Monday, March 23, 2009

Liquid Multivitamins And Their Benefits On Health

Vitamins are known to be really powerful organic compounds available in little concentrations in different food sources. Vitamins are supported to function in certain specific ways and their role is vital for the body chemistry.

Multivitamins can be referred to as a combination of several vitamins and minerals. These are also available in the form of liquids, capsules, tablets and injections. These multi-vitamins play an important role in treating mineral and vitamin deficiency in the body. The deficiency may occur due to pregnancy, poor nutrition, frequent illnesses and reduced absorption of food items via stomach and several other conditions.

Liquid multivitamins are considered to be one of the most vital single supplements that can be consumed by anybody. Human body can perform to its ultimate level only when it is provided with a full fledged and complex line of important nutrients such as vitamin B, vitamin A and Vitamin K in conjunction with other important vitamins.

It is very necessary to consume high power multivitamins on a daily basis as it ensures that the presence of important co-factors. These further fights out several metabolic reactions that can result in impairments to several enzymatic processes that take place in the human body.

Vitamins are naturally found in the normal diet of an individual. However, due to the kind of irregular diet that we take these days, such as junk food, we are unable to get proper nutrient value. In order to make up for essential vitamin and mineral deficiencies, multivitamin should be taken in good amounts. However, you should make sure that multivitamins should be taken only when prescribed by a health care practitioner.

Liquid vitamins do not produce any side effects to the body. In fact, it is safe to use these multivitamins during pregnancy and breast feeding. These days, special pre-natal vitamins are available for babies. These are necessary for the healthy development of babies. Remember that large doses of certain vitamins can be really hazardous to the body.

One should consume liquid multivitamins with a glass full of water. Never consume these multivitamins on an empty stomach.

There are several benefits one can enjoy while having liquid multivitamins. One of the main benefits of this multivitamin in liquid form that it can be taken with ease. You don’t have to worry about swallowing large tablets and vitamins. These issues are not to be forced when it comes to taking liquid multivitamins supplements. These are also available in a wide variety of different flavors and pleasant to take.

Liquid multivitamins supplements can be easily absorbed by the body. This is because these vitamins do not require to be broken down in order to be absorbed. These are easily absorbed via the digestive process.

The liquid vitamins are absorbed immediately after they are taken. The effects of these vitamins are almost immediate once they enter inside the blood stream. This is because they are entered inside the blood stream in large quantities. Liquid vitamins taste better than those available in capsule or chewable form.

These are easy on digestion and have no side effects on the body.

By: Bertil Hjert

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Friday, March 13, 2009

Self-assembling proteins offer golden food future

By Prof. Simon B Widjanarko.

There is a big future for exploiting protein’s natural tendency to self-assembly into micelles or nanotubes, says a leading researcher in the field.



“Self-assembling of proteins is common. In fact, it’s more of a rule than an exception. If we can manipulate this self-assembling of proteins at the nanoscale, I see a big future for it,” said Professor Kees de Kruif from NIZO Food Research.
The majority of research in this area to date has focussed on dairy proteins, with the potential of casein micelles and alpha-lactalbumin nanotubes being explored, Prof de Kruif told FoodNavigator following his presentation to attendees at the Nanoscience conference at IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans.
The protein casein makes up about 80 per cent of the protein content of cow’s milk (30-35 about 2.5 gram per litre grams per litre) and is found naturally in the form of spherical micelles with diameters ranging from 50 to 300 nanometres. The stability of these micelles during processing also makes them a very attractive nano-encapsulator.
Indeed, according to Prof de Kruif, Mother Nature designed the casein micelles to concentrate, stabilise and deliver nutrients to the newborn.
In nature, calcium phosphate is bound inside the micelles, but food scientist can replace calcium with other minerals or vitamins, thereby providing a delivery system for certain bioactive molecules.
“Caseins are very beautiful proteins, with functionalities in food unsurpassed by other food proteins,” said Prof. de Kruif. Indeed, they are very stable to heat, and the stability can be increased by cross-linking with transglutanimase (TGase).

Nanotubes

Another dairy protein receiving interest from researchers is bovine alpha-lactalbumin.
By adding an enzyme to the protein, Prof de Kruif and his team were able to produce food-grade nanotubes.
“This was the first time that anyone made man-made nanotubes from proteins,” he said.
In addition, for food scientists, the tubular structures are more interesting than the spherical ones, he said.
Moreover, by taking the science further, and manipulating this self-assembly process, new proteins with new functionalities can be produced, said Prof de Kruif. “They could replace the use of gelatine.”
These nanotubes could also be used for encapsulation of ingredients, he said. Moreover, the nanotubes would not need to sealed and could be left open-ended. And how far away are we from using such nanotubes in food?
“This is still a bit far fetched in the sense that you can make the nanotubes and you can stabilise them, but they are too expensive for the food business at present,” he said.
“We need investment to scale this up.”

Beyond dairy

Since the self-assembling of proteins into intriguing structures is common to all proteins, Prof de Kruif says that, in principle, non-dairy proteins could be used.
“In theory, you need a long stiff molecule, like gelatine,” he said. “We should look at elongated structures because they’re the interesting ones, not the globular proteins.”
Study with plant proteins is still in its infancy, but the study performed with milk proteins should be translated to other proteins.
Prof de Kruif looks at the issue from a material science rather than food science point of view and focuses on understanding what properties the protein should have. “It’s the same as a chemical engineer asking what properties a plastic should have before they start developing it.”

Nanoboom

The application of nanotechnology and nanoparticles in food are emerging rapidly, and some analysts predict that nanotechnology will be incorporated into 16.4bn worth of food products by 2010.
However, enthusiasm over the rate of progress and the possibilities is being tempered by concerns over possible downsides of the science.

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Simon B. Widjanarko
He is a Food Technologist. Kediri was the place where he was borned on October 1952. He is a professor since 2000 on Horticulture product technology. Office address: Department of Agricultural Product Technology. Faculty of Agriculture Technology, University of Brawijaya, Malang. Veteran Street, Malang 65145 Phone: +62-341-569214, 580106 Fax : +62-341-569214, 460518. Educational Background : Ph.D. March 1990 from School of Biologycal Sciences, Department of Food Technology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Supervisor: Prof. R.B.H. Wills Ph.D. Master of Applied Science, March 1983 from School of Food Technology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia . Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. M. Wootton, Ph.D.. S-1 (Bachelor Degree) Agronomy, November 1977 Faculty of Agriculture, University of Brawijaya.. Current positions: Asesor BADAN AKREDITASI NASIONAL (BAN) PT, Reviewer RISTEK INSENTIF TERAPAN AND SENATE SECRETARY OF UNIVERSITY OF BRAWIJAYA, Asesor Sertifikasi Dosen (lectural sertification) on Plant Sciences including : Food Technology and related plant fields. Researcher on Artificial Food including artificial rice from local sources such as: cassava, sweet potatoes, legumes, corn, konjac flour (porang). Research interest at the moment: Food Component Interactions and Bioactive plant and marine products

Email : simonbw03@yahoo.com; swidjanarko@gmail.com; simonbw@brawijaya.ac.id