Plant-based beverages as milk alternatives? Nutritional and functional approach through food labelling.

Plant-based beverages (PBB) market is largely growing. In this study, 136 beverages made of soy, oat, almond, rice, tigernut, and others (mixtures of various plant materials), from the Spanish market were evaluated through labelling information. Energy value and fat content were intermediate between skimmed and whole cow milk; while fatty acids profile was quite different. Carbohydrate content was usually higher than cow milk, and highly dependent on the addition of sugars. All products provided some dietary fibre. With the exception of soy-based drinks, samples presented lower protein and calcium content than milk (1/3 samples studied were Ca-fortified), and 23% were vitamin D enriched. The claim "No added sugars" was in more than 50% samples. A right labelling and nutritional education of consumers is essential to make adequate choices, since the appearing of many claims is not always indicative of a better-quality product. Plant-based beverages cannot be considered as an alternative to milk, but as a different product, with their own nutritional and functional entity. Their inclusion in a diversified balanced diet can provide interesting functional components, such as soluble fibre or unsaturated fatty acids (mainly soybean and almond drink), which can help improve the health status of the population.

Plant-based drinks for vegetarian or vegan toddlers: Nutritional evaluation of commercial products, and review of health benefits and potential concerns.

There is an increasing trend today towards plant-based diets in western society, often resulting in milk restriction. In the case of very young children, the direct substitution of milk by other foods, without proper nutritional advice, may lead to a lack of nutrients and hence to growth and development alterations. This study focuses on the nutritional assessment of various commercially available plant-based drinks, to determine their adequacy as alternatives to ruminant milk, in relation to the nutritional requirements of toddlers (1-3 years old), and to establish whether other sources of nutrient supplementation may be needed, as well as any other possible positive and /or negative health effects associated to their consumption. A sample of 179 commercial plant-based drinks (almond, coconut, hemp, oat, rice, soy, tigernut) were chosen and their nutrient contents were compared to the EFSA nutrient reference values for toddlers. The scientific literature on the presence of bioactive and/or undesirable compounds was reviewed. None of the plant-based drinks studied should be considered as a milk substitute, since they are different food products with a different composition. However, from the results obtained, the best choice for toddlers who do not consume milk would be to consume at least 250 mL/day of fortified soy drink (for its higher amount and quality of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols), and always in the context of a carefully-balanced diet. Almond, hemp or oat drinks are other alternatives that can be used in combination or for soy-allergic toddlers. The key nutrients that should be fortified in plant-based drinks are: vitamins A and B12, calcium, zinc and iodine, as they represent the most significant nutritional differences with milk; vitamin D would also be desirable. Of these, vitamins A, B12, D and calcium, are easily found in many commercial plant-based drinks on the Spanish market (most frequently in soy drinks), unlike iodine and zinc, which were not added to any. Given the fish restriction in vegetarians/vegans and the fact that plant-based drinks provide high amounts of phytates and tannins, which act as antinutrients, a good strategy for the industry would be to fortify plant-based drinks with iodine and zinc to improve the nutritional value of products aimed to vegetarians/vegans.

Bioaccumulation of organophosphorus flame retardants in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

The bioaccumulation and depuration of seven organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) in marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis were studied. OPFRs showed to be bioavailable in aquatic environments. When mussels are exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of OPFRs, uptake kinetics fit well to a first-order model with a single compartment; in contrast depuration rates were generally underestimated by that model, most likely because it does not take into account the biotransformation of OPFRs by the organisms. The highest bioaccumulation rates were observed for tricresyl phosphate (TCrP), triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) and 2-ethylhexyldiphenylphosphate (EHDPP). This could be due to the presence of aryl groups in these compounds, their low solubility in water, and their affinity for fat tissues. According to these findings TCrP, with a BCF value of 4042 L kg-1 wet weight, should be classified in environmental regulations as an accumulative chemical.

In vitro assessment of potential intestinal absorption of some phenolic families and carboxylic acids from commercial instant coffee samples.

