Beyond Chemical Preservatives: Enhancing the Shelf-Life and Sensory Quality of Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Hummus with Vinegar and Other Natural Antimicrobials.

Hummus is a traditional and very popular Mediterranean ready-to-eat (RTE) food, with growing popularity worldwide. However, it has a high water activity and is susceptible to microbial growth and post-process contamination that limit its quality and shelf-life. For this purpose, the present study compared the use of several antimicrobials, alone or in combination, for hummus preservation during storage (4 °C), for up to 45 days. The chemical preservative potassium sorbate 0.09% (S) was evaluated, along with three natural antimicrobials: garlic 1.25% (G); vinegar 5% (V); natamycin 0.002% (N); or their combination: garlic 1.25%-vinegar 5% (GV); vinegar 5%-natamycin 0.002% (VN); garlic 1.25%-natamycin 0.002% (GN); and garlic 1.25%-vinegar 5%-natamycin 0.002% (GVN) to increase the shelf-life of hummus. A thymol and carvacrol mixture 0.2% (O) was also assessed to preserve and develop a new oregano-flavored hummus. All treatments that included vinegar used alone or in combination had significantly higher antimicrobial effectiveness than the other treatments. They achieved 2.2-3.2, 1.8-3.1, and 1.4-2.1 log reductions in total aerobic counts (TAC), Pseudomonas spp., and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), respectively, as compared to the control samples © at day 21. Therefore, the shelf-life of C, S, N, G, GN, and O was around (ca.) 19 days, compared to an extended one of ca. 25 days for V and VN, and ca. 30 days for GV and GVN. Sensory analysis showed the highest acceptability for C, N, S, V, and VN, followed by GV and GVN, and the lowest was for G, GN, and finally O. The findings provide potential alternatives to chemical preservatives, which could be used for natural hummus preservation and shelf-life extension.

The Relationship Between Bone Mineral Density and Body Composition Among Qatari Women With High Rate of Obesity: Qatar Biobank Data.

Studies have reported inconsistent results for the relationship between body composition and bone mineral density (BMD) among women, especially those with a high rate of obesity. This study aims to examine the association between BMD and body composition among Qatari women. A cross-sectional study, using data from the Qatar Biobank (QBB), was conducted on 2,000 Qatari women aged 18 and over. Measurements were taken by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for body composition [visceral fat and android fat (AF)], gynoid fat (GF), trunk fat, total fat mass (TFM), total lean mass (LM) and bone mineral density (BMD), including the lumber spine, neck, femur and total body. The participants were divided into groups of normal and low BMD, based on their T-score. Non-linear regression analysis using the restricted cubic spline method was performed according to the T-score of the total BMD for the fat mass variables. Women with a low BMD (T-score <-1) had significantly lower body composition indicators. LM was positively correlated with BMD at the spine (r = 0.29, p < 0.001), neck (r = 0.32, p < 0.001), and femur (r = 0.28, p < 0.001), as well as total BMD (r = 0.29, p < 0.001) and T-score (r = 0.31, p < 0.001), while the correlatio between TFM and BMD was negative and weak (r = -0.05, <0.017). Results of the non-linear regression indicated that components of fat distribution (TFM, AF, GF and trunk fat) were positively associated with total body T-score. In the adjusted non-liner regression, only a slight increase in T-score was recorded with an increase in FM. The association between FM and BMD was non-linear, suggesting that FM may not be a strong protector of bones among women with high rate of obesity.

Clustering of Lifestyle Risk Factors among Algerian Adolescents: Comparison between Urban and Rural Areas: GSHS Data.

