Natural Fruit Juices Research Articles

The Power of Thermosonication on Quality Preservation and Listeria Control of Blueberry Juice

Due to the increasing consumer demand for healthy, beneficial foods, natural fruit juices have gained popularity for their rich nutritional value and appealing flavor. However, traditional thermal processing can compromise these quality attributes. This study investigates using pulsed thermosonication, a novel mild thermal processing method, on Listeria innocua inactivation in blueberry juice, chosen for its high phenolic and anthocyanin content. Ultrasonication was applied at 60% and 100% amplitudes combined with heat treatments at 45 °C and 55 °C and compared to control heat treatments. The Weibull model effectively described the inactivation kinetics, showing that the thermosonicated samples required significantly shorter times (1 and 25 min) for a 5-log reduction compared to the heated samples (10 and 60 min). While pH, total soluble solids, and water activity remained unaffected, color parameters improved, and the best retention of phenolics and anthocyanins was observed at 100% amplitude and 45 °C. Rheological properties were unchanged. The findings demonstrate that thermosonication at milder temperatures is more effective than conventional heat treatment for microbial inactivation and quality retention in blueberry juice, suggesting it is a superior processing method for preserving fruit juices’ nutritional and sensory attributes.

Ultra-high-pressure homogenization in chicory root juice production

The demand for freshly squeezed natural fruit juices has increased in recent years, however their shelf life is quite short. Thermal processes applied to extend the shelf life of such products and increase their storage stability cause significant losses in color and other sensory properties, depending on the temperature applied. Therefore, the preference for high-pressure homogenization as an alternative to thermal processes is on the rise. We aimed to determine effects of ultra-high-pressure homogenization and production stages on some quality properties of chicory root juice. Ultra-high-pressure homogenization was applied at the pressure levels of 0 (Control), 50, 100, 150, and 200 MPA. The samples also included juice after homogenization with an ULTRA-TURRAX disperser and after a water bath. Ultra-high-pressure homogenization affected such quality characteristics of chicory root juice as total soluble solids (p < 0.01), pH (p < 0.01), L* (p < 0.01), a* (p < 0.01), b* (p < 0.01), a*/b* (p < 0.01), chroma (p < 0.01), hue angle (p < 0.01), and total color difference ΔE (p < 0.01). Higher levels of ultra-high-pressure homogenization pressure increased pH (p < 0.05), a* values (p < 0.05), and the a/b* ratio (p < 0.05) but reduced L* (p < 0.05), b* (p < 0.05), chroma (p < 0.05), and hue angle (p < 0.05) values of the juice samples. Thus, the use of ultra-high-pressure homogenization (100 and 200 MPa) contributed to improving the total soluble solids and redness values of chicory root juice. Our study showed that the ultra-high-pressure homogenization process improved the quality of chicory root juice.

Occurrence of Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and Carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli isolated from Childhood Diarrhoea in Yaoundé, Cameroon

IntroductionExtended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing pathogenic E. coli is a global public health issue, especially in sub-Saharan African countries such as Cameroon. It contributes to increase significantly hospital length of stay, morbidity, mortality and economic costs because of treatment failures. This study aims at determining the resistance background and virulence profiles of ESBL-E. coli isolates among childhood diarrhoea during the cholera outbreak occuring in Yaoundé, Cameroon.Materials and methodsDuring a four-month periods, from March 1st to June 30th, 2023, a total of 84 stool samples were collected from 90 under five children presenting clinical signs of gastroenteritis and attending four hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Bacterial identification was done using API20E and antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. After extraction, genomic DNA was subjected to conventional and multiplex polymerase chain reaction methods (PCRs) for detection of resistance and virulence genes. Statistical analysis was performed using Epi info™ (7.2.5.0). Statistical significance was considered at a p-value < 0.05.ResultsOut of 150 patients contacted, 90 patients were enrolled, 84 samples were collected, 52.38%(44/84) and 3.57%(03/84) were confirmed as extended-spectrum β-lactamase and carbapenemase-producing E. coli respectively. The risk factors were analyzed, and children who drank natural fruit juice (OR: 0.4, p-value: 0.03) were found to be significantly associated with ESBL-producing E. coli. The ESBL-producing E. coli isolates showed a high level of resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefepime, colistin, and tetracycline. The blaCTX−M was more prevalent ß-lactamase resistance gene. The tetracycline resistance genes tet(A) and tet(B) were also detected. The most important virulence genes detected were FimH (81.81%) and papA (79.54%).ConclusionThese findings suggest implementing routine surveillance and screening for antimicrobial resistance among children under five. Antimicrobial stewardship strategies (ASP) need to be implemented to curb the emergence and dissemination of ESBL-producing E. coli. In addition, a national surveillance program for antimicrobial resistance needs to be implemented at local and regional levels in order to reduce morbidity in Cameroon.

