Kilogram Of Food Research Articles

Determination of Diffusion Coefficients of Bisphenol A (BPA) in Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) to Estimate Migration of BPA from Recycled PET into Foods

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a known substance that is found in food contact materials as an intentionally added as well as a non-intentionally added substance. Traces of BPA were found as a non-intentionally added substance in recycled PET (rPET). In 2023, the EFSA proposed a new TDI of 0.0002 µg/kg bw/d, which is lower than the previous (temporary) TDI of 4 µg/kg bw/d by a factor of 20,000. The TDI of 0.0002 µg/kg bw/d would translate for a default 60 kg person eating one kilogram of food into a migration limit of 0.012 µg/kg in the food. This very low migration limit is a challenge to measuring BPA levels in food. A solution is to use migration modeling to establish maximum concentrations in rPET for different food contact applications. Precise diffusion coefficients for BPA in PET were determined within this study by use of migration kinetics. In June 2024, the European Commission proposed a new migration threshold limit for BPA of 1 µg/kg, which should be understood as a detection limit. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that a BPA concentration in the PET bottle wall of 297 mg/kg (3% acetic acid), 255 mg/kg (10% ethanol), and 192 mg/kg (20% ethanol) after storage for 365 d at 25 °C is in compliance with the migration threshold limit of 1 µg/kg. These maximum concentrations are far above the measured BPA concentrations on rPET bottles in Europe between 2019 and 2023. Therefore, the new proposed migration threshold limit for BPA cannot be exceeded.

Affordable Nutrient Density: Toward Economic Indicators of Sustainable Healthy Diets

Economics represents one of the four dimensions of sustainable nutrition. Affordable nutrient density is a key indicator of access to sustainable healthy diets. While the nutritional value of foods is assessed using nutrient density metrics, affordability metrics assess energy content and nutritional value of foods in relation to their cost. To be nutrition-relevant, such economic indicators are normally expressed in terms of monetary cost per calorie or per nutrient, as opposed to food weight. Affordability of healthy foods can also be related to the relative cost of staple grains and linked to local wages, incomes, and community purchasing power. The same concepts can be extended to the carbon cost of food production. In parallel with the affordability metrics, greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental costs ought to be calculated per 1000 kcal or per nutrient rather than per kilogram of food. Foods and food patterns need to be nutrient-rich, affordable, culturally appropriate, and appealing, and with low impact on natural resources. In this perspective article, we critically reflect on the linkages between the economic and health dimensions of sustainable nutrition and discuss some of the inherent tensions and synergies among them. Finally, we propose an approach to better integrate economic and sustainability considerations in the nutrition policy. Policy goals should prioritize balancing the nutritional value of food against its monetary or environmental cost.

Future of food: Innovating towards sustainable healthy diets

Future of food: Innovating towards sustainable healthy diets

Food Loss and Waste in Meat Sector—Why the Consumption Stage Generates the Most Losses?

The aim of this paper is to present data on the scale of food waste in the meat sector and to emphasize the need to disseminate measures to reduce the number of losses in this sector. The article discusses food loss and waste in the meat sector as a current, widespread and serious problem. The Web of Science database was searched up to March 2021 to find publications reporting studies of the food loss and waste with particular emphasis on the meat sector. Due to the relatively high consumption of meat and meat products, the level of losses during production and of product waste by consumers in consumer stage becomes significant. It is estimated that as much as 23% of production in the meat sector is lost and wasted. The largest share is generated at the consumption level, representing 64% of the total food waste, followed by manufacturing (20%), distribution (12%) and primary production and post-harvest (3.5%). Data on food losses and wastage in the meat sector are very limited, and at the same time the production of meat and meat products is characterized by an unfavorable impact on the environment (meat has the highest emissions per kilogram of food compared to other food products), which requires rational management of these products in the entire chain (production, processing, transport and consumer stage). Therefore, determining the size and causes of formation as well as the methods of reducing food losses and food waste throughout the meat sector is important both for economic and environmental reasons. The idea behind food loss and waste reduction should be as an opportunity to improve efficiency within businesses, redirect food to those who need it and reduce environmental impacts.

Europe's Farm to Fork Strategy and Its Commitment to Biotechnology and Organic Farming: Conflicting or Complementary Goals?

