Homemade Food Research Articles

An Analysis of Factors Affecting Online Shopping of Homemade Foods in Sultanate of Oman

An Analysis of Factors Affecting Online Shopping of Homemade Foods in Sultanate of Oman

Awareness, Availability, and Usage of Probiotic Foods by Local Food Pantry Participants

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this research is two-fold: first, we have surveyed food pantry participants to assess their knowledge and selection of probiotic-containing foods; and second, we have evaluated and compared the availability and viability of probiotic cultures in the cheese and yogurts available at a local food pantry, in a retail market, and in fresh, homemade food products. Methods This study examined the availability, awareness, and usage of probiotic-containing food by food pantry participants. The study consisted of two parts. The first part examined the awareness and usage of probiotic foods by the food pantry participants that were evaluated by a validated survey. The survey was conducted with participants from four different food pantries in Wisconsin in September-October 2017. Survey data were analyzed by using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 24.0, 2016, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and Pearson Chi-Squared analyses were used to examine the awareness and usage of probiotics by the participants. The second part analyzed the viability of probiotic bacteria in various kinds of yogurt and cheese available in a local food pantry as well as store-bought, high-quality cheese and yogurt, and homemade yogurt in the laboratory. Lactobacillus app. in the cheese and yogurt samples were isolated by MRS agar. The special formula was used to calculate the number of Lactobacillus app. in the samples. Results The results show 82.9% of survey participants (n = 205) reported that they heard the word probiotics, but only 44% of those are knowledgeable on probiotics. Importantly, knowledge of probiotics correlates to increased consumption of yogurt but not pickles and cheese. Lactobacillus viability did not vary significantly between expensive and cheap yogurt brands but was absent in processed yogurt and cheese. Conclusions Probiotics could be found in the food pantries but only in a limited quantity and frequency. Thus, nutrition education and interventions are needed to educate the food pantry directors on the importance of probiotic foods, especially dairy products. Also, there is a need to educate food pantry participants about probiotics. Funding Sources Student Research Grant; Research Services, University of Wisconsin-Stout.

PREVALENCE, PATTERN AND DETERMINANTS OF FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AMONG SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN IN JOS METROPOLIS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA: AN IMPLICATION FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION

Motivation/Background: In 2001, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 60 percent of 56 million deaths worldwide and 47% of global burden of disease. In all countries, evidence suggested underlying determinants of NCDs were largely same. These include increased consumption of rapidly processed energy-dense nutrient-poor foods high in fat, sugar, salt and reduced levels of physical activity. The objective of this study was to determine prevalence, pattern and determinants of fast foods consumption among school age children in Jos metropolis.
 Method: In this study, we used descriptive cross-sectional study and included 347 mothers or care givers with children age 6 to 12 years in our sample size. We applied structured interviewer-administered questionnaire during data collection and analyzed the data with SPSS version 21.0.
 Results: Prevalence of fast food consumption among school age children in Jos metropolis in the last one week is 91.1%. Knowledge of health risk associated with fast food consumption was 86.5%. Flour based fast food were most commonly consumed. We established an association between meal skipping, fast food advertisement and fast food consumption.
 Conclusions: We recommend the need to focus public enlightenment on health risk associated with fast food consumption among school age children. Likewise, children should be encouraged to carry home-made food to school and legislation on fast food advertisement directed at children should be enacted.

Serum concentration of 25 (OH) vitamin D in healthy dogs: factors as age, sex, and diet

The main source of vitamin D in dogs is their diet. Information on vitamin D in dogs and on factors that may influence the serum concentration of 25(OH)D are still scarce. This study aimed at determining serum 25(OH)D values in healthy dogs and evaluating its association with factors such as sex, age, and diet. Blood samples were collected from healthy intact male and female dogs divided into two groups: (G1) 30 dogs (Beagles), 15 adults and 15 puppies, receiving standardized diet; (G2) 29 dogs of different breeds, adults, receiving varied diets. The 25(OH)D was analyzed by the chemiluminescence method. Serum levels of 25(OH)D are not associated with sex, but the concentration is lower in puppies (30.6 ng/mL) than in adults (34.9 ng/mL) (G1), P < 0.05. There was no difference between the types of diet: commercial food (40.6 ng/mL), and the combination of commercial and homemade food (36.0 ng/mL), P = 0.2. The concentration of 25(OH)D may not be directly associated with vitamin D intake (G1), P = 0.08, which emphasizes the importance of considering and investigating multiple variables that may influence the availability of vitamin D in their circulation.