Limonia acidissima fruit juice mediated eco-friendly synthesis of pervoskite ZnSnO3 nanoparticles: Applications to photocatalytic, electrochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial activities

In anticipation toa growing desire for start-ups to be both green and sustainable, there has been an increase in research focus on the effective removal and degradation of toxic wastewater effluents. A viable and sustainable wastewater treatment method is the use of light to degrade organic contaminants. Photocatalysis holds great potential for addressing environmental, energy, and health challenges, offering sustainable solutions for a wide range of applications with significant societal and economic benefits. In this paper, a multicomponent heterostructure photocatalyst ZnSnO3 was designed and prepared via a simple environmentally responsible path, which included the use of limonia acidissima natural fruit juice as a capping and reducing agent. The ZnSnO3 nanoparticles that were generated were examined using XRD, FT-IR, UV-DRS, SEM-EDAX, TEM, PL and BET investigations. The structure and crystallographic parameters were examined using XRD analysis, and found that the crystallite had orthorhombic geometry. The functional groups were investigated using FTIR spectroscopy. The band gaps (3.59 & 3.69 eV) were estimated using a Tauc plot employing the data of UV-DRS. According to SEM and TEM studies, the morphologies are irregular in shape and have particles that are about 14 nm in size. EDAX analysis was used to determine the elemental composition of the examined ZnSnO3 nanostructures, which demonstrated their purity. Using PL spectroscopy, superficial defects were investigated. The synthesized NPs were used as photocatalysts to degradethe methylene blue dye. Electrochemical measurement of K3[Fe(CN)6] revealed a good sensory activity with a detection limit of 38 μL. K3[Fe(CN)6] is used to detect ferrous ions in biological specimens. Furthermore, it also shows the superior anti-bacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, and gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens. To the best of our literature survey, it’s the first report for the synthesis of ZnSnO3 nanostructures using the natural reducing agent limonia acidissima natural fruit juice for dye degradation, electrochemical, anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial applications.

Sugar sweetened beverages, natural fruit juices, and cancer: what we know and what still needs to be assessed.

Cancer is known as one of the leading causes of death in the world. In addition to early mortality, cancer is associated with disability in affected patients. Among environmental risk factors, special attention has been paid to the role of dietary factors. In recent decades, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and natural fruit juices has increased. Several studies have assessed the effects of these beverages on human health and found that a higher intake of SSBs is associated with a greater risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, current evidence for cancer incidence and mortality is not conclusive. In the current review, we concluded that SSBs intake might be positively associated with cancer incidence/mortality through their increasing effects on obesity, inflammatory biomarkers, serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and advanced glycation end-products. Such a positive association was also seen for natural fruit juices. However, types of natural fruit juices were not considered in most previous studies. In addition, some types of cancer including brain, lung, and renal cancers were not assessed in relation to SSBs and natural fruit juices. Therefore, further studies are needed in this regard.

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Apple and Pear Juices as Memory Boosters: Phytochemicals Analysis and Comparative Study between Natural Fruit Juices and Memantine

Background: Our memory is a treasure, a recollection of various events from our entire life. But a number of factors like aging, stress, anxiety, depression, injury, certain disorders or use of some medications may decrease the efficacy of our brain thereby affecting our memory. Objectives: The intend of our study was to evaluate the effect of a well renowned memory enhancing drug memantine on memory with fruits like apple (Malusdomestica) which is speculated to be good for memory. Methods: This study also aimed to put forward the positive effects of pear (Pyruscommunis L.) juice on memory. While 2nd part of study included qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screenings of apple and pear with peels and without peels. For first part of study, in vivo testing has been done onto 4 groups, i.e. control group, reference group, test group A &amp;test group B. Mice’s behavior was evaluated using two apparatus i.e. Elevated Plus Maze for 3 days &amp; Novel Object Recognition Chamber for 2 days. While phytochemical analysis has been performed on the pericarp and mesocarp region of fresh fruits which were isolated, shade dried, blended and finely powdered. Result: Results prove that pear juice does impart positive effects on memory and can prove to be an alternative in the prevention of memory loss. Both tested fruits (apple&amp; pear in juice/ liquid form), do pose remarkably positive effects on brain’s activity. Apple juice has shown more memory enhancing effects and was closer to that of our standard drug i.e. memantine. It can be concluded that apple and pear both contain flavonoids like quercetin and epicatechin, having antioxidant properties, which can help reverting or preventing the age-related oxidative degeneration of neurons. Conclusion: Although the memory enhancing effects of reference standard i.e. memantine is high as compare to our tested fruit juices but still it gives hope and evidenced that apple and pear juices can serve as memory enhancers to save our memory from deteriorating and active constituents from apples and pears could consider as excellent source for drug development and future pharmacological studies. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 22 No. 04 October’23 Page : 842-849

A Feasibility Study on Monitoring Shelf Life of Bottled Natural Fruit Juice Using Laser-Induced Autofluorescence

Shelf life of bottled natural fruit juice (BNFJ) provides relevant information on quality and authenticity for consumer protection. However, existing techniques for monitoring the shelf life of BNFJ are destructive and time-consuming. We report on using laser-induced autofluorescence (LIAF) spectroscopic technique in combination with multivariate analysis for shelf life monitoring of BNFJ. The LIAF spectra data were acquired for nine (9) continuous days on three batches of BNFJ samples purchased from a certified retailer. Deconvolution of the LIAF spectra revealed underlying peaks representing constituents of the BNFJ. Principal component analysis (PCA) was able to monitor the trend in the changes of the BNFJ as it aged. Partial least square regression (PLSR) predicted the exact day from the production of the BNFJ accurately at 96.6% and 98.8% in the training and testing sets, respectively. We, therefore, propose the LIAF combined with multivariate analysis as a potential tool for nondestructive, rapid, and relatively inexpensive monitoring of the shelf life of BNFJ.

Effect of Osmosis Time and Sucrose Concentration on The Antioxidant Activity of Red Dragon Fruit Juice (Hylocereus polyrhizus)

Dragon fruit contains antioxidants, beta-carotene, ascorbic acid and dietary fiber content in the form of pectin. Antioxidant are chemical compounds that can donate one or more electrons to free radicals to inhibit free radical reactions. Red dragon fruit can be processed into natural red dragon fruit juice using osmosis extraction. Osmotic extraction is done by soaking the fruits with sugar, it is done so that the water comes out towards the media. The advantages of osmosis are also many of them are easy, natural manufacture, the tools used are simple so that the fruit juice produced is safe for consumption by humans. The purpose of this study to determine the antioxidant activity of red dragon fruit juice. Antioxidant activity testing was carried out using the DPPH method (1,1 Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl). This research was conducted using a factorial Randomized Block Design (RAK) with the first factor being sugar concentration which consisted of 3 treatment levels, namely (25%, 50% and 75%) and the second factor was osmosis duration (12, 24, and 36 hours). The results showed that red dragon fruit juice in the 24-hour 50% treatment had the highest antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 28.

Changes in dietary habits and weight status during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with socioeconomic status among Iranians adults.