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, being a source of bioactive compounds as well as flavors. Hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, and carboxylic acids have been studied in the samples of instant coffee commercialized in Spain. The studies about contents of food components should be complemented with either in vitro or in vivo bioaccessibility studies to know the amount of food components effectively available for functions in the human body. In this sense, a widely used in vitro model has been applied to assess the potential intestinal absorption of phenolic compounds and organic acids. The contents of hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonols were higher in instant regular coffee samples than in the decaffeinated ones. Bioaccessible phenolic compounds in most analyzed samples account for 20-25% of hydroxycinnamic acids and 17-26% of flavonols. This could mean that a great part of them can remain in the gut, acting as potential in situ antioxidants. Quinic, acetic, pyroglutamic, citric and fumaric acids were identified in commercial instant coffee samples. Succinic acid was found in the coffee blend containing chicory. All carboxylic acids showed a very high bioaccessibility. Particularly, acetic acid and quinic acid were found in higher contents in the samples treated with the in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal processes, compared to the original ones, which can be explained by their cleavage from chlorogenic acid during digestion. This is considered as a positive effect, since quinic acid is considered as an antioxidant inducer.

Fatty acids profiles of some Spanish wild vegetables.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids play an important role in human nutrition, being associated with several health benefits. The analyzed vegetables, in spite of its low fat content, lower than 2%, present a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids of n-3, n-6 and n-9 series, such as α-linolenic, linoleic and oleic acids, respectively. Wild edible plants contain in general a good balance of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids. The present study tries to contribute to the preservation and valorization of traditional food resources, studying the fatty acids profile of 20 wild vegetables by gas-liquid chromatography with flame ionization detection. Results show that species in which leaves are predominant in their edible parts have in general the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid ratios: Rumex pulcher (5.44), Cichorium intybus (5.14) and Papaver rhoeas (5.00). Due to the low n-6/n-3 ratios of the majority of the samples, they can be considered interesting sources of n-3 fatty acids, especially those with higher total fat amount, such as Bryonia dioica, Chondrilla juncea or Montia fontana, with the highest contents of α-linolenic acid (67.78, 56.27 and 47.65%, respectively). The wild asparaguses of Asparagus acutifolius and Tamus communis stand out for their linoleic acid content (42.29 and 42.45%, respectively). All these features reinforce the interest of including wild plants in diet, as an alternative to the variety of vegetables normally used.

Intestinal bioaccessibility of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of pulp and seeds of cactus pear.

The aim of this work was to estimate the intestinal bioaccessibility of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of cactus pear using an in vitro gastrointestinal model. The amount of polyphenols released from the food matrix by the action of digestive enzymes was about 69-83% in pulp and 0-14% in seeds. The rest of polyphenols was associated with indigestible compounds conferring antioxidant capacity. The results suggest that these compounds could reach the colon and induce healthy effects.

Lumbociatalgia como manifestación de un ependimoma del filum terminal / Lumbosciatalgia as manifestation of an Ependymoma of the filum terminal

Los ependimomas medulares tienen una localización generalmente intradural. Aproximadamente el 50 % son intramedulares por encima del cono y el 50 % restante aparece en relación con el filum terminal, cauda equina o cono medular. Presentamos un paciente de 21 años de edad que acudió a la consulta de Rehabilitación con dolor lumbar irradiado a miembros inferiores de 11 meses de evolución, que no respondía a tratamiento médico; la exploración neurológica era normal. Se le practicó una resonancia magnética lumbar que objetivó una lesión ocupante de espacio en región del filum terminal. Fue intervenido quirúrgicamente resultando el diagnóstico anatomopatológico: ependimoma mixopapilar. Los ependimomas son raros, y tienden a compararse con procesos comunes con los que se pueden confundir durante su evolución clínica. La mayoría de los ependimomas del filum terminal muestran un comportamiento histológico benigno, pero la demora en el diagnóstico y la progresión tumoral, aunque lenta, puede ocasionar defectos neurológicos irreversibles, de ahí la importancia de su adecuado reconocimiento

Spinal ependymomas have a generally intradural location. Approximately 50 % are intramedullary above the conus and the remaining 50 % appear in relationship with the filum terminal, cauda equina or conus medullaris. We present a 21 year old patient who came to the Rehabilitation consultation with lumbar pain that irradiated to the lower limbs having a 11 month course that did not respond to medical treatment. The neurological examination was normal. Lumbar magnetic resonance was performed, showing a space occupying injury in the filum terminal regional. He was operated on, the pathology diagnosis being myxopapillary ependymona. Ependymonas are rare compared with common conditions that it can be confused with during its clinical course. Most of the ependymomas of the filum terminal show a benign histological behavior, but delay in diagnosis and tumor progression, although slow, may cause irreversible neurological defects. Thus, its adequate recognition is important

Experiencia de la Unidad de Media Estancia dependiente de la Unidad Geriátrica Municipal del Ayuntamiento de Madrid / Experience of the middle stay unit within the Madrid Municipal Government Geriatrics Unit

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