiotic chicken model and decreased intestinal tissue damage and inflammation in both models. Cell-free supernatant of Mix10 did not show Salmonella inhibition, indicating that Mix10 inhibits Salmonella through either nutritional competition, competitive exclusion, or through reinforcement of host immunity. Out of 10 species, 3 species in Mix10 did not colonize, while 3 species constituted more than 70% of the community. Two of these species were previously uncultured bacteria. Our approach could be used as a high-throughput screening system to identify additional bacterial sub-communities that confer colonization resistance against enteric pathogens and its effect on the host.IMPORTANCESalmonella colonization in chicken and human infections originating from Salmonella-contaminated poultry is a significant problem. Poultry has been identified as the most common food linked to enteric pathogen outbreaks in the United States. Since multi-drug-resistant Salmonella often colonize chicken and cause human infections, methods to control Salmonella colonization in poultry are needed. The method we describe here could form the basis of developing gut microbiota-derived bacterial blends as a microbial ecosystem therapeutic against Salmonella.

The Study of Increasing Shelf-Life of Meat by Using Nanocellulose-Chitosan Composite Film Obtained from Agricultural By-Products

Background: This research was conducted to design a bionanocomposite film for meat packaging with regard to environmental aspects. Methods: Cellulose nanoparticles (CNPs) were used as nano-reinforcing factors were generated using non-edible agricultural by-products. The bionanocomposite film which was recently developed contains CNPs and chitosan (CS); then, the nanocomposites were explored via SEM, FTIR, agar disc diffusion tests and X-ray crystallography (XRD). Finally, the film was used to pack meat pieces. Results: Investigation of the morphological and physical reports of the solid films indicated that the CNPs are well scattered in bionanocomposite film. The addition of CNPs within a CS improved Young’s modulus by about 12135% and the tensile strength by 583%. In addition, XRD photographs indicated that CNP peak appeared after being added to CS context. Antimicrobial activity demonstrated that nanocomposites exerted restrictive effect on Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Using CS-nanocellulose composite as a packing film on meat surface leads to decreasing bacteria growth compared to nylon packing materials at 4˚C after 8 days of storage. Conclusion: Findings indicated that the recently designed CNP-CS films are a better replacement for common food packaging substances.

Functional Properties of Insect Proteins

As a more sustainable option compared to conventional animal sources, insects are a great source of proteins. Edible insects have great nutritional value, but in addition, their functional properties, such as solubility, foaming, emulsifying and gelling, have attracted the attention of numerous researchers. The structure, physiochemical characteristics and amino acid composition of insects vary widely. This review explores the many functional facets of insect proteins in an effort to provide insights that may encourage additional study and advancement in the area, ultimately leading to the incorporation of insect proteins into common foods and industrial processes. Beyond adding to the variety of protein sources, research into the functional characteristics of insect proteins also advances the more general objective of fostering sustainability in food production.

Uranium and Thorium contaminations of Baobab leave powder consumed in selected locations of Katsina State, North West Nigeria

The need to know the level of contamination of radioactive elements, especially uranium and thorium, in the common foods we eat particularly the Baobab leave powder is highly significant due to their detrimental health effects. The presence of uranium and thorium in significant concentrations also presents an exposure risk to populations. In this study, six (6) baobab samples were collected from Daura, Funtua, Dustin-Ma, Kankia, Katsina, and Malumfashi in Katsina State. The samples were analysed for uranium and thorium content using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). Concentration level of uranium was detected to be (0.068±0.011 mg/kg) in Daura and (0.021 mg/kg) in Dustin-Ma, while in Funtua, Kankiya, Katsina and Malumfashi, the concentrations were below detection limit. Thorium concentration was equally found to be (0.66±0.07 mg/kg) in Malumfashi, (0.54±0.07 mg/kg) in Daura, (0.43±0.06 mg/kg) in Dutsin-Ma, (0.25±0.04 mg/kg) in Kankia and (0.33±0.05 mg/kg) in Funtua. The concentration level of uranium and thorium accumulated in the baobab leave when analysed was found to be far below joint ATSDR/NIH safe limit of Uranium and Thorium intake in the human body. From this present work, we can see that the Baobab leave powder is safe for human consumption even though care should be taken to avoid contaminations

Structural and functional analysis of a new co-processed tableting excipient for food compaction processes

