This is a story of how forgetting my parents’ advice influenced my career progression. During my childhood in the late 1950’s and early 60’s, there was still a strong tradition of telling stories to children. In my family the most popular were the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. My parents used stories not only as means of entertainment but also of teaching basic life skills, for example, be careful about accepting food from strangers (Snow White). The two fairy tales of relevance to this story were both written by Hans Christian Andersen: “The Ugly Duckling” (Don’t simply judge by appearances) and the “Emperor’s New Clothes” (What every one holds to be true may not be).

1. What is the endocrine system? Why is it important for health? The endocrine system is a network of glands which regulates and controls the release and levels of hormones in the body. Hormones are chemical messengers that are essential for the body to carry out functions such as metabolism, growth and development, sleep and mood. Only a tiny amount of hormone may be needed to trigger the intended action. The endocrine system is complex and the interactions within this system which regulate hormonal release are dependent on a variety of biological and physiological factors. Scientifi c knowledge of this system is still growing. Imbalances and malfunctions of the endocrine system can result in wellknown diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, infertility and certain types of cancer. Also, disruption of the endocrine system can cause birth defects and learning disabilities.

GRAND OPENING OF NEW LABORATORY WORLD Shimadzu, one of the worldwide leading manufacturers of analytical instrumentation, has created a new Laboratory World for its customers from all over Europe. The Laboratory World is located at Shimadzu’s European headquarters in Duisburg, Germany. On an area greater than 1,500 m2, testing facilities are available for Shimadzu’s entire product range – from chromatographs, spectrophotometers, TOC analyzers, mass spectrometers and balances up to material testing machines. Mass spectrometry, a technology that Shimadzu has significantly shaped in recent years, will be highlighted in its dedicated space. In addition, laboratory areas for customer applications and seminar facilities are being expanded. www.shimadzu.eu

We are well aware of the essential need for proper amounts of choline in the diets of infants and children to contribute to proper development. It is now clear that choline is essential for every body. Studies now show that 90% of us don�t get enough choline in our diets. Inadequate choline intake is a key issue, particularly for those overworked and over stressed � and these days that means pretty much everyone.

ABSTRACT: Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder which can develop at any time throughout life. In susceptible individuals, eating gluten, a protein in wheat and related grains, causes damage to the small intestine. Currently, testing for coeliac disease is recommended for individuals at high-risk or presenting symptoms; however it is underdiagnosed due to the diverse clinical presentation. Following a gluten-free diet is currently the only effective treatment. The prescribed gluten- free diet should be monitored, with dietary assessment and support from a trained dietitian. Food labelling helps people with coeliac disease identify ‘gluten free’ or ‘very low gluten’ foods. Research is exploring alternative treatments, and whether the timing and amount of gluten consumed during infancy can be altered for the prevention of coeliac disease.

ABSTRACT: Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition affecting genetically susceptible individuals, following ingestion of wheat gluten, barley or-rye products. The only life long treatment is strict gluten free diet which is difficult personally and socially, affecting quality of life. Therefore, there is a need for alternative therapeutic modalities. New attractive potential therapies were starting to immerge: selecting, changing, degrading, manipulating or binding the dietary toxic environmental factors, decreasing intestinal permeability toward gluten or blocking the deamination of gluten by inhibiting tissue transglutaminase or the HLA-DQ presenting groove by carefully designed false peptide, shifting the typical Th1 to Th2 inflammatory reaction or antagonizing major proinflammatory cytokines, enhancing regulatory immune function or developing preventive vaccines, blocking adhesion molecule, inducing gluten oral or intranasal tolerance or applying epithelial repairing mitogens to oppose the mucosal destruction. The present alternative therapeutic strategies for celiac disease are reviewed.

ABSTRACT: Although desirable from a nutritional point of view, lowering salt (sodium) has the potential to reduce microbial safety in certain products. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of replacing NaCl (regular salt) with a patented mineral salt (Smart Salt® - 40% reduced sodium chloride) on microbiological stability and safety of a non- preserved white bread. The mineral salt, containing potassium and magnesium chloride, was shown to signifi cantly increase process lethality of Bacillus spp after baking compared to regular salt. In addition total aerobic viable counts were signifi cantly reduced at day 6 at both storage temperatures (21°C and 25°C).

