Yellow pea and faba bean are potential candidates to replace soybean-based ingredients due to their suitability for cultivation in the northern hemisphere, non-genetically modified organisms cultivation practice and low risk of allergenicity. This study examined the functionality of local yellow pea and faba bean protein isolates/concentrate as meat analogue products. The most critical factors affecting the texture properties of meat analogue were also determined. Extrusion was used to produce high-moisture meat analogues (HMMAs) from yellow pea and faba bean protein isolates/concentrates and HMMAs with fibrous layered structures was successfully produced from both imported commercial and local sources. The texture properties of the HMMA produced were mainly affected by the ash, fiber and protein content and water-holding capacity of the source protein. Three extrusion process parameters (target moisture content, extrusion temperature, screw speed), also significantly affected HMMA texture. In conclusion, functional HMMA can be produced using protein isolates derived from locally grown pulses.

Children growing up on farms have low rates of allergy, but the mechanism for this protective effect has not been fully elucidated. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the gut microbiota may play a role in protection from allergy. We measured fecal SCFA levels in samples collected from 28 farming and 37 control children over the first 3 years of life using gas chromatography. Data on diet and other host factors were recorded and allergy was diagnosed at 8 years of age. Among all children, median propionic and butyric acid concentration increased over the first 3 years, and longer SCFAs typically appeared by 1 year of age. Farm children had higher levels of iso-butyric, iso-valeric and valeric acid at 3 years of age than rural controls. In addition, children with elder siblings had higher levels of valeric acid at 3 years of age, and dietary factors also affected SCFA pattern. High levels of valeric acid at 3 years of age were associated with low rate of eczema at 8 years of age. The fecal SCFA pattern in farm children suggests a more rapid maturation of the gut microbiota. Valeric acid or associated microbes may have protective potential against eczema.

Linkages between diet and other lifestyle factors may confound observational studies. We used cluster analysis to analyze how the intake of food and nutrients during pregnancy co-varies with lifestyle, clinical and demographic factors in 567 women who participated in the NICE (nutritional impact on immunological maturation during childhood in relation to the environment) birth-cohort in northern Sweden. A food frequency questionnaire, Meal-Q, was administered in pregnancy Week 34, and the reported food and nutrient intakes were related to maternal characteristics such as age, education, rural/town residence, parity, pre-pregnancy smoking, first-trimester BMI, allergy and hyperemesis. Two lifestyle-diet clusters were identified: (1) High level of education and higher age were related to one another, and associated with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish, and (2) smoking before pregnancy and higher BMI in early pregnancy were related to one another and associated with a diet that contained white bread, French fries, pizza, meat, soft drinks, candy and snacks. More than half of the women had lower-than-recommended daily intake levels of vitamin D, folate, selenium, and iodine. Complex lifestyle-diet interactions should be considered in observational studies that link diet and pregnancy outcome.