Food compacts are convenient to industry and customers and must primarily possess a sufficient strength to withstand packaging processing and customer handling. In contrast to pharmaceutical applications, the choice of excipients is usually limited to necessary ingredients of the final food product. In accordance, novel, better performing materials derived from advanced processing of common food constituents are highly attractive. This study thoroughly characterizes the properties of such a novel, co-processed food material called “Salt-Starch” to demonstrate its superior tableting behavior and to investigate the cause of its superiority. For a fundamental understanding of the binding mechanisms and the resulting structure, tabletability, compressibility, compactibility and elastic recovery of compacts based on Salt-Starch, its sole starting components with different particle sizes and their physical blends are investigated. Results indicate, that the specific structure of a viscoelastic continuous phase of starch and a brittle-ductile dispersed phase of (sub-)micron-sized sodium chloride lead to superior strength of Salt-Starch, which cannot be achieved by physical mixtures. Compacts tensile strength is elevated 40 times at an applied pressure of 55 MPa and elastic recovery is less than half compared to the elastic recovery of binary mixture tablets.

Study on functional properties of protein-rich composite flour utilizing foxtail millet and flaxseed

The residue after extraction of oil from flaxseed contains many nutrients and bioactive components, though it is not used that much in the development of food. On the other hand, foxtail millet is a non-conventional source of food, which can be a supplement of wheat flour or flour-made products. The objective of this work is to incorporate flaxseed oil cake into the common food with a non-conventional source of flour and also to check the functionality of differently pre-processed foxtail millet. In utilizing oil industry waste, i.e., de-oiled flaxseed, for developing a value-added product, the concept of green technology was applied. Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) oil cake flour was mixed in a 1:1 ratio with Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) flour, prepared in three forms: raw, germinated, and microwave treated. The study mainly focused on utilizing the non-thermal processes to investigate the functional properties of the flour blends. Also, an analysis of functionality among three forms of foxtail millet has been done in this study. The mixed flours were further evaluated for nutrient composition and functionality. The results of the developed flour blends are compared with the conventional wheat flour and raw foxtail millet flour to determine the importance of Oil Cake Waste and pre-processing of Millet. The functional properties of mixed flour increased compared with raw foxtail millet flour.

Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) food borne outbreak: Detection methods and controlling measures

Food-borne illnesses and diseases are major threats to human health. Common food borne pathogens include bacteria such as Escherichia coli Serogroup (O157), Bacillus cereus, Clostridium botulinum, Campylobacter sp., C. perfringens, some Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Vibrio spp. etc. Pathogenic E. coli infection usually causes severe diarrhea. Escherichia coli is the most common cause of acute urinary tract infections as well as urinary tract sepsis. Diarrheagenic E. coli pathotypes can be passed in the feces of humans and other animals. Safeguarding public health during mass gatherings is a big challenge. Despite the recent advances in food preservation techniques and food safety, significant disease outbreaks linked to food borne pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses still occur worldwide indicating that these pathogens still constitute significant risks to public health. However, at present the conventional method for E. coli detection requires several days, especially in cases where E. coli concentrations are low. Enrichment is a commonly used method for bacterial isolation to increase the cell counts of target bacteria. However, traditional culturing method is also a slow and laborious process requiring a series of steps and may require the use of adjunct methods (e.g. biochemical, serological, nucleic acid-based methods for conclusive identification) and can take up to a week for bacteria. The culture-based approaches coupled with other methods such as PCR, immunoassays, bacteriophages, NGS, Biosensors, and MALDI TOF MS are increasingly being used for the detection and identification of food borne pathogens. Nucleic acid-based methods such as Real-Time PCR and vPCR combined with sequencing approaches are more widely used than immunoassay and NGS-based approaches for pathogen detection. Nanobiotechnology is the latest approach for the detection of pathogens. Bacteriophages are one such unique biological entity that showed excellent host selectivity and have been actively used as recognition probes for pathogen detection. Antibiotics are efficient, powerful, and the most commonly used treatment against pathogenic E. coli. Other ways to treat or prevent E. coli contamination, such as probiotics, antimicrobial nanoparticles, and radiation treatment had been reported.

Higher Potential Sensitization of Cow αS1-Casein over Goat αS1-Casein in a Mouse Model due to Enhanced Dendritic Cell Uptake and Activation.

