Turmeric and Ginger as Health Protective Food Sources - An Integrative Review

Most of the medicinal plants utilized in traditional medicine are spices. Majority of those spices are widely used for aroma, flavour and colour in cuisine though they behave as appetizers, digestives, preventives and aphrodisiacs. Their antimicrobial properties are in a broad spectrum that provides a considerable immunity development within the human body. This review summarizes the beneficial characteristics of major active constituents in turmeric and ginger and their presumed pharmacological potential to safeguard human health.Keywords: Turmeric, Ginger, Curcumin, Human health, Active Ingredients, Nanotechnology

Photo Selective Shade Net: An Effective Tool to Reduce the Impact of Global Warming and Pesticide Residues in Vegetable Production: A Review

Photo selective shade net is a product made of plastic fibers connected together with each other, forming a regular porous structure and allowing gases, liquid and light to pass through. It has a capacity to selectively filter the intercepted solar radiation, in addition to their protective function. Vegetables are considered as protective food which are highly perishable in nature. High temperature due to global warming, climate change and excessive use of chemicals are some of the burning issues of vegetable production. Photo selective shade net can be a partial solution for these problems. Vegetable crops grown under different photo selective shade net shows productive responses thus by application of various Photo selective shade nets we can improve the quality as well as production of vegetable crops.

Effects on Consumers’ Subjective Understanding and Liking of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels: A Study on Slovenian and Dutch Consumers

In the context of the ongoing debate on front-of-pack labels (FOPL), extant research highlights a lack of clear indications on which label is most effective in increasing consumers’ knowledge of food nutritional quality, and in favoring informed food choices. In this study, we have compared the effects of two different labels, one nutrient-specific label (i.e., NutrInform Battery) and one summary label (i.e., Nutri-Score), in terms of consumers’ “subjective understanding” and “liking”. Our work advances prior research on FOPL performance by focusing on two different countries—which have different socio-political contexts and which, from previous studies, present limited evidence on the topic—Slovenia, currently utilizing the Protective Food logo, and the Netherlands, who has recently adopted the Nutri-Score. The study also confirms, in line with previous research, a higher effectiveness of the nutrient-specific label, NutrInform Battery, on all analyzed dimensions in tested countries, when compared to the summary label, Nutri-Score.

Face-masking, an acceptable protective measure against COVID-19: Findings of Ugandan high-risk groups

Face-masking could reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We assessed: knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and practices towards COVID-19 and face-mask use among 644 high risk-individuals in Kampala, Uganda. In data analysis, descriptive, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, with a 95% confidence interval were considered. Adjusted-odds ratios were used to determine the magnitude of associations. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically-significant. Majority: 99.7% and 87.3% of the participants respectively had heard and believed that face-masks were protective against COVID-19, while 67.9% reported having received information on face-mask use. Males, food market vendors, those with no formal education, and those aged 24-33, 44-53 and 54-63 years were 0.58, 0.47, 0.25, 1.9, 2.12, and 3.39 times less likely to have received information about face-mask use respectively. Majority, 67.8% owned locally-made, non-medical face-masks, while 77.0% of face-mask owners believed that they knew the right procedure of wearing them. Those who had received information on face-mask use were 2.85 and 1.83 times more likely to own face-masks and to perceive them as protective. Food market vendors were 3.92 times more likely to re-use their face-masks. Our findings suggest that Ugandan high-risk groups have good knowledge, optimistic attitudes and perceptions, and relatively appropriate practices towards COVID-19.

Facilitating Consumers Choice of Healthier Foods: A Comparison of Different Front-of-Package Labelling Schemes Using Slovenian Food Supply Database