Observational studies have indicated that low-to-moderate exposure to cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) adversely affects birth anthropometry, but results are inconclusive. The aim of this study was to elucidate potential impact on birth anthropometry of exposure to Cd, Pb, and Hg in pregnant women, and to identify the main dietary sources. In the NICE (Nutritional impact on Immunological maturation during Childhood in relation to the Environment) birth-cohort in northern Sweden, blood and urine were collected from pregnant women in early third trimester. Cd, Pb and Hg were measured in erythrocytes (n = 584), and Cd also in urine (n = 581), by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Dietary data were collected through a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire administered in mid-third trimester. Birth anthropometry data were extracted from hospital records. In multivariable-adjusted spline regression models, a doubling of maternal erythrocyte Cd (median: 0.29 μg/kg) above the spline knot of 0.50 μg/kg was associated with reduced birth weight (B: -191 g; 95% CI: -315, -68) and length (-0.67 cm; -1.2, -0.14). The association with birth weight remained when the analysis was restricted to never-smokers. Likewise, a doubling of erythrocyte Hg (median 1.5 μg/kg, mainly MeHg) above 1.0 μg/kg, was associated with decreased birth weight (-59 g; -115, -3.0), and length (-0.29 cm; -0.54, -0.047). Maternal Pb (median 11 μg/kg) was unrelated to birth weight and length. Erythrocyte Cd was primarily associated with intake of plant derived foods, Pb with game meat, tea and coffee, and Hg with fish. The results indicated that low-level maternal Cd and Hg exposure were associated with poorer birth anthropometry. Further prospective studies in low-level exposed populations are warranted.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in intestinal contents may influence immune function, while less is known about SCFAs in blood plasma. The aims were to investigate the relation between infants' and maternal plasma SCFAs, as well as SCFAs in mother's milk, and relate SCFA concentrations in infant plasma to subsequent sensitisation and atopic disease. Infant plasma (N = 148) and corresponding mother's milk and plasma were collected four months postpartum. Nine SCFA (formic, acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, succinic, valeric, isovaleric, and caproic acid) were analysed by UPLC-MS. At 12 months of age, atopic disease was diagnosed by a pediatric allergologist, and sensitisation was measured by skin prick test. All families participated in the Swedish birth cohort NICE (Nutritional impact on Immunological maturation during Childhood in relation to the Environment). Infants with sensitisation, atopic eczema, or food allergy had significantly lower concentrations of five, three, and two SCFAs, respectively, in plasma at four months. Logistic regressions models showed significant negative associations between formic, succinic, and caproic acid and sensitisation [OR_adj (95% CI) per SD: 0.41 (0.19-0.91); 0.19 (0.05-0.75); 0.25 (0.09-0.66)], and between acetic acid and atopic eczema [0.42 (0.18-0.95)], after adjusting for maternal allergy. Infants' and maternal plasma SCFA concentrations correlated strongly, while milk SCFA concentrations were unrelated to both. Butyric and caproic acid concentrations were enriched around 100-fold, and iso-butyric and valeric acid around 3-5-fold in mother's milk, while other SCFAs were less prevalent in milk than in plasma. Butyric and caproic acid might be actively transported into breast milk to meet the needs of the infant, although mechanistic studies are needed to confirm this. The negative associations between certain SCFAs on sensitisation and atopic disease adds to prior evidence regarding their immunoregulatory potential. Swedish Research Council (Nr. 2013-3145, 2019-0137 and 2023-02217 to A-S.S.), Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare FORTE, Nr 2018-00485 to A.W.), The Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association's Research Fund (2020-0020 to A.S.).

Infection and inflammation are well recognized causes of spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD) (<37 gestational weeks) and adverse infant outcomes. To date, there has been very little investigation into bacterial communities in amniotic fluid using next generation sequencing technology. In particular, it is important to characterize amniotic fluid bacterial profiles in complicated pregnancies as well as in asymptomatic women to identify predictive bacterial DNA signatures. Here, 1198 mid-trimester amniotic fluid samples from a cohort of Swedish women undergoing mid-trimester genetic amniocentesis were screened for bacterial DNA using qPCR protocols specifically designed to reduce the impacts of reagent contamination and human DNA mispriming. The majority of samples were devoid of detectable bacterial DNA; however, approximately a fifth of the cohort (19.9%) were 16S rRNA gene positive in duplicate screening. Among these, nine women had a spontaneous PTD. These nine women were matched with 18 healthy women with a delivery at term. We used PacBio SMRT technology, coupled with appropriate negative extraction and PCR controls, to sequence the full-length 16S rRNA gene in this subset of 27 women. The amniotic fluid samples contained low-abundance and low-diversity bacterial DNA profiles. Species typically associated with spontaneous PTD were absent. We were not able to identify any differences in the amniotic fluid bacterial DNA profiles of women with a subsequent spontaneous PTD compared to women who delivered at term. The findings suggest that, in a minor proportion of pregnancies, DNA from non-pathogenic bacteria may be present in the amniotic fluid far earlier than previously reported. Early detection of bacterial DNA in the amniotic fluid was, in this study, not associated with spontaneous PTD.