Food Nutrient Research Articles

The revised Healthy Purchase Index (r-HPI): a validated tool for exploring the nutritional quality of household food purchases

BackgroundThe Healthy Purchase Index (HPI) assesses the nutritional quality of food purchases (FP) from food group expenditure shares only. However, it was developed from the FP of a disadvantaged population.ObjectiveTo adapt and validate the HPI for a general population.MethodsFP were obtained from a representative sample of French households (Kantar WorldPanel) subdivided into two subsamples. The first sample (n = 4375) was used to adapt and validate the score; the second sample (n = 2188) was used to test external validity. The revised-HPI (r-HPI) includes 2 subscores: the diversity subscore and the quality subscore. Diversity subscore points were awarded when expenditure shares were above the 25th percentile for 5 food groups (“Fruits”, “Vegetables”, “Starches”, “Dairy”, “Meat, Fish and Eggs”). Regression models between the expenditure shares of each food group and the Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) and the Mean Excess Ratio (MER) of FP were used to select quality subscore components and define cut-offs for point allocation. Construct validity was assessed on the first sample using Spearman’s correlations between the r-HPI and the four nutritional quality indicators (NRF9.3, MAR, MER, energy density), and also by comparing the r-HPI of monthly FP of sub-populations defined by criteria known to influence diet quality (age, gender, income, education) and between households having a monthly food basket of higher (MAR > median and MER and energy density < median) vs. lower nutritional quality within the population, using Wilcoxon tests or pairwise comparisons of contrasts. External validity was tested by performing the same analyses on the 2nd sample of 2188 households.ResultsThe adaptation led to include new components (e.g. red meat) and define new cut-offs (e.g. − 1 point when budget share for red meat > 21%). The r-HPI (mean = 6.50 ± 3.58) was strongly correlated with NRF9.3, MAR, MER and energy density (0.59, 0.52, − 0.41 and − 0.65, respectively, p < 0.01) and poorly correlated with total energy content (− 0.096, p < 0.001). The r-HPI was significantly higher in women (β = 1.41 [0.20], p < 0.01), households having a food basket of higher nutritional quality (β = 4.15 [0.11], p < 0.001), and increased significantly with age, income and education levels. Similar results were obtained in the 2nd sample.ConclusionWe showed the validity of the r-HPI in a large sample of French households. As it does not require food quantity or nutrient content, it can be used as a valuable tool to explore FP behaviours. Cut-offs can be used in health promotion to provide nutri-economic counselling.

The impact of climate change on food systems, diet quality, nutrition, and health outcomes: A narrative review

Many consequences of climate change undermine the stability of global food systems, decreasing food security and diet quality, and exposing vulnerable populations to multiple forms of malnutrition. The emergence of pandemics such as Covid-19 exacerbate the situation and make interactions even more complex. Climate change impacts food systems at different levels, including changes in soil fertility and crop yield, composition, and bioavailability of nutrients in foods, pest resistance, and risk of malnutrition. Sustainable and resilient food systems, coupled with climate-smart agriculture, are needed to ensure sustainable diets that are adequately diverse, nutritious, and better aligned with contextual ecosystem functions and environmental conservation. Robust tools and indicators are urgently needed to measure the reciprocal food systems-climate change interaction, that is further complicated by pandemics, and how it impacts human health.

Cross-sectional comparisons of dietary indexes underlying nutrition labels: nutri-score, Canadian 'high in' labels and Diabetes Canada Clinical Practices (DCCP).

