The present study investigates the effect of strawberry antioxidants in beverage form on meal-induced postprandial inflammatory and insulin responses in human subjects. Overweight adults (n 24) consumed a high-carbohydrate, moderate-fat meal (HCFM) accompanied by either a strawberry or a placebo beverage in a cross-over design. Postprandial changes in plasma anthocyanins, their metabolites, insulin, glucose and inflammatory markers were assessed for 6 h. The postprandial concentrations of pelargonidin sulfate and pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside were significantly increased when the strawberry beverage was consumed concurrently with the HCFM compared with the placebo beverage (P,0·001). The strawberry beverage significantly attenuated the postprandial inflammatory response as measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and IL-6 (P,0·05) induced by the HCFM. It was also associated with a reduction in postprandial insulin response (P,0·05). Collectively, these data provide evidence for favourable effects of strawberry antioxidants on postprandial inflammation and insulin sensitivity.

Water activity (a w) is a major factor affecting pathogen heat resistance in low-moisture foods. However, there is a lack of data for a w at elevated temperatures that occur during actual thermal processing conditions, and its influence on thermal tolerance of pathogens. The objective of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the relationship between temperature-induced changes in a w and thermal resistance of Salmonella in all purpose flour and peanut butter at elevated temperatures. Equilibrium water sorption isotherms (water content vs. water activity) for all purpose flour and peanut butter over the range of 20 to 80ºC were generated using a vapor sorption analyzer and a newly developed thermal cell. The thermal resistance (D 80-values) of Salmonella in all purpose flour and peanut butter with initial a w of 0.45 (measured at room temperature, ~20 o C) was determined via isothermal treatment of small (< 1 g) samples. When increasing sample temperature from 20 to 80ºC in sealed cells, the a w of all purpose flour increased from 0.45 to 0.80, but the a w of peanut butter decreased from 0.45 to 0.04. The corresponding estimated D 80-values of Salmonella in all purpose flour and peanut butter with room temperature a w of 0.45 were 6.9 ± 0.7 min and 17.0 ± 0.9 min, respectively. The significantly (P < 0.05) higher D 80-value of Salmonella in peanut butter than in all purpose flour may be partially attributed to the reduced a w in peanut butter in comparison to the increased a w in all purpose flour at 80 o C. The improved understanding of the temperature-induced changes in a w of low-moisture products of different composition provides a new insight into seemly unpredictable results, when using heat treatments to control Salmonella in such food systems.

Objective: This investigation was undertaken to determine whether a grape seed extract (GSE) that is rich in mono-, oligo-and poly-meric polyphenols would modify postprandial oxidative stress and inflammation in individuals with the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Background:MetS is known to be associated with impaired glucose tolerance and poor glycemic control. Consumption of a meal high in readily available carbohydrates and fat causes postprandial increases in glycemia and lipidemia and markers of oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance.