A hydrazine (HYD) detection method is presented based on molecularly imprinting polymers (MIPs) and cobalt-barium stannate nanoparticles incorporated-functionalized MWCNTs (CBSNPs/f-MWCNTs) nanocomposite. Firstly, co-precipitation and sonication techniques were applied to the preparations of CBSNPs and CBSNPs/f-MWCNTs nanocomposite, respectively. Since waste generation occurs at a minimum level in these techniques, an environmentally friendly nanocomposite was prepared. After the glassy carbon electrode modification with CBSNPs and CBSNPs/f-MWCNTs nanocomposite, HYD imprinted electrodes were fabricated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) with a dispersion containing 100.0 mM pyrrole (Py) monomer and 25.0 mM HYD molecule. The resulting electrochemical sensor demonstrated a detection span of 1.0 × 10⁻⁹ M to 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ M HYD and achieved a detection limit (LOD) of 3.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ M. Furthermore, the developed electrochemical sensor was used for actual tap water samples, and the obtained values close to 100.00% in recovery experiments showed the high accuracy of the developed sensor in real sample analysis. Finally, the selectivity, stability, and reproducibility of the created electrochemical sensor were investigated, and the developed sensor has been demonstrated to have high stability for at least 7 weeks, high reproducibility with a relative standard deviation (RSD) value of 0.14%, and high selectivity in real samples. Graphical Abstract

In this work, a new surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on sulphur-doped titanium dioxide (S-TiO₂) nanostructures and molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was presented for thiram (THI) determination in milk samples. Firstly, the S-TiO₂ nanomaterial with a high product yield was prepared by using a facile sol-gel hydrolysis technique with a high product yield. After that, UV polymerization was carried out for the preparation of the THI-imprinted SPR chip based on S-TiO₂ using a mixture including ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linker, N,N′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator, and methacryloylamidoglutamicacid (MAGA) as the monomer. The reliability of the sensor preparation procedure has been successfully proven by characterization studies of the prepared nanomaterials and SPR chip surfaces through spectroscopic, microscopic, and electrochemical methods. As a result, the prepared SPR sensor showed linearity in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁹–1.0 × 10⁻⁷ M with a detection limit (LOD) of 3.3 × 10⁻¹⁰ M in the real samples, and a sensor technique for THI determination with high sensitivity, repeatability, and selectivity can be included in the literature.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the content of selected minerals and total phenolic and flavonoid content of wheat bread and bread enriched with varying amounts of carrot powder (CP) and pumpkin powder (PP). In addition, the coverage of daily requirements of selected minerals was evaluated after the consumption of 100 g of each type of bread. The research included seven types of bread: wheat bread (WB) and bread enriched with 10%, 20%, and 30% CP and PP. The vegetable powders were obtained by freeze-drying. The concentrations of minerals—sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn)—were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) method. Coverage of daily requirements after consumption of a serving of bread was determined based on Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) and Adequate Intake (AI) ratios for minerals, according to the nutritional standards for the Polish population. The addition of 10% PP led to a greater increase in Na, K, Mg, and Cu in the bread compared to CP, while for Ca, Fe, Zn, and Mn a greater increase was observed with the addition of 10% CP than PP. Among macronutrients, the greatest changes in content were recorded for Ca—the addition of 10 and 20% CP and PP resulted in increases of 66, 113, 51 and 59%. Among micronutrients, the addition of CP and PP to wheat bread caused the largest changes in Cu (46–150% increase) and Mn (25–99% increase) content. Additionally, there was a tenfold increase in total phenolic content (TPC) when 30% CP was added to the bread. Consuming 100 g of bread with CP and PP provided the greatest coverage of K (41–60%), Cu (8–17.5%), and Mn (6–17%). These findings suggest that fortification of bread with vegetable powders has the potential to be a useful method of enriching the mineral composition and increasing the proportion of selected minerals in the human diet.

Food neophobia, characterized by the fear of unfamiliar foods, can be influenced by environmental, cultural, and genetic factors, leading to decreased consumption of novel or diverse foods. Understanding the impact of Mediterranean diet adherence and eating disorders on dietary behaviors is crucial, particularly for young adults who are developing lifelong eating patterns. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among food neophobia, Mediterranean diet adherence, and eating disorders in university students aged 18–24 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1277 students (67.2% female) via an online questionnaire to assess sociodemographic characteristics, food neophobia (Food Neophobia Scale, FNS), Mediterranean diet adherence (KIDMED), and eating disorder risk (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, EDE-Q). Most participants (67.7%) had a normal body mass index (BMI), 19.3% were classified as overweight, and 3.7% were classified as obese. Compared with male students, female students had significantly higher FNS scores (40.8 ± 9.21) (38.5 ± 10.97, p < 0.05), indicating greater food neophobia among women. Similarly, men’s EDE-Q scores (3.5 ± 3.32) were significantly lower than those of women (4.4 ± 4.05, p < 0.05). Most participants (69.5%) did not experience food neophobia, and underweight individuals (11.0%) were more neophobic than obese individuals (4.4%). No significant differences were observed according to BMI (p > 0.05). A positive correlation was found between age and KIDMED adherence, whereas a negative correlation was observed between BMI and EDE-Q scores regarding food neophobia. The effects of BMI on food neophobia and the risk of eating disorders were found to vary by sex. These findings suggest that food neophobia may harm Mediterranean diet adherence and increase the risk of eating disorders among university students. Targeted interventions addressing food neophobia could promote healthier eating habits, such as the Mediterranean diet, thereby reducing disordered eating behaviors and associated risks. Further research is needed to confirm these findings, improve population nutritional habits and mental health outcomes, and develop effective public health strategies.