The European Commission's Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy, under the European Green Deal, acknowledges that innovative techniques, including biotechnology, may play a role in increasing sustainability. At the same time, organic farming will be promoted, and at least 25% of the EU's agricultural land shall be under organic farming by 2030. How can both biotechnology and organic farming be developed and promoted simultaneously to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? We illustrate that achieving the SDGs benefits from the inclusion of recent innovations in biotechnology in organic farming. This requires a change in the law. Otherwise, the planned increase of organic production in the F2F strategy may result in less sustainable, not more sustainable, food systems.

Assessing the Direct Resource Requirements of Urban Horticulture in the United Kingdom: A Citizen Science Approach

Interest in urban food production is growing; recent research has highlighted its potential to increase food security and reduce the environmental impact of food production. However, resource demands of urban horticulture are poorly understood. Here, we use allotment gardens in the United Kingdom to investigate resource demands of urban horticultural production across the country. We conducted a nationwide citizen science project using year-long allotment ‘diaries’ with allotment gardeners (n = 163). We analysed a variety of resources: transportation; time; water use; inputs of compost, manure and topsoil; and inputs of fertilisers, pest control and weed control. We found that, overall, an allotment demands 87 annual visits, travelling 139 km to and from the plot; 7 fertiliser additions; 4 pest control additions; and 2 weed control additions. On average, each kilogram of food produced used 0.4 hours’ labour, 16.9 L of water, 0.2 L of topsoil, 2.2 L of manure, and 1.9 L of compost. As interest in urban horticultural production grows, and policy makers build urban horticultural spaces into future sustainable cities, it is of key importance that this is carried out in a way that minimises resource requirements, and we demonstrate here that avenues exist for the diversion of municipal compostable waste and household-level city food waste for this purpose.

The U.S. consumer phosphorus footprint: where do nitrogen and phosphorus diverge?

Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are essential nutrients for food production but their excess use in agriculture can have major social costs, particularly related to water quality degradation. Nutrient footprint approaches estimate N and P release to the environment through food production and waste management and enable linking these emissions to particular consumption patterns. Following an established method for quantifying a consumer-oriented N footprint for the United States (U.S.), we calculate an analogous P footprint and assess the N:P ratio across different stages of food production and consumption. Circa 2012, the average consumer’s P footprint was 4.4 kg P capita−1 yr−1 compared to 22.4 kg N capita−1 yr−1 for the food portion of the N footprint. Animal products have the largest contribution to both footprints, comprising >70% of the average per capita N and P footprints. The N:P ratio of environmental release based on virtual nutrient factors (kilograms N or P per kilogram of food consumed) varies considerably across food groups and stages. The overall N:P ratio of the footprints was lower (5.2 by mass) than for that of U.S. food consumption (8.6), reinforcing our finding that P is managed less efficiently than N in food production systems but more efficiently removed from wastewater. While strategies like reducing meat consumption will effectively reduce both N and P footprints by decreasing overall synthetic fertilizer nutrient demands, consideration of how food production and waste treatment differentially affect N and P releases to the environment can also inform eutrophication management.

Effect of Replacement of Fishmeal With Lima Bean Meal on the Zootechnical Performances of African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) in the Batié Sub-Division, West Region of Cameroun

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the substitution of fishmeal by Lima bean flouron the growth performance, survival rate and feed cost of Clariasgariepinusbetween March and May 2018 within the AIO ICG of the Batié District. It also aimed to contribute to the development of alternative sources of animal protein on a global scale. For this purpose, 300 fry of Clariasgariepinuswith an average weight of 3 ± 1.41g were divided into five batches and fed three times a day with rations corresponding to 5% of their ichthyobiomass. The rations R0, R25 R50, R75 and R100 respectively corresponded to the substitution rates of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of fish meal by that of Lima bean. The physic-chemical characteristics of the water (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrites and nitrates) were measured daily. The following results were obtained: The highest weight gains were obtained with the rations R25 (20.56 ± 0.40 g), R50 (20.64 ± 0.32 g), R75 (20.98 ± 0.46 g) and the lowest with the rations of R100 (16.21 ± 0.28 g). The highest average daily gain were 0.36 ± 0.02 g; 0.37 ± 0.01 g ; 0.38 ± 0.01 g respectively for the R0, R50 and R75 rations and the lowest with R100 (0.29 ± 0.01 g). The highest value of the specific growth rate (2.47 ± 0.07%) was obtained with the ration R0 and the lowest (1.61%) with the ration R100. The consumption index reached its highest and lowest values with the rations R100 (4.74 ± 0.42) and R50 (3.57 ± 0.43) respectively, compared to the value of the ration R0 (3.31 ± 0.37) for this parameter. Concerning the condition factor K, the highest value was recorded with the R50 diet (1.11 ± 0.49) while the lowest value was obtained with the R75 diet (0.95 ± 0.45). The cost of producing one kilogram of food was higher with the R25 ration (504.59 FCFA) and lower with the R100 ration (443.20 FCFA). Our results revealed that incorporating 75% Lima bean flour into the feed increases the growth performance of Clariasgariepinus fry and reduces the cost of food production.

