Unprocessed Foods Research Articles

EXPONENTIAL COMPARISON METHOD AND TFN FOR SELECTION OF REGIONAL SUPERIOR PRODUCTS BASED ON PROCESSED SEAWEED

Determining superior regional products is expected to increase competitiveness and absorb labor, improving peoples income.The processed seaweed products are identified and selected using an exponential comparison approach with TFN.Alternative assessment of superior seaweed processed products in this area uses 12 criteria and 27 sub-criteria, with alternative seaweed processed products being unprocessed food, processed culinary ingredient, processed food, and ultra-processed food. Theresult is that unprocessed food is the best alternative, with a score of 0.030.

Probabilistic determination of a maximum acceptable level of contaminant to reduce the risk of overexposure for a novel or emerging food: the case of cadmium in edible seaweed in the French population

European and French populations are overexposed to cadmium (Cd) through their foods. The risk of increased cadmium exposure for consumers needs to be limited by reduced maximum limits (ML) for novel foodstuffs such as edible seaweed in France. The objective was to derive a low and protective cadmium concentration in edible seaweeds to limit cadmium overexposure in consumers. To do so, we applied a probabilistic approach to the data collected on French seaweed consumers, taking into account other sources of exposure for cadmium. This approach led to the identification of a cadmium concentration which should ensure that the seaweed-consuming population does not exceed the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of cadmium according to a probability of cases, when simultaneously exposed to other cadmium dietary sources. Considering the 5% of the population exceeding TDI, the estimated ML is equal to 0.35 mg Cd kg−1 dry matter of seaweed as an unprocessed food with a 95% confidence interval of [0.18,1.09]. The proposed approach is generic and could be applied to other relevant food/substance pairs when considering the setting of MLs in the regulatory system. It ensures better protection of consumer health.

Examining gastronomy festivals as the attractiveness factor for tourism destinations: The case of Turkey

This study examined a sample of 287 gastronomy festivals organized in Turkey in 2021 in terms of tourism destination attractiveness, focusing on unprocessed agricultural food products and processed food and beverages. Based on the findings, the gastronomy festivals were grouped under 26 titles within two sub-themes, which revealed the festivals’ purpose, scope, social activities, gastronomic methods, techniques, and exemplary applications. Gastronomy festivals can provide important attraction elements for participants, such as regional and national development, social and cultural interaction, promotion of cities, collection, storage, production, and consumption of traditional food products.

Contribution of Ultra-Processed Foods to Complimentary Foods and Beverage Intake Among U.S. Infants and Toddlers According to NOVA

ObjectivesTo describe processing degree of complimentary foods and beverages (CFBs) according to NOVA for infants and toddlers in the US and describe how each NOVA group contributes to nutrients and food groups of concern identified by the 2020–2025 US Dietary Guideline for Americans.MethodsUsing day 1 dietary recall data from 2013–18 NHANES, we classified reported CFBs for infants and toddlers aged 6–23 months (n = 1140) into NOVA groups [unprocessed, culinary ingredients, processed, and ultra-processed foods (UPFs)]. We calculated % contribution of each NOVA group to energy from CFB (not including energy from human milk and formula). We also estimated the % contribution of NOVA groups to intakes of iron, vit D, zinc, sodium, vit B12, choline, potassium, vit A, vit C, and calcium from USDA's Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies and total fruit, whole fruit, total vegetable, total grains, refined grains, whole grains, total dairy, milk, yogurt, total protein foods, added sugars, and solid fats from USDA's Food Patterns Equivalents Database. Complex survey design features were applied with SAS survey procedures.ResultsFor infants and toddlers aged 6–23 months, 42 ± 0.9% of energy intake from CFBs was classified as unprocessed, 3 ± 0.2% as culinary ingredients, 9 ± 0.6% as processed, and 45 ± 0.8% as UPFs. At least 35% of all selected nutrients were from UPFs. Iron (81 ± 0.01%), zinc (58 ± 0.01%), and sodium (57 ± 0.01%) had the highest contributions from UPFs. UPFs were the largest contributor to intake of total grains (83 ± 0.01%), refined grains (83 ± 0.01%), whole grains (81 ± 0.02%), yogurt (82 ± 0.04%), and added sugars (87 ± 0.01%). Total fruit (78 ± 0.01%), whole fruit (69 ± 0.02%), total vegetable (56 ± 0.02%), total dairy (74 ± 0.02%), and milk (94 ± 0.01%) were largely from unprocessed foods. Unprocessed foods and UPFs contributed similarly to intakes of total protein foods and solid fats.ConclusionsUPFs contributed the majority of added sugar intake to the diets of infants and toddlers in the US, but also contributed meaningfully to foods and nutrients that are under consumed, such as iron and whole grains. Degree of food processing as a dimension of dietary quality among infants and toddlers requires further consideration.Funding SourcesNone.

