The North African Journal of Food and Nutrition Research

Gastronomic heritage of legume foods in Southern Mediterranean cuisine

Fatma Boukid — 2024-07-26

Background: Legumes hold a prominent position among the foundational ingredients of Southern Mediterranean cuisine.

Aims: This comprehensive review offers an exploration into the significance of traditional legume-based foods within this culinary landscape, focusing on their cultural significance, nutritional value, and extensive array of dishes.

Subjects and Methods: This study conducted a comprehensive review of traditional legume-based foods in Middle Eastern and North African cuisines by accessing scholarly databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and consulting grey literature from international organizations and government agencies. The search strategy combined keywords and controlled vocabulary terms to identify relevant publications in English or Arabic from January 2000 to May 2024, focusing on traditional recipes, cooking methods, nutritional profiles, cultural significance, and historical contexts.

Results: Central to these culinary traditions are legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, and fava beans, renowned for their richness in proteins, fibers, and essential micronutrients. The review catalogues 34 traditional dishes from the Southern Mediterranean region including Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon. These dishes exemplify the region's remarkable culinary diversity, where each dish represents a narrative thread of regional cuisine.

Conclusions: It is also important to acknowledge the commercialization of traditional legume-based dishes is driven by globalization trends and the rising demand for convenient and culturally diverse food options worldwide. As such, educational and culinary initiatives play a pivotal role in preserving and promoting these culinary practices. For future research actions, there is a need to evaluate these traditional dishes' nutritional quality, and sustainability and explore consumer perceptions.

Keywords: Chickpeas, Lentils, Faba, Peas, Ethnic Food, Nutritional Quality, Versatility, Traditional Cuisine, Levant, North Africa.

Determination of phthalate esters contents in different types of cheese produced and consumed in Saudi Arabia

Rowida Allily — 2024-05-01

Background: Phthalates’ esters are commonly incorporated into plastic materials to enhance their elasticity, thereby facilitating their migration into food items.

Aims: To evaluate the levels of phthalate esters in six distinct varieties of locally produced cheese and sold in Saudi Arabia, at the time of purchase (t=0) and after storage for one and two months.

Methods: Six types of local cheeses (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Feta, Cheeseburger slices, Haloumi and Kashkaval) were purchased and analyzed at three different intervals: at the time of purchase (t=0), after one month, and after two months of storage. The Phthalate ester concentrations were determined using indirect gas chromatography with results expressed in mg/kg of cheese. Results: Among the cheese samples analyzed, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was found to be the most prevalent. Halloumi cheese exhibited the highest average concentration of DEHP (4.29 ± 0.51 mg/kg) followed by Mozzarella cheese (3.65 ± 0.46 mg/kg). After two months of storage, more than two-thirds (n=13) of the samples exceeded the permissible limits content of DEHP content while one-third (n=6) and more than half (n=9) exceeded the limits for dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), respectively. The levels of phthalates in all cheese types increased with prolonged storage duration with Cheddar cheese exhibiting the highest rate of increase, exceeding fivefold (from 0.34 to 2.29 mg/kg).

Conclusion: This study confirms the presence of phthalate in cheese samples, with concentrations varying depending on the cheese type, specific phthalate compound, and storage duration. Heightened consumer awareness regarding cheese storage practices is imperative to mitigate potential health risks associated with phthalate consumption.

Keywords: Phthalate, Cheese, chemical analysis, content, Saudi Arabia.

Enhancing food and nutritional security through Gender-Disaggregated Analysis: A case study of Lake Victoria Shore, Tanzania

Raphael N Jettah — 2024-05-13

Background: Understanding the extent and the domains under which food and nutrition insecurity is more critical is essential for designing appropriate interventions and targeting strategies. However, it has been very undesirable that access to such information in Lake Victoria Shores has been undeniably very rare.

Aims: This study was conducted in Mara and Simiyu regions along the Lake Victoria shores aiming to investigate the extent of food and nutrition security in the study area, exploring the variation of food and nutritional security across genders of the household head and examining the influence of household income on food and nutrition security.

Material and Methods: A total of 450 households were involved in this survey. Data collection methods were a focus group discussion, household surveys, key informant interviews, and observations.