Release of aluminium and thallium ions from uncoated food contact materials made of aluminium alloys into food and food simulant.

In order to investigate the release of aluminium ions from food contact materials, three different types of uncoated aluminium menu trays for single use were tested with the foodstuffs sauerkraut juice, apple sauce and tomato puree, as well as with the food simulants 5 g/L citric acid solution and artificial tap water. To mimic a consumer relevant exposure scenario, the aluminium trays were studied using time and temperature gradients according to the Cook & Chill method, also taking into account storage time at elevated temperatures during the delivery period. The release of aluminium was found to exceed the specific release limit (SRL) of 5 mg aluminium per kilogram of food specified by the Council of Europe by up to six times. Furthermore, a release of thallium was also detected unexpectedly.Kinetic studies showed a comparable behaviour in the release of aluminium, manganese and vanadium as components of the aluminium alloy itself. In contrast, thallium could be identified as a surface contaminant or impurity because of an entirely different kinetic curve. Kinetic studies also allowed activation energy calculations.Additional camping saucepans were tested as an article for repeated use. In three subsequent release experiments with citric acid (5 g/L), artificial tap water and tomato puree as benchmark foodstuffs, the results were comparable to those of the uncoated wrought alloy aluminium trays.

Effects of incorporating agro-industrial by-products into diet of New Zealand rabbits: Case of rebus of date and apricot kernel meal.

Aim:The aim of this study was to determine the effects of incorporating the by-products complex of date and apricot on the fattening performance of the New Zealand breed of rabbits, to reduce the economic costs of the food formula.Materials and Methods:A total of 288 young New Zealand rabbits aged 35 days were divided into four equal groups each containing 72 animals and into sub-groups of 6 rabbits per cage, depending on the rate of substitution of corn by date rebus and of soybean meal by apricot kernel meal (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%).Results:The change in weight from day 35 to 77 and the average daily gain are not significantly different, regardless of the diet. The pH and water content are proportional to the substitution rates (6.4-6.6% and 66.5-68.8%). Meat protein levels increased significantly, in particular for the 10% and 30% groups (+8.1% and 6%) while the fat and mineral content levels decreased significantly, in particular for the 30% group displaying −16% and −17%, respectively. Incorporation of dates and apricot kernel meal into the ration of rabbits reduces the cost of the kilogram of food produced of −9%, with an opportunity cost of 165 Algerian dinars (DZD).Conclusion:The date rebus/apricot kernel meal complex can be used as an alternative to the corn/soybean meal complex at substitution rates of up to 30% without adverse effects on growth rates, feed contribution, or slaughter yield. It improves the chemical composition of the meat and reduces the cost price of the quintal of feed produced.

How Much Time Does a Farmer Spend to Produce My food? An International Comparison of the Impact of Diets and Mechanization

Work is one of the main inputs in agriculture. It can be performed by humans, animals, or machinery. Studies have shown strong differences throughout the world in labour required to produce a kilogram of food. We complement this line of research by linking these data to food consumption patterns, which are also strongly different throughout the world. We calculate the hours of farm labour required to produce a person’s annual food consumption for four scenarios. These scenarios are comprised of two extreme cases for production systems and diets, respectively, that illustrate prevailing global differences. Our results show that the farm labour requirements differ by a factor of about 200 among production systems, and by a factor of about two among consumption patterns. The gain in farm labour efficiency with mechanization is enormous: only 2–5 hours of farm labour are needed to produce the food consumed by a person in a year. This value is much lower than the time an average person spends on buying food, cooking, or eating.