Cow's milk allergy is a common food allergy, with the milk protein αS1-casein being a major allergen. This study aimed to investigate differences in sensitization between cow and goat αS1-CN. Cow and goat αS1-CN were labeled with fluorescent dyes and given to mice sensitized with cholera toxin adjuvant. Both proteins reached immune organs, suggesting no major difference in digestion. However, compared with goat αS1-CN, cow αS1-CN is more readily taken up by dendritic cells, inducing dendritic cell maturation. Furthermore, cow αS1-CN can more effectively induce the generation of Th2 cells, leading to a higher production of specific IgE. In a Caco-2/RBL-2H3 cell model, cow αS1-CN caused more mast cell degranulation and loss of epithelial barrier integrity than goat αS1-CN. In summary, this study found differences in immune responses between cow and goat milk αS1-CN. Cow αS1-CN elicited stronger dendritic cell and Th2 responses, leading to increased mast cell degranulation.

Infant and Young Child Feeding Practice among Mothers in Rural Areas of Gazipur District, Bangladesh

A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among 599 mothers who had at least one child aged 0–23-month to determine infant and young child feeding practice (IYCF) in rural areas of Bangladesh. The study was conducted between November 2019 and March 2020 in rural areas of Gazipur district. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Out of 599 respondents, the majority (62.93%) were in the 21-30 years age-group. Only 6.67% were illiterate and the rest of the respondents were literate with different levels of education. About one third (33.38%) of the respondents had monthly income between BDT 5001- 15000. 27% of the mothers could not give colostrum to the babies; half of them (50%) mentioned that baby could not suck well, while 43.83% mentioned being advised by the elders (not to give colostrum) and 6.17% mentioned their own illness. Pre-lacteal feeding practice was observed among 27% mothers and common pre-lacteal food was honey (61.25%), sugar water (35.63%) and animal milk (4.32%). Breastfeeding was initiated within the first hour of birth among 73.29% of mothers. 53.26% percent of mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Difficulties faced by mothers for EBF are insufficient secretion of breast milk (46.42%), not having knowledge about EBF (42.51%), and mother’s illness (11.07%). Most of the mothers (81.63%) gave complementary feeding in the correct time (6 months) and predominant complementary food was Khichuri (51.91%); however, most of them (60.77%) gave complementary food ≤3 times in a day. Our data suggests that the practice of IYCF was not optimum among the rural mothers. To improve this condition, it is necessary to motivate mothers through proper health education about the positive impacts of IYCF on child health. CBMJ 2024 January: vol. 13 no. 01 P: 28-34

P1154 Mediterranean dietary approaches to stop hypertension intervention for neurodegenerative delay (MIND) diet can reduce Inflammatory Bowel Disease risk: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Background The global increasing prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) places a substantial burden on families and society at large. The lack of a definitive cure for this chronic condition underscores the critical need for effective preventive measures. Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, emphasizing natural plant-based foods while limiting animal products and high-saturated fats, emerges as a promising dietary approach. This study aims to bridge the gap in understanding the impact of the MIND diet on IBD risk. Methods We utilized data from 187,549 participants in the UK Biobank who provided dietary information and were free of IBD at baseline. Dietary information including the consumption of over 200 common foods and 30 beverages was collected for five rounds by a validated web-based 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire. A MIND diet score was evaluated based on the intake of ten beneficial and five unhealthy food groups and was further grouped by tertiles. The outcome of interest was Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), ascertained via inpatient data and primary care data. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results After a mean follow-up of 10.7 years, we documented 335 and 655 incident CD and UC. The average age of the participants was 56.2 years, of which 55.0% were females. We found that greater adherence to the MIND diet, represented by higher diet score, was associated with a lower risk of CD (HR comparing extreme tertiles 0.66, 95% CI 0.50-0.89, P=0.006; P-trend=0.005) and UC (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.65-0.98, P=0.030; P-trend=0.029) (Table 1). In the secondary analysis, we investigated the impact of fifteen individual food components in the MIND diet and found that consumption of olive oil was inversely associated with CD, and consumption of wine was inversely associated with UC. Conclusion We found higher adherence to the MIND diet was associated with lower risk of CD and UC. Our findings call for further research on the potential of the MIND diet to prevent IBD.

