Particular interest in selenium (Se) was generated as a result of clinical studies showing that balanced Se dietary system is very important for many physiological processes. There is no recent information available on the Se content in Egyptian foods. The present study was conducted to measure Se content in different food groups. A cross-sectional study was designed; a total of 87 food items were randomly purchased from the main markets and hypermarkets in Alexandria governorate, then digested by wet ashing procedure and finally analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The highest mean Se value was obtained in protein-rich food followed by nuts and sweetened products (6.8, 6.2, and 5.89 μg/g respectively) shrimps had the highest value among all studied samples (6.8 μg/g), while the lowest one was in soft cheese (0.0036 μg/g). Selenium content in food groups is strongly correlated with food matrix and composition of food items, soil composition, and fortification process.

In many low- and middle-income countries, data limitations are a major challenge facing the development of food safety risk assessment. In the present study, a questionnaire data collection tool was designed with an emphasis on gathering specific data points required by a risk modeller for simulating a scenario of Campylobacter cross-contamination during handling of raw chicken meat at the consumer phase. The tool was tested in practice to support its value and applicability in settings where data limitations are a challenge. The study subjects were 450 consumers in two Middle Eastern settings: Alexandria in Egypt (n = 200) and Thi-Qar in Iraq (n = 250). The majority (78.5%) of respondents in Egypt opted for wet markets/live bird shops as their preferred source of chicken meat. In contrast, 59.6% of Iraqi respondents preferred to buy chicken meat from supermarkets. Added to that, 73.0% of consumers in Egypt and 56.8% of consumers in Iraq viewed the quality of frozen chicken as “inferior” to that of chicken from wet markets. Almost all respondents in both Egypt and Iraq shared the practice of washing chicken in water before cooking. The percentage of consumers who ‘very frequently’ or ‘frequently’ prepare chicken prior to making the salad was 32.5% and 55.2% in Egypt and Iraq, respectively. A sizeable proportion of respondents in Iraq (40.8%) reported that they did not consider washing their hands with soapy water after touching raw chicken and preparing a salad in their home kitchen. Finally, 28.8% and 6.5% of respondents in Iraq and Egypt, respectively, indicated that they would not consider using a separate cutting board to avoid cross-contamination between raw chicken and salad. The data collection tool used in this study was designed in the first instance to match a conceptualised risk assessment framework, and that enabled the simultaneous collection of data points on consumption frequency, serving sizes, purchasing patterns, retail chain diversity and food handling practices. Results from such study design could be used for future development of a quantitative risk assessment model and to support food safety promotion efforts for domestic consumers in two of the most populated Middle Eastern countries.

Background: Coronary heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia are primary causes of death worldwide. Moringa Oleifera tree was used as a health supplement introduced to Africa from India. Its leaves have various biological activities, including hypolipidemic effect. Objective(s):The aim of present study was to assess the effect of Moringa Oleifera consumption on lipid profile and histopathology of the liver in hyperlipidemic rats. Methods: A total of 50 male albino rats were divided into five equal groups. Group I was left as control and fed on standard diet only. Group II was fed on standard diet and orally injected with 400 mg/kg of rat body weight extract of Moringa Oleifera. Hyperlipidemia was induced in the remaining 30 rats by feeding an atherogenic diet for four weeks. Group III was fed on atherogenic diet only. Group IV was fed on atherogenic diet and orally injected with 400 mg/kg of rat body weight extract of Moringa Oleifera. Group V was fed on atherogenic diet with 2mg/kg of rat body weight Atorvastatin drug. Lipid profile of rat blood was measured including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). Liver tissue was evaluated by carrying out histopathological examination. Results: The rats fed on Moringa Oleifera showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol and LDL by 26.8% and 40.6% respectively compared to baseline values after 4 weeks. Although VLDL and TG showed slight increase by 5.6% and 5.1% respectively, they were still within the normal range. Otherwise, there was a significant increase in LDL, VLDL, TC, and total TG levels in rats fed on atherogenic diet only by 17.13%, 195.4%, 29.2%, and 193% respectively compared to baseline values after 4 weeks. Atorvastatin drug affected the HDL level, as it increased by 16.4% % 28% from baseline after two and four weeks respectively. Atorvastatin and Moringa Oleifera decreased VLDL level by 53.9% & 36.5% respectively when compared to rats fed on atherogenic diet. Conclusion: Moringa Oleifera was comparable to hypolipidemic medication (Atorvastatin) in improving the lipid profile of rats fed on atherogenic diet. Moringa Oleifera intake is more effective in prevention than in treatment of hyperlipidemia.

Background: Consumer's interest in healthy eating shifted towards the potential health benefits of specific foods and food ingredients. Flaxseed has a unique fatty acid profile. It is high in omega-3 fatty acid and calcium. Objective(s): The purpose of this study was to highlight the nutritional quality of flaxseed and effect of fortification of biscuits on omega 3 and calcium content of products. Methods: Different flaxseed concentrations (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) were used in the preparation of fortified biscuits. Proximate analysis of flaxseed and produced biscuits was performed to determine moisture, fat, total ash, crude protein, crude fiber and carbohydrate content. Sensory evaluation of produced biscuits was done to assess color, taste, odor, texture, overall acceptability and residual after taste. Omega-3 and calcium content of flaxseed and produced biscuits was determined. Results: In our study, the changes in chemical composition of biscuits fortified with flaxseed showed that the addition of flaxseed to wheat flour significantly increased protein, fat and ash content, meanwhile, decreased the content of carbohydrates. Biscuit samples made from substitution of wheat flour with flaxseed up to 20% were acceptable and gave nearly similar scores to the control. Our results indicated that flaxseed was rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (60.43 %) with omega-3 representing 47.22%. Biscuits fortified with flaxseed revealed that omega-3 content of flaxseed fortified biscuits was significantly higher than the control biscuits. In our study, the calcium content of the grinded flaxseed was 188.9 mg/100g. Control biscuits which were formulated from wheat flour contained 25.6 mg/100g calcium. Whereas, biscuits fortified with 10 %, 20% and 30% flaxseed exhibited significantly higher contents of calcium (168.3, 175.0 and 179.1 respectively). Conclusion: The use of flaxseed in dietary products can be recommended as functional food. Substitution of wheat flour in biscuits with 20% flaxseed was acceptable by panelists. Enrichment of diets with flaxseed for better utilization of ω-3 fatty acids and calcium for better bone health is recommended.

Substitution of wheat flour with rice bran by 15% in bread production to fortify the bread with vitamin E and to reduce the amount of imported flour is recommended.