COVID-19 pandemic has impacted human health through sudden lifestyle changes, including isolation at home, and social distancing. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating habits, weight status, and their associations with socioeconomic status. This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online structured questionnaire that inquired demographic, anthropometric (reported weight and height); dietary habits (weekly intake of certain foods); and dietary supplement intake information. A total of 1,187 participants completed the questionnaire, and after validation of the data, 1,106 respondents were included in the study, with a mean age of 34.5 ± 9.4 years. Our findings showed that the body mass index (BMI) of the participants significantly increased during COVID-19 (P < 0.001). Also, there were significant changes in the intake of a variety of food and beverage during the COVID-19, including less consumption of milk, yogurt, red meat, fish, canned fish, homemade fast foods, take out fast foods, carbonated drinks, and more consumption of whole bread, legumes (chickpeas, lentil, peas, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, and navy beans), soy bean, nuts, seeds, high vitamin C vegetables, high vitamin C fruits, green-yellow fruits and vegetables, onion/garlic, dried fruits, natural fruit juices, and water (P < 0.001; for all). It is informed that individuals consumed more vitamin and mineral supplements (P < 0.001). Also, before and during COVID-19 pandemic weekly intakes of dairy, red meat, poultry, high vitamin C fruits, and whole bread were positively associated with socioeconomic status (P < 0.001). Overall, this study indicates changes in body weight, dietary habits and supplement intake during the pandemic. Therefore, the findings of this study are valuable for, health professionals and politicians to better public health practice and policy making.

Consumption of fruits and vegetables among older adults: findings from the ELSI-Brazil study.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables and their associated factors in a national sample representative of the Brazilian population aged 60 or over. Baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), conducted from 2015 to 2016, including 4,982 older individuals, were used. The recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables was assessed based on questions on the weekly and daily frequency of fruits, natural fruit juice, and vegetables. Intake of five or more servings of these foods on five or more days per week was considered as recommended consumption. Exploratory variables included socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviors, health conditions, and use of health services. Univariate and multiple logistic regression were used to examine the factors associated with the recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables. The prevalence of recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables was 12.9% (95%CI: 11.5-14.3). This consumption showed associations with gender (women - OR = 1.40; 95%CI: 1.08-1.82), age group (80 years or older - OR = 1.66; 95%CI: 1.16-2.37), education level (8 years or more - OR = 2.07; 95%CI: 1.51-2.86), smoking (former smokers - OR = 0.69; 95%CI: 0.55-0.85 and current smokers - OR = 0.50; 95%CI: 0.33-0.77) and medical appointments in the previous 12 months (OR = 1.88; 95%CI: 1.31-2.71). Our findings showed a low prevalence of the recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables among older Brazilian adults, drawing attention to the need for policies aimed at increasing this consumption in the studied population.

Construction of curcumin-fortified juices using their self-derived extracellular vesicles as natural delivery systems: grape, tomato, and orange juices.

Different fruit and vegetable juices were first used to encapsulate curcumin to improve its solubility, stability, and bioaccessibility, which is expected to enable designing of polyphenol-enriched beverages and impact human health and well-being. Briefly, fruit and vegetable-derived extracellular vesicles usually serve as transport and communication tools between different cells, which means they also may be utilized as delivery carriers for other bioactive agents. Curcumin, as a model polyphenol with many physiological activities, typically has low water-solubility, stability, and bioaccessibility. Therefore, extracellular vesicles were applied to load curcumin to overcome these challenges and to facilitate its incorporation into fruit and vegetable juices. Three kinds of curcumin-loaded fruit and vegetable juices, including curcumin-loaded grape (Cur-G), tomato (Cur-T), and orange (Cur-O) juices, exhibited higher encapsulation efficiency (>80%) than others. The patterns of XRD and FTIR confirmed that curcumin moved into extracellular vesicles in the amorphous form and that the hydrogen bonding force was found between them. Three kinds of fruit and vegetable juices can significantly enhance the solubility, stability and bioavailability of curcumin, but the degrees of improvement are different. For instance, Cur-O exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency, chemical stability, and effective bioaccessibility than Cur-G and Cur-T. In summary, this study shows that natural fruit and vegetable juices can effectively improve the solubility, stability and bioaccessibility of active polyphenols, which is expected to enable successful designing of nutrient-enriched beverages with a simple method according to various needs of people and be directly applied to food processing and home production.