To assess the cross-sectional association between dietary indexes (DI) that underlie, respectively, the Nutri-score (NS), the proposed Canadian 'High In' Symbol (CHIL) and the Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines (DCCP) with food consumption, nutrient intakes and metabolic markers. 1836 adults (18-74years) participating in the representative ESTEBAN study, conducted in mainland France in 2014-2016, were included in the analysis. Food consumption was assessed with three repeated 24h dietary recalls. Anthropometric measurements and biomarkers of metabolic risk (cholesterol-total, LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), HDL (High Density Lipoprotein)-triglycerides, glucose) were obtained through a clinical examination and fasting blood draw. The DI were assessed for their association with food consumption, dietary intakes and metabolic biomarkers as quintiles and continuous variables using multi-adjusted linear regression. Heathier diets were assigned to lower scores. Correlations between scores ranged from + 0.62 between CHIL-DI and NS-DI to + 0.75 between NS-DI and DCCP-DI. All DIs discriminated individuals according to the nutritional quality of their diets through food consumption and nutrient intakes (healthier diets were associated with lower intakes of energy, added sugars and saturated fat; and with higher intakes of fiber, vitamins and minerals). NS-DI was associated with blood glucose (adjusted mean in Q1 = 5 vs. Q5 = 5.46mmol/dl, ptrend = 0.001) and DCCP-DI was associated with BMI (Q1 = 24.8kg/m2 vs. Q5 = 25.8kg/m2, ptrend = 0.025), while CHIL showed no significant association with any anthropometric measures or biomarkers. This study provides elements supporting the validity of the nutrient profiling systems underlying front-of-package nutrition labellings (FOPLs) to characterize the healthiness of diets.

Calculation of water activity in electrolytic solutions using the Electrolattice and Q-Electrolattice equations of state

Water activity directly influences the deterioration, texture, pigmentation, and preservation of nutrients in food. This property quantifies the availability of water for the enzymatic, chemical, or microbiological activity that defines the shelf life of food. In this way, the food industry needs to measure, predict, and control this property. In this context, the present work aims to evaluate the performance of the Electrolattice and Q-Electrolattice equations of state in predicting and correlating the water activity of solutions containing electrolytes. Parameters available in the literature were used to compare the performance of the Electrolattice and Q-Electrolattice equations in predicting the water activity (in binary, ternary, and quaternary solutions of salts). The Q-Electrolattice model presented better performance than the Electrolattice equation, with a relative mean deviation (RMD) of 1.95%, 0.14%, and 0.06% for binary, ternary, and quaternary aqueous electrolytic solutions, respectively. Then, the Q-Electrolattice equation was used to correlate experimental data of systems containing water + NaCl + sugar (fructose, sucrose, glucose, and xylose) at 25°C and water + sugar (fructose, sucrose, glucose, and xylose) at 35°C in aqueous solutions of salts and sugar. The general weighted average of the RMD% was equal to 0.29%. Finally, the procedure was validated with solutions containing water, NaCl, and sugar (fructose, sucrose, glucose, and xylose) at 35°C, a condition that was not used in the parameter fitting process. The overall weighted average of the RMD for predicting the water activity of water + NaCl + sugar solutions at 35°C using the Q-Electrolattice equation was 0.57%, thus validating the parameters estimated in this work. The results obtained in this study showed the feasibility of using the Q-Electrolattice equation to predict water activity in aqueous solutions of salts and sugars used as a basis for the osmotic drying of food.

Food spending in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a significant increase in the unemployment rate and a decline in consumer income. At the same time, the public health responses to the pandemic, such as lockdowns and business closures, disrupted the food supply chain. These pandemic-driven changes could lead to a shift in food spending behaviors and potentially exacerbate the food insecurity situation. Leveraging the nationally representative dataset from the 2017–2020 consumer expenditure surveys, we employ a two-part model to assess the changes in weekly household spending on total food, food-at-home (FAH), and food-away-from-home (FAFH) between the pre-pandemic and pandemic period in the United States. Our finding shows a predicted marginal decline in FAFH expenditure by 33.7% but an increase in FAH spending by 6.9% during the pandemic. The increase in FAH spending could not fully offset the decrease in FAFH spending, leading to a decline in total food spending by 12.6%. The results could provide a basis for future studies on food insecurity, nutrient intake, and healthy consumption during the pandemic.

