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•Total sugar and fructose intake is associated with risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality but not with cancer mortality.•Added sugar and sucrose intake is not associated with all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer mortality.•There was evidence of non-linearity in the association of risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality with total sugar and fructose intake. We performed a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis to assess the association of total sugars, added sugars, fructose, and sucrose with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for prospective cohort studies up to May 10, 2022. Pooled relative risks and 95% CIs were calculated by random effect models, and the linear and non-linear dose-response associations were explored by restricted cubic splines. Comparing the highest with the lowest categories of total sugars, the summary RR was 1.09 (95% CI, 1.02–1.15; I2 = 71.9%) for all-cause mortality, 1.10 (1.02–1.18; I2 = 12.7%) for CVD mortality, and 1.00 (0.94–1.05; I2 = 0) for cancer mortality. For fructose, the summary relative risk was 1.09 (1.03–1.16; I2 = 58.4%) for all-cause mortality, 1.11 (1.03–1.20; I2 = 37.4%) for CVD mortality, and 1.00 (0.95–1.06; I2 = 0) for cancer mortality. Restricted cubic splines found non-linear associations of total sugars and fructose with all-cause and CVD mortality (P for non-linearity < 0.001). A significant increment in risk of all-cause and CVD mortality was observed with >10% energy intake to 20% energy intake for total sugars and fructose. No association was found for the added sugars and sucrose with all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality. Increased intake of total sugars and fructose is associated with all-cause and CVD mortality but not associated with cancer mortality, which could have implications for guideline recommendations regarding the risk of mortality related to sugar intake.

Previous studies in Australian children/adolescents and adults examining added sugar (AS) intake were based on now out-of-date national surveys. We aimed to examine the AS and free sugar (FS) intakes and the main food sources of AS among Australians, using plausible dietary data collected by a multiple-pass, 24-h recall, from the 2011–12 Australian Health Survey respondents (n 8202). AS and FS intakes were estimated using a previously published method, and as defined by the WHO, respectively. Food groups contributing to the AS intake were described and compared by age group and sex by one-way ANOVA. Linear regression was used to test for trends across age groups. Usual intake of FS (as percentage energy (%EFS)) was computed using a published method and compared with the WHO cut-off of <10 %EFS. The mean AS intake of the participants was 60·3 (sd 52·6) g/d. Sugar-sweetened beverages accounted for the greatest proportion of the AS intake of the Australian population (21·4 (sd 30·1) %), followed by sugar and sweet spreads (16·3 (sd 24·5) %) and cakes, biscuits, pastries and batter-based products (15·7 (sd 24·4) %). More than half of the study population exceeded the WHO’s cut-off for FS, especially children and adolescents. Overall, 80–90 % of the daily AS intake came from high-sugar energy-dense and/or nutrient-poor foods. To conclude, the majority of Australian adults and children exceed the WHO recommendation for FS intake. Efforts to reduce AS intake should focus on energy-dense and/or nutrient-poor foods.

Sugar intake has been associated with increased prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity; however, results remain controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the probability of overweight/obesity with higher sugar intakes, accounting for other dietary intakes. Data from 1165 children and adolescents aged ≥2–18 years (66.8% males) enrolled in the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS) were used; specifically, 781 children aged 2–11 years and 384 adolescents 12–18 years. Total and added sugar intake were assessed using two 24 h recalls (24 hR). Foods were categorized into specific food groups to evaluate the main foods contributing to intakes. A significant proportion of children (18.7%) and adolescents (24.5%) exceeded the recommended cut-off of 10% of total energy intake from added sugars. Sweets (29.8%) and processed/refined grains and cereals (19.1%) were the main sources of added sugars in both age groups, while in adolescents, the third main contributor was sugar-sweetened beverages (20.6%). Being overweight or obese was 2.57 (p = 0.002) and 1.77 (p = 0.047) times more likely for intakes ≥10% of total energy from added sugars compared to less <10%, when accounting for food groups and macronutrient intakes, respectively. The predicted probability of becoming obese was also significant with higher total and added-sugar consumption. We conclude that high consumption of added sugars increased the probability for overweight/obesity among youth, irrespectively of other dietary or macronutrient intakes.

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) increases total caloric intake, is linked to cardiometabolic outcomes as well as dental caries, and sugar in SSBs is associated with mortality and frailty among adults. We describe energy and total sugar intake trends among the United States (US) population from SSBs, soft drinks, other beverage groups, and the total diet based on the first 24-h recall data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles (2003–2004 through 2015–2016). SSBs included soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks, but excluded sports beverages with protein and sweetened teas/coffees. Among the total population (age ≥2 years: 57,026), energy intake from SSBs declined significantly from 183.9 ± 6.9 mean kcal/d (±SE) in 2003–2004 to 95.0 ± 3.5 in 2015–2016, while total sugar intake declined from 43.6 ± 1.7 mean g/d to 22.3 ± 0.8 (p-trend < 0.0001). Decreases were found for energy and total sugar intake, as well as percentage of energy and total sugar intake from SSBs, soft drinks, and all beverages for all age groups examined (≥2, 2–19, ≥20 years) (p-trend < 0.0001). From 2003 to 2016, energy and sugar intake from all beverages, SSBs, soft drinks, and the total diet decreased among the total population, children, and adults.

There has been an important shift in the New Zealand infant food market over the past decade, with the majority of complementary foods now sold in “pouches”. Along with the increasing market share of commercial infant food pouches internationally, there have been growing concerns about their nutritional quality. However, research examining the nutritional quality of these pouches compared to other forms of commercial infant foods in New Zealand has not been undertaken. Nor have any studies reported the free sugars or added sugars content of these foods. To address this knowledge gap, a cross-sectional survey of infant foods sold in New Zealand supermarkets was conducted in 2019–2020. Recipes and nutrient lines were developed for the 266 foods identified (133 food pouches). The energy, iron, vitamin B12, total sugars, free sugars, and added sugars content of infant food pouches and other forms of commercial infant foods per 100 g were compared, both within food groups and by age group. Infant food pouches contained similar median amounts of energy, iron, and vitamin B12 to other forms of commercial infant foods but contained considerably more total sugars (8.4 g/100 g vs. 2.3 g/100 g). However, median free sugars and added sugars content was very low across all food groups except for “dairy” and “sweet snacks”. All “dry cereals” were fortified with iron whereas none of the infant food pouches were. Therefore, consuming food pouches to the exclusion of other commercial infant foods may place infants at risk of iron deficiency if they do not receive sufficient iron from other sources.

Free sugars (FS) are associated with a higher risk of dental decay in children and an increased risk of weight gain, overweight and obesity and type 2 diabetes. For this reason, Canada’s Food Guide recommends limiting foods and beverages that contribute to excess free sugars consumption. Estimating FS intakes is needed to inform policies and interventions aimed at reducing Canadians’ consumption of FS. The objective of this study was to estimate FS intake of Canadians using a new method that estimated the free sugars content of foods in the Canadian Nutrient File, the database used in national nutrition surveys. We define FS as sugars present in food products in which the structure has been broken down. We found that 12% of total energy (about 56 g) comes from FS in the diet of Canadians 1 year of age and older (≥1 year). The top four sources were: (1) sugars, syrups, preserves, confectionary, desserts; (2) soft drinks; (3) baked products and (4) juice (without added sugars), and accounted for 60% of total free sugars intake. The results show that efforts need to be sustained to help Canadians, particularly children and adolescents, to reduce their FS intake.

Zinc enrichment of edible food products, through the soil and/or