The Complexity of Chinese Cereal Vinegar Flavor: A Compositional and Sensory Perspective.

With a millennium-long history, traditional Chinese cereal vinegar (CCV) is a significant part of China's cultural heritage. The unique flavor of CCV is derived from the use of cereal and its bran as raw materials and solid-state fermentation as a brewing technique. This paper systemically summarized recent research progress on the aroma compounds in CCV, the biochemical generation of aroma compounds during the brewing process, and the association between sensory perception and the primary aroma compounds. Furthermore, a complete CCV lexicon and sensory wheel prototype were constructed. This study aims to lay a foundation for future CCV aroma research, quality improvement, and industrialization.

Attitudes of Chinese residents toward sugar-sweetened beverage tax and their willingness to pay: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with increased risks of obesity and chronic diseases. To effectively control SSB consumption, several countries including Mexico, France, and the United Kingdom have implemented SSB taxes. However, research on SSB taxes in China is limited. Objective: To assess the attitudes of Chinese residents toward the SSB tax and their willingness to pay the tax. Methods: Data were collected through a questionnaire survey among 881 respondents. The generalized ordered logit regression model and marginal effect analysis were used to analyze Chinese participants' attitudes toward SSB tax and their willingness to pay it. Results: The average monthly expenditure on SSBs was 44.8 ± 45.3 Yuan (RMB) (6.95 ± 7.02$), and 54.6% of residents supported the SSB tax; they were willing to pay, on average, 1.19 times the original price after additional tax. Age, physical exercise, self-rated health status, weight control plan, awareness of SSBs, children's consumption of SSBs, and proximity to the nearest SSB outlet significantly influenced attitudes toward tax. Notably, SSB awareness had the greatest effect on tax attitudes, with a 17% increase in the probability of supporting SSB tax for every one-level increase in SSB awareness among residents. Conclusion: Residents in China have attained a certain level of awareness of, support for, and willingness to pay SSB tax. However, promoting knowledge about the health effects of SSBs and conducting further research to evaluate the effect of SSB tax on obesity prevention in China is still essential.

Application of GC-IMS coupled with chemometric analysis for the classification and authentication of geographical indication agricultural products and food.

Geographical indications (GI) are used to protect the brand value of agricultural products, foodstuffs, and wine and promote the sustainable development of the agricultural and food industries. Despite the necessity for the traceability and recognition of GI product characteristics, no rapid, non-destructive approaches currently exist to identify, classify, and predict these properties. The application of gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) has increased exponentially due to instrument robustness and simplicity. This paper provided a detailed overview of recent GC-IMS applications in China for the quality evaluation of GI products and food, including agricultural products, as well as traditional Chinese food and liquor. The general workflow of GC-IMS coupled with chemometric analysis is presented, including sample collection, model construction and interpretation, and data acquisition, processing, and fusion. Several conclusions are drawn to increase partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model precision, a chemometric technique frequently combined with GC-IMS.

A New Technique for Determining Micronutrient Nutritional Quality in Fruits and Vegetables Based on the Entropy Weight Method and Fuzzy Recognition Method.

The human body needs nutrients to maintain its regular physiological activity. It requires 40 essential nutrients, including macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Although macronutrient intake has been improved in China due to people's increased social awareness, the population's micronutrient intake remains insufficient. OBJECTIVE: The current food evaluation system is primarily used to assess macronutrients, while an effective assessment method for micronutrients is still lacking. Fruits and vegetables are low-energy food sources that mainly provide vitamins and minerals and supply the human body with various micronutrients. METHODS: In this paper, the entropy and fuzzy recognition methods were used to construct the Vitamin Index (Vitamin Index = Vitamin A Index + Vitamin Comprehensive Index + Vitamin Matching Index) and Mineral Index (Mineral Index = Calcium Index + Mineral Comprehensive Index + Mineral Matching Index) and to evaluate the micronutrient quality of 24 vegetables and 20 fruits. RESULTS: The assessment results showed that Chinese dates displayed the highest Vitamin and Mineral Index among fruits (Vitamin Index = 2.62 and Mineral Index = 2.63), while collard greens had the highest Vitamin Index of the vegetables, at 2.73, and red amaranth had the highest Mineral Index, at 2.74. CONCLUSIONS: The study introduces a new method for assessing the nutritional quality of micronutrients, which provides a new idea for assessing the nutrient quality of agricultural products.

The effect of steamed potato-wheat bread intake on weight, lipids, glucose, and urinary Na+/K+: A randomized controlled trial in Chinese adults.