Summary indicator front-of-package nutrition labelling schemes are gaining momentum. In Europe, an example of such a scheme is Nutri-Score, which was first introduced in France. Supported by additional research, the scheme has the potential to expand into other countries. Such a scenario opens a series of questions related to the use of Nutri-Score in the territories with pre-existing food labelling schemes. A key question is whether different nutrition labelling schemes would provide conflicting information for consumers when applied to same foods. The goal of our study was, therefore, to evaluate the alignment of different front-of-package nutrition labelling schemes. The study was conducted using cross-sectional data on the composition of selected categories of prepacked foods with high penetration nutrition/health claims and symbols in the Slovenian food supply. We evaluated a variety of existing front-of-package nutrition labelling schemes: three interpretive nutrition rating systems (Nutri-Score, Health Star Rating (HSR), Traffic light system), four health symbols (Protective Food symbol, Choices, Finnish heart, and Keyhole symbol), and also three nutrient profile models developed for other purposes (Office of Communications (United Kingdom, Ofcom), World Health Organization Regional office for Europe (WHOE) and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)). Overall, our results indicate that interpretive nutrition rating systems (i.e., Nutri-Score) are mostly less strict than the nutrient profiles of tested health symbols. A risk of conflicting information would happen in a scenario where food is eligible to carry a health symbol, but is at the same time rated to have lower nutritional quality by an accompanying interpretive nutrition rating system. When Protective Food symbol and Nutri-Score are used together, this would occur for 5% of foods in our sample. To avoid such risks, schemes for health symbols could be adapted to be stricter than interpretive nutrition rating systems used in the same territory/market, but such adaptations are challenging and should be well planned. While our study showed that, in most cases, Nutri-Score is a less strict model than tested health symbols, the rating-system approach might offer useful support and incentive for food producers towards gradual food reformulation.

Dietary advice to cardiovascular patients. A brief update for physicians

It is important, in our opinion, to provide physicians with a brief update of scientifically-sound evidence in preventive nutrition, to be employed in their everyday practice, since the latest scientific and clinical advances in this area are generally not well known. Here, we review the most recent evidence in support of an optimal cardio-protective diet, and we identify the need to focus mainly on protective food which should be part of such diet, rather than on nutrients with negative effects to be limited (salt, saturated fats, simple sugars). We conclude that, to favor patient compliance, it is also necessary to underscore indications on the topics for which there is convincing and coherent literature, leaving other less-explored aspects to individual preferences.

Breeding techniques for quality improvement and processing characters in Vegetable Crops

Vegetables are considered as protective food because of various vitamins, minerals and antioxidants present in them. In India systematic vegetable improvement work was started in the 1970‟s and since then India has improved tremendously in terms of vegetable production with respect to world ranking and ranks 2nd after China. Almost all the varieties of public domain have been evolved with various special characteristics through conventional breeding approach but with the recognition of various biotechnological tools for genetic improvement of crops, emphasis is being given on the integrated approach of vegetable improvement. As conventional breeding approach of improvement has been realized a slow process of genetic improvement which improves genome in an uncontrolled fashion with more number of generations to assemble and fix the desirable traits while, biotechnological approach allow introgression of a single distinct gene without linkage drag. The producer of vegetables for processing in the next ten years must be highly competitive and efficient. Quality of processed foods has always included purity, color, size, texture and flavor. In a more international market it also must include consistency, suggesting perhaps a uniform grading system, unless the processor's label is an accepted seal of quality.

Freshwater clam extract reduces liver injury by lowering cholesterol accumulation, improving dysregulated cholesterol synthesis and alleviating inflammation in high-fat, high-cholesterol and cholic acid diet-induced steatohepatitis in mice

Freshwater clam (Corbicula fluminea) is a traditional liver-protective food in Asia.

Survey of Cultivated Vegetable Crops in Rupandehi District, Nepal

Vegetable is very nutritious food and is considered to be protective food since it contains high amount of vitamins and minerals and also possesses medicinal value. In the present study, documentation of farmer’s knowledge on cultivated vegetable crops was carried out in Rupandehi district during the year 2016. The objective of this paper is to identify, enumerate and to know the status of vegetable crops in this district. It was carried out by conducting semi-structured interview with the vegetable growing farmers, local people, members of Community Based Organizations with the help of standard questionnaire, checklist, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and key informant interview. Altogether 50 plant species have been found to be cultivated in commercial scale as vegetable crops in Rupandehi district. Out of 50 plant spp.; 2 families, 4 genera and 5 spp. were monocots; and 9 families, 30 genera and 45 spp. were dicots. It is also found that fruit (55%) is the widely used part of plant as vegetable. Other parts like leaf (21%), inflorescence (4%), root (8%), tuber (2%), corm (6%), and bulb (4%) are also used as vegetable. Most of the vegetable growing farmers (91%) are economically benefited by the cultivation and selling of vegetable than other crops due to easily available seeds, fertilizers and pesticides in market; good facility of irrigation and accessible market in the study area.