K3 Nutrient and energy supply in monogastric food producing animals with reduced environmental and climatic footprint

K3 Nutrient and energy supply in monogastric food producing animals with reduced environmental and climatic footprint

​Food Drying: A Review

Foods are complex biological substances that are obtained from animal or plant origin and because of that they contain high moisture contents which make them highly perishable and thereby requiring preservation in some forms. This review assessed different techniques of drying food and optimization of drying parameters to obtain good and acceptable quality food products. Among the useful processes used in preserving food products reviewed is minimal processing, dehydration or drying. The authors explored the available literature from journals, textbooks and search engines to develop this review paper. Food dehydration or drying is used to reduce losses and improving food commercial value. The use of artificial dryers has been found to reduce drying time when compared with natural drying method although at higher consumption level. Natural drying methods are sun drying and solar drying which could involve the use of solar dryers. Artificial drying methods are radiation, freeze drying, osmotic drying, dielectric drying etc. Novel technologies like microencapsulation and nanotechnology are increasingly used in food drying. Microencapsulation has been found to improve the stability of nutrients, preventing ingredient interactions and degradation as the coating matrix effectively separates particles and prevents them from contacting each other. Nanotechnology has found wide applications in food production, processing and packaging. Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that could impact every aspect of food system from cultivation and production of food to processing, packaging, transportation, shelf life and bioavailability of nutrients in foods.

One or many? Multi-species livestock grazing influences soil microbiome community structure and antibiotic resistance potential

Soil health has been highlighted as a key dimension of regenerative agriculture, given its critical importance for food production, carbon sequestration, water filtration, and nutrient cycling. Microorganisms are critical components of soil health, as they are responsible for mediating 90% of soil functions. Multi-species rotational grazing (MSRG) is a promising strategy for maintaining and improving soil health, yet the potential effects of MSRG on soil microbiomes are poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we collected soil microbial samples at three timepoints during the 2020 grazing season for 12 total paddocks, which were equally split into four different grazing treatments—cattle only, sheep only, swine only, or multi-species. Shallow shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to characterize soil microbial community taxonomy and antibiotic resistome. Results demonstrated broad microbial diversity in all paddock soil microbiomes. Samples collected early in the season tended to have greater archaeal and bacterial alpha diversity than samples collected later for all grazing treatments, while no effect was observed for fungi or viruses. Beta diversity, however, was strongly influenced by both grazing treatment and month for all microbial kingdoms, suggesting a pronounced effect of different livestock on microbial composition. Cattle-only and swine-only paddocks were more dissimilar from multi-species paddocks than those grazed by sheep. We identified a large number of differentially abundant taxa driving community dissimilarities, includingMethanosarcinaspp.,Candidatus Nitrocosmicus oleophilus, Streptomycesspp.,Pyriculariaspp.,Fusariumspp., andTunggulvirus Pseudomonas virusϕ-2. In addition, a wide variety of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were present in all samples, regardless of grazing treatment; the majority of these encoded efflux pumps and antibiotic modification enzymes (e.g., transferases). This novel study demonstrates that grazing different species of livestock, either separately or together, can impact soil microbial community structure and antibiotic resistance capacity, though further research is needed to fully characterize these impacts. Increasing the knowledge base about soil microbial community structure and function under real-world grazing conditions will help to construct metrics that can be incorporated into traditional soil health tests and allow producers to manage livestock operations for optimal soil microbiomes.

Potential for Front of Pack Labeling Exposure to Impact US Dietary Choices: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES 2017-2018.