Steamed potato bread has received much attention from nutritionists and agriculturalists since it became a staple food of China in 2015. Epidemiological studies have indicated that potatoes may cause diabetes and hypertension, but few trials have evaluated this effect. Through a clinical trial, we evaluated the effect of steamed potato bread intake on adults. In total, 49 and 30 individuals were assigned to the intervention and control groups, respectively. Potato-wheat bread (raw wheat flour and cooked potato flour in the ratio 3:7) and steamed wheat bread (100% raw wheat flour) were provided to the intervention and control groups, respectively, once a day for 4 weeks. Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant net changes in weight (-0.6 kg; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.2, -0.1; p = 0.016), body mass index (BMI, -0.2 kg/m2; 95% CI: -0.4, -0.1; p = 0.020), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c, -0.22 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.49, -0.01; p = 0.035), and the urinary level of Na+/K+ (-2.4; 95% CI: -4.1, -0.7; p = 0.007). In conclusion, the steamed potato-wheat bread intake for 4 weeks resulted in decreases in weight, BMI, LDL-c, and the urinary Na+/K+ level among Chinese adults.

Chinese Consumers' Heterogeneous Preferences for the Front-of-Package Labeling on Fresh Pork: A Choice Experiment Approach.

Excessive average daily pork intake of Chinese residents increases the risk of obesity and related chronic diseases. Understanding consumers' preference for the Front-of-Package (FOP) labeling on fresh pork is of practical significance for designing an FOP labeling scheme that meets market demand and effectively guides moderate pork consumption. This study used the conditional logit model to reveal the stated preferences of 930 nationally representative respondents in China for FOP labeling attributes elicited by a choice experiment approach. The results indicated that respondents preferred the nutritional information to be printed in Chinese characters, the label size to be a quarter of the front package surface, the label color to be green, and the label price to account for 10% of the retail price of 500 g standard fresh pork. Moreover, these preferences were heterogeneous across the sample population due to respondents' different levels of education and trust in labeling. People with primary and junior high school education preferred nutritional information in Chinese characters, while those with junior high education and above preferred green labeling. The higher the respondents' trust in the labeling, the stronger their willingness to accept the appropriate FOP labeling price. Information campaigns and educational programs can be used to increase the acceptance of FOP labelling, particularly among consumers with low education levels and distrust of FOP labeling.

Evaluating the Nutritional Properties of Food: A Scoping Review.

There are many methods or indicators used for evaluating the nutritional value of foods; however, it is difficult to accurately reflect the comprehensive nutritional value of a food with a single indicator, and a systematic evaluation system is lacking. In this article, we systematically summarize the common evaluation methods and indicators of the nutritional value of foods. The purpose of this review was to establish an evaluation procedure for nutritional properties of foodstuffs and to help scientists choose more direct and economical evaluation methods according to food types or relevant indicators. The procedure involves the selection of a three-level evaluation method that covers the whole spectrum of a food's nutritional characteristics. It is applicable to scientific research in the fields of agricultural science, food science, nutrition, and so on.

Studying the Evaluation Model of the Nutritional Quality of Edible Vegetable Oil Based on Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake.

Edible vegetable oils can provide most of the fatty acids, vitamin E, and certain phytochemicals necessary in the daily human diet to facilitate the required physiological activities. However, there are many types of edible vegetable oils on the market, and evaluating their nutritional quality is a matter of significant interest to consumers and producers. Most of the existing research studies that comparatively analyze and qualitatively describe the type, content, and proportion of nutrients in edible vegetable oil lack a comprehensive method for evaluating the nutritional quality of edible vegetable oil. Based on the physical and chemical analysis of fatty acids, vitamins, and phytochemicals in edible vegetable oil, this study aims to establish a model for a comprehensive evaluation of the nutritional quality of edible vegetable oils. The characteristic nutrients in edible vegetable oil were screened as the evaluation index, while the 2013 China Dietary Reference Intake and French Population Reference Intakes For Fatty Acids was considered the evaluation threshold. When each evaluation index in the edible vegetable oil reached the range stipulated by the reference intake of dietary nutrients, the index will get 1 point. The total score of each index was accumulated to evaluate the nutritional quality of the edible vegetable oils comprehensively. In this study, 13 edible vegetable oils, including low erucic acid rapeseed oil (in America, people usually call it canola oil), soybean oil, peanut oil, sunflower seed oil, flaxseed oil, edible blend oil, olive oil, palm oil, corn oil, camellia oil, peony seed oil, sacha inchi oil, and sesame oil, were selected as the evaluation objects because they are very common in China. Seven evaluation indexes were found for total saturated fatty acids (SFAs), atherogenic fatty acids (SFAs with 12, 14, and 16 carbon chains), monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids like linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, vitamin E, and phytosterol. When the evaluation index met the evaluation threshold, it was scored 1 point. Scores ranged from 2 to 6. The highest scores were obtained from peony seed oil, flaxseed oil, low erucic acid rapeseed oil, and edible blend oil all of which were 6 points. The lowest score belonged to palm oil at 2 points. The higher the score, the higher the degree of satisfaction between the various nutrients in the edible vegetable oil and the dietary reference intake of this model is. This paper establishes a new method for the nutritional evaluation of edible vegetable oils, which is convenient for comparing the overall nutritional quality of different kinds of edible vegetable oils while providing a new technique for the extensive evaluation of edible vegetable oil.