P185 Food avoidance and dietary restrictions in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract Background Nutrition has a key role in IBD, more so in Crohn’s disease (CD) than ulcerative colitis (UC) and studies have shown that patients restrict or avoid certain dietary items; not necessarily due to medical advice. This could be detrimental to nutritional status by causing weight loss, disordered eating and nutritional deficiencies. Methods An online survey was carried out amongst IBD patients attending a teaching hospital in an urban area in the UK. Ten questions were asked and the survey was sent to 100 patients with their consent. Results The total survey response rate was 38%. Only 8% of patients had a long diagnosis due to diagnosis when a child, and although all restricted their diet still, this did not seem to show significance (p = 0.597). There was no significant difference between IBD type and whether the patient restricted their diet or not (p = 0.107). Notably, we did find that the most common reason for avoiding dietary items was patients ‘feel it helps symptoms’ (less so the ‘advised by clinician’ choice), however there was no significant difference between types of IBD and dietary exclusion reasons (p = 0.721). The most common dietary avoidances were spicy foods, followed by caffeine and fibre. There was a significant difference between CD and UC patients and the dietary groups they limited (p = 0.006), with there being a difference between CD and UC patients specifically for fibre (p = 0.027), for gluten/wheat (p = 0.0002) and for dairy (p = 0.077), however the latter did not reach significance. Of note, there is no difference in how long patients avoided dietary items, showing restriction is widespread irrespective of disease status (active or in remission). Conclusion Our survey indicates that food avoidance is commonplace among IBD patients, and the common foods avoided are spicy foods, caffeine and fibre, more so with CD than UC. These appear self-induced without medical advice, and this could have a detrimental impact on nutritional status. This is important information which merits further studies, perhaps with a larger sample size.

A stochastic approach for modelling the in-vitro effect of osmotic stress on growth dynamics and persistent cell formation in Listeria monocytogenes

Persistent bacteria (or persisters) can be defined as a microbial subpopulation that, exposed to bactericidal treatment, is killed more slowly than the rest of the population they are part of. They stochastically originate in response to environmental stressors or spontaneously without external signals. When transferred into a fresh medium, persisters can resume active replication although they spend more time adapting to the new conditions remaining in the lag phase longer. They were studied for decades for their ability to survive antibiotic treatments while studies on their formation in food and potential impact on their safety are lacking. The most common food preservation techniques may act as stressors that trigger the formation of persistent bacteria able to survive bactericidal treatments and grow later in foods during storage. This study aimed to investigate a possible relationship between exposure to different salt concentrations (osmotic stress) and the amount of persisters triggered in a strain of Listeria monocytogenes. Furthermore, we described this phenomenon from a mathematical perspective through predictive microbiology models commonly used in the food field. The lag time distribution of a L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644 strain grown in broth with additional 2 %, 4 % and 6 % NaCl was evaluated using the software ScanLag. It uses office scanners to automatically record the colony growth on agar plates and evaluate the frequency distribution of their appearance times (lag phase) by automated image analysis. The same broth cultures were diluted to equalize salt concentration and transferred into a fresh broth to evaluate how the previous salt exposure impacted their growth kinetics. The observed growth curves were reproduced using predictive models in which the mean duration of the lag phase of the whole population took into account the occurrence of persisters with a longer lag phase. The models were solved first using a deterministic approach and then a stochastic one introducing a stochastic term that mimics the variability of lag phase duration due to the persisters occurrence. Results showed that the growth of L. monocytogenes in broth with additional NaCl might trigger the formation of persistent cells whose number increased consistently with salt concentrations. The proposed predictive approach reproduced the observed real curves in strong agreement, especially through the stochastic resolution of the models. Persistence is currently a neglected bacterial defence strategy in the food sector but the persisters' formation during production cannot be excluded; therefore, further insights on the topic are certainly desirable.

Varying precipitation conditions allow directing the composition and physical properties of soy protein concentrates.