Production, Isolation and Identification of Microbes in Home-made Complementary Food Flour Based on Maize-Pigeon Pea Flour

Maize (zea- mays) and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) were processed into flour by local methods (malting/germination and fermentation) and used in formulating composite complementary foods at different proportions (75:25%), (25:75%) and (50:50%) respectively. The blends were formulated according to fermented maize to fermented pigeon pea, germinated maize to germinated pigeon pea respectively. The microbial contents of the raw maize flour, raw pigeon pea flour and the processed samples were evaluated using standard microbiological methods.. The total heterotrophic bacterial count (13.6 x 106cfu/ml), total heterotrophic fungal counts (3.0 x 106cfu/ml), total coliform counts (11.6 x 106cfu/ml), and total microbial isolates were all higher in the raw flour compared to the processed flour (4.2 x 106cfu/ml, 1.0 x 106cfu/ml, 4.2 x 106cfu/ml, 1.0 x 106cfu/ml and 3.0 x 106cfu/ml) respectively. The bacteria isolated were predominantly in the raw flour mainly Bacillus spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus sp, Pseudomonas sp, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp, Proteus sp and Streptococcus sp. The fungal isolates were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillin sp, Geotrium sp, Trichophytum rubrium, candida sp and Rhizopus sp. Indicator microorganisms were isolated only in the raw maize and pigeon pea but were not observed in the germinated, fermented and composite blends. Microbial load in the processed and composite blends fall within the level of acceptance (104 - &lt; 106cfu/ml) of the microbiological reference criteria for such foods. This work, therefore concludes that raw flour samples are not suitable as complementary food in the feeding of children.

Tiffin Ordering System

Tiffin Delivery System facilitates the customers and small scale Homemade food businesses/mess to manage and control their business through online platforms. Tiffin Delivery System is introduced to overcome the dis-advantages of the traditional mess food delivery system. This system improves the procedure of taking the order from customers with the use of technology. The application sets up a food menu online and customers can easily view this menu online and place the order according to their food choices. This system also provides the feature on vendor side that once the order is arrived on vendor side from customer, vendor can accept or cancel that order as per the resource availability. For more secured ordering specificand private accounts are maintained for each user by providing them an unique Users ID and Password which is generated after successfully registering into the application.

Association of age of initiation and type of complementary foods with body mass index and weight-for-length at 12 months of age in preterm infants.

To assess whether in very preterm infants (1) body mass index (BMI) Z-score and weight-for-length (WtFL) Z-score at 1 year of age and (2) head growth from discharge to 1 year are associated with breastfeeding at discharge and the age of onset and type of complementary foods. Observational cohort study. Infants started on only ready-made complementary (RMC) feedings at ≤26 weeks adjusted age had the highest adjusted BMI Z-score and WtFL Z-score at 1 year of age. Adjusted change in fronto-occipital circumference was highest in infants either discharged on breastmilk or receiving home-made complementary food with/without RMC (HMM) at ≤26 weeks adjusted age. Infants started on RMC ≤26 weeks adjusted age had the highest BMI Z-score and WtFL Z-score at 1 year. Head growth from discharge to 1 year was highest in infants either discharged on breastmilk or receiving HMM at ≤26 weeks adjusted age.