Advances in ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for sensitive detection of several food allergens in complex and processed foodstuffs

Sensitive detection of food allergens is affected by food processing and foodstuff complexity. It is therefore a challenge to detect cross-contamination in food production that could endanger an allergic customer's life. Here we used ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous detection of traces of milk (casein, whey protein), egg (yolk, white), soybean, and peanut allergens in different complex and/or heat-processed foodstuffs. The method is based on a single protocol (extraction, trypsin digestion, and purification) applicable to the different tested foodstuffs: chocolate, ice cream, tomato sauce, and processed cookies. The determined limits of quantitation, expressed in total milk, egg, peanut, or soy proteins (and not soluble proteins) per kilogram of food, are: 0.5mg/kg for milk (detection of caseins), 5mg/kg for milk (detection of whey), 2.5mg/kg for peanut, 5mg/kg for soy, 3.4mg/kg for egg (detection of egg white), and 30.8mg/kg for egg (detection of egg yolk). The main advantage is the ability of the method to detect four major food allergens simultaneously in processed and complex matrices with very high sensitivity and specificity.

Energy conversion efficiency of pressurised kerosene and pyramid-shaped clay-lined charcoal cooking stoves

This paper evaluated fuel utilisation in cooking stoves. The cooking stoves used for the experiment were a pressurised kerosene stove and a pyramid-shaped clay-lined charcoal stove. Comparison tests were conducted and their results analysed to determine the efficiency of the stoves. The specific fuel consumption of the pressurised kerosene and clay-lined charcoal cook stoves per kilogram of food were obtained as 48 680 and 28 302 kW/kg respectively. The thermal efficiencies of the stoves were 60.18% for the pressurised kerosene stove and 51.35% for the clay-lined charcoal stove. These results indicate or confirm that the pressurised kerosene stove has the highest efficiency.

Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in Mice with Nutritional or Genetic Causes of Iron Overload

Iron overload causes the generation of reactive oxygen species, which can lead to lasting organ damage, particularly to the liver. In patients with hereditary hemochromatosis, transfusion-dependent anemias, and hemoglobinopathies, iron overload is a major cause of mortality. A deeper understanding of iron regulation and the biological pathways involved in maintaining homeostasis may reveal new therapeutic targets for patients with iron overload disorders. We designed this study to discover genes that are differentially expressed in nutritional and genetic models of iron overload. For the nutritional iron overload study, 5-week old male C57BL/6 mice were placed on a soy-free diet (AIN-93G) containing different amounts of iron per kilogram of food: iron-deficient (2.5 mg/kg, n=3), iron-sufficient (37.5 mg/kg, n=3), and iron-excess (750 mg/kg, n=3). In the second study, 5-week old male C57BL/6 mice that were either wild type or HJV knockout mice that exhibited severe early onset iron overload secondary to homozygous deficiency of the bone morphogenic protein coreceptor, hemojuvelin (HJV), were maintained on the iron-deficient (2.5 mg/kg iron) diet (n=2 per group). For both studies animals were sacrificed after 50 days and liver RNA was extracted and sequenced at 40-50 million reads per sample. The RNA integrity number (RIN) for each sample was >6 and assessments of read duplication, base call frequency, and read quality indicated excellent quality of the data. For the HJV knockout mice, we used a false discovery rate <0.05 and a mean-fold change >2, to reveal genes that were differentially expressed compared to wild type mice. For the dietary iron study, genes were grouped by self-organizing maps to identify transcripts whose level of expression trended with increased or decreased dietary iron intake. The resulting analysis identified 148 genes in nutritionally iron-overloaded mice and 688 genes in HJV knockout mice that exhibited significant changes in expression. Of these, 28 genes were differentially regulated in both nutritionally iron overloaded and HJV knockout mice, including expected genes, such as transferrin receptor, HAMP (hepcidin), and bone morphogenic protein 6, and unexpected genes such as cytochrome P450 17a1 (cyp17a1), an enzyme that catalyzes critical steps in steroid synthesis, and nicotinomide N-methyltransferase (nnmt), an enzyme that regulates drug metabolism and DNA methylation. We clustered the 688 differentially expressed genes from the HJV knockout mice into functional pathways using the Functional Analysis tool from DAVID Bioinformatics Resources 6.7 (NIAID). Clusters were considered significant if there were >2 genes in the pathway and the Benjamini-Hochberg P-value was <0.05. We found that the expression of genes involved with PPAR signaling (P=0.0086) was decreased, while expression of transcripts involved with Huntington’s disease (P=0.038) was increased in HJV knockout mice compared to wild-type mice. Our RNA sequencing analysis identified a variety of novel pathways that were differentially regulated in dietary and genetic models of iron overload. Further studies are underway to characterize the potential roles of these genes in iron homeostasis. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Identifying Sustainable Foods: The Relationship between Environmental Impact, Nutritional Quality, and Prices of Foods Representative of the French Diet