OBJECTIVE: Compare the clustering of LBRs between urban and rural Algerian adolescents. DESIGN: Data of this cross-sectional study was derived from the Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS). A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was filled out by 4532 adolescents (11-16 years), which addressed LBRs of NCDs. Life style behavioral risk factors (LBRs) clustering was measured by the ratios of observed (O) and expected (E) prevalence of one or more simultaneously occurring LBRs for urban and rural areas separately. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine the association of LBRs as dependent variable with demographic variables (location, age, gender). RESULTS: The most common LBR was physical inactivity (84.6%: 50.9% for urban and 49.1% for rural). Adolescents in urban areas had a higher prevalence of two (56.8% vs. 43.2%) and three and more (61.3% vs. 38.7%) LBRs than in rural areas. In urban areas, a significant positive association was found between (low fruit and vegetable consumption + physical inactivity) [2.06 (1.61-2.64)] and (high SB + smoking) [2.10 (1.54-2.76)], while (physical inactivity + high SB) [0.70 (0.54-0.91)] showed a significant negative association. In rural areas, (high SB + overweight/obesity) [1.49 (1.09-2.04)] had a significant positive association. While, (low fruit and vegetable consumption + high SB) [0.75 (0.60-0.94)], (physical inactivity + high SB) [0.65 (0.49-0.86)], and (physical inactivity + smoking) [0.70 (0.49-0.99)] had a negative association. CONCLUSIONS: Several socio-demographic factors have been identified to play a role in LBRs clustering among Algerian adolescents. Results of the study suggest the development of intervention aiming to tackle different LBRs rather than focusing on a single LBR.

Dietary patterns and glycaemic control among Qatari adults with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between dietary patterns and glycaemic control among Qatari adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis using data from the Qatar Biobank Study. Poor glycaemic control was defined as HbA1c ≥7·0 %. Dietary patterns were constructed using factor analysis based on habitual food intake assessed by a FFQ. Medication use was based on self-report. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association. SETTING: Qatar. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged ≥18 years (n 1000) with known diabetes. RESULT: The mean age of the participants was 52·3 (sd 11·5) years. Overall, the prevalence of poor glycaemic control was 57·6 %, and 27·7 % of the participants were insulin users. Three dietary patterns were identified. The modern dietary pattern (high intake of fast food, croissants, white bread and cheese) was inversely associated with poor glycaemic control. The sd increments of the modern pattern had OR for poor glycaemic control of 0·86 (95 % CI 0·68, 1·08) in men and 0·76 (95 % CI 0·61, 0·95) in women. There was a significant interaction between the modern pattern and diabetes medication in men but not in women. In men without diabetes medication, the modern pattern was positively associated with poor glycaemic control with an OR of 2·35 (95 % CI 1·13, 4·87). CONCLUSIONS: Male diabetes patients took medication to control diabetes but ate more unhealthy food. In men who were not taking diabetes medication, modern dietary pattern was associated with poor glycaemic control. Promoting healthy eating should be encouraged especially among those under diabetes medication.

Adiposity Indicators as Cardio-Metabolic Risk Predictors in Adults from Country with High Burden of Obesity.

BACKGROUND: In Qatar more than 70% 0f the adults are overweight and obese. Different adiposity assessment methods have been proposed to identify individuals at cardio-metabolic risk. PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare anthropometric indicators with Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) -derived adiposity indicators in predicting cardio-metabolic risk among Qatari adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A random sample of five hundred and fifty-eight (558) healthy Qatari adults (men and women) aged 20 to 50 years was obtained from Qatar Biobank survey data. Anthropometric data (weight, height, and waist circumference), the DXA-derived data, and cardio-metabolic (CM) risk parameters were analyzed. A Spearman partial correlation coefficient, Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve and an area under curve (AUC) were used to assess the predicting ability of adiposity indicators for CM risk factors. RESULTS: Adiposity indices (anthropometric and DXA) were significantly correlated with most of the CM indicators (r= -0.292 to 0.486, p< 0.001). The AUC of waist to height ratio (WHtR) was significantly higher than that of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in the prediction of low high density lipoprotein (HDL) (AUC=0.65, AUC=0.59; AUC=0.64), high low density lipoprotein (LDL) (AUC=0.67; AUC=0.62; AUC=0.66), high cholesterol (AUC=0.66; AUC=0.63; AUC=0.63), and high Homeostatic Model Assessment- (HOMA) (AUC= 0.81; AUC= 0.78; AUC=0.78). Among DXA- parameters, trunk fat had the highest AUCs for total cholesterol (AUC= 0.64, CI=0.56, 0.73), triglycerides and glucose index (TyG) (AUC=0.69, CI=0.64, 0.74), and HOMA (AUC=0.78, CI= 0.73, 0.84). CONCLUSION: Results of the present study show that adiposity indicators (WC and WHtR) are clinically valuable tools to identify individuals at risk of CVD compared to DXA-derived parameters, while DXA can provide more accurate estimates.