Role of Food Processing, Cooking Fuel, and Time Use for Meal Preparation in Diet Costs and Affordability Across 177 Countries, 2011 and 2017

ObjectivesPrevious studies focused on the high cost of nutrient-dense foods and low cost of convenient ultra-processed foods. This study considers fuel and time costs of meal preparation, using nutritional criteria to distinguish healthy and unhealthy processing. We identify differences in retail prices by type of food processing, revealing how processing that preserves nutritional value can help reduce the total cost of healthy diets when accounting for time and fuel burdens. MethodsWe use food prices from the International Comparison Program (ICP) for 177 countries in 2011 and 2017. We class items by processing type and food group. We use OLS regression to compute price premiums by processing type, food group, region, national income and year. For diet costs, we select least-cost items in each food group by country, year, and processing type (unprocessed; processing to maintain/enhance nutritional quality; processing to diminish nutritional quality) and add non-market costs of preparing foods using fuel prices from ICP, cooking fuel data from WHO, and recipes from the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies, Global Food Matters Database and RecipeDB. ResultsCanned, frozen, dried and cured animal foods are $1.42–4.42 on average less costly per recommended daily intake than fresh meats and fish (P < 0.001), while smoked and added-salt animal foods are $4.77–4.87 more expensive (P < 0.001). Canned plant protein foods are $2.27 more expensive on average than dry legumes/nuts/seeds (P < 0.001). Dried fruits/vegetables are $2.11–2.33 less costly than fresh (P < 0.001), while added-salt vegetables are $1.51 more expensive (P < 0.001). A healthy diet is $0.59 more costly on average if made of foods processed to diminish nutritional quality vs unprocessed foods (P < 0.001), but $0.51 less if made of foods processed to preserve nutritional quality (P < 0.001). Considering only the least expensive quintile of foods in each food group/country, average diet costs are similar across processing types. ConclusionsProcessing can reduce the burden of food preparation, yet processed foods are often more expensive and some are less nutritious. Distinguishing healthy and unhealthy forms of processing can help guide policies and programs that make healthy diets available and affordable for all, accounting for the time and fuel required for meal preparation. Funding SourcesBMGF, UKAid.

The evolution of unprocessed food inflation in Turkey: an exploratory study on select products

AbstractFood price increases stem from economic, agricultural, and political factors. Understanding the dynamics behind the food price formation process and assessing how potential factors contribute to food price changes will significantly affect policies formulated to manage food price increases. High food inflation rates have been a chronic problem in Turkey over the last decade, with unprocessed food prices rising faster than general price levels. In this article, we use exploratory analyses based on economic principles rather than econometric analyses. First, our results indicate that exchange rates are strongly associated with domestic food prices due to dependence on imported inputs. Second, deep-dive analyses on select products show that global price movements and pass-through prices from producer to consumer are not solely responsible for price increases.

How healthy and food secure is the urban food environment in Ghana?

The importance of the food environment in influencing dietary choices of consumers has been widely acknowledged, but little attention has been paid to the urban food environment in Africa despite the rise in incidence of obesity and other nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases (NR-NCDs). We contribute to the literature on urban food environments by conducting an observational macro-scan of the food environment in three cities – Accra, Cape Coast, and Koforidua – with a view to unravelling the nature of the urban food environment in Ghana. We examine the food environment based on two dimensions of food security – availability and accessibility (affordability) – and also assess the extent to which foods are processed. The results show that all four food categories – unprocessed, processed, processed culinary, and ultra-processed – are available, accessible, and affordable. Ultra-processed foods are just as highly available, accessible, and/or affordable as unprocessed foods. The results also show that processed foods account for the larger share of all foods in Ghana’s urban food environment, and ultra-processed foods account for more than 30% of all processed foods. Overall, these results suggest that physical and economic access to food are not major constraints in urban Ghana. This is certainly a welcome finding from a food policy perspective; however, the high availability and accessibility of ultra-processed foods has serious potential health implications. Regulation will be needed to prevent overconsumption of ultra-processed foods and the resulting increase in obesity and other NR-NCDs.