BackgroundSustainable diets, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization, need to combine environment, nutrition, and affordability dimensions. However, it is unknown whether these dimensions are compatible, and no guidance is available in the official recommendations. ObjectiveTo identify foods with compatible sustainability dimensions. MethodsFor 363 of the most commonly consumed foods in the Second French Individual and National Study on Food Consumption, environmental impact indicators (ie, greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, acidification, and eutrophication), and prices were collected. The nutritional quality of the foods was assessed by calculating the score for the nutritional adequacy of individual foods (SAIN) to score for disqualifying nutrients (LIM) ratio. A sustainability score based on the median GHG emissions, price, and SAIN:LIM was calculated for each food; the foods with the best values for all three variables received the highest score. ResultsThe environmental indicators were strongly and positively correlated. Meat, fish, and eggs and dairy products had the strongest influence on the environment; starchy foods, legumes, and fruits and vegetables had the least influence. GHG emissions were inversely correlated with SAIN:LIM (r=–0.37) and positively correlated with price per kilogram (r=0.59); the correlation with price per kilocalorie was null. This showed that foods with a heavy environmental impact tend to have lower nutritional quality and a higher price per kilogram but not a lower price per kilocalorie. Using price per kilogram, 94 foods had a maximum sustainability score, including most plant-based foods and excluding all foods with animal ingredients except milk, yogurt, and soups. Using price per kilocalorie restricted the list to 42 foods, including 52% of all starchy foods and legumes but only 11% of fruits and vegetables (mainly 100% fruit juices). ConclusionsOverall, the sustainability dimensions seemed to be compatible when considering price per kilogram of food. However, this conclusion is too simplistic when considering price per kilocalorie, which highlights the need to integrate the data at the diet level.

Massive freshwater gains from producing food at sea

Water scarcity may be the most limiting factor to increasing world food production. Irrigation water is already overdrawn beyond sustainable levels and to increase reliance on rainfed agriculture is risky, even more so with climate change. However, to promote deliberate food production at sea, both fished and farmed, and both plant and animal, requires no freshwater or land. The thousands of liters of freshwater needed to produce each kilogram of food on land are saved by producing at sea. Yet the ocean currently provides only around 2% of total food by weight. Even small rates of success in increasing food production at sea may represent the equivalent of massive freshwater gains, while the opposite is also true and decreases in marine fishing are costly in freshwater terms. If 10% of all ocean areas were eventually farmed, i.e. through mariculture, including extensive methods such as assisted fisheries and seaweed ranching, total yield could equal that currently produced in agriculture, and it might be more reliable. This would represent the equivalent gain of all the water already used in agriculture and about three times the water used for crop irrigation. Thus, it is essential to include deliberate production of food at sea and the concurrent freshwater gains in any policy discussions and documents on food and water.

