Purpose
This study aims to investigate the nutrient composition and cholesterol content of most popular fast foods sold in Qena city, Egypt with reference to their trans fatty acids contents.
Design/methodology/approach
Total 80 samples of fast foods were collected from various fast food restaurants in Qena city, Egypt. The samples were investigated for their nutritive quality by measuring moisture, protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate and energy content as described by the association of analytical chemists. The cholesterol content was determined using a spectrophotometer, while trans fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatography using standard methods.
Findings
The study revealed a wide variation in the composition and nutritive value. On a fresh weight basis, moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate and ash ranged from 45.9-55.0 (P < 0.001), 15.0-22.3 (P < 0.001), 13.1-15.7 (P = 0.034), 6.0-16.2 (P < 0.001) and 2.2-3.5 (P < 0.001), %w/w, respectively. The fast foods were very energy dense with calorie content varying from 236.5-281.1 (P < 0.001), Kcal/100 g. The mean values of cholesterol were between 15-17 mg/100 g (P = 0.398). The findings showed that fast foods had high total trans fatty acids content exceeding the Danish legal limit of 2 g/100 g of fat being in the range of 3.5 to 11.3 g per 100 g fat (P = 0.379). Elaidic acid is the predominant trans-isomer in industrially produced trans fatty acids. The concentrations of elaidic acid were high in all samples examined (P = 0.942).
Originality/value
This study has established the fact that fast foods are associated with high total energy intake, high intake of fat, trans fat and a higher proportion of calories being derived from total fat and trans-fat. Therefore, it is recommended to limit the intake of fast food.
Shiga toxins were widely spread in the meat especially in minced meat. These toxins have an important significance to human health because it is a major cause of food poisoning. About 150 meat samples purchased from a number of supermarkets and butcher shops in Luxor city were examined for presence of E. coli (50 raw meat samples-50 minced meat samples-50 sample of chicken meat). 62 samples were positive for E.coli spp. 26 isolates were confirmed serologically using O &H specific antisera as E.coli. Incidence of E. coli was in chicken meat 6/50 (12%) and raw meat 11/50 (22%) and minced meat 9/50 (18%). 26 E. coli isolates tested serology using special antisera (O & H) recognize that there are 12 genetic groups They are O26:
We are pleased to announce the first edition of the SVU-International Journal of Veterinary Sciences (SVU-IJVS). We hope that this journal will advance the field of animal sciences and related biomedical disciplines. SVU-IJVS is particularly interested to publish any work-of a high quality-in the field of animal sciences. Beside conventional animal-related work, interdisciplinary articles i.e. medicine, biology, bioinformatics and mathematics which may not be published by the narrow windows journals, are highly appreciated in the SVU-IJVS. We hope that SVU-IJVS will play a positive role in this field of research.
Tilapia nilotica (Oreochomis niloticus) is the major fish species consumed in Egypt, particularly due to its high nutritive value, palatability and relatively low price compared with other kinds of fishes or red meat. In Egypt, tilapia fish is caught directly from river Nile or cultured in a specified aquaculture. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been extensively used in Egypt and many African countries in the past century for the control of the agricultural pests. A major character of OCPs is their persistent bio-accumulation in the environment, especially in the food chain, where they can get reach to humans. There is few reports had investigated the current scenario of OCPs contamination in fish in Egypt, particularly in Upper Egypt cities such as Sohag. Additionally, fish is consumed cooked in Egypt not raw like many Asian countries. Therefore, this study aimed at monitoring the residue levels of different OCPs in tilapia fish caught from Upper Egypt (Sohag) and compared with either that from northern part of Egypt (Damietta) or with fish cultured in a control location (Abbasa). Additionally, the effect of different cooking methods (boiling, grilling and pan-frying) on the residue levels of OCPs was investigated. The tested OCPs included pp-DDT and its metabolites pp-DDD and pp-DDE; hexachlorohexanes (HCHs) including α HCH and γ HCH; heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide; aldrin and endrin; chlordane, methoxychlor and hexachloride benzene and were detected using electron capture gas chromatography equipped with Ni63 – electron capture detector. The recorded results revealed that tilapia collected from Damietta had the highest incidence of OCPs’ contamination (75%), over than that collected from Sohag (60%) compared to control value (35%). All examined samples had OCPs residues within the maximum permissible limits (MPLs) set by world health organization. Pan-frying had the highest reduction effect on the OCPs’ residues followed by grilling and boiling. The public health significance of the examined OCPs was also discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.