Vitamins form a heterogeneous chemical group having different stability. In foodstuffs some of them might be bound to matrix components. In the case of vitamin supplemented food products, since the vitamins are not strongly embedded in the matrix a general extraction method could be fit for purpose. The aim of this study was the simultaneous determination of the most common water-soluble vitamins, i.e. ascorbic acid (C), riboflavin (B ₂), niacin (B ₃), pyridoxine (B ₆), folic acid (B ₉) in enriched food products. Sample preparation based on the European Standard (CEN, 2003) was optimised for further LC-MS compatible chromatography. The separation of the vitamins was achieved by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Detection was carried out with a photodiode array detector at four different wavelengths. The chromatographic method and the sample preparation were successfully applied for vitamin-enriched cereal, instant cacao powder and fruit juice samples.

The protective activity of lime juice against cholera was suggested in a recent case-control study from Guinea-Bissau. On the basis of these findings, we investigated the vibriocidal properties of juice from lime (Citrus aurantifolia) fruits added to well water, tap water, and food samples. Well-water samples showed initial pH values from 3.5 to 4.9 whereas water samples from municipal or private taps showed initial pH values between 7.5 and 8.3. A 5-log reduction in Vibrio cholerae O1 counts to <100 CFU/ml of well water was shown for two test strains after exposure to 0.5% lime juice (pH 3.3) for 12 min. In tap water, no significant reduction in CFU of V. cholerae was found after exposure to 0% (pH 8.3) and 0.5% (pH 5.6) lime juice whereas exposure to 1.0% lime juice (pH 4.4) for 120 min caused a 5-log reduction to <100 CFU/ml of tap water for the test strains. A 3-log reduction of V. cholerae was found in food samples containing 3.5% and 5.0% lime juice after 120 min exposure. Our results show that during epidemics of cholera in areas without safe sources of drinking water, juice from citrus fruits added to water and food in palatable concentrations may be appropriate measures in reducing the transmission of cholera. However, local characteristics of the water, in particular its alkalinity, should be considered before applying this measure.

Herein, a novel Cu/CuFe₂O₄@iron-based metal-organic framework 88 A (Cu/CuFe₂O₄@MIL-88A(Fe)) was developed through a scalable hydrothermal strategy for the magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction of chlorpyrifos and phosalone from water, fruit juice, and vegetable samples prior to corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry analysis. The resulting nanocomposite was characterized in detail, and thus the investigation indicated that the magnetic nanocomposite had good adsorption capacity, high surface area, dispersion, and superparamagnetic properties. In addition, the fabricated sorbent provided different interactions with the target analytes, (hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic contacts, and π-π stacking interactions) resulting in the improvement of extraction efficiency. The applied method based on Cu/CuFe₂O₄@ MIL-88A(Fe) was validated by investigating the affecting parameters, including the amount of magnetic nanocomposite (10.0 mg), sample pH (7.0), salt content (7.5 % w/v), extraction time (5 min), type of elution (150 μL of methanol), and desorption time (2 min). The linearity of the method was found to be in the range of 0.6–300.0 ng mL⁻¹ and 1.5–500.0 ng mL⁻¹, for chlorpyrifos and phosalone with the coefficient of determination of ≥0.9991. The limits of detections (LODs) of 0.2 and 0.5 ng mL⁻ ¹ were obtained for the determination of chlorpyrifos and phosalone, respectively. The relative standard deviation values (RSDs %) were calculated in the range of 4.4 %–6.1 % (intra-day, n = 5) and 6.3 %–8.0 % (inter-day, n = 3) for three days. Ultimately, the developed method was successfully applied for the extraction of the desired analytes from various spiked samples with acceptable recoveries (88.3–100.4 %).

Mobile phones are becoming important instruments for assessing diet and energy intake. We developed the Tool for Energy Balance in Children (TECH), which uses a mobile phone to assess energy and food intake in pre-school children. The aims of this study were: (a) to compare energy intake (EI) using TECH with total energy expenditure (TEE) measured via doubly labelled water (DLW); and (b) to compare intakes of fruits, vegetables, fruit juice, sweetened beverages, candy, ice cream, and bakery products using TECH with intakes acquired by 24 h dietary recalls. Participants were 39 healthy, Swedish children (5.5 ± 0.5 years) within the ongoing Mobile-based Intervention Intended to Stop Obesity in Preschoolers (MINISTOP) obesity prevention trial. Energy and food intakes were assessed during four days using TECH and 24 h telephone dietary recalls. Mean EI (TECH) was not statistically different from TEE (DLW) (5820 ± 820 kJ/24 h and 6040 ± 680kJ/24 h, respectively). No significant differences in the average food intakes using TECH and 24 h dietary recalls were found. All food intakes were correlated between TECH and the 24 h dietary recalls (ρ = 0.665–0.896, p < 0.001). In conclusion, TECH accurately estimated the average intakes of energy and selected foods and thus has the potential to be a useful tool for dietary studies in pre-school children, for example obesity prevention trials.

To examine the consumption of plain water among children in France and compare total water intakes with guidelines issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Nationally representative data were used to assess food, beverage and water consumption by sex, age group (4–8 years, 9–13 years), income-to-poverty ratio, eating occasion and location. Beverages were classified into nine groups: water (tap or bottled), milk, 100 % fruit juice, sodas, fruit drinks, hot beverages, sports drinks and flavoured waters. Total water volume in relation to energy intake (litres/kcal) was also examined. INCA 2 study (Étude Individuelle Nationale des Consommations Alimentaires 2006–2007). French children (n 835) aged 4–13 years. Total water intakes were accounted for by plain water (34 %), beverages (26 %) and food moisture (40 %). Plain water could be tap (18 %) or bottled (16 %). Older children drank more plain water than did younger children and boys drank more plain water than did girls. No socio-economic gradient for plain water consumption was observed. About 90 % of children did not meet the EFSA water intake recommendations. The daily water shortfall ranged from 367 to 594 ml/d. Water-to-energy ratio was 0·75–0·77 litres/1000 kcal (4184 kJ). Children drank milk at breakfast and plain water during lunch and dinner. Caloric beverages provided 10 % of dietary energy; consumption patterns varied by eating location. Total water intakes among young children in France were below EFSA-recommended levels. Analyses of beverage consumption patterns by eating occasion and location can help identify ways to increase water consumption among children.