Environmental Impact of Animal-Based Food Production and the Feasibility of a Shift Toward Sustainable Plant-Based Diets in the United States

Evidence consistently suggests that plant-based diets promote human and planetary health. Reducing large-scale animal-based food production generates environmental benefits, as the entire livestock agriculture chain plays an outsized role in greenhouse gas emissions, land change and degradation, and scarcity-weighted water use. However, substituting animal products with their plant-based counterparts must come with consideration of the nutritional quality and resource usage of plant-based food production and processing operations. Several policy reforms have been implemented at the national, state, and municipal levels in the United States to support a transition toward more plant-based diets. Federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans generally promote the consumption of unprocessed plant-based foods but include little to no information on sustainability and the harmful environmental impact of animal-based foods. National policies are complemented by state efforts aimed at incentivizing produce purchased from local suppliers and encouraging resource-conserving agriculture. At the local level, public schools are implementing programs to promote plant-based protein on their menus, and urban gardens are sprouting across the country to increase access to organic farming. This mini-review examines these policy reforms and behavioral intervention strategies, based on the social-ecological model, and discuss their capacity and limitations to promote a shift toward sustainably produced plant-based diets in the United States. We conclude that transforming the food systems toward plant-based diets in the animal-centered United States requires multi-sector collaboration and context-specific policy solutions to address diet-related climate concerns without neglecting health, social, and financial constraints.

Implicit and explicit safety evaluation of foods: The importance of food processing

Identifying beneficial foods in the environment, while avoiding ingesting something toxic, is a crucial task humans face on a daily basis. Here we directly examined adults’ implicit and explicit safety evaluations of the same foods presented with different degrees of processing, ranging from unprocessed (raw) to processed (cut or cooked). Moreover, we investigated whether individual characteristics (e.g., Body Mass Index, food neophobia and hunger) modulated their evaluations. We hypothesized that adults would associate the processed form of a food with safety more than its unprocessed form since processing techniques, which are ubiquitously applied in different cultures, often reduce the toxicity of foods, and signal previous human intervention and intended consumption. Adults (N = 109, 43 females) performed an implicit Go/No-Go association task (GNAT) online, assessing the association between safety attributes and food images differing on their degree of processing, both unfamiliar and familiar foods were used. Then each food was explicitly evaluated. Results revealed that individual self-reported characteristics affected both implicit and explicit evaluations. Individuals with excess weight and obesity had a strong and positive implicit association between processed foods and safety attributes, but explicitly rated cooked foods as the least safe overall, this latter result was found in highly neophobic individuals as well. Yet, at the explicit level, when looking at unfamiliar foods only, processed foods were rated safer than unprocessed foods by all participants. Our results are the first evidence that directly highlights the relevance of the degree of processing in food safety evaluation and suggest that thinking of the important tasks humans face regarding food selection enriches our understanding of food behaviors.

Worldwide dietary patterns and their association with socioeconomic data: an ecological exploratory study

BackgroundDietary patterns are associated with health outcomes and environment sustainability, having socioeconomic drivers. This ecological study aims to identify dietary patterns in food availability data at the global level using multivariate statistical methodology, to associate the identified dietary patterns with socioeconomic data and to analyze the adequacy of the applied multivariate statistical methods for this purpose.MethodsPrincipal Component Analysis was applied to median values of times series of food availability data of 172 UN registered countries available at FAOSTAT database in Food Balance Sheets section in a sectional manner, after calculating median values of time series for each food group and country. Principal Components were associated with socioeconomic data available from the World Bank database. Sensitivity analyses were realized to verify the stability of dietary patterns through five different times.ResultsFive principal components were identified in the median values of each time series, each characterizing a possible dietary pattern. The first one, a westernized dietary pattern, was composed of energy-dense and processed foods, foods of animal origin, alcoholic beverages, but also, albeit less, by vegetables, fruits and nuts, being associated with income, urbanization and trade liberalization. This westernized pattern was characterized more animal origin and processed foods, such as vegetable oils, alcoholic beverages and stimulants yet preserving unprocessed and regional foods. The other dietary patterns were three agricultural patterns characterized more by regional foods, especially starchy staples, and one coastal dietary pattern composed of fish and seafoods, being associated with GINI index, poverty, and female labor force. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated the stability of dietary patterns.ConclusionsPrincipal Component Analysis was adequate to identify dietary patterns in food availability data. A westernized dietary pattern was identified, being associated with income, urbanization, and trade liberalization. This association did not occur for the remain of the dietary patterns identified, these being less driven by economic development.