ABSTRACT: In most countries, humans consume a large amount of salt (10 g or more per day), although WHO recommendations suggest to limit salt intake to no more than 5 g/day. Gastric cancer is a common neoplasia and dietary factors, especially salt consumption, are considered relevant to its causation. Epidemiological investigations indicated a dose-dependent positive association and, in particular, a meta-analysis of the available prospective studies detected a strong adverse effect of salt intake on the risk of gastric cancer in the general population. Also experimental studies supported this association and suggested an unfavourable synergistic action of high salt intake and Helicobacter pylori infection. This article focuses on the epidemiological evidence concerning the association between excess salt rich-food consumption and risk of gastric cancer, and highlights the potential mechanisms whereby salt excess may favour the development of gastric cancer.

ABSTRACT: The Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (No. 1924/2006) aims to facilitate informed food choice among consumers within the European Union (EU) while removing misleading, ambiguous and false claims from the EU market. However, several factors act as obstacles to its success. These include the standard of conclusive cause-and-effect evidence required by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which has in the main focused on health benefits associated with isolated constituents. Health claims have thus been authorised that may be confusing to the consumer. As well as reviewing some of the challenges, various approaches to improving communications with consumers are discussed, including possibilities that work both within and outside the scope of the Regulation. Finally, priority areas for modification of existing approaches to interpretation and implementation of the Regulation are highlighted.

ABSTRACT: In the European Union botanicals can legally be used as components of various product categories, including food, food supplements, cosmetics and medicinal products. However, differences of appreciation exist between the Member States and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has established an extensive case law laying down the principles to consider when deciding on the legal classification of specific products. Recent legislation on nutrition and health claims and traditional herbal medicinal products have brought new elements into the legal framework. It has led the CJEU to limit the application of what can be considered as medicinal by function. It has also resulted in further discussions on how to regulate health claims for botanicals. This article covers the principles the CJEU has established and explores the consequences of recent legislation on the legal classification of products.

ABSTRACT: The balance of intestinal microbiota, which is present in health, can be affected by severe illness and antibiotics. Pathogenic bacteria, which are usually suppressed by the commensal flora, may multiply and can cause complicating secondary infections. Administration of probiotics can help to reduce the deleterious effects of disease and antibiotics in critically ill patients: they can improve gut barrier function while reducing the load of pathogens in the gastro intestinal tract. This should reduce severe complications such as septicaemia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and sepsis. As with all interventions there are risks involved, though these are limited when proper preparations and protocols are used. This overview of the use of probiotics for critically ill patients does not claim to be complete. There are several reviews on the subject (1-6) published over the last few years and most of them in 2012 (1-3, 5).

ABSTRACT: Tragacanth gum is a plant derived hydrocolloid that has a long history of use in food, pharma, and cosmetics. The gum is mainly produced in the Middle East and permitted for food use in the US and Europe. Tragacanth gum consists of complex, heterogeneous polysaccharides, which contain different highly substituted pectin-like structural elements. Enzymatically produced low molecular- weight fractions of tragacanth gum exhibit potential prebiotic activity by promoting growth in vitro of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis strains. These findings may lead to new uses of this gum for production of value-added prebiotic compounds for functional foods.

ABSTRACT: In this study, new fermented milk drinks containing combined three probiotic cultures (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis and Lactobacillus casei) were developed and characterized. Fermented milk drinks were evaluated for their physical, chemical, rheological, microbiological and sensory properties. Determinations of these parameters were investigated at 1, 10, 20 and 30 days of storage. Addition of fruit pulp did not significantly affect the chemical properties, but contributed to an increase in apparent viscosity of fermented milk drinks. However, they were accepted in terms of sensory properties by panellists. All the drinks contained the recommended levels of (7 Log cfu/mL) probiotic bacteria at the end of 30 day shelf life. Milk fermented with these combined three probiotic bacteria could be manufactured as an alternative probiotic dairy product.

ABSTRACT: The human intestinal microbiota has defined health-promoting properties. Alterations in the composition of the microbiota have been linked to common health problems, particularly at dynamic life stages such as older age. Environmental conditions, including diet, shape the composition of the intestinal microbiota. Recent studies have begun to link dietary intake with distinct microbiota compositional profiles and to link these profiles with health parameters in older populations. Defining the role of diet in supporting health-promoting microbiota profiles provides the foundation for the development of dietary interventions specifically targeted at sustaining health in older age.