A melon pulp concentrate rich in superoxide dismutase reduces stress proteins along the gastrointestinal tract of pigs

Objective A melon ( Cucumis melo LC.) pulp concentrate (MPC) rich in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was tested for its ability to decrease stress protein expressions along the gastrointestinal tract in a swine model. Methods Pig sextuplets weaned at 21 d of age were selected from among six litters ( n = 36). After a 2-d fasting period, the pigs were fed at similar levels of intake of the control, MPC1, and MPC2 diets, which provided 0, 12.5, and 50 IU of added SOD per kilogram of food, respectively. One triplet of pigs per litter was slaughtered at 7 d and the second triplet at 14 d after weaning. SOD, catalase, and digestive enzymes were determined enzymatically and stress protein expressions by western blotting. Results Plasma SOD increased with MPC dose at day 14 ( P < 0.05). Mucosal weights in the proximal and mid small intestine were lower at day 14 ( P < 0.05), cecum tissue weight was greater ( P < 0.05), and sucrase-specific activity in mid and distal small intestine mucosa was lower ( P = 0.05) in the MPC2 group than in the control group. MPC supplementation essentially decreased ( P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) stress proteins in the stomach (all), the mid small intestine (heat-shock protein-27, neuronal nitric oxide synthase) and the colon (heat-shock protein-70, neuronal nitric oxide synthase). Conclusion A SOD-rich MPC provided at the dose of 50 IU/kg of food for up to 12 d was effective in lowering the level of stress proteins along the gastrointestinal tract of pigs after weaning.

The Impacts of Yield on Nutritional Quality: Lessons from Organic Farming

A majority of well-designed studies comparing nutrient density (milligrams of a given nutrient per kilogram of food) in organically and conventionally produced fruits and vegetables show modest to moderately higher concentrations of most nutrients in organic produce. Likewise, organic produce is either as flavorful as or more flavorful than conventional produce and often tends to store better. Physiological factors that may account for these differences include the levels and form of nitrogen applied to crops, the balance of macro- and micronutrients in the soil, soil quality, average cell size, glycosylation status, and concentrations of plant secondary metabolites.

Efficacy of a genetically modified yeast phytase on phosphorus bioavailability in a corn‐soybean meal based diet for growing pigs

ABSTRACTWe investigated the efficacy of genetically modified yeast (GMY) phytase on phosphorus (P) bioavailability in growing pigs fed a corn–soybean meal based diet. Crossbred barrows were fed a P‐adequate, a low‐P or a P‐deficient diet containing 0.37, 0.27 and 0.14% non‐phytate‐P, respectively. The P‐deficient diet was supplemented with wild‐type yeast (WTY), Aspergillus (ASP) or GMY phytase at 750 PU per kilogram of food. Dietary ASP and GMY phytases increased plasma inorganic P (Pi) concentration and the apparent absorption of P, and decreased the concentration of a bone resorption marker, plasma type‐I collagen C‐terminal telopeptide (ICTP). Wild‐type yeast phytase also increased the apparent absorption of P, but the changes in plasma Pi and ICTP concentrations were not significant. Although the dietary Pi‐equivalencies based on plasma Pi and ICTP concentrations did not differ between WTY and ASP phytases, the equivalency of ASP phytase based on apparent absorption of P was higher than that of WTY phytase. The equivalency of GMY phytase calculated from each parameter was higher than that of WTY phytase, and did not differ from that of ASP phytase. These results suggest that efficacy of GMY phytase on P bioavailability was higher than WTY phytase, and as effective as ASP phytase in growing pigs.

Dietary cysteine alleviates sucrose-induced oxidative stress and insulin resistance

Diets that promote oxidative stress favor impairment in glucose homeostasis. In this context, increasing the cysteine intake may be beneficial by maintaining glutathione status. We have investigated the effects of dietary cysteine on oxidative stress and glucose homeostasis in rats fed a high-sucrose (HS) diet. Rats were assigned for 6 weeks to a standard diet or to HS diets in which the protein source was either an α-lactalbumin-rich whey concentrate (a cysteine-rich protein) or the total milk proteins alone or supplemented with 5.8 or 20 g N-acetylcysteine per kilogram of food. Increasing the cysteine intake prevented HS-induced oxidative stress, as assessed by blood and tissue glutathione and carbonyl levels. At the same time, the HS-induced glucose intolerance, impaired postprandial glycemic control, and decrease in muscle and liver insulin-induced activation of insulin receptor substrate 1 and Akt were prevented by increasing the level of dietary cysteine, a major original finding. Of great interest was the observation that all beneficial effects of cysteine supplementation were duplicated by the consumption of a cysteine-rich protein. These data show that increasing the cysteine intake limits HS-induced impairment of glucose homeostasis and suggest that these effects are mediated by a reduction in oxidative stress.