Vol. 3 No. 3 (2025)

Aim: The current study was designed to investigate and compare the fatty acids (FAs) levels and profile of milk from Nubian, Damascus, Mazain and Alpine goats found in Khartoum State. Methods: Milk samples were collected from 145 goat breeds and analyzed for FA profile during the first 6 months of lactation. Gas chromatography was used to estimate the individual FA, and the Duncan Multiple Range test using SPSS program was used for the statistical analysis of the generated data. Results: The FA profile of goat milk revealed significant (P < 0.05) variation among breeds with the progress of lactation. At the same time, it showed non-significant (P > 0.05) differences for all parity orders in studied goat breeds. The higher means (g/100 g) of short chain FA (SCFAs), medium chain FA (MCFAs) and long chain FA (LCFAs) content of milk were recorded in Alpine (13.55), Damascus (40.03) and Nubian (51.80) goat breeds, respectively. The SCFAs and MCFAs content of milk of goats in the 1st to 2nd, 3rd to 4th and 5th to 6th months of lactation were significantly (P < 0.05) different. A different pattern was also found for the LCFA of milk, which increased in the 5th to 6th months of lactation compared to the 1st to 2nd months of lactation in all goat breeds. Conclusion: This study concluded that goat milk contains FAs for nutritional and health values. However, there were significant effects due to variations of the breeds of goat as well as their progress of lactation on the individual estimated FA of goat milk.

Snack consumption has steadily increased over time, with young adults aged 19–29 years particularly prone to consuming snacks lacking essential nutrients, which can negatively affect their health. Balut, a fertilized duck egg and a well-known Filipino delicacy, is recognized for its nutritional qualities. In this study, Balut was incorporated into the formulation of baked crackers. The research examined food safety through yeast and mold counts and Salmonella detection; analyzed the protein and fat content; evaluated the pH level; and assessed sensory attributes. The results indicated that the baked Balut crackers were free from Salmonella, yeast, and mold, confirming their safety. Both protein and fat content of the crackers demonstrated potential health benefits and influenced the product’s texture. Among the sensory attributes, only the appearance of the Balut crackers showed a significant difference compared to the control crackers—which is favorable to the panelists.

Ripening in plantain results in various modifications of its chemical compositions. The objective of this project was to determine the effects of various ripening conditions on the functional properties, nutritive composition, and oxalate composition of the plantain samples. Matured plantain was harvested, and the fingers were divided into six portions (RP₁–RP₅ and UPc) of five fingers in each group. RP₁ was left on shelf, RP₂ was wrapped in foil, RP₃ was immersed in water, RP₄ was immersed in 5% salt solution, and RP₅ was immersed in 6% salt solution to ripen while UPc was analyzed unripe as the control. The samples (RP₁–RP₅) were monitored as they underwent ripening and were prepared into flour upon ripening. Ripe plantains were dried in a hot air oven and milled to flour, the same way as the unripe sample was. The proximate, oxalate, and mineral (Ca, Fe, Mg, P, K, and Na) compositions of the samples, as well as their functional properties, were determined. The results showed that protein content values ranged from 2.19% to 6.65% and increased with ripening. The oxalate content values ranged from 11.34 to 36.06 mg/100 g with a significant reduction due to ripening (p ≤ 0.05). The water absorption capacity values ranged from 1.47 to 2.33 g/mL. The calcium content values ranged from 1.17 to 9.05 ppm. In conclusion, RP₁ (plantain left on the shelf to ripen) was the best in terms of increased nutrients, reduced oxalate composition, and better functional properties.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a global health challenge. Unfortunately, a better preventive approach, treatment and /or therapeutic management of the disease still remain a subject of concern. Factors such as environmental, dietary, underlying health conditions, genetic interplay etc. are responsible for the etiology of the disease. Regardless of the cause of CVD, consumption of unhealthy foods could worsen the disease. Therefore, this study highlights some of the dietary risk factors that may contribute to CVD. Pathophysiological mechanisms by which the dietary risk factors elicit important risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, endothelial dysfunction etc.) and consequently CVD are also unveiled in this study. Consumption of high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets, energy drinks, fried foods, saturated and trans-fats, salt intakes beyond the threshold level, red meat, among other dietary factors, could affect the heart and arterial blood vessels via different mechanisms. Depending on the genetic interplay and makeup of some individuals, these factors are more likely to elicit CVD if consumed beyond physiological need. Among the pathophysiological mechanisms, endothelial dysfunction is associated and central to almost all the dietary risk factors and therefore could be an important and possible therapeutic target for the management and/or treatment of CVD.

High protein products in the form of snacks have built a market presence in the last few decades, where individuals seeking weight loss/management, bodybuilders and athletes requiring high protein are probably major consumers. Some individuals regularly consume diets containing in excess of 0.8 g protein/kg/day. However, increasing protein intake beyond this amount may raise the potential risk of harm to the body, particularly to the kidneys. People are often unaware that not all proteins are equal in terms of amino acid score and hence may not be the best match for their body’s needs. Equally, they may not realise that some added protein may be of animal origin. This in view of the apparent plant-base appearance of these types of products. It is not clear from the literature how potentially detrimental high protein diets are especially in the context of weight-management/sport/endurance/body building where in general the diets do not appear to create acute physiological/psychological issues. For the groups of vulnerable people who need to manage their protein/amino acid consumption carefully due to disease states, in the most part they would be aware of the need to control protein intake within their diet. For them, high protein foods would almost certainly be excluded. This review pulls together the health issues associated with eating high protein snacks and is intended to inform health professionals and consumers alike.