1인 가구의 유형화와 인터넷상의 식품구입 요인분석

This study examined the characteristics of single-person households and classified their types by applying the multi-variate techniques of factor and cluster analyses. Data for the study were obtained from the survey data by KREI 2016 with 588 cases. Using factor analysis to analyze the characteristics of single-person households, 16 basic variables were categorized into four common factors: ‘Consumer competency’, ‘Not to cook’, ‘Dietary change’, and ‘Food consumption’. From cluster analysis, single-person households were classified into five groups. Among the five groups, Group3 and Group4 are potentially huge consumers in the on-line food market. Both groups are young and intelligent and often use on-line food shopping, but Group3 prefers home-made food, whereas Group4 tended to eat out. Therefore, different marketing strategies for different groups were suggested. In addition, the logit model was estimated to determine which factor is the most influential in on-line food purchases.

Allium sativum, Rosmarinus officinalis, and Salvia officinalis Essential Oils: A Spiced Shield against Blowflies.

Blowflies are known vectors of many foodborne pathogens and unintentional human ingestion of maggots by meat consumption may lead to intestinal myiasis. In fact, the control of insect pests is an important aspect of industrial and home-made food processing and blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), which are among the most important pests involved in the damage of meat products. Most spices, largely used in food preparations and industry, contain essential oils that are toxic and repellent against insects and exert antimicrobial activity. In this study, we assessed the electro-antennographic responses, the oviposition deterrence, the toxicity, and the repellence of the essential oils (EOs) of Allium sativum L., Salvia officinalis L., and Rosmarinus officinalis L. against the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria L. We tested the EOs antibacterial and antifungal properties and the efficacy of an A. sativum EO-charged mist sprayed in the tunnel entryway of a meat processing room to form an olfactive barrier against the entrance of flies. The results showed that the EOs are perceived by female blowfly’ antennae and exert an evident repellent activity against them completely deterring the oviposition for up to 24 h starting from the concentration of 2.5 μL cm−2 EO. The EOs also exhibited toxic activity by both topical application (LD50 from 0.44 to 1.97 μL insect−1) and fumigation (LC50 from 1.76 to 31.52 μL L−1) against adults of C. vomitoria and were able to exert a clear antimicrobial activity toward pathogens. Lastly, the EO-charged mist was able to reduce by about 40% the presence of Calliphoridae in the meat processing room of a dry-ham factory.

Home production, market substitutes, and the labor supply of mothers

We study the interaction among the home production of food, the market for industrialized food, and the labor supply of mothers. For this, we introduce a model of child nutrition based on two substitutes. Industrialized food is produced in an imperfectly competitive market where its price, quality, and quantity are endogenously determined. Home-produced food is superior in quality but is time-consuming to make and, thus, entails opportunity costs for mothers. We derive the equilibrium and the socially optimal quality of industrialized food. Finally, we suggest government policies to boost the labor supply of mothers and social welfare, including setting regulatory quality standards and supporting technological changes in the production of industrialized and homemade food.

Now I Am The Voice: "a journey of self-discovery through the eyes of a Thalassemic".

Now I Am The Voice: "a journey of self-discovery through the eyes of a Thalassemic".

Food Selection Under Stress Among Undergraduate Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BackgroundUniversity students might experience numerous sources of stress in their daily lives. Previous research has found that stress affects food selection patterns, but the effect might vary by country and sex. No previous study conducted in Saudi Arabia has assessed the association between stress and dietary habits among university students. Thus, this study aimed to examine the association between perceived stress and food selection patterns among undergraduate students by sex at King Saud University (KSU).MethodsA cross-sectional study of 400 students attending the College of Applied Medical Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was conducted. The self-administered questionnaire that was used consisted of three sections: sociodemographic, food frequency questionnaire, and Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale.ResultsApproximately (59.0%) of the participants reported suffering from some level of stress, with more females (64.5%) experiencing stress than males (54.0%). The univariate analysis showed that under stress, more females (68.0%) reported eating more than usual than males (49.0%), while the percentage of respondents that reported eating less than usual was higher for females (23.0%) than that for males (31.0%). The McNemar test indicated that under stress, there was an increased preference for salty flavors, which was not associated with sex. Significantly more females (82.0%) than males (64.5%) reported preferring sweets under stress. More males reported preferring bitter and savory flavors than females. Under stress, females preferred homemade food, while males preferred takeout foods. More females (68.0%) reported losing control and overeating than males (49.0%). A logistic regression showed that for female students, perceived stress was associated with frequent consumption of sweets, cake/cookies, snacks and beverages and less frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables. For males, the consumption of fast food and meat was significantly positively associated with perceived stress.ConclusionPerceived stress led to unhealthy changes in eating patterns in both sexes, as evidenced by reports of an increased preference for sweets, snacks and cake/cookies among females and an increased preference for fast food and meat among males. These results may be potentially important targets for interventions for stress-related food consumption.

