Are health claims and functional foods a route to improving the nation's health?

Comprehensive analysis of physiological and metabolomic responses to drought reveals specific modulation of acquired tolerance mechanisms in rice

Mild stresses induce "acquired tolerance traits" (ATTs) that provide tolerance when stress becomes severe. Here, we identified the genetic variability in ATTs among a panel of rice germplasm accessions and demonstrated their relevance in protecting growth and productivity under water-limited conditions. Diverse approaches, including physiological screens, association mapping and metabolomics, were adopted and revealed 43 significant marker-trait associations. Nontargeted metabolomic profiling of contrasting genotypes revealed 26 "tolerance-related-induced" primary and secondary metabolites in the tolerant genotypes (AC-39000 and AC-39020) compared to the susceptible one (BPT-5204) under water-limited condition. Metabolites that help maintain cellular functions, especially Calvin cycle processes, significantly accumulated more in tolerant genotypes, which resulted in superior photosynthetic capacity and hence water use efficiency. Upregulation of the glutathione cycle intermediates explains the ROS homeostasis among the tolerant genotypes, maintaining spikelet fertility, and grain yield under stress. Bioinformatic dissection of a major effect quantitative trait locus on chromosome 8 revealed genes controlling metabolic pathways leading to the production of osmolites and antioxidants, such as GABA and raffinose. The study also led to the identification of specific trait donor genotypes that can be effectively used in translational crop improvement activities.

Predicting consumer healthy choices regarding type 1 wheat flour

Purpose

Healthy and safety food issues are more and more becoming the purchasing process core of conscious consumer. “Type 1” wheat flour means higher protein and ash content. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attributes usually referred to the characteristics of wheat flour known to consumers and at implementing a predictive model of purchasing that allows to make correct decisions without the necessary experience of a real human expert.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to investigate the research aims of the paper, an online survey was carried out and conducted by means of the Google Forms in the detection time January-April 2016. The online survey collected responses from 467 Italian respondents asked to give feedback about their buying habits of various types of flour. The responses were analyzed through a data mining approach. This paper implements predictive analytics to create a statistical model of future behavior by means of a machine learning algorithms.

Findings

In line with recent healthy and dynamic trends in the food industry, conscious consumer seems to be willing to pay a price for “type 1” wheat flour that is four times higher than the price related to the basic types of wheat flour.

Social implications

Consumer seems not to know well the “type 1” wheat flour and its healthy characteristics; then, it should be crucial to implement promotional strategies and marketing hand in hand. Promotion can be a key element in putting across the health benefits of special kinds of wheat flour.

Originality/value

Highlighting health issues about the “type 1” wheat flour gives insights and sheds some light on the crucial need of changing eating and purchasing behavior. Then, originality of this paper can be found in the used predictive algorithm of the artificial intelligence.

Omega-3 fatty acids - A review of existing and innovative delivery methods

Omega-3 fatty acids are generally under-consumed in Western diets; a factor that may largely be attributed to low intake of oily fish. Although supplementation strategies offer one approach in terms of improving blood fatty acid levels, rates of compliance are generally low due to difficulties in swallowing capsules, or unfavorable aftertastes. Consequently, new approaches, including food-based strategies, may be an alternative approach to improving omega-3 status and the health of public sectors. This paper sets out to discuss and review how the use of novel food vehicle and delivery advancements may be used to improve omega-3 status, which may have wider benefits for public health and well-being.