In recent years, front-of-pack nutrition labeling (FOPL) schemes have proliferated, but the components of the diet subject to FOPL have not been described. This study quantified the proportion and elements of the diet that would be subject to FOPL in the US. The 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 7121; age ≥2 year) 24-h dietary recalls were used to identify foods/beverages subject to FOPL. The proportion of dietary energy and additional dietary constituents subject to FOPL was estimated. Overall, 57% of dietary energy would be subject to FOPL. Individuals consuming more away-from-home meals had lower exposure to FOPL. Adults with a healthy-weight and those consuming a more healthful diet had more exposure to FOPL. Protein, sodium, potassium, whole fruit, vegetables, and unprocessed meats were less subject to FOPL as compared to total sugars, added sugars, calcium, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, nuts/seeds and whole grains. Because less than 60% of the diet would be impacted by FOPL, implementation of such a policy may have limited reach for the US diet and demonstrates some inconsistencies with current dietary guidance regarding the under- and over-representation of key food groups and nutrients.

Assessment of Heavy Metals (Cd, Co, Cr and Pb) Effects on In Vitro Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Vigna mungo

Vigna mungo generally called as black gram is a nutrient food crop which is widely used in Indian cuisine and also used in traditional ayurvedic medicine. By natural and anthropogenic activities, black gram growth is highly affecting by heavy metal pollution. Hence, it is necessary to conduct the experiments to know the effects of various heavy metals on growth of black gram in turn yield levels. In the current study, we aimed to study the in vitro effects of heavy metals such as chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co) and lead (Pb) on germination of seeds and seedling morphology of black gram. The concentrations include 1, 10, 20, 50 and 100 ppm of respective heavy metal (Cr, Cd, Co and Pb) along with the two positive controls i.e. tap water (T.W) and distilled water (D.W) were used without any heavy metal for the preparation of media. Upon treatment, percentage of germination and both root and shoot lengths of black gram were significantly affected by increasing concentrations of cadmium, cobalt and lead when compared to controls. Specifically, germination percentage was reduced from 1 ppm to 100 ppm i.e. 77% to 46% with Cd, 64% to 50 % with Co and 78% to 70 % with Pb treatments. This data indicates that each heavy metal has its own impact on black gram seed germination. Similarly, shoot and root lengths were also reduced upon these heavy metal treatments. Although the percentage of germination decreased drastically (36% at 100 ppm) along with the increasing concentration of chromium, the root and shoot lengths were suddenly increased (hugely root length) when compared to controls. In conclusion, each heavy metal has its own critical point for each seedling or plant growth.

Genome-Wide Analysis of CqCrRLK1L and CqRALF Gene Families in Chenopodium quinoa and Their Roles in Salt Stress Response.

Chenopodium quinoa is a halophyte with exceptional nutritional qualities, and therefore it is potentially an ideal crop to grow in saline soils, not only addressing the problem of land salinization, but also providing nutrient food for the health of humans. Currently, the molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in quinoa are still largely unknown. In Arabidopsis thaliana, Catharanthus roseus receptor-like kinase (CrRLK1Ls) FERONIA (FER) and its ligands rapid alkalinization factors (RALFs) have been reported that participate in the regulation of salt tolerance. Here, we performed a genome-wide analysis and identified 26 CqCrRLK1L and 18 CqRALF family genes in quinoa genome. Transcriptomic profiling of the leaf, root, stamen, and pistil tissues of quinoa reveals that different CqCrRLK1L and CqRALF genes exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns, which is consistent with that observed in other plant species. RNA-seq data show that three CqCrRLK1L genes are highly up-regulated after salt treatment, suggesting that some CqCrRLK1L family genes are transcriptionally responsive to salt stress in quinoa. Biochemical study indicates that CqRALF15, a paralog of Arabidopsis RALF22, is physically associated with CrRLK1L proteins CqFER and AtFER. CqRALF15 and AtRALF22 are functionally conserved in inducing the internalization of AtFER and in triggering root growth inhibition in both quinoa and Arabidopsis. Moreover, overexpression of CqRALF15 in Arabidopsis results in enhanced leaf bleaching under salt stress, indicating that CqRALF15 is involved in salt stress response. Together, our study characterizes CqCrRLK1L and CqRALF family genes in quinoa at genomic, transcriptional, and protein levels, and provides evidence to support their roles in salt stress response.