Resource Recovery and the Sherwood Plot

Our work analyzes the biophysical and economic foundations of the Sherwood Plot (SP). In general, the SP depicts the theoretical relationship between the cost of recovering a target material or an identified Value Added Compound (VAC) from a waste matrix and its dilution in the waste matrix; specifically suggesting that the recovery cost is reverse proportional to the VAC's dilution in it. We further utilize the SP as a scientifically consistent and economically coherent analytical framework for measuring resource recovery performance. Initially, we analyze the SP's fundamental physical properties, as well as its many potential economic extensions. Specifically, we substantiate the relation between a VAC's Entropy, Dilution and Recovery Cost. On these grounds we present the SP's remarkable and numerous economic properties that make it consistent to its physical foundations; thus integrating concisely its physical and economic aspects and postulate a generalized SP function. We further test econometrically the validity of an SP based on both deterministic and stochastic real data from a small-scale industrial unit of polyphenols' recovery from natural fruit juice production residual wastewater. In turn, based on the fusion of our theoretical argumentation and empirical findings we dive into the epistemological extensions of the SP. Specifically, we study how the recovery cost structure at the single industry level is revealed by the SP and can be useful for postulating cost structure ontologies. Cost ontologies are in turn useful as a diagnostic of the formation process of VAC recovery markets as well as their structure and concentration, defining the industrial shares when many industries operate in the recovery of the same VAC.

Effect of Sucrosomial® Iron and Iron Drop Diluted with Natural Fruit Juice on Microhardness of Primary Enamel.

Objectives: Considering the high prevalence of consumption of iron drops, and the resultant reduction in microhardness of primary enamel, this in vitro study aimed to assess the effects of Sucrosomial® iron and iron drop diluted with natural fruit juice on microhardness of primary enamel. Materials and Methods: This in vitro, experimental study evaluated 45 extracted sound primary anterior teeth, that were randomly assigned to three groups (n=15) of Sideral, Irofant, and Irofant + natural apple juice. The titratable acidity and pH of solutions were measured. After measuring the baseline microhardness by a Vickers hardness tester, the teeth in the three groups were exposed to the respective iron drop solutions at 37°C for 5 minutes. They were then rinsed with distilled water, and their secondary microhardness was measured. Data were analyzed using the dependent Student t-test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA (alpha=0.05). Results: Irofant had the lowest pH and the highest titratable acidity among the tested solutions. A reduction in enamel microhardness occurred in all groups after exposure to iron drops (P=0.0001). The reduction in microhardness was significantly greater in Irofant group compared with Irofant + natural apple juice (P=0.0001). Also, the reduction in microhardness was significantly greater in Irofant + natural apple juice compared with Sideral iron drop group (P=0.0001). Conclusion: Sideral iron drop with Sucrosomial iron has minimal adverse effect on microhardness of primary enamel. Also, dilution of iron drops with natural apple juice can be suggested as an effective strategy to decrease their adverse effects on microhardness of primary enamel.

Sensitive detection of citric acid in real samples based on Nafion/ZnO–CuO nanocomposites modified glassy carbon electrode by electrochemical approach