Soy protein concentrates (SPCs) are common food ingredients. They typically contain 65% (w/w) protein and ∼30% (w/w) carbohydrate. SPCs can be obtained with various protein precipitation conditions. A systematic study of the impact of these different protein precipitation protocols on the SPC protein composition and physical properties is still lacking. Here, SPCs were prepared via three different protocols, that is, isoelectric (pH 3.5-5.5), aqueous ethanol (50%-70% [v/v]), and Ca2+ ion (5-50mM) based precipitations, and analyzed for (protein) composition, protein thermal properties, dispersibility, and water-holding capacity. SPCs precipitated at pH 5.5 or by adding 15mM Ca2+ ions had a lower 7S/11S globulin ratio (∼0.40) than that (∼0.50) of all other SPC samples. Protein in SPCs obtained by isoelectric precipitation denatured at a significantly higher temperature than those in ethanol- or Ca2+ -precipitated SPCs. Precipitation with 50%-60% (v/v) ethanol resulted in pronounced denaturation of 2S albumin and 7S globulin fractions in SPCs. Additionally, increasing the precipitation pH from 3.5 to 5.5 and increasing the Ca2+ ion concentration from 15 to 50mM caused a strong decrease of both the dispersibility of the protein in SPC and its water-holding capacity at pH 7.0. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the SPC production process can be directed to obtain ingredients with versatile protein physicochemical properties toward potential food applications. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study demonstrates that applying different protein precipitation protocols allows obtaining SPCs that vary widely in (protein) composition and physical properties (such as protein dispersibility and water-holding capacity). These varying traits can greatly influence the suitability of SPCs as functional ingredients for specific applications, such as the production of food foams, emulsions, gels, and plant-based meat alternatives. The generated knowledge may allow targeted production of SPCs for specific applications.

Nutrition at the Intersection between Gut Microbiota Eubiosis and Effective Management of Type 2 Diabetes.

Nutrition is one of the most influential environmental factors in both taxonomical shifts in gut microbiota as well as in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Emerging evidence has shown that the effects of nutrition on both these parameters is not mutually exclusive and that changes in gut microbiota and related metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) may influence systemic inflammation and signaling pathways that contribute to pathophysiological processes associated with T2DM. With this background, our review highlights the effects of macronutrients, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, as well as micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals, on T2DM, specifically through their alterations in gut microbiota and the metabolites they produce. Additionally, we describe the influences of common food groups, which incorporate varying combinations of these macronutrients and micronutrients, on both microbiota and metabolic parameters in the context of diabetes mellitus. Overall, nutrition is one of the first line modifiable therapies in the management of T2DM and a better understanding of the mechanisms by which gut microbiota influence its pathophysiology provides opportunities for optimizing dietary interventions.

Complementary Feeding Practices: Recommendations of Pediatricians for Infants with and without Allergy Risk.

To investigate the routine guidance provided by pediatricians concerning the timing of complementary feeding (CF) for both healthy infants and those at a heightened risk of allergies. A total of 233 pediatricians participated in an anonymous online survey that included questions about demographics and recommendations for CF. Specifically, they provided guidance on the types of foods, preparation methods, supplements, time intervals for introducing new foods to infants at low and high allergy risk, and delayed food introductions for high-risk cases. The respondents advised introducing certain foods at specific ages: fruits, starchy non-gluten grains, vegetables, olive oil, and meat were appropriate at 6 months; gluten-rich grains at 7 months; yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and legumes at 8 months; fish at 8.5 months; and nuts at 9 months. Pediatricians, especially those with less than 15 years of practice, often introduced egg, seafood, gluten-rich grains, legumes, and nuts earlier for high-risk infants. Parenthood and male gender were associated with the earlier introduction of eggs and grains. Greek pediatricians follow a structured food introduction schedule for CF in infants. Interestingly, they tend to delay the introduction of common food allergens and recommend longer intervals between introducing new foods, particularly for high-risk infants. Key Notes: Despite recent evidence-based indications on healthy complementary feeding strategies for infants, discrepancies persist among pediatricians regarding food choices and the order and timing of food introduction, both for healthy infants and those at risk of allergy. Guidance on complementary feeding by pediatricians is influenced by their individual characteristics. Pediatricians tend to delay the introduction of common food allergens and recommend longer intervals between introducing new foods, particularly for high-risk infants.