Purpose: There are many studies investigating people’s eating habits during the COVID-19 period, and people have been encouraged to eat healthier. Healthy nutrition is made possible by making healthy food choices and food labels are one of the tools that help consumers make healthy food choices. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers’ food label reading behaviours and their level of trust in food labels.Design/methodology/approach: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,012 adults aged 18–65 years from seven different regions of Turkey. Participants’ food label reading behaviours and their trust in food label information were assessed using an online questionnaire, and COVID-19 fear scores were determined using the fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S).Findings: Although not statistically significant, participants’ rate of reading food labels increased during the pandemic (65.6% vs 68.7%, p = 0.078). On the contrary, trust in label information decreased significantly (52.1% vs 43.9%, p < 0.001). In addition, increased COVID-19 fear was associated with an increased rate of food label reading and decreased trust in the label information (p < 0.001).Research limitations/implications: Because of the study’s cross-sectional nature, the authors cannot provide a causal link between COVID-19 fear and food label reading behaviours and trust in food label information. However, it is difficult to investigate this causal link due to difficulties in studies of consumer behaviour and food choice (e.g. multifactorial effects and complexity). Second, because the present study’s findings were based on self-report data, there may be a risk of resource bias. Nevertheless, the authors think that this study will shed light on future studies as it is the first time that the COVID-19 pandemic has investigated consumers’ food label reading habits and their trust in food labels.Practical implications: Considering the pandemic as an opportunity to change consumer behaviour, it may be useful to provide food label reading education to consumers, especially during this period. In addition, the information given on the label should be clear and understandable for a better understanding of the food label information. Furthermore, it may be beneficial to conduct food inspections more frequently and share the results with the public to increase consumers’ trust in food labels. Moreover, as the food system shifts towards a “new normal”, it is critical for policymakers to understand the changes in consumer perceptions, preferences and trust in foods.Originality/value: COVID-19 fear affected consumers’ food label reading behaviours. As far as the authors know, there is no study about the effects of COVID-19 on consumers’ food label reading behaviours.

Amaç: Bu kesitsel araştırma, üniversite öğrencilerinin sağlık okuryazarlığı düzeyinin diyet kalitesine etkisini belirlemek amacıyla yürütülmüştür. Bireyler ve yöntem: Çalışmaya Erciyes Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Beslenme ve Diyetetik Bölümü (BD), Turizm Fakültesi (TF) ve Spor Bilimleri Fakültesindeki (SB) 580 gönüllü öğrenci dâhil edilmiştir. Sağlık okuryazarlığı “En Yeni Yaşamsal Bulgu Testiyle (NVS)”, diyet kalitesi “Sağlıklı Yeme İndeksi-2015 (SYİ-2105)”le saptanmıştır. Veriler yüz yüze görüşme yöntemiyle toplanmış, antropometrik ölçümler yapılmıştır. p<0.05 değeri istatistiksel olarak anlamlı kabul edilmiştir. Bulgular: Yeterli sağlık okuryazarlığı olanların oranı sırasıyla en yüksek BD (%99.2), daha sonra SB (%53.2), en az TF (%31.2) öğrencilerinindir (p<0.001). Sağlık okuryazarlığı düzeyinin TF (2.59±1.97) ve SB (3.48±1.87) öğrencilerinin sınırlı, BD öğrencilerinin (5.55±0.68) yeterli olduğu saptanmıştır. Sağlık okuryazarlığı düzeyi yeterli olan öğrencilerin SYİ-2015 puanı (56.30±9.73), sınırlı (54.26±9.61) ve yüksek olasılıklı sınırlı (53.77±9.52) olanlardan anlamlı olarak daha yüksektir (p=0.037) Sağlık okuryazarlığı düzeyi ile diyet kalitesi arasında pozitif yönlü zayıf anlamlı korelasyon saptanmıştır (rho=0.123, p=0.003). Bireylerin bel çevresi ve bel/kalça oranıyla NVS puanı, bel/kalça oranıyla SYİ-2015 puanı arasında negatif yönlü zayıf korelasyon bulunmuştur (p<0.05). Sonuç: Sağlık okuryazarlığı düzeyindeki artış diyetin kalitesini olumlu yönde etkilemekte, daha sağlıklı beslenme alışkanlığına sahip olunduğunu göstermektedir. BD öğrencilerinin sağlık okuryazarlığı düzeyinin ve diyet kalitelerinin SB ve TF öğrencilerine göre yüksek olması beklenen bir sonuçtur. Ancak BD öğrencileri için de SYİ-2015 puanı beklenenin altındadır ve diyetlerinin kalitelilerinin iyileştirilmesi gerekmektedir. Beslenmeyle yakından ilişkili olan TF ve SB fakültelerinin eğitim müfredatlarındaki beslenme ile ilgili derslerin sayısı ve saatlerinin artırılması önerilir.