Whether a simple and rapid dialysis method developed for analyzing food sweeteners, which does not require filling the dialysis membrane tube with samples, can be applied to ten preservatives including benzoic acid, sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid, salicylic acid, and six paraoxybenzoic acid esters was examined. In addition, it was examined whether this method can be applied to foods that swell significantly with the addition of water, a process not possible with the conventional dialysis method. A suspension prepared by mixing 5 g of shredded food with the dialysis solution was placed in a dialysis container. Into this, a dialysis membrane tube filled with 2 mL of dialysis solution was placed; the dialysate (60% methanol and 0.5% sodium chloride) was added to bring the final volume to 50 mL. Dialysis was performed at room temperature for 90 min with constant mixing. Subsequently, the solution in the dialysis membrane tubes was collected and analyzed using a liquid chromatography photodiode array mass spectrometer. Recovery rates of 75.7%–109.9% and relative standard deviations ≤5.7% were obtained in the addition-recovery test. The developed method applies to preservatives and sweeteners and can easily process foods that swell significantly, thus expanding its range of application over conventional dialysis methods.

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Herein, we examined the suppression effect of potato soaking in various solutions on acrylamide (AA) formation in french fries. Thin strips of potatoes soaked for 20-180 min in various solutions such as tap water, vinegar water, and salt water were used to cook french fries by using either a conventional deep fryer or air fryer. The AA concentrations in the french fries were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Compared to unsoaked controls, solution soaking suppressed AA formation when using both fryers. This suppression effect tended to increase with prolonged soaking times. Under the same soaking time, the use of vinegar water was tended to be more effectively suppressed AA formation in french fries compared to tap water (20°C) treatment. Changing the water was also tended to be effectively suppressed AA formation. On the other hand, the AA concentrations in the french fries cooked with an air fryer were higher than those observed when cooking by using a conventional deep fryer. This may be attributed to higher heating temperatures, longer heating times, and larger heating irregularities in the case of the air fryer compared to the conventional deep fryer. Furthermore, the AA concentrations in french fries cooked by an air fryer without oil were markedly higher than those determined when cooking in the presence of oil. Thus, it may be necessary to pay attention to the possibility of increased AA formation in french fries cooked by air fryers (particularly non-oil cooking).

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Metabolic syndrome is an increasingly prevalent health concern comprising multiple metabolic perturbations that can lead to life-threatening diseases if uncontrolled. Apart from physical activity, one way to control metabolic syndrome is by incorporating fiber-rich foods, such as konjac potato, into the diet. The present study examined the effects of Mannan Smoothie (MS), a modified konjac potato product, on metabolic syndrome-prone OLETF (Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty) rats. OLETF rats were fed standard chow mixed with 30% MS or standard chow only for 10 weeks (n=12 for each group). Compared with OLETF rats fed on standard chow (n=12), MS-fed OLETF rats had similar food intake, but 34% less body weight gain (p＜0.01). Abdominal fat was significantly lower in the MS group compared with the control group. MS feeding also resulted in significantly lower postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels compared with the control group (119 ± 16 mg/dL vs. 138 ± 21 mg/dL, respectively, p＜0.05). Finally, MS feeding was associated with significantly higher gut weight and villus height compared with the control group. Overall, these data suggest that dietary fiber from MS has the potential to maintain body weight, regulate blood glucose, and improve gut morphology in subjects with metabolic syndrome.

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In this study, we examined whether the combustion method, which is simple and rapid, can be used as an alternative to the conventional Kjeldahl method for nitrogen determination of food additives in Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives. We compared the nitrogen contents from the combustion method and Kjeldahl method using six food additives: Casein, Sodium Casein, Caramel III, Carob Bean Gum, Thaumatin, and Macrophomopsis Gum. As a result, the combustion method was validated as an alternative method to the Kjeldahl method without changing the current specifications.

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The analytical method was validated by HPLC to inspect residual clopidol in game meats. Clopidol was extracted with acetonitrile/ methanol mixture and McIlvaine buffer. The impurities in the extract were removed by n-hexane partition and a solid-phase column, InertSep PLS-2. After removing the solvent, the extract was resolved in a 40% acetonitrile solution. Clopidol in the purified solution was quantitatively determined using HPLC with a photodiode array detector (PDA). An interfering peak was not observed in the chromatograms of game meat extracts. The limit of quantification of this method was 0.01 µg/g in game meats. Recovery tests performed method validation at the maximum residue limit concentration to evaluate the trueness, repeatability (RSD_r), and with-in laboratory reproducibility (RSD_wr). The validation results exhibited sufficient trueness (88% and 93%) and precision (RSD_r ≦ 6% and RSD_wr ≦ 9%). These values fulfilled the criteria of the validation guideline for residual pesticide analysis in Japan. The time required to prepare eight test sample solutions was less than five hours. This method can help inspect residual clopidol in game meats.

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This study was conducted clarify the usage of health foods, supplements, and functional health foods in conjunction with the level of awareness of their interaction with pharmaceuticals. The data consisted of responses from a questionnaire survey of people who visited an insurance pharmacy and of measurements of the calcium content of health foods commonly available via online sales that are likely to be used in combination with pharmaceuticals. Based on this information, we considered the issues involved. The survey was completed by 189 respondents, 58 (30.7%) of whom used health food products. Although more than half (52.9%) of the respondents (100 people) were aware of health food-drug interactions, none of them understood the specific details. About half of the respondents obtained information on health food-drug interactions from the Internet, magazines, newspapers, and other media, while only a small number of respondents obtained information from physicians, pharmacists, and other health-care specialists. Among the survey respondents, 10 (5.3%) were osteoporosis patients, 7 of whom were taking vitamin D₃ preparations as medicines, with 3 of the 7 using health foods. The calcium content in health foods sold on the market differs depending on the manufacturer in terms of purity and composition of the raw materials used, even if the products may have similar name. Some products contained calcium even though the product name did not indicate calcium or minerals. The use of multiple types of health food products could unintentionally cause hypercalcemia due to interactions with pharmaceuticals. We concluded that sufficient awareness of health food-drug interactions is lacking and should be addressed as a health-care issue.

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