Placental transfer of the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids is selectively high to maintain accretion to fetal tissues, especially the brain. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the essential fatty acid (EFA) and LCPUFA status at birth of preterm and term Brazilian infants and their mothers, from a population of characteristically low intake of n-3 LCPUFA, and to evaluate the association between fetal and maternal status, by the determination of the fatty acid composition of the erythrocyte membrane. Blood samples from umbilical cord of preterm (26-36 weeks of gestation; n = 30) and term (37-42 weeks of gestation; n = 30) infants and the corresponding maternal venous blood were collected at delivery. The LCPUFA composition of the erythrocyte membrane and DHA status were similar for mothers of preterm and term infants. Neonatal AA was higher (P < 0.01) whereas its precursor 18:2n-6 was lower (P < 0.01) than maternal levels, as expected. There was no difference in LCPUFA erythrocyte composition between preterm and term infants, except for DHA. Term infants presented a worse DHA status than preterm infants (P < 0.01) and than their mothers (P < 0.01) at delivery. There was a negative correlation of neonatal DHA with maternal AA and a positive correlation between neonatal AA and maternal AA and 18:2n-6 only at term. These results suggest that the persistent low DHA maternal status, together with the comparatively better AA and 18:2n-6 status, might have affected maternal-fetal transfer of DHA when gestation was completed up to term, and possibly contributed to the worse DHA status of term neonates compared with the preterm neonates.

This work investigates the content of feruloylquinic (FQA), caffeoylquinic (CQA) and dicaffeoylquinic (diCQA) acids in the peel, pulp and seed of 22 tropical fruits from Brazil. 3-CQA, 4,5-diCQA and 4-and 5-FQA were not detected in any of the fruits analysed. Relatively small amounts of 4-CQA (4.0-48.7 mg kg À1 ) were found in the peel and/or pulp of seven of the fruits; only the peel of Artocarpus heterophyllus was significantly (p < 0.05) richer in this acid (1000 mg kg À1 ). The distribution of 3,4-and 3,5-diCQA in different parts of the fruits was relatively poor, only reaching levels of up to 16.4 mg kg À1 . The peel of A heterophyllus also showed the highest amount of 5-CQA (13 000 mg kg À1 ), while the seed of most fruits generally contained a lower amount of this acid than the peel or pulp. On the basis of the 5-CQA content found in the pulp, 15 of the fruits were classified as follows: very low concentration (4.4-15.8 mg kg À1 ), low concentration (28.9-66.4 mg kg À1 ), medium concentration (132 mg kg À1 ), high concentration (473-474 mg kg À1 ) or very high concentration (1730 mg kg À1 ); however, no 5-CQA was detected in the pulp of the other seven fruits. Thus 5-CQA was the major chlorogenic acid present in most of the tropical fruits studied and was generally accompanied by small amounts of 4-CQA and 3,4-and 3,5-diCQA.

No abstract

Due to the pandemic and the suspension of in-person school classes, there was an interruption in the meals served to approximately 40 million students who benefited from the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE). This article describes two case studies, comparing the strategies adopted by two municipalities for maintaining school feeding during the Covid-19 pandemic in the northern region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and discuss possible impacts of these strategies on food and nutrition security. These municipalities together cover about 81% of the population in the region. In July 2020, we conducted interviews with PNAE municipal managers, following a qualitative approach. We discuss the results in relation to existing Brazilian guidance on food and nutrition security. The municipalities have developed distinct strategies to overcome operational obstacles and maintain PNAE goals, such as distributing food kits and making cash transfers to students’ families. The main determinants of these strategies are financial availability, the relationship between municipal teams and school communities, and the pre-pandemic PNAE logistics and management. Depending on the strategy and duration of the pandemic, the impacts on food and nutrition security can be wide-ranging, affecting food quality and local farmers who sell products to PNAE. It is necessary to acknowledge that this is not a short-term pandemic and find ways to perform school feeding in accordance with PNAE criteria.

Este artigo apresenta o resultado de um diagnóstico situacional para planejar ações de Promoção da Alimentação Adequada e Saudável (PAAS) em escolas públicas de Macaé, RJ. Trata-se de um estudo de intervenção, ocorrido em 2018/2019, no âmbito das atividades do Núcleo de Estudos em Saúde e Nutrição na Escola (NESANE). Foram sistematizadas as publicações do NESANE de 2014 a 2019 que abordavam alimentação e nutrição em escolas de Macaé. Ocorreram também duas oficinas da equipe do NESANE para analisar tal sistematização, identificar pontos críticos acerca da situação alimentar e nutricional nas escolas, e propor ações. Foram examinados livros, artigos, dentre outras produções. Durante as oficinas a equipe identificou oito pontos críticos, que se classificaram em cinco temáticas pertinentes à PAAS. A partir desses pontos, a equipe pensou objetivos norteadores para ações com públicos variados, abrangendo a PAAS nas dimensões de incentivo, apoio e proteção. O vínculo academia-comunidade resultante da extensão universitária, como ocorre no NESANE, favorece intervenções contextualizadas e com maior potencial transformador. Destaca-se a escola como cenário para a prática extensionista e PAAS, por ser um espaço de formação de hábitos e troca de saberes. Ao apontar pontos críticos em nível local, os diagnósticos situacionais agregam concretude aos problemas, promovem reflexão entre os envolvidos e materialização de ações, favorecendo a transformação social. Este estudo abre um leque de ações de PAAS que podem ser desenvolvidas no espaço escolar de Macaé. Diferentes atores sociais podem, dentro de seu nível de gerência, usar estes resultados para direcionar de forma assertiva políticas e ações na localidade. Sendo assim, é vasto o potencial de contribuição com o desenvolvimento do município a partir do diagnóstico produzido.