Ecosystem Services of Ecosystem Approach to Mariculture: Providing an Unprecedented Opportunity for the Reform of China’s Sustainable Aquaculture

China is the biggest provider of mariculture products, and the industry is still growing rapidly. Increasing scientific evidence indicates that mariculture may provide valuable ecosystem goods and services in China. Here, we performed a systematic literature review of studies with the aim of understanding the ecosystem services of mariculture and a comprehensive review of ecosystem approaches that may improve mariculture ecosystem services and goods in China. We highlight four ecosystem services functions in China, including food supply, nutrient extraction, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. Given the further reform of China’s mariculture, we outlined several ecosystem approaches including integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), carrying capacity assessment and monitoring, marine spatial planning, and waste treatment and recirculating mariculture system. We conclude that the ecosystem services of the ecosystem approach to mariculture provide an unprecedented opportunity for the reform of China’s sustainable aquaculture. Finally, a synthesis of sustainable development of mariculture, along with the five recommendations for future mariculture development in China, is outlined.

Milk, meat, and human edible protein from dual-purpose cattle in Costa Rica: Impact of functional unit and co-product handling methods on predicted enteric methane allocation

In many developing countries, milk and meat produced from dual-purpose cattle systems contribute substantially to the national supply of animal-derived human-edible protein (HEP). Defining a main product and a co-product may be difficult in these diversified systems because of the large spatial variation and possibly rapid temporal variation in the contribution of each product within a farm and among farms. Few studies have investigated the impact of the milk-to-meat ratio output of cattle systems of developing countries on allocation of greenhouse gases when using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In this study, we analysed data collected from 677 Costa Rican farms with the objectives of 1) developing a field-based methodological framework to quantify the contribution of milk, meat, and HEP from milk and meat in dual-purpose systems relevant to developing countries, and 2) evaluating the effect of the functional unit (FU), co-products handling methods, and milk-to-meat ratio on how predicted enteric methane (CH4) would be allocated in an LCA of dual-purpose systems of contrasting orientation (towards beef vs. towards dairy). Farms were categorized based on farmer-reported farm income from milk sales relative to income from both milk and animal sales: Beef (BS; <1%), Dual-purpose towards beef (DP-B; 1–39%), Dual-purpose with dairy and beef in similar proportion (DP-DB; 40–59%), Dual-purpose towards dairy (DP-D; 60–89%), and Dairy (DS; 90–100%). Enteric CH4 emission was predicted from reported herd structure and emission factors per animal category (adult female, adult male, heifer and steer), and allocated to milk as the main product (FU = 1 kg of milk) with meat as a co-product or reported per kg of HEP. To allocate emissions to milk and meat, we used the following methods: (a) All-to-milk, (b) mass-based, (c) biological-based, and (d) system expansion. Milk and HEP production were significantly greater in DS compared to other systems. Emission attributed to milk varied from 66% to 100% when using all-to-milk, mass-based, and biological allocation methods but from −1% to 44% when using system expansion. Low productivity and high emission intensity of meat for the alternative system, leading to unrealistically high meat emission deduction, explained the substantially lower percentage of emission attributed to milk for system expansion compared to the other methods. All-to-milk and mass-based allocation methods were insensitive to change in milk-to-meat ratio of the system but increasing ratio altered substantially the partitioning of emission between milk and meat when using biological allocation and system expansion. Depending on the allocation method used, the imputed emission intensity of meat varied from zero (all-to-milk) to 13.4 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) as CH4/ kg of meat (system expansion). Using HEP does not capture the importance of other nutrients in animal source foods but helped resolve LCA methodological issues of concern for dual-purpose cattle systems of developing countries.

