Human, Health and halal Metrics
Volume:5 Issue: 1, Winter-Spring 2024

Bread is an important staple food and is widely consumed throughout the world. Therefore, its enrichment can improve consumers' health. Bread enrichment is done in different ways. This study aims to enrich bread with one of the world's most widely farmed fish species, the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), which has a lower market price than other warm-water fish species due to the unpleasant smell of its flesh. In addition, fresh fish meat is used for bread enrichment to maintain fish quality and eliminate drying costs. 

Common carp meat paste was used to enrich the wheat bread at amounts of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25%, and the impact of this enrichment on the bread's physicochemical, textural, and sensory characteristics was investigated. 

The bread samples' moisture content and specific volume were measured in the range of 38.85-48.40% and 1.74-3.18 (cm3/g), respectively. Meat pastes higher than 10% in bread formulation significantly increased the moisture and reduced the specific volume of the bread. Texture analysis results showed that by increasing the amount of meat paste to 20%, the bread's hardness, gumminess, resilience, and springiness did not change significantly. The maximum hardness (1305 g) and gumminess (515.66 g), and minimum resilience (0.147 ratio) and springiness (0.64 ratio) were achieved in the treatment with 25% meat paste. The cohesiveness and chewiness of the resulting bread did not have significant differences. The results of the sensory evaluation showed that all formulations were acceptable. According to the results, using common carp meat paste up to 20% in bread formulation can produce bread with acceptable texture and flavor. However, the production of bread with lower meat paste (10%) resulting a product with a better specific volume.

Numerous studies have documented the existence of antimicrobial compounds within different plant components, including leaves, bark, fruit, root, and flowers. Moringa species have been extensively studied and documented as plant herbs, primarily due to their exceptional nutritional and medicinal characteristics. This study aimed to carry out phytocompound screening of Moringa oleifera extract using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy technique. 

For extraction, 100 ml of ethanol per gram of plant leaf powder was used. The ethanolic extract was subjected to vacuum drying at 40 °C. Then, 10 mg of dry extract was solubilized in 1 ml of ethanol. The phytochemicals extracted from Moringa oleifera leaves were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer.

Eleven compounds were detected through the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the leaf extract of M. oleifera. Among these compounds, the most prevalent were methyl (11E)-11-octadecanoate, accounting for 30.15% of the identified compounds, and cis octadecanoic acid, which constituted 19.16% of the total compounds. This study has demonstrated that the leaf extract of M. oleifera possesses phytochemical compounds that have the potential to serve as substitutes for antibiotics, antihelminthics, and antivirals against various infectious agents. Additionally, they can function as nutritional supplements for non-infectious diseases. Moreover, they exhibit antioxidant properties and can be utilized as flavor enhancers.

Standard normal variate (SNV) preprocessing is widely applied to spectroscopic data prior to multivariate modeling, under the assumption that it mitigates undesired background variations while preserving analyte signal information. However, the scaling step in SNV, where each spectrum is divided by its standard deviation, could potentially distort the covariance between spectral intensities and component concentrations. This study systematically evaluates the effect of SNV preprocessing on the ability to develop accurate quantitative models for determining analyte concentrations in mixtures, with a focus on the determination of moisture in corn using NIR spectroscopy.

Simulations were performed to generate single and multi-component spectroscopic datasets with varying levels of multiplicative scatter and baseline offset effects. Additionally, an experimental near-infrared (NIR) dataset for corn samples with reference moisture values was utilized. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was employed to model the simulated and experimental data, with and without SNV preprocessing. Model calibration and prediction performance metrics were assessed.

For simulated datasets without background interferences, SNV preprocessing eliminated useful concentration-related variations by forcing all sample spectra to equal lengths, severely degrading PLS calibration and prediction abilities. In scenarios with multiplicative/additive perturbations, while SNV mean-centering helped mitigate these undesired effects, the subsequent scaling step obscured analyte concentration information in the spectral intensities. PLS models built from raw corn NIR spectra provided excellent determination of moisture in corn using NIR spectroscopy, whereas SNV preprocessing led to significantly higher prediction errors. The findings demonstrate that indiscriminate application of SNV can be detrimental for precise quantitative spectroscopic analysis by disrupting the covariance between signals and analyte levels. Therefore, preprocessing strategies should be judiciously evaluated based on the specific data characteristics and modeling objectives.

Postharvest fungi are among the biotic stresses threatening mango fruit along the mango value chain. A common strategy for controlling fruit fungal infections is the use of synthetic chemical fungicides. These fungicides are not eco-friendly, and their fungi resistance is of great concern. This study evaluated the antifungal activity of ginger rhizome extract on postharvest fungi of mango fruits.

 Decaying mango (Mangifera indica) fruits, each showing signs of rot, were purchased from Wurukum, Wadata, Northbank, and high-level markets. Ginger Rhizomes (Zingiber officinale) were also purchased from Wurukum market, which is all in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Saburoud Dextrose Agar (SDA) medium was used to isolate fungal pathogens. Fungal isolation was done by the direct plate method. Ginger extracts were prepared using the maceration technique. The antifungal activity of the extract was tested using the pour-plating method.