Evidence based systematic review on the association between social built environment and childhood obesity / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To evaluate the impact of community built environment and the distribution of fast food restaurants on childhood obesity, and to provide evidence support for childhood obesity prevention and control strategies in China.@*Methods@#A systematic review method was used to search relevant literatures published to November 30，2020 from 8 databases including CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data, PubMed, SpringerLink, Web of Science, Science Direct. The high quality system reviews published since 2016 were included directly, and those published before 2016 were reviewed before combined with other literatures.@*Results@#A total of 20 articles were included for evaluation, including systematic reviews, cohort studies, randomized controlled trials and cross sectional studies. High walkability near the living area could increase children s physical activity levels and reduce the risk of obesity. The fast food sales environment increased the risk of obesity; while large supermarkets or health food sales environment could reduce the risk of obesity.@*Conclusion@#Improving walking suitability in residential areas and reducing the density of unhealthy fast food sales could help decrease the risk of childhood obesity.

Evidence based systematic review on the association between sugar sweetened beverages tax and childhood obesity / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To evaluate the impact of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) tax on childhood obesity by literatures reveiew, and to provide evidence support for childhood obesity prevention and control strategies in China.@*Methods@#A systematic review method was used to search relevant literatures published to November 30，2020 from 8 databases including CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data, PubMed, Medline, SpringerLink, Web of Science, and Science Direct. The high quality system reviews published since 2016 were included directly, and those published before 2016 were rereviewed before combined with other literatures.@*Results@#Twelve studies including 5 systematic reviews (or Meta analysis), 1 cohort study and 6 cross sectional studies were included. Comprehensive analysis showed that the prevention effect on childhood obesity was small or even ineffective if the tax on SSBs lower than 5%, a certain protective effect on childhood obesity could be shown if the tax on SSBs increased to 20%. From the perspective of cost benefit analysis, the implementation of SSBs tax showed certain net benefits.@*Conclusion@#SSBs tax can help reduce the risk of childhood obesity.

Evidence based systematic review on the association between food advertising with childhood obesity / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To evaluate the impact of food advertising on childhood obesity by reviewing relevant literatures, and to provide evidence support for childhood obesity prevention and control strategies in China.@*Methods@#A systematic review method was used to search relevant literatures published to November 30，2020 from 8 databases including CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data, PubMed, Medline, SpringerLink, Web of Science, Science Direct. The high quality systematic reviews published since 2016 were included directly, and those published before 2016 were rereviewed after combined with other literatures.@*Results@#A total of 13 articles were included for evaluation, including systematic reviews, cohort studies, randomized controlled trials and cross sectional studies. Children s exposure to food advertisements could increase energy intake. Television food advertising could influence children s food choices and increase the consumption of unhealthy foods such as sweets and sugary drinks. Children s exposure to unhealthy food advertisements could increase the risk of obesity.@*Conclusion@#Regulating the food advertisement can help reduce the risk of childhood obesity.

Promoting childhood obesity prevention and control through social environment optimization / 中国学校卫生

Abstract@#Obesity has become a global public health problem that affects human health and poses a huge threat to the health of children in China. More and more studies have shown that social environment including social culture, food tax, food advertising and marketing, community food environment and community built environment exerts impact on childhood obesity. With the aim of fully developing the Healthy China and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, as well as achieving the goal of "Achieving socialist modernization by 2035", it is also necessary to strengthen the comprehensive social environment, develop a sustainable and health supported environment for childhood obesity control and healthy growth and development for all children.

Cost-utility and cost-benefit analyses of school-based obesity prevention program.

