Fish drying is one of the traditional methods where the fishermen land their catch on the beaches for drying traditionally under sun for several days. Dried fish provides valuable and economical sources of animal protein. The quality of dried fish is significantly influenced by the presence of microorganisms. Therefore, this study aims to determine the physical quality changes in anchovy under three different solar drying methods which are open sun drying (OSD), solar greenhouse tunnel dryer (GTD), and forced convective solar dryer (FCD) and to verify the chemical and microbial contamination in solar-dried anchovy. About (20 kg) of fresh anchovy were taken for experiments. Quality analyses were conducted in the samples before, during, and after drying. The parameters analyzed included three main analyses which are physical, chemical, and microbial analyses. The drying rate was higher in GTD compared to the two other methods. Moisture content, drying rate, and moisture ratio were significantly affected by drying methods. GTD required less time (6 hr) to dry anchovies compared to other drying methods (9 hr time). The highest reduction in lightness is in GTD dried anchovies followed by FCD and OSD. The drying methods and drying time statistically affect the lightness (L) of dried anchovies ( ). The water activity of solar-dried anchovies was 0.3. Experimentally dried anchovies were found to have lower microbial count compared to the dried fish quality standards. The total viable count (TVC) in fresh anchovy was 6.44 log CFU/g compared to the greenhouse tunnel dryer 2.90 log CFU/g, open sun dryer 4.16 log CFU/g, and forced convective dryer 4.19 log CFU/g anchovies. Water activity and moisture content did not affect total viable count (TVC) significantly, but it affects total fungal count (TFC) ( ). There was a significant difference on Krusal Wallis between the samples of three methods of drying and a fresh one on the water activity, ash content, and fat content ( ).

Pseudocereals like buckwheat are a significant source of health‐promoting bioactive components. Consumption of pseudocereals may positively modify biomarkers associated with chronic conditions. The main objective of the research was to determine how adding buckwheat‐containing bread to wheat flour affected gastrointestinal health, appetite, palatability, and postprandial glycemia in healthy individuals. In a randomized cross‐over trial, 20 healthy subjects were given either control bread (CB) or 50% buckwheat bread (BB) at breakfast after a 10‐ to 12‐h fast. The recommended daily bread intake was determined based on 50 g of available carbohydrates. Blood glucose levels and appetites were assessed before fasting and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after bread intake. Standardized questionnaires were used to examine palatability and gastrointestinal well‐being. Buckwheat bread significantly lowered postprandial blood glucose levels compared to control bread. While peak glucose level occurred at 45 min for both, BB showed a smaller glucose increase. Repeated measure ANOVA confirmed a significant reduction at 30, 45, and 60 min. Overall, BB resulted in a lower incremental area under the curve (iAUC), indicating improved postprandial glycemic control. Additionally, BB demonstrated a trend toward enhancing satiety during the early postprandial phase (15–60 min) as reflected in Figure 2, potentially indicating a role in promoting satiety. The participants enjoyed all the bread‐containing buckwheat, and no gastrointestinal issues were noted. The study concluded that BB decreased appetite and enhanced postprandial glycemia compared to CB. Further research is suggested to investigate the process behind these reported impacts.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among the Omani population, driven by factors such as urbanization, technology‐driven lifestyles, reduced physical activity, limited sun exposure, unhealthy eating habits, and genetic predispositions. Despite the year‐round availability of sunlight, there is limited understanding of the specific causes of this deficiency and effective strategies to mitigate it.Aim: This study aimed to develop and validate a knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire on vitamin D and measure the KAP levels among students at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman to inform preventive and educational measures.Methodology: A cross‐sectional study was conducted using a newly developed, self‐administered KAP questionnaire distributed online to a random sample of 1034 Omani students enrolled in various degree programs at SQU. The questionnaire was developed following a standardized protocol, including a literature review, focus group discussions, and expert input. Validity and reliability were assessed using Cronbach’s α coefficient (α ≥ 0.70), and normality was examined with the Shapiro–Wilk test. The 54‐item questionnaire was divided into three domains: general knowledge of vitamin D, nutritional knowledge, and attitudes and behavior toward sun exposure. Descriptive and variance analyses were performed, with qualitative data expressed as numbers and percentages.Results: The questionnaire demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.8057). Only 20.6% of the students had a good level of knowledge, 62% had an average level, and 17% had a poor level regarding vitamin D and its importance. The mean scores were 8.43 for general knowledge, 5.83 for nutritional knowledge, and 8.09 for attitudes and behavior toward sun exposure.Conclusions: The constructed questionnaire showed satisfactory validity and reliability. The study identified a generally poor level of knowledge about vitamin D among students, highlighting the need for targeted educational strategies to improve awareness and promote better health outcomes.

Empirical evidence indicates that rising consumption of animal meat negatively could contribute to climate change and public health. As a result, meat alternatives such as plant-based meat (PBM) have emerged as a potential solution. However, there seems to be a dearth of insights regarding significant drivers of people’s behavioral intentions (BI) towards PBM. This study leverages the theory of planned behavior to determine whether attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control influence BI towards PBM. Survey data was collected from 380 respondents in Oman to test the relationships between the constructs in the research framework. The results indicated that attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were all significant drivers of intentions to consume PBM (P < 0.05). Moreover, the R-square values suggest that 52.32% of the variation in BI was accounted for by the three independent variables in the framework. This study is among the scant number of empirical studies that contribute to the literature on plant-based meat consumption behavior by deploying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to provide evidence that attitude of consumers towards PBM, their social influences, and their own ability to control their thoughts and behavior, all drive their intentions towards switching from traditional meat to plant based meat. The study is useful in promoting public health and nutrition and nutrition strategy in Oman.

Background/Objectives: Currently, Oman lacks a valid culture-specific food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for adults. This research aimed to develop and validate a reliable (FFQ) specifically for Omani adults. The study was conducted in two phases, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods. Phase 1 was the development of the (FFQ); in this phase the Diet History Questionnaire II (DHQ II) was adapted to develop the Omani Food Frequency Questionnaire (OFFQ), translated to the Arabic language, back-translated to English, pilot tested, and then refined to be used in the reliability study. Phase 2 was the reliability study, in this phase, the OFFQ was administered twice in Arabic with the second being filled one to two weeks after the first questionnaire. Methods: A convenience sample of healthy Omani adults (n = 62) was recruited from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) employees and students. To assess the reliability of the OFFQ both internal consistency and test–retest reliability were assessed. Internal consistency was assessed by conducting Cronbach’s α test, while test–retest reliability was assessed by comparing the median intake of food groups by calculating weighted kappa (K_W) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results: Weighted kappa (K_W) between the two OFFQ administrations showed fair to moderate agreement with (K_W) values ranging from 0.38 to 0.60 for questions assessing the frequency of intake. While the median (K_W) values between the two OFFQ administrations ranged from 0.26 to 0.58 for questions assessing portion size. The majority of food groups showed moderate to good test–retest reliability with median (ICCs) for food groups ranging from 0.57 to 0.80 for frequency questions and from 0.40 to 0.82 for portion questions. Conclusions: In conclusion, the newly developed OFFQ was deemed valid for the Omani dietary culture and is a reliable tool that can measure habitual dietary intake among Omani adults as evidenced by the reliability coefficients ranging from moderate to good agreement for the most food items and food groups. Future studies are warranted to assess the relative validity of the OFFQ and the inclusion of diverse demographic groups and a larger sample size.