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2. Commercial kefir products assessed for label accuracy of microbial composition and density
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Metras, B.N. (author), Holle, M.J. (author), Parker, V.J. (author), Miller, M.J. (author), and Swanson, K.S. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-05-12
- Published:
- USA: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 207 Document Number: D13037
- Notes:
- 6 pages, Kefirs are fermented beverages containing yeast and bacteria produced by the fermentation of water or milk with kefir grains. Because microorganism density may influence a product's health benefits, label accuracy regarding viable bacterial density and taxonomy of fermented foods is important. In this study, the microbiota of 5 commercial kefir products were measured quantitatively using standard plating techniques and characterized using high-resolution, long-read 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. To enumerate viable lactic acid bacteria, 2 lots of each product were plated on de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe agar upon opening and following 14 d and incubated under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Results revealed that 66% of products with a guaranteed count of colony-forming units per gram overstated microorganism density by at least 1 log, with only product E exceeding 1 × 109 cfu/g. Sequencing results demonstrated moderate product label accuracy in regard to taxonomy, yet several products contained bacterial species above the minimum detectable threshold (0.001% relative abundance) that were not included on the labels (e.g., Streptococcus salivarius, Lactobacillus paracasei). Our results demonstrate a moderate level of labeling accuracy for commercial kefir products intended for human consumption. Regulatory agencies and consumers must continue to scrutinize these products and demand a higher level of accuracy and quality.
3. Consumer perspectives on vitamins, minerals and food and beverage fortification
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Format:
- Research summary
- Publication Date:
- 2021-04
- Published:
- USA: International Food Information Council, Washington, D.C.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12173
- Notes:
- Online from publisher. 29 pages., Statistical summary of findings of a U.S. probability survey among 1,023 adults ages 18+, based on interviews.
4. Study reports what consumers are purchasing, and not buying, during pandemic
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Format:
- Research summary
- Publication Date:
- 2021-03
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D12142
- Notes:
- Online via AgriMarketing Weekly. 1 page., Brief summary of findings from a data analysis by Catalina Marketing based on consumer behavior during the past year of the pandemic. Findings concluded that "several categories have experienced strong sales spikes, while others continue to struggle." Eight of the 15 top categories of sales growth during the past year involved food or beverages offering convenience and/or comfort.
5. Unhealthy food: food and beverage references in comedy series
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Mayrhofer, Mira (author), Naderer, Brigitte (author), and Binder, Alice (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 93 Document Number: D10855
- Journal Title:
- Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
- Notes:
- First published May 7, 2019. In press., We analyzed comedy series for food and beverage references, with particular attention to their type of presentation, along with the characteristics of actors associated with the references. Because the generally positive tone of comedy series can exert affective influence over audiences, the result that clearly unhealthy products appeared more often (food: 51.6%; beverage: 40.5%) than clearly healthy ones (food: 11.2%; beverage: 19.6%) could be especially problematic. Moreover, women (56.5%; men: 47.4%) and African American characters (62.7%; Caucasians: 51.5%; Other: 44.7%) were significantly more often associated with unhealthy foods, which could prompt stereotypes of such individuals.