Dietary pH enhancement with ammonium was found to significantly decrease body weights, fat mass, and glucose tolerance of male mice. Furthermore, glucose clearance was improved among beef or casein groups during 90 and 120 minute GTTs when compared with control HF groups.
Post hoc multiple comparisons indicated that high fat diets without pH enhancement had a diabetogenic effect regardless of protein source, showing that high fat intake is the key contributor to metabolic impairment rather than protein sources alone.
Enrichment
Enrichment is the practice of adding depth and meaning to products, services and experiences in order to increase enjoyment, relevance and satisfaction, thus encouraging customer retention and growth.
Enrichments may fall into several categories: social (housing gregarious species in groups), physical (perches, structures for climbing or hiding, toys and objects on which animals can chew), scent, visual and cognitive stimulations. Each form of enrichment should have specific goals in mind and target certain behaviors.
Scent enrichment involves sniffing a particular scent, searching for toys or humans, tracking animals or people, or following certain movements in a controlled environment. Scent enrichment provides easy way to add sensory stimulation during meals when other forms of enrichment are unavailable or unavailable to implement. Food enrichment strategies range from hiding food in substrate to providing whole foods to promote foraging behaviors; use of modified TSB (mTSB), brain heart infusion (BHIB) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli broth (ECB) media can also effectively enrich food samples by enrichment techniques.
Fortification
Food fortification refers to the addition of specific micronutrients into foods in addition to what is already naturally present, such as flour fortified with iron and B vitamins such as thiamin, niacin and riboflavin. This may be done either voluntarily by individual food manufacturers or through government regulations and standards; food fortification works best when targeted towards population subgroups with deficiencies.
Food fortification is an effective strategy in low-income countries to combat deficiency-related diseases. Nearly 140 nations have national salt iodization programs and 85 mandate the fortification of maize, wheat and rice with iron and folic acid. When combined with social safety net programs like public distribution systems, cash transfers, school feeding programs or emergency aid, fortification can have a tremendously positive effect on improving nutrition among vulnerable populations such as public distribution systems, cash transfers, school feeding programs or emergency aid – studies have demonstrated its effects by increasing key nutrient consumption such as iodine, iron, vitamin A and zinc.
Additives
As part of its ingredients list, almost any food product contains some form of additive. These substances add flavor, appearance or texture to food products as well as increasing shelf life; some have even been linked with potential health concerns; other are considered safe in reasonable amounts.
Additives may come from natural sources such as fruit, vegetables or spices or be synthetically produced. Bulking agents like starch can help keep foods intact; colorings add color; while other additives such as emulsifiers allow liquid and solid elements to remain mixed together as in salad dressing or ice cream applications.
Before an additive can be used, its safety must first be assessed by a competent body at either national or international levels. For instance, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) evaluates additives intended for use in international trade food chains; their committee establishes maximum levels of use based on data submitted.
Supplements
Dietary supplements include products like vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanicals, amino acids and antioxidants that you can take to enhance your diet or health. They come in the form of capsules, gummies, powders liquids or tinctures and can be purchased in grocery stores as well as nutrition specialty stores or online. Vitamin and mineral supplements are the most commonly consumed dietary supplements; many individuals take them on advice from health care providers or physicians.
Before purchasing any product, carefully read its label and choose those certified as safe by third-party testers to contain only ingredients listed. Also look for those bearing the NSF International, US Pharmacopeia, Underwriters Laboratory or Consumer Lab seal of quality to ensure it has consistent batch-to-batch ingredient profiles, is free from harmful levels of contaminants and does not contain undeclared drugs (48).