Perbedaan status gizi bayi usia 6-9 bulan yang diberi MPASI buatan pabrik dan rumah

The differences of nutritional status of 6-9 months old infant given factory-made and homemade complementary foodsBackground: The nutritional status of 6-9 months old babies depend on the amount of nutrition acquired from breastmilk and complementary food. The incorrect feeding of complementary food may contribute to poor nutritional status. Objective: This study aims to illustrate the nutritional status of factory-made and homemade complementary food, and analyze the difference in the nutritional status of infants given factory-made and homemade complementary food.Methods: This is an analytic, observational, and cross-sectional study, conducted in seven villages within the scope of Puskesmas Jatinangor, Jatinangor Sub-district, Sumedang Regency in August-October 2018. The samples were 102 babies 6-9 months old obtained through total sampling. The variables of this study include the type of complementary food, and infant nutritional status with weight for age, length for age, and weight for height index.Results: Complementary food consumption is dominated by factory-made type (69.6%). Macronutrients which are energy and protein and micronutrients which are vitamins from both types of complementary food already fulfill the daily recommended dietary allowances for babies, except for minerals which are calcium, iron, and zinc. Chi-Square test results showed an insignificant difference in the nutritional status of babies (p=0,881 for BW/A; p=0.194 for BH/A; and p=0,599 for BW/BH) based on the type of complementary food given.Conclusions: Nutritional contents of macro and micronutrients from both types of complementary food have fulfilled the recommended dietary allowances for complementary food, except for the minerals calcium, iron, and zinc. There wasn’t a considerable difference in nutritional status between those acquired through factory-made and homemade complementary food.

Effect of commercial medicinal feeds on the physical and chemical properties of urine

For the study, two groups of cats were formed at the age of 1 to 4 years in the amount of 6 animals each. According to research it was found that cats are more likely to suffer from urolithiasis than cats. At the same time, in the percentage ratio of the difference between castrated and non-castrated cats with urolithiasis, it was not expressed explicitly (29.01% and 31.49%, respectively, of the total number of sick animals). The highest percentage of incidence of urolithiasis was recorded in sterilized cats (23.98%). It was found that after feeding animals with commercial feed in the studied time there is a decrease in the number of struvites in the urine. The greatest decrease in struvite count was determined after feeding cats with Hills prescription diet urinary care c/d multicare. There is also a change in the acid-base state of urine when feeding Hills prescription diet urinary care c/d multicare by 10.9% and 13.1% and Hills prescription diet urinary care c/d multicare by 12.3% and 9.5% to 3 and 6 months, respectively. Significant differences in urine density after feeding with commercial feed and homemade food have not been established.

SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN DOGS AND CATS DOMICILED IN THE WEST OF SANTA CATARINA, BRAZIL

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan with worldwide distribution, responsible for causing toxoplasmosis, a disease that affects mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. The objective of this study was to evaluate T. gondii seroprevalence in dogs and cats domiciled in cities from West and Serrana mesoregions of Santa Catarina. A total of 338 blood samples, 211 from dogs and 127 from cats were collected and submitted to the indirect haemagglutination technique (IHT) for the detection of anti-T. gondii antibodies. Epidemiological questionnaire asking for information related to gender, breed, temperament, behavior, immunity, body index, diet, ectoparasites, access to the streets, hunting habit was applied to the animals owners. The results were 71.89% (243/338) of seropositive animals, being 69.19% (146/211) dogs and 76.38% (97/127) cats. The variable that presented statistical significance was commercial ration for dogs as protection factor. The present study demonstrates a high prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in dogs and cats domiciled in West and Serrana mesoregions of Santa Catarina state, Brazil. Through the obtained results we can reinforce the importance of feeding dogs with commercial food, rather than home-made food, avoiding the consumption of raw or undercooked meat by the animals.

Ecological momentary assessment of the snacking environments of children from racially/ethnically diverse households

Children consume nearly one-third of their daily energy intake as snacks (i.e., eating occasions that occur between meals); thus there is a growing interest in understanding what snacking occasions look like in the homes of young children. This study makes use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to 1) examine differences in the contextual factors, including location, food preparation style, people present, presence of media devices, and overall atmosphere, between meal and snack occasions; and 2) explore differences in the context of snacking occasions across children's gender and weight status. Data for the current study came from the Family Matters Study, which included 150 families with children aged 5–7 years old (n = 25 from each of the following groups: Black/African American, Hispanic, Hmong, Native American, Somali, White). Parents completed an 8-day EMA observation period, during which they were surveyed after each eating occasion with the study child; questions explored contextual factors including location, food preparation style, people present, presence of media devices, and the overall atmosphere of each eating occasion. Differences between meals and snacks were observed; a smaller percentage of snacks (compared to meals) were prepared by the parent, consisted of only homemade food, and were planned ahead of time, as opposed to being served in response to a child's request. Snacks were more likely than other meals to be eaten on the couch and in the presence of a screen. Furthermore, important differences in snacking context were observed by child gender and weight status. Findings illuminate opportunities to improve children's overall dietary intake via interventions focused on improving the quality of foods served during snacks, as well as the contextual environment in which snacks are eaten.

Production of Fish Feed from Soy Residue and Shrimp Waste using Tapioca as Binding Agent

The most used fish feed in cultivation activities is commercial feed that spends most of total cultivation cost. One of the effort to solve this problem is providing homemade fish food. The pellet based on local waste raw materials can reduce dependency of commercial fish feed. One of the local wastes that can be used is soy residue and shrimp waste. Tapioca is used as a binding agent for fish pellet. The aim of the research was to study the effect of raw material composition and binding agent concentration on proximate value, performance and mechanical strength. The research was conducted in several steps such as raw materials pretreatment, the experiment of raw materials and binding agent formulation, mixing, extrusion, prilling process, drying process, and product analysis (proximate and performance analysis). There are five formulations of raw materials and three different of formulation on binding agents. The drying process was done in 50°C and the product was then analyzed. The result shows that formulation with 30% soy residue, 60% shrimp waste and 10% binding agent resulted in a product with good proximate value (11.23% moisture content, 17.64% ash, 1.33% fat, 25.10% fiber, 29.54% protein). Increasing the percentage of binding agents resulted in higher mechanical strength and higher performance.