Anti-Inflammatory Dietary Approach to Prevent the Development and Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasing health problem worldwide and is associated with insulin resistance, increased visceral fat mass, and cardiovascular problems. Lifestyle factors such as sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, obesogenic environment as well as a Western pattern diet are main contributors to the development and progression of this disease. In particular, the diet plays a pivotal role. An unhealthy diet including high consumption of red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, simple sugars, highly processed foods with food additives and conservatives are lighting the fire for a low-grade inflammation. If other risk factors come into play, metabolic and hormonal derangement may occur, leading to the increase in visceral fat, gut dysbiosis and leaky gut, which stoke the inflammatory fire. Thus, lifestyle interventions are the most effective approach to quell the inflammatory processes. An anti-inflammatory and low-glycemic diet named the GLykLich diet, which includes whole and unprocessed foods, may reduce the risk of increased morbidity and mortality. The GLykLich diet suggests a meal consisting of complex carbohydrates (fiber), good quality of protein and healthy fats (DHA/EPA), and is rich in secondary plant products. There is no single nutrient to prevent the progression of NAFLD, rather, it is the complexity of substances in whole unprocessed foods that reduce the inflammatory process, improve metabolic state, and thus reverse NAFLD.

Factors Associated with Home Food Environment in Low-Income Overweight or Obese Pregnant Women.

Limited research has examined factors associated with home food availability. This study investigated the associations among demographics, body mass index category, stress, and home food availability among low-income overweight or obese pregnant women. This cross-sectional study enrolled 332 participants who were non-Hispanic black or white. We performed logistic regression modeling for unprocessed food, processed food, overall ultra-processed food, and three subcategories of ultra-processed food (salty snacks, sweet snacks and candies, and soda). Black women were less likely than white women to have large amounts of processed foods (OR = 0.56), salty snacks (OR = 0.61), and soda (OR = 0.49) available at home. Women with at least some college education or at least a college education were more likely to have large amounts of unprocessed food (OR = 2.58, OR = 4.38 respectively) but less likely to have large amounts of soda (OR = 0.44; OR = 0.22 respectively) available at home than their counterparts. Women with higher stress were less likely to have large amounts of unprocessed food available at home (OR = 0.58) than those with lower stress. Home food availability varied by race, education, and levels of stress in low-income overweight or obese pregnant women.

Informal ready-to-eat food vending: a social practice perspective on urban food provisioning in Nigeria

The way people access food in Nigeria is of central relevance for food security, health and sustainability. One key trend is the shift from household-based to primarily out-of-home food consumption as an increasing majority of the urban poor derive their daily nutrient intake from street foods. However, few studies have yet explored the role of the ready-to-eat food vending sector in urban food systems and the diets of the urban poor. This paper investigates the interrelations between these practices and the diversity of food groups provisioned among the urban poor in developing city contexts. A social practice approach is employed to explore differentiation among informal-ready-to-eat food vending practices in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria, in terms of their daily activities, competences and resources. Applied methods include GIS mapping, food log diaries, in-depth interviews and participant observation to map and classify informal-ready-to-eat food vending practices according to the nature of food provisioned and explore the everyday performances of different informal-ready-to-eat food vending practice initiatives and their relation to dietary diversity. The results reveal three key categories among these practices: traditional, processed and unprocessed—with varying levels of diversity in the food groups on offer. Traditional food vendors offer more diversified food compared to processed food vendors and unprocessed food vendors. The results reveal that material infrastructure, cooking bargaining and purchasing skills and nutritional knowledge are key to the diversity of food groups provisioned. The paper concludes by considering the wider relevance of these findings for urban food science and policy.

A Semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire Has Relative Validity to Identify Groups of NOVA Food Classification System Among Mexican Adults.