Quality assessment of linseed oil

The nutritional structure of various categories of Russian citizens is characterized by insufficient consumption of especially biologically valuable food nutrients, such as vitamins, microelements, polyunsaturated fatty acids. Currently, more and more consumers are paying attention to the fullness of the diet with useful components, i.e. the problem of healthy nutrition of the population is becoming more and more important every year. Vegetable oils and products based on them hold a valuable place among the products related to healthy food. They have a significant calorie content (850-900 kcal per 100 g), but at the same time they differ from animal fats in the absence of cholesterol. They are suppliers of essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, phospholipids, sterols and tocopherols to the body. The unique properties and composition of linseed oil are noted. Fatty acid composition, organoleptic assessment and acid value index of seven samples of linseed oil from various Russian manufacturers were analyzed in order to determine their quality. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of the oil samples showed that 28% of the samples did not fall within the ranges stipulated by the regulatory documents for the content of linoleic and linolenic acids. Almost 60% of linseed oil samples had rather high scores (7.0-8.5 points) for taste and smell. Organoleptic characteristics associated with possible falsification by other types of vegetable oils were noted in 30% of the samples. Analysis of the acid value, as an indicator of oxidative deterioration of the product, showed that all samples of linseed oil had no signs of deep oxidative deterioration.

RESPONSIBLE EATING AND REJUVENATION FOR HEALTHY RETIREMENT

The paper looked at the concept of responsible eating, its relationship with healthy living and how it can besuccessfully practiced at the different stages of growth unto retirement. It also addressed the consequencesof irresponsible eating and its cumulative effect over time especially during aging and retirement.Irresponsible eating was found to result in buildup of sugars, food additives, free radicals and toxicsubstances in the body and its corresponding health implications over time. The paper indicated thepossibility of cell renewal or generation from food nutrients through consistent responsible eating which canreverse the ill – health indicators through rejuvenation of body cells. The steps to rejuvenation, foods neededfor cell regeneration as well as other conditions necessary for sustainable rejuvenation were discussed.Rejuvenation is possible through consistent responsible eating before, during and after retirement. The paperrecommended among others that cell renewal and cell generating diets should be adopted through dailyresponsible eating habits to prevent and manage the aging process and the degenerative diseases for healthyretirement.

Food Image-based Nutritional Management System to Overcome Polycystic Ovary Syndrome using DeepLearning: A Systematic Review

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the growing non-communicable diseases in those women who do not take proper nutrients in their meals. Medically, it is not proven that an unhealthy diet is the only cause of PCOS, but it is one of the major causes behind this disease. PCOS is an endocrine disorder that influences 8–10% of women at their reproductive age and may cause infertility or other health problems. Deep Learning (DL) is a popular technique to classify the food images for identifying the nutrients in the food. This work considers food image datasets (FOOD-101, UEC-256, UEC-100, etc.) to analyze the food image using pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and a nutritional information dataset for identifying the nutrients in food. The proposed study aims to find the solution to overcome the PCOS problem in women by tracking nutrient intake using food images and recommending the diet. Further, this study will also provide comprehensive review of image classification and recommendation techniques that may help the dieticians to track the nutrient intake using food images provided by PCOS patients to overcome the disease.

Isolation of indigenous microorganisms from the liquid produced by the bioprocess of corn straw as direct fed microbials

Abstract. Tasripin DS, Yuniarti E, Mutaqin BK. 2022. Isolation of indigenous microorganisms from the liquid produced by the bioprocess of corn straw as direct fed microbials. Biodiversitas 23: 3452-3456. Digestion of ruminants is highly dependent on microbial activity of rumen. Rumen microbes are responsible for degrading food nutrients into simpler components that can be easily utilized by the body. In order to improve the rumen ecosystem, the Direct Fed Microbials (DFM) was added. The addition of DFM to feed can be in the form of a mixture of several beneficial microbes (such as from the group of bacteria, yeast, and fungi) for the body of livestock. This group of microorganisms can be obtained from the results of the bioprocess of bioprocessed materials such as corn straw. In order to obtain the right microorganisms to be used as DFM, it is necessary to isolate the results of the bioprocess. The analysis was carried out by purification of indigenous microorganisms from the bioprocess of corn straw. Microbial purification can be done by isolation of microbes on agar media such as Nutrient Agar, MRS, and PDA by incubation to obtain a single cell. The results showed that isolation of the liquid from the bioprocess of corn straw was obtained in the form of Coccus and Bacilli which included gram-positive bacteria which were found to be dominant after incubation and microbial staining.