In this approach, the citric acid (CA) in fruit juices was measured in enzyme-free buffer medium using a GCE (glassy carbon electrode) modified with ZnO/CuO nanocomposites (ZnO/CuO NCs) by DPV (differential pulse voltammetry) and CV (cyclic voltammetry) electrochemical methods respectively. The prepared ZnO/CuO NCs are characterized in detail with XRD (X-ray Diffraction), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy), UV–vis. (Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy), FESEM (Field emission scanning electron microscopy) and EDS (Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analyses. Both DPV and CV, these techniques were applied with ZnO/CuO NCs/Nafion/GCE to analyze CA in the commercial and natural fruit juices. The current data obtained from electrochemical analysis of CA was plotted against the corresponding concentration of CA and found to distribute on the straight-line in the concentration range of 0.15–1.05 mM of CA, which labeled as a linear dynamic range (LDR) for CA detection. The sensor analytical parameters were calculated by considering the active surface area of GCE (0.0316 cm2) of fabricated electrode over the slope of LDR in both cases (CV and DPV). It was found as 0.4358 μAμM−1cm−2 for DPV and 0.4357 μAμM−1cm−2 for CV respectively. Similarly, the lower limits of detection (DL) applying signal/noise (S/N) ratio 3 are also identical as 21.78 ± 1.09 μM for both electrochemical approaches. The sensor parameters (reproducibility, long-time stability in analyzing and response time) were obtained with good and satisfactory results. Besides this, the proposed sensor was performed trustfully in an analysis of the fruit samples. In this consequence, this electrochemical method with binary mixed metal oxide as sensing substrate to develop a portable sensor might be efficient in the sensor technology.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Dental Erosion related to Acidic Dietary Intake among Medical Undergraduates.

Aim: To assess knowledge, attitude and practice of dental erosion related to dietary acidic intake among medical undergraduates. Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted at Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi from March-2019 to November 2019. The validated questionnaire was used to assess the study objectives. There were five sections in the study tool including demographic data, knowledge, self-reported signs and symptoms, attitude and practices of acidic dietary intake. The data was entered on SPSS version 23.0 for analysis. P-value &lt;0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: From total of 500 subjects; 498 questionnaires were completed in all aspects; hence the response rate was 99.6%. Respondents comprised of both males and females having age range from 17 to 25 years with a mean age of 20.82+SD 1.76. Majority of participants (74.4%) had high level of knowledge regarding dental erosion. Statistically significant association was found (p-value=0.02) when compared to level of knowledge with attitude. While assessing the association between practice and self-reported sign/symptoms; significant association was found in regards to frequency and timing of acidic dietary intake at a p-value of 0.000. Conclusion: Majority of participants had high level of knowledge regarding erosion as related to acidic dietary intake and was positively reflected in their attitude. Overall, natural fruit juices were the highest consumed drinks followed by carbonated drinks. Keywords: Dental erosion, Dietary behavior, Medical Undergraduates, Carbonated drinks, Dietary habits.

Assessment of Calcium Carbide and Natural Ripened Pawpaw (Carica Papaya) Fruits on Biochemical Parameters of Wistar Rats

This research was aimed at assessing calcium carbide and natural ripened pawpaw (Carica papaya) fruit on the biochemical parameters of the Wistar rats. Twenty four (24) adult Wistar rats weighing between 126.9- 213.3 g was used for this study. The experimental Wistar rats were grouped into three and were allowed to acclimatize for two weeks at libitum. Five (5) ml/kg of natural and calcium carbide ripened pawpaw fruit juice were administered orally. At the end of the four weeks feeding period, the rats were sacrificed through cervical dislocation. Blood was collected by cardiac puncture, using 5ml syringes and 23G needles into blood sample containers for biochemical analysis using the standard biochemical methods. The renal, hepatic, cardiac, heart and lipid profile parameters analyzed were albumin, total protein, urea, creatinine, Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin, Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and total cholesterol and were compared with the naturally ripened pawpaw fruit group. All mean values of total protein, total cholesterol, lactate dehydrogenase and creatinine levels of calcium carbide ripened pawpaw fruit juice fed group were significantly higher when compared with the natural ripened pawpaw fruit juice. Meanwhile, albumin, total bilirubin, urea, ALT, AST and ALP levels of calcium carbide ripened fruit juice fed group were lower when compared with the natural ripened pawpaw fruit juice. Statistically, there were no significant differences of albumin and total protein parameters at 95% confidence level (P &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, the elevated levels of creatinine, total cholesterol and lactate dehydrogenase may result to kidney injury, cardiovascular and heart diseases. There is therefore need for institutional and legislative strengthening as well as enforcement to prevent the use of calcium carbide in the ripening of pawpaw and other fruits.