BACKGROUND: Economic evaluation of school-based obesity interventions could provide support for public health decision of obesity prevention. This study is to perform cost-utility and cost-benefit assessment of three school-based childhood obesity interventions including nutrition education intervention (NE), physical activity intervention (PA) and comprehensive intervention (both NE and PA, CNP) with secondary data analysis of one randomized controlled trial. METHODS: The standard cost-effectiveness analysis methods were employed from a societal perspective to the health outcome and costs that are attributable to the intervention. NE, PA and CNP were carried out separately for 2 semesters for childhood obesity interventions in primary schools. The additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) resulting from the interventions were measured as the health outcome. A cost-utility ratio (CUR) and A cost-benefit ratio (CBR) was calculated as the ratio of implementation costs to the total medical and productivity loss costs averted by the interventions. RESULTS: The CUR and CBR were ¥11,505.9 ($1646.0) per QALY and ¥1.2 benefit per ¥1 cost respectively, and the net saving was ¥73,659.6 ($10,537.9). The CUR and CBR for nutrition education and physical activity interventions were ¥21,316.4 ($3049.6) per QALY and ¥0.7 benefit per ¥1 cost, ¥28,417.1 ($4065.4) per QALY and ¥0.4 benefit per ¥1 cost, respectively (in 2019 RMB). Compared with PA intervention, the ICERs were ¥10,335.2 ($1478.6) and 4626.3 ($661.8) for CNP and NE respectively. The CBR was ¥1.2, 0.7, and 0.4 benefits per ¥1 cost for CNP, NE, and PA interventions, respectively. Net estimated savings were achieved only through CNP intervention, amounting to ¥73,659.6 ($10,537.9). CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive school-based obesity intervention is a beneficial investment that is both cost-effective and cost saving. Compared with PA intervention, both CNP and NE intervention were more cost-effective.

The effect of comprehensive intervention for childhood obesity on dietary diversity among younger children: Evidence from a school-based randomized controlled trial in China.

BACKGROUND: Little evidence from developing countries on dietary transition demonstrates the effects of comprehensive childhood obesity interventions on dietary diversity and food variety among younger children. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of comprehensive childhood obesity interventions on dietary diversity among younger children. METHODS: A total of 4846 children aged 7-13 years were included based on a multicenter randomized controlled trial for childhood obesity interventions in 38 primary schools. Nutrition education intervention (NE), physical activity intervention (PA) and comprehensive intervention including both NE and PA (CNP) were carried out separately for 2 semesters. Dietary Diversity Score (DDS9 and DDS28 for 9 and 28 food groupings, respectively), Food Variety Score (FVS, the number of food items) and the proportions of different foods consumed were calculated according to the food intake records collected with the 24-h dietary recall method. RESULTS: The intervention effects per day of comprehensive intervention group were 0 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0, 0.1; p = 0.382) on DDS9, 0.1 (95% CI: -0.1, 0.2; p = 0.374) on DDS28 and 0.1 (95% CI: -0.1, 0.3; p = 0.186) on FVS of overall diet, which was 0.1 (95% CI: 0, 0.1; p < 0.001) on DDS9, 0 (95% CI: 0, 0.1; p = 0.168) on DDS28 and 0.1 (95% CI: 0, 0.1; p = 0.067) on FVS of dietary scores of breakfast only. Additionally, CNP group had greater increases in cereals, meat and fruits, and more decreases in eggs, fish and dried legumes consumption proportions as compared with the control group. Decreasing side effect on dietary diversity and food variety were found for PA intervention, but not for NE intervention only. CONCLUSIONS: Though the comprehensive obesity intervention didn't improve the overall dietary diversity per day, the positive intervention effects were observed on breakfast foods and some foods' consumption.

Effect of Steamed Potato Bread Intake on Glucose, Lipids, and Urinary Na+ and K+: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Adolescents.

Although potatoes are highly nutritious, many epidemiological studies have connected their consumption with abnormal lipids, diabetes, and hypertension. Steamed potato bread has recently become one of China's staple foods. A randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the effect of steamed potato bread consumption on Chinese adolescents. Four classes from a high school were randomly selected and assigned to the intervention group (two classes) or control group (two classes). The steamed wheat bread (100% raw wheat flour) and potato bread (raw wheat flour to cooked potato flour ratio of 3:7) were provided to the control group and intervention group as staple food once a school day for 8 weeks, respectively. Compared with the control group, the intervention group had significant net changes in systolic blood pressure (4.6 mmHg, p = 0.010), insulin (-4.35 mIU/L, p < 0.001), total cholesterol (-0.13 mmol/L, p = 0.032), and high-density lipoproteins cholesterol (-0.07 mmol/L, p = 0.010). The urinary level of Na+/K+ did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, the intake of steamed potato bread for 8 weeks resulted in positive effects on the total cholesterol and insulin profiles but a negative effect on the systolic blood pressure and high-density lipoproteins cholesterol of adolescents.