Five small antelope species diets indicate different levels of anthrodependence in the Overberg Renosterveld, South Africa

AbstractThe Overberg area, Western Cape, South Africa is highly suitable for agricultural practices and has subsequently been severely transformed over the last four centuries. This has created a novel habitat for many wildlife species. The objective of this study was to determine the forage use of five antelope species and thereby assess their level of anthrodependence in terms of diet. The five species were bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus), Cape grysbok (Rhaphicerus melanotis), common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), grey rhebok (Pelea capreolus) and steenbok (Rhaphicerus campestris). To do this, we performed a histological analysis on dung samples collected. Our study indicated a high ratio of anthropogenic to natural vegetation in the diets of bushbuck, grey rhebok and steenbok, as anthropogenic vegetation presented a high nutrient food resource, which is easily accessible. However, Cape grysbok and common duiker indicated a higher use of natural vegetation. The results indicated that all the species benefit from the resources offered by the altered landscape and that some species may be dependent on these resources while others appear to be more dependent on the pockets of natural vegetation in the landscape.

Seven Businesses Using Principles of Circular Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Results of Field Research in Uganda.

Sub-Saharan Africa is facing multiple challenges regarding waste management, economic productivity, and climate change, all of which seriously endanger sustainable development. The concept of circular economy provides potential solutions for addressing this complex, multidimensional challenge. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the academic research and understanding of the circular economy’s status, its application, and its limits in the Sub-Saharan African context. Therefore, the study presents seven Ugandan businesses and entrepreneurs which apply circu- lar economy practices in their operations based on field research conducted in May 2021. The examples touch on plastic recycling, agriculture, carpentry, textile, and paper and packaging industries. The main economic benefits generated are lower input costs, saved waste management costs, and better products for consumers. The improvement of waste collection as well as the reduction of waste landfills and GHG emissions can be considered the most significant environmental benefits. Beside job and additional income creation, better hygienic conditions and improved food nutrient content represent important social benefits. The primary challenges are formed by machinery and production problems which, along with fierce competition over imported products, limit the achievement of economies of scale to support economic sustainability of these initiatives.

Dietary changes based on food purchase patterns following a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

The study explores whether type 2 diabetes (T2D) diagnosis affects food consumption patterns in line with the dietary recommendations provided to individuals in relation to a diagnosis. Based on detailed food purchase data, we explore which dietary changes are most common following a T2D diagnosis. Changes are investigated for several energy-adjusted nutrients and food groups and overall adherence to dietary guidelines. We use data on diagnosis of T2D and hospitalisation in relation to T2D for a sample of adult Danes registered in the official patient register. This is combined with detailed scanner data on food purchases, which are used as a proxy for dietary intake. We included 274 individuals in Denmark who are diagnosed during their participation in a consumer panel where they report their food purchases and 16 395 individuals who are not diagnosed. Results suggest some changes in dietary composition following diagnosis, as measured by a Healthy Eating Index and for specific food groups and nutrients, although the long-term effects are limited. Socio-economic characteristics are poor predictors of dietary changes following diagnosis. Change in diet following diagnosis vary with the pre-diagnosis consumption patterns, where individuals with relatively unhealthy overall diets prior to diagnosis improve overall healthiness more compared to individuals with relatively healthy diets prior to diagnosis. Adherence to dietary advice is low, on average, but there is large variation in behavioural change between the diagnosed individuals. Our results stress the difficulty for diagnosed individuals to shift dietary habits, particularly in the long term.