Effect of Beverage Consumption Frequency on DMFT Index among Iranian Adult Population: An AZAR Cohort Study.

Background Given the effect of oral and dental condition on emotional and physical health and the different effects of beverage consumption on decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) as one of the indicators of oral health in different populations, this study aimed to investigate the effect of beverage consumption and its frequency on DMFT among Iranian adult population. Materials and Methods The data of this cross-sectional study were obtained from AZAR (Azerbaijan) cohort, conducted on 15,006 adults aged 35 to 70 years old in Shabestar County, Iran. Demographic and nutritional data were collected by nutritionists through the “Food Frequency Questionnaire,” and DMFT index by general practitioners trained by a dentist according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Beverages including milk, doogh, natural fruit juice, black tea, nonalcoholic beer, coffee, sugar-sweetened beverages, and artificial fruit juice were studied. Results A total of 14,966 adults with the mean age of 49.64 ± 9.28 were enrolled. The participants' mean DMFT value was 21.27 ± 8.95. Weekly consumption of tea and coffee beverages resulted in 13% (95% confidence interval: 3% to 22%) lower DMFT compared to daily consumption (p=0.01). However, there was no association between DMFT and other beverages. Conclusion The higher DMFT values with the daily consumption of tea and coffee beverages showed that a part of adults' oral health is affected by beverages; therefore, this should be considered by healthcare authorities in order to manage carries development in the communities.

Lifestyle associated with risk of metabolic syndrome in adults and the elderly

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to analyze the association between at least one of the risk factors for metabolic syndrome and the lifestyle of adults and elderly individuals in Teresina, Piauí. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, population-based study, with adults and elderly of both both sexes, living in Teresina, Piauí.. Data were collected using Epicollect 5 software (Imperial College London) in a mobile application (mobile). Pearson's χ2 test was used to assess the association between variables. The prevalence ratio (PR) was calculated, with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI), estimated by Poisson regression, to measure the strength of association between the study variables with the presence of at least one factor of risk for disease. The level of significance adopted was P < 0.05. ResultsThe main habit as a protective factor for at least one risk factor for metabolic syndrome was the consumption of natural fruit juice once to three times a week (0.93), in addition to the current daily use of tobacco (raw and adjusted; 0.80) and irregularly active and active/very active physical activity level (0.86), which when adjusted increased to 0.89 in the latter activity level. The habit of drinking alcohol frequently/occasionally was 1.08 times more likely and when adjusted increased (1.10). ConclusionsThe presence of at least one risk factor for this disease, according to lifestyle, deserves a warning for the population, as it is capable of harming health, especially at the level of cardiovascular impairment.

A Comparative Evaluation of Dental Erosion Caused by Tetrapacked and Aerated Beverages: An In-Vitro study

Introduction: Dental erosion is an evolving concern with the food market globalization. In a rapidlydeveloping nation as India, beverage consuming behavior has significantly increased. There is freeaccess to new foods and beverages even in the neighborhood grocery stores and they are perceived asmodern and healthy. Extrinsic erosion appears to be a growing problem as a result of overconsumptionof soft drinks or fruit juices or both. Materials and Methods: Freshly extracted premolars weretreated with H202 for 24 hours and weighed with ‘Essae FB-200’ with a readability of 0.001 gram. Thebeverages were grouped into 2 categories, 1- Natural or tetra-packed beverages, 2 - aerated beveragesand a control. 20ml of each beverage was taken and the pH was measured. The tooth was immersed ineach of the beverage and pH were noted 4th hourly for 48 hours accounting for sipping the beveragefor 5 minutes every day for 1.5 years. The weight of the tooth was rechecked after 48 hours. Results:The mean pre-treatment pH of category 1 was 5±1.33 and that of category 2 was 4.66±1.32. There isno significant difference in the mean loss of weight between the two groups (p-value 0.94) there is nosignificant difference in the mean change of pH between the two groups (p-value 0.26) Conclusion:The objective erosive liability of tetra-packed and aerated beverages on the dental enamel was foundto be similar. However, natural fruit juices showed nil to negligible objective signs of dental erosion.