Application of an Integrated Cooking Pan in Sambal Production

Sambal is one of the complementary foods that a favourite of many people. Sambal Sedep Oma (SSO) is one of the small medium enterprises (SMEs) that produces sambal in Semarang which becomes a partner for the community service program of Regional Excellent Product Development Program (Program Pengembangan Produk Unggulan Daerah PPPUD) funded by the DRPM RISTEKDIKTI. So far, SSO has produced various flavours of sambal such as sere sambal, onion sambal, smoked fish sambal, and salted fish sambal. All SSO products already have homemade food numbers (Pangan Industri Rumah Tangga, PIRT) and certified with halal. Hence, SSO has the potency to expand the marketing area and increase its capacity. However, this SME potency has an obstacle in the cooking process that takes a time for the production. It takes about 2 h cooking process with continuous stirring to avoid inhomogeneity and overcooked sambal in some spots. Moreover, the use of a shallow wide cooking pan makes the stirring process is difficult for large capacity. The team of PPPUD proposed to use a deep-cooking pan which integrated with motored stirring. This cooking tool consists of a stove, a deep cooking pan and stirrer equipped with a motor. The evaluation showed that the application of this equipment insignificant in reducing the cooking time but help in maintaining the consistency of the product quality. Although reducing 2.85% of profit per batch production, application this equipment has successfully reduced the number of involved workers in the sambal production.

Bisphenol A in infant urine and baby-food samples among 9- to 15-month-olds

Diet is the predominant source of bisphenol A (BPA) intake, but limited data are available on BPA levels in the diet of younger infants. This study investigated BPA levels in baby-food and urine samples collected from young infants (under 2 years old). Samples of homemade baby food (n = 210) and urine (n = 187) were collected at 9, 12, and 15 months after birth from a panel of Korean infants (n = 173). BPA levels in urine and food were measured using HPLC-MS/MS and GC–MS, respectively. BPA was above the limit of detection (LOD) in 85.5–85.7% of the urine samples and 32.5–76.3% of the baby-food samples. The median levels of BPA were 0.45 ng/g wet weight (IQR: not detectable to 5.16 ng/g wet weight) in homemade baby food, 0.93 μg/L (IQR: <LOD to 2.66 μg/L) in unadjusted urine samples, and 0.94 μg/L (IQR: <LOD to 2.80 μg/L) in urine samples adjusted for specific gravity. The BPA levels detected in this study were comparable or lower compared to previously reported levels of BPA in baby-food and infant urine samples. The BPA concentrations in the baby food of 15-month-old children (median: 5.09 ng/g) were significantly greater than those detected at 9 or 12 months of age (median: <LOD and 0.47 ng/g, respectively). Considering that the dietary changes from solid food with high water content to solid food as infants grew were accompanied by greater exposure to BPA, it is noteworthy that urinary BPA levels did not significantly differ according to infants' age. These results suggest that solid food with high water content did not drive the internal dose in younger infants, implying that there may have been other sources of exposure in their baby-food (other than weaning-food) and the environment, although further study would be needed to confirm this possibility.

Street food in Dushanbe, Tajikistan: availability and nutritional value.

Street food is part of the culture in central Asia. Although nourishing food can be found, unhealthier options are becoming increasingly popular - a marker of nutrition transition. The nutritional composition of street food in urban settings is, however, unknown. The objective of the present study was, thus, to characterise the street food availability in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. A total of 800 street food vending sites in public markets were selected through random and systematic procedures. Trained interviewers collected data on vending sites' characteristics, location and food available. Samples of the most commonly available food were collected (ninety-nine homemade and thirty-five industrial). Macronutrients were quantified through proximate analysis. Fruit, drinks and food other than fruits were available, respectively, in 4·5, 40·5 and 87·4 %, of the vending sites. Among the latter, 63·6 % sold only homemade (e.g. bread, traditional dishes, snacks, pastries, sandwiches and cakes), 19·3 % only industrial (e.g. bread, snacks, pastries and cookies) and 17·1 % both types of food. Homemade food presented higher energy per serving compared with industrial food (median 452 v. 276 kcal/serving (1891 v. 1155 kJ/serving); P < 0·001). A high content of SFA (soup: 10·9 g/serving) and trans-fatty acids (cakes: 1·8 g/serving) was also found in homemade food. However, industrial wafers showed the highest content of these fatty acids (12·9 g/serving and 2·5 g/serving, respectively). Soft drinks were available in 68·5 % of the vending sites selling beverages. Homemade and industrial street food, with heterogeneous nutritional value, were widely available in Dushanbe. Hence, policies promoting the availability of healthy food should be encouraged.