Did You Know?
Wine Reduces Risk of Stroke
The December 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association reports that according to a 16-year study of 13,329 people, those who said they drank one to six glasses of wine on a weekly basis had a 34% lower risk of suffering a stroke than those who never or hardly ever drank wine. The research, part of the Copenhagen City Heart Study, was conducted from January 1977 through December 1992 and involved 6,067 men and 7,262 women between the ages of 45 and 84.
New Egg-Detection Test
Lansing, Michigan-based Neogen Corporation recently announced it has developed and released an easy-to-use commercial test that can detect the presence of minute quantities of unlabeled eggs in food products—a potential boon to food processors and to the millions worldwide who are allergic to eggs. According to Neogen, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based test takes a mere 30 minutes to complete and requires a minimum amount of training. Previous test methods took days and required a laboratory setting. The new test is expected to prove most useful for processors of pasta, ice cream, baby food and salad dressing.
Fructose May Accelerate Aging
Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have found evidence to suggest that fructose, a natural sweetener used in processed foods, accelerates aging of the skin and bone collagen. The findings, reported in the September 1998 Journal of Nutrition, are based on a study of the effects of excessive consumption of frutose on rats, which confirmed earlier research showing that fructose decreases glucose tolerance, increases insulin resistance and speeds up the process of glycation—a contributor to normal aging. Put in laymen’s terms, the study showed that excessive amounts of fructose leads to a loss of elasticity of the skin, which may lead to wrinkles.
Protecting Poultry from Salmonella
According to scientists at the U.S.D.A.’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a simple, three-step process is all it takes to protect poultry—and poultry consumers—from the dangerous Salmonella bacteria. The steps, as outlined by ARS microbiologist Mark Berrang, are as follows:
—Farmers spray freshly laid eggs with a mild detergent and a reliable farm disinfectant to lower surface contamination from bacteria.
—Hatcheries spray a fine mist of hydrogen peroxide in the cabinet while chicks are hatching to protect them from airborne Salmonella.
—Benign gut bacteria from healthy mature chickens can be given to chicks to prevent colonization by Salmonella in the grow-out house; this protects chicks should they come into contact with Salmonella.
...Or Try the New Salmonella Vaccine
According to a recent story by the Associated Press, St. Louis-based Megan Animal Health, Inc. has developed a vaccine which, when sprayed on baby chicks, stimulates immunity to Salmonella. The U.S.D.A. has reportedly approved the vaccine for use on broilers—chickens bred for their meat.