METHODS AND FINDINGS: This prospective analysis included 471,495 adults from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC, 1992-2014, median follow-up: 15.3 y), among whom there were 49,794 incident cancer cases (main locations: breast, n = 12,063; prostate, n = 6,745; colon-rectum, n = 5,806). Usual food intakes were assessed with standardized country-specific diet assessment methods. The FSAm-NPS was calculated for each food/beverage using their 100-g content in energy, sugar, saturated fatty acid, sodium, fibres, proteins, and fruits/vegetables/legumes/nuts. The FSAm-NPS scores of all food items usually consumed by a participant were averaged to obtain the individual FSAm-NPS Dietary Index (DI) scores. Multi-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were computed. A higher FSAm-NPS DI score, reflecting a lower nutritional quality of the food consumed, was associated with a higher risk of total cancer (HRQ5 versus Q1 = 1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.10, P-trend < 0.001). Absolute cancer rates in those with high and low (quintiles 5 and 1) FSAm-NPS DI scores were 81.4 and 69.5 cases/10,000 person-years, respectively. Higher FSAm-NPS DI scores were specifically associated with higher risks of cancers of the colon-rectum, upper aerodigestive tract and stomach, lung for men, and liver and postmenopausal breast for women (all P < 0.05). The main study limitation is that it was based on an observational cohort using self-reported dietary data obtained through a single baseline food frequency questionnaire; thus, exposure misclassification and residual confounding cannot be ruled out.
CONCLUSIONS: In this large multinational European cohort, the consumption of food products with a higher FSAm-NPS score (lower nutritional quality) was associated with a higher risk of cancer. This supports the relevance of the FSAm-NPS as underlying nutrient profiling system for front-of-pack nutrition labels, as well as for other public health nutritional measures.
METHODS: A full factorial design (23) was applied to study the effects of mango-pineapple ratio (x1), immersion time in sugar solution (x2), and concentration of sugar solution (x3) in the production of mango-pineapple jelly spheres using frozen reverse spherification. The responses studied were the physicochemical properties (color, total soluble solids, and texture) and sensory evaluation of mango-pineapple jelly spheres.
RESULTS: Mango-pineapple ratio had a positive effect on a* and b* while having a negative effect L* value on the jelly sphere. Total soluble solids of jelly spheres were influenced by both immersion time in sugar solution and concentration of sugar solution. Immersion time in sugar solution had a positive effect on the peak force of the compression cycle and deformation at peak load while having a negative effect on the total soluble solid of jelly spheres. On the other hand, the concentration of sugar solution had a positive effect on the sensory evaluation in terms of flavor, texture, and overall acceptability. The desirability function approach was used to optimize the factors, and an overall desirability of 0.89 for all responses was achieved with 1.28:1 mango-pineapple ratio, 30 mins immersion time in sugar solution, and 22°Brix sugar solution. A proximate analysis of the optimized mango-pineapple jelly spheres had an energy content of 73.18 kcal/100 g and showed nutrient values of 81.11% moisture, 0.10% ash, 0.46% protein, 0% fat, 0.97% total dietary fiber, and 17.35% digestible carbohydrate.
CONCLUSIONS: The development of the optimal mango-pineapple jelly sphere allows food producers to produce a dessert that is low in calories, with a good appearance and consumer acceptability.