Discrepancy between Caregivers’ Reports and Physicians’ Evaluation of Causative Foods in Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome in Japan: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Introduction: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a form of non-IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergy. FPIES is considered a rare food allergy disorder and is often under-recognized. Therefore, clinicians should have a better understanding of its manifestations and maintain a high index of suspicion for a correct diagnosis. To this end, information about differences in the characteristics of caregiver-reported and physician-diagnosed FPIES is important. Methods: The present, national, multicentric, prospective birth cohort study, called the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), enrolled a general population of 104,062 fetal records. The characteristics of FPIES in 1.5-year-old children were categorized as cases reported by caregivers or as those diagnosed by a physician using questionnaire data. Results: The prevalence of caregiver-reported and physician-diagnosed FPIES cases was 0.69% and 0.06%, respectively. Among the former, the most common causative food was hen’s egg (HE), and the second most common causative food was cow’s milk (CM) (51.0% and 17.1% of patients responded to HE and CM, which accounted for 46% and 15% of all the causative foods, respectively). Conversely, among the physician-diagnosed cases, the most common causative food was CM followed by HE (57.7% and 36.5% of patients responded to CM and HE, which accounted for 46% and 29% of all the causative foods, respectively). CM accounted for a significantly higher proportion of causative foods in physician-diagnosed FPIES while HE accounted for a significantly higher proportion of caregiver-reported FPIES (p < 0.05). Conclusion: A discrepancy was found in reports of the most common causative food between caregiver-reported and physician-diagnosed cases of FPIES.

The effectiveness of endolysin ENDO-1252 from Salmonella bacteriophage-1252 against nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica.

Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) is the most common food and waterborne pathogen worldwide. The growing trend of antibiotic-resistant S. enterica poses severe healthcare threats. As an alternative antimicrobial agent, bacteriophage-encoded endolysins (endolysins) are a potential agent in controlling S. enterica infection. Endolysins are enzymes that particularly target the peptidoglycan layer of bacterial cells, leading to their rupture and destruction. However, the application of endolysins against Gram-negative bacteria is limited due to the presence of the outer membrane in the cell wall, which hinders the permeation of externally applied endolysins. This study aimed the prokaryotic expression system to produce the recombinant endolysin ENDO-1252, encoded by the Salmonella bacteriophage-1252 associated with S. Enteritidis. Subsequently, ENDO-1252 had strong lytic activity not only against S. Enteritidis but also against S. Typhimurium. In addition, ENDO-1252 showed optimal thermostability and lytic activity at 25°C with a pH of 7.0. In combination with 0.1mM EDTA, the effect of 120µg of ENDO-1252 for 6 hours exhibited the highest lytic activity, resulting in a reduction of 1.15 log or 92.87% on S. Enteritidis. These findings suggest that ENDO-1252 can be used as a potential and innovative antibacterial agent for controlling the growth of S. Enteritidis.

Pre-lacteal feeding practice and its associated factors among mothers with children under the age of two years in Dubti town, Afar region, North East Ethiopia: a community based mixed study design.

Pre-lacteal feeding prevents the early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding. It is understudied in Afar, a pastoral region in northeast Ethiopia. The study assessed the prevalence of pre-lacteal feeding practice and its associated factors among mothers with children under the age of two years in Dubti, North East Ethiopia. A community-based mixed-study design was employed. A systematic sampling technique was used to recruit 370 study participants for the quantitative study, while purposive sampling was used to select 17 study participants for the qualitative study. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between independent variables and dependent variable. The results of logistic regression analysis were presented as an odd ratio with a 95% CI. A P-value <0.05 was used as a cutoff point to determine statistical significance. The qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach. Pre-lacteal feeding was practiced by 36% of mothers. Afar ethnicity (AOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2-5.1), an extended family size (≥5) (AOR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.02-2.9), a birth interval of less than 2 years (AOR = 2.77, 95% CI: 1.59-4.82), the first birth order of an indexed child (AOR = 3.87, 95% CI: 2.14-7.0), male-indexed children (AOR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.67-5.2), and no antenatal care visits (AOR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.67), or once or twice antenatal visits were significantly associated with pre-lacteal feeding practice. Breastfeeding counseling (AOR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.2-0.7) and delivery at a health institution (AOR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.17-0.55) were protective factors of pre-lacteal feeding practice. The most common pre-lacteal foods were dairy products, water, and certain plant species. Cultural beliefs are the main reason for practicing these pre-lacteal feedings. A significant number of study participants practiced prelacteal feeding. A public health campaign emphasizing the importance of antenatal care follow-ups should be initiated. Breastfeeding counseling and delivery in a health facility should also be strengthened. Community health education about the disadvantages of pre-lacteal feeding practices should be provided to reduce traditional beliefs.