β-thalassemia major is severe hemolytic anemia which requires repeated blood transfusion and for survival, which leading to iron overload. Serious complications due to iron over load are recognized in the thalassemia patients. objectives Vitamin D and calcium are important factors for homeostasis of calcium in this study. This study was conducted for a period of two year including from patients with β- thalassemia major from Duhok Thalassemia Centre between 2014 -2015. Thirty eighth β- thalassemia major patients and thirty eighth persons with age- matched as control group were enrolled in the study. Serum concentration of 25- hydroxy vitamin D and calcium were estimated by enzyme linked fluorescent assay and colorimetric method, respectively. In patients, the level of serum 25- hydroxy vitamin D was significantly lower 11.11±4.36 ng/mL compared with control group (14.03±5.96ng/mL). Vitamin D deficiency is observed about 94.73% in patients. The mean level of serum calcium in patients group is 7.9±0.47mg/dL and 8.98±0.77 mg/dL in control group. There was a statistically significant difference in serum calcium value between patients and control group. 44.73% of patients have hypocalcaemia. This study demonstrated a high prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency and low total serum calcium levels in thalassemia patients with a significantly lower than healthy group. Hypocalcemia and vitamin D deficiency may be results from the negative effect of the repeated blood transfusion and malnourishment.

Softening of cheese surface is a common problem especially in brined cheeses. In this study, the effects of the brine calcium concentrations on the texture of fresh perline Mozzarella cheese were investigated. The compositions of cheeses were analyzed 2 weeks after production. Brine protein content were monitored at 2 and 4 week of storage. The effect of the brine calcium concentration on the texture and meltability of cheeses were monitored Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) and Schreiber meltability test at 2 and 4 weeks of storage. The decrease in brine calcium concentration increased the protein transfer from cheese to brine, leading to an increase in the moisture content of cheese. As the calcium concentration increased in brine, an increase in the hardness, and decrease in adhesiveness and meltability of the cheeses were observed during storage. In conclusion, softening/solubilization of the surface of fresh perline Mozzarella cheese can be prevented with increasing the brine calcium concentration.

Drinking water is the most indispensable substance for humans. Bottled drinking waters are preferred over tap water with the belief that they are more nutritious, better quality, more delicious and safe in terms of health. Therefore, the Turkish bottled (spring and mineral) water market has experienced a continuous growth since 2003, as in the whole world. This study focuses on comparing the common mineral cation calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and sodium (Na+) content of twenty one popular bottled spring and mineral water brands marketed in Turkey by using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The average concentrations of Ca, Mg and Na analyzed in bottled spring and mineral water samples were found as 14.9, 24.1 and 8.2 mg/L and 147.9, 44.3 and 117.3 mg/L, respectively. This comparison confirms that bottled natural mineral water has better quality in terms of major nutrient minerals than bottled natural spring waters.