Results: Results indicated that: Food consumption, food access stability, and nutritional quality in the surveyed areas were substantially unsatisfactory and varied across studied areas; When data are disaggregated by gender, the results indicated that male-headed households were slightly better than female-headed households in nearly all food security aspects, with the difference between two types of households for food consumption and sufficiency aspects being marginally significant (p < 0.10). Furthermore, the finding indicates that household food security improves with household income. The proportion of households with food insufficiency and food instability generally tended to decline significantly with increased household income.

Conclusion: The study, therefore, recommends strengthening horticultural crop production, fish farming, and paddy production and introducing high-value and nutritious food crops like Orange fleshed Sweet Potatoes to increase income, food and nutrition security. Sensitization and emphasis on using various food groups should be carried out to improve food and nutritional diversity.

Keywords: Food and nutrition security, Gender disaggregation, Lake Victoria shore, Household income, Intervention strategies.

Does sex differ the relationship between macronutrients adequacy and aerobic power?

Mohammad Arif Ali — 2024-06-21

Background: Sex is a recognized factor influencing physiological and biochemical changes in response to physical activity and nutrient intake. Dietary intake may impact athletic performance, including aerobic power. However, these effects may be sex-dependent.

Aims: to evaluate pattern and adequacy of macronutrient intake; to evaluate predicted VO₂max, and investigate potential correlations between macronutrients and aerobic power, stratified by sex.

Subjects and Methods: A correlational design was employed, targeting recreational athletes. Participants (n = 52) were recruited using purposive sampling (aerobic dancers n = 15, runners n = 18, pesilat n = 10, badminton players n = 9). Three-day food records were collected and analyzed using the NutriSurvey application to determine dietary intake and macronutrient composition. Predicted VO₂max was assessed via the Beep Test. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Health Research Ethics Commission. Bivariate correlation analysis was conducted to explore associations between macronutrients and aerobic power.

Results: Mean daily energy intake was 1,417.19 ± 56.12 kcal/day distributed as carbohydrate (46%), fat (40%), and protein (14%). The majority of participants (57.69%, n=30) demonstrated average VO₂max, while the remaining 42.31% (n = 22) exhibited below-average values. Interestingly, a significant negative moderate correlation (r -.565 as p < 0.05) was observed between fat intake and predicted VO₂max in females only. No significant correlations were identified between carbohydrate or protein intake and predicted VO₂max for either sex.

Conclusion: Despite consuming a low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diet, participants maintained adequate energy intake. Notably, fat intake in females displayed a strong negative association with predicted VO₂max.

Keywords: Sports for all, public health nutrition, cardiorespiratory endurance, physical fitness.

Effect of peanut-skin fortification on oil separation and consumer acceptance of sesame butter

Vimbainashe Christine Manyisa — 2024-07-15

Background: Sesame butter offers a rich source of health benefits, but its commercial viability is hampered by oil separation during storage.

Aims: This study aimed to develop a sesame butter formulation with improved oil retention capacity using peanut skins (PS) as a natural thickening agent, while also evaluating consumer acceptance of the resulting product.

Material and Methods: Sesame butter was prepared from roasted sesame seeds. The formulation was then reformulated with the incorporation of PS at varying concentrations (0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 5.0% and 10.0%). Oil separation in these formulations was monitored throughout a storage period of 63 days, with measurements recorded at regular intervals (1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56 and 63 days). To assess consumer acceptability, 50 untrained panelists evaluated the sensory attributes (flavor, texture, and overall acceptance) of the sesame butter formulations using a 9-point hedonic scale.

Results: Consumer acceptance of the sesame butter was primarily influenced by the formulation's sensory characteristics, particularly flavor and color. Texture did not significantly impact overall acceptance (p = 0.975). Notably, the degree of oil separation significantly decreased (p = 0.00) with increasing PS concentration. A marked reduction in oil separation occurred after 14 days of storage. Formulations containing 10.0% and 5.0% PS exhibited the most effective oil retention, while the 1.0% PS formulation received the highest consumer ratings for flavor, texture, and overall acceptability.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates the potential of peanut skins as a viable food additive to enhance oil retention capacity and consumer acceptance of sesame butter. Notably, the optimal PS concentration for improved functionality and consumer preference appears to be at a lower level (1.0%). This finding suggests the potential for effective oil separation control without compromising consumer perception of the product.