BackgroundUltra-processed foods are recognized as indicators of an unhealthy diet in epidemiological studies. In addition to ultra-processed foods, the NOVA food classification system identifies three other groups with less processing. Unprocessed foods that, together with minimally processed foods (MPF), make NOVA group 1, NOVA group 2 is processed culinary ingredients, and NOVA group 3 is processed foods.ObjectiveTo assess the relative validity of the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) to estimate the energy intake for each group NOVA classification system by comparing it with two 24 h-dietary-recall (24DRs) Mexican adults.MethodsWe analyzed dietary information from 226 adults included <60 and ≥60 years with complete SFFQ and two 24DRs from the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012. We reported mean differences, Spearman correlation coefficients, intra-class correlations coefficients, Bland–Altman plots, and weighted kappa between measures.ResultsThe percentage energy intake from unprocessed and minimally processed foods group, Spearman correlation coefficients was 0.54 in adults <60 years and 0.42 in adults ≥60 years, while ultra-processed foods group was 0.67 and 0.48, respectively. The intra-class correlation coefficients in the unprocessed and minimally processed foods group was 0.51 in adults <60 years and 0.46 in adults ≥60 years, and for the ultra-processed foods group were 0.71 and 0.50, respectively. Bland–Altman plots indicated reasonably consistent agreement for unprocessed and minimally processed foods group and ultra-processed foods group in adults <60 years and adults in the ≥60 age group. Weighted kappa was 0.45 in the ultra-processed foods group to adults <60 years and was 0.36–≥60 years.ConclusionThe SFFQ had acceptable validity to rank the percentage of energy intake from unprocessed and minimally processed foods group and ultra-processed foods group in Mexican adults, both in adults under 60 years and who were 60 years old or older.

Nutrition research challenges for processed food and health.

Existing highly processed food (HPF) classification systems show large differences in the impact of these foods on biochemical risk factors for disease. If public health nutrition is to consider the degree of food processing as an important element of the link between food and health, certain gaps in research must be acknowledged. Quantifying the food additive exposure derived from HPFs is a task made challenging by the lack of data available on the occurrence and concentration of additives in food and the degree to which the natural occurrence of additives in unprocessed foods confounds exposure estimates. The proposed role of HPFs in health outcomes could also be associated with altered nutrient profiles. Differences exist within and between HPF classification systems in this regard and there are conflicting data on the impact of controlling for nutrient intake. Furthermore, research is needed on how the sensory aspects of HPFs contribute to energy intake. Current data suggest that high energy intake rate may be the mechanism linking HPFs and increased energy intake. A high priority now is to clarify the basis of definitions used to categorize foods as highly processed and, in a constructive sense, to distinguish between the contributions of nutrients, additives and sensory properties to health.

Chromatographic fingerprint application possibilities in food authentication

The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of the use of low-peak chromatographic fingerprints for the differentiation of various food products. Three groups of unprocessed products (mushrooms, hazelnuts and tomatoes), food preparations (bread, dried herbs and tomato juice) and alcoholic beverages (vodka and two types of blended whiskey) were examined. A commercial electronic nose based on ultrafast gas chromatography (acquisition time 90 s) with a flame ionization detector was used for the research. Static headspace was used as a green procedure to extract volatile compounds without modifying the food matrix. Individual extraction conditions were used for each product group. Similarities and differences between profiles were analyzed by simple Principal Components Analysis. The similarity rating was determined using the Euclidean distances. Global model was built for recognition chromatographic fingerprints of food samples. The best recognition results were 100% and 89% for tomato juices, spices, separate champignon elements and hazelnuts. On the other hand, the worst recognition results were 56% and 77% for breads and strong alcoholic beverages.

Effect of a dietary intervention including minimal and unprocessed foods, high in natural saturated fats, on the lipid profile of children, pooled evidence from randomized controlled trials and a cohort study.

To study the possible effects of a dietary intervention with minimal and unprocessed foods, high in natural saturated fats on the lipid profile and body mass index of children. This study combines three intervention studies; one non-randomized retrospective cohort study and two randomized controlled trials, to a pooled analysis. The intervention group received a dietary intervention of minimal and unprocessed foods for three to six months, consisting of five times per week green vegetables, three times per week beef, daily 200-300 mL whole cow's milk (3.4% fat) and whole dairy butter (80% fat) on each slice of bread. The control group continued their usual dietary habits. Raw data of the three intervention studies where combined into one single dataset for data analysis, using mixed effects analysis of covariance to test the effects of the dietary advice on the main study outcomes, which are measurements of the lipid profile. In total, 267 children aged 1 to 16 years were followed. 135 children were included in the intervention group and 139 children in the control group. Characteristics (age, gender and follow-up period) were equally distributed between the groups at baseline. In the intervention group HDL-cholesterol increased significantly from 1.22 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-1.32 to 1.42 mmol/L 95% CI 1.30-1.65 (p = 0.007). The increase over time in HDL cholesterol in the intervention group was significantly different compared to the increase in the control group (from 1.26 mmol/L, 95% CI 1.19-1.35, to 1.30 mmol/L, 95% CI 1.26-1.37) (p = 0.04). Due to the increased HDL concentration in the intervention group, the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio decreased significantly from 3.70 mmol/L, 95% CI 3.38-3.87, to 3.25 mmol/L, 95% CI 2.96-3.31 (p = 0.05). Consumption of minimal and unprocessed foods (high in natural saturated fats) has favourable effects on HDL cholesterol in children. Therefore, this dietary advice can safely be recommended to children.

Faktori inflacije tokom pandemije - globalna kretanja i slučaj Srbije

No issue has stirred such debate recently as inflation. In this paper, inflation factors are divided into three groups: 1) global - which dictated inflation movements in 2020 and 2021 in the majority of countries; 2) base effect, which was also a shared component; 3) domestic factors, specific for each country, which gave rise to the differences in the monetary policy response. Factors of ongoing global inflation movements are presented, as well as the assessment of its character in the case of Serbia. The paper offers a response to what monetary policy can and should do in order to preserve price stability over the medium run. Generally, the decomposition of y-o-y inflation rates into global, regional and domestic factors by applying the principal components method indicates that global factors played a key role in determining inflation growth in Serbia and the neighbouring countries in 2021. Also, autocorrelation functions for various groups of price time series were assessed -unprocessed food, processed food, petroleum products and core inflation, where the results obtained indicate that core inflation is a relatively good estimate of the durability of inflationary pressures, as well as that deviations of headline inflation from core inflation are, as a rule, temporary in nature. All of the NBS analyses suggest that there are no fundamental demand-side pressures that would drive Serbia's inflation up in the medium term.

A Crossover Study Comparing the Effect of a Processed vs. Unprocessed Diet on the Spatial Learning Ability of Zebrafish

The current study aimed to compare the short-term effects of processed versus unprocessed food on spatial learning and survival in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Given public concern regarding processed foods, the results of the current study can inform consumer decision-making. We hypothesized that an unprocessed diet would improve learning and survival. Zebrafish were randomly assigned to a diet of brine shrimp flakes (processed) or live brine shrimp (unprocessed). Spatial learning was evaluated throughout the study by recording fish decisions (correct vs. incorrect) and time taken for decision. Our results show no statistically significant difference in the proportion of correct decisions or in the time taken to make decisions when the groups are compared. Notably, fish receiving unprocessed food had significantly lower mortality than those receiving processed food (p = 0.027). We concluded that while the zebrafish make progressively better and faster decisions, diet type does not contribute to improved learning. However, consumption of unprocessed diet may have survival benefits in stressful environments. Future studies may further analyze this association, utilizing larger sample size and longer study duration to clearly assess the effects of long-term exposure to an unprocessed vs. raw unprocessed diet on learning. While it is an association that needs further evaluation, the current study indicates the potential benefits of an unprocessed diet in coping with stress. Considering that zebrafish are effective models of human cognition, this has implications for human consumption of processed vs. unprocessed foods as well.

Disposable carbon nanotube-based antifouling electrochemical sensors for detection of morphine in unprocessed coffee and milk

The direct on-site detection of illegal additives in unprocessed food samples is usually a great challenge for electrochemical sensors because of electrode biofouling. In this work, a simple filtration method for the scalable fabrication of disposable single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)-based antifouling electrochemical sensors is reported. This method employs flash foam stamp-assisted polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) patterns to control the region-selective deposition of SWCNTs on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes during filtration, which enables the scalable fabrication of a SWCNTs three-electrode-based sensor with high conductivity, good reproducibility and excellent flexibility. The resulting SWCNTs sensor exhibits a sensitive response towards morphine with a calibration range of 0.2 ∼ 100 μg mL−1 and a detection limit of 0.06 μg mL−1 (S/N = 3). Moreover, probably owing to its unique nanoporous structure, this SWCNTs sensor possesses apparently improved antifouling ability as compared with the widely used glassy carbon electrode (GCE), and allows the direct detection of morphine in unprocessed complex foods such as milk and coffee. The present work thus establishes a simple approach to the scalable production of self-designed SWCNTs electrode arrays suitable for on-site food analysis, which may also provide an alternative to commercial screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) for electrochemical sensing applications.