 Two fungi of Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer were pathogenic to healthy mango fruits. Moreover, we found that Aspergillus niger was the most virulent. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the occurrence of fungi across all markets. The rot caused by Aspergillus niger (4.35 cm2) and Rhizopus stolonifer (4.33 cm2) was significantly higher than the un-inoculated mango fruits (1.98 cm2). The aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale inhibited the mycelia radial growth of the tested fungi. Accordingly, it can be used as an alternative to chemical fungicides.

Multiple studies on cancer showed that Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) inherently have different effects on various tumors. MSCs respond to multiple factors such as Caffeine, Estrogen, Morphine, curcumin, Metformin, and LPS due to the presence of different receptors. This study investigated the effects of caffeine, a popular drink, on the crosstalk between MSCs and 4T1 cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from mice's tibia and femur bones. These cells were cultured for 14 days and subsequently treated with o as the control group, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mM doses of caffeine for 24 h. Then, cells were cultured without fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 24 h, and the conditioned medium(CM) was isolated. The 4T1 cells were cultured with CM for 24 h, MTT reduction, and Neutral red uptake assay. The cytotoxicity and the rate of apoptosis and necrosis were detected by Acridin orang and PI staining. The presence of 4T1 cancer cells was detected using the flow cytometry method.

The MSC treated with caffeine could have. The more cytotoxic effect on 4T1 cells compared to non-treated MSC was seen in a dose-dependent manner, such that in the group that received a 0.5 mM concentration of caffeine, the most significant impact was seen on cell line 4.1. This data showed that the CM of MSC, treated with caffeine, had a cytotoxic effect on 4T1 cells. Caffeine could suppress the growth rate of 4T1 cells. The ideal caffeine concentration is 0.5 mM.

In many African countries, especially Nigeria, the fight against malnutrition and undernourishment continues to be a primary goal of development. In this regard, various strategies including the consumption of plants and vegetables are being applied. The kernel of Bush mango, which is widely consumed in Nigeria, has been broadly investigated in the literatures, while there is little information about the nutritional composition of the pulp. This study examined the nutritional composition of both kernel and pulp of the Irvingia gabonesis. The Bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) fruits were purchased from Ogbadibo, local Government of Benue state, Nigeria, followed by sorting and washing to remove any dirt. The pulp was separated from the kernel, sun-dried for seven days, and oven-dried at 350 °C for 1 h to eliminate the moisture. The dried samples were milled separately with an electric food blender, and packed in a separate clean polythene bag before analysis. The phytochemicals, antioxidants, proximate composition, and amino acids were determined in the samples according to the standard analytical techniques.Results and Amounts of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, cyanide, and phytate were higher in the kernel, while oxalate and total phenols were higher in the pulp. The results of antioxidants composition revealed that carotenoids were the highest antioxidant in the kernel (4.12 g/100g) and pulp (1.73 g/100g) of Irvingia gabonesis fruit. Study of proximate composition revealed that carbohydrate was the most abundant macronutrient in the kernel (56.96 %) and pulp (61.02 %) of Bush mango. Fatty acids and energy were accounted as 19.19% and 1977.16 kJ/100 g of the kernel, and 16.29% and 1855.80 kJ/100 g of the pulp. Amino acid profile of the samples revealed that leucine (5.49 and 3.52 g/100 g of crude protein of kernel and pulp, respectively) and tryptophan (0.58 and 0.39 g/100 g of crude protein of kernel and pulp, respectively) were the most abundant and the lowest concentrated essential amino acids. In conclusion, the pulp and kernel of Bush mango contained low concentrations of anti-nutrients, and were found to be a good source of fat, carbohydrates, and antioxidants.

Agriculture is livelihood of more than 70% of population in low-income countries. This study determined the socio-demographic profile, health behavior, and nutritional status of abaca farmers in Catanduanes. We randomly selected 240 Abaca farmers of the family heads, from top five abaca producing regions in the municipality of Catanduanes (Philippines).  They were interviewed face-to-face, and asked about nutritional status, sociodemographic information, and health behavior (smoking and alcohol consumption). The socio-demographic information was analyzed by descriptive statistics. Anthropometric measurements including BMI, waist circumference, and waist to hip ratio were calculated. Association of socio-demographic information with nutritional status, dietary assessment, and health behavior were also determined by chi square.Results and Most of the abaca farmers in Catanduanes were 30-49 years old men, had their own land for farming, and finished their primary education. Other than abaca farming, some individuals engaged in fishing and other agricultural works. Most of the abaca farmers had normal BMI, but prevalence of overweight was relatively high. High waist circumference and waist to hip ratio were also evident among the farmers. Majority of them were low-income families. However, they had a diverse diet because they had their backyard garden. Smoking and alcohol consumption that are associated with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, stroke, CVD, and cancer were prevalent among the farmers. We concluded that there is a risk of developing non-communicable diseases among abaca farmers. Therefore, the government should develop health promotion strategies towards improved nutritional education to help the prevention of such diseases in the future. Moreover, easy access to healthcare facilities is of main routes in this regard.