The premier exhibition focusing exclusively on ingredients and raw materials for the nutraceutical, dietary supplement and functional food and drink industries, Vitafoods Europe once again sets the agenda with brand new visitor attractions and an in-depth conference programme when it returns to Geneva on 14-16 May this year. Stand space is almost sold-out with over 600 suppliers displaying their latest innovations and products to more than 12,500 visitors over the course of the three-day event.

ABSTRACT: Coenzyme Q10 (also known as Ubiquinone) and its active form, Ubiquinol, are essential for the body’s energy production processes, including those which take place in the heart. Thus, a deficiency of heart and blood CoQ10 could be a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The latest advance in supplemental Coenzyme Q10 is the reduced, active form Ubiquinol. While traditional, oxidized CoQ10 has to be converted into Ubiquinol before it works in the body, Ubiquinol can work quickly and directly without such conversion. It is effective at lower dosages. Ubiquinol daily doses range from 100 to 600 mg and can increase blood plasma levels of CoQ10 to more than 3.5 mg/l, which is the level required by patients with severe heart problems for improving heart function. Clinical studies support the safety of Ubiquinol in CHF patients and demonstrate that Ubiquinol is more effective than oxidized Coenzyme Q10.

ABSTRACT: Vitamin D deficiency is widespread around the globe due to a lack of sunlight exposure as a result of the modern sun shy lifestyle. It is now understood that vitamin D is implicated in the regulation of a multiplicity of cellular processes, including those mediating human skeletal muscle function. Furthermore, emerging data demonstrate that vitamin D deficiency is common in athletic cohorts and this has stimulated concern over the potential effect that this deficiency may have on athletic performance. Consequently there is a growing trend in elite athletes to supplement with vitamin D, although the appropriate endpoint serum 25[OH]D concentration for ‘optimal’ muscle function and the molecular mechanisms mediating vitamin D’s role in muscle are yet to be established. This short review aims to summarize epidemiological data on vitamin D status in athletic cohorts. Moreover, the review will critically assess the current literature indicating a link between vitamin D and muscle function from a molecular perspective and discuss the limited number of human trials that have aimed to assess the potential link between vitamin D status and athletic performance. Finally, unanswered questions and future directions will be addressed.

ABSTRACT: Over the last 20 years, there has been rapid development of liposomes, i.e. enclosed phospholipid vesicles with bilayered membrane structures, as carriers of bioactive ingredients in food and nutrition. Because they are able to enhance the performance of encapsulated components by increasing physicochemical stability and improving bioavailability in vitro and in vivo, liposomes have received much attention with respect to the encapsulation of antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, flavours etc. However, for the further successful development of encapsulation systems and to explore new generations of products, some limitations of liposomes must be overcome.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to encapsulate orange peel oil (OPO) using microemulsion technique. Microemulsification of OPO with T60 and propanol was studied in 1:1, 1:2 and 2:1 surfactant:cosurfactant ratios. Dynamic light scattering results showed that the particle sizes of the OPO capsules in O/W microemulsions with 1% wt. oil were less than 20 nm. O/W microemulsion systems are good OPO vehicles and OPO release from these systems was more efficient than noncapsulated OPO. The protective effect of microemulsions on OPO was confirmed by exposing the pure and microemulsified essential oil to UV light. The effectiveness of microemulsions in encapsulating of OPO was verified by sensory assessment of beverages containing microemulsified OPO in comparison with ones containing free essential oil.

ABSTRACT: The use of hydrocolloid gel matrices to encapsulate probiotics is of interest due to their gentle and simplicity of gel formation as well as mild condition used. This technique enhances the viability of entrapped cells during the product shelf life at least above therapeutic minimum level as well as in the gastrointestinal tract to ensure the health benefits of consumers. This review describes the advantages of microencapsulation, hydrocolloid gel matrices such as alginate, carrageenan and whey protein, microencapsulation processes, special treatments for further improvement in encapsulation efficiency of gel matrices as well as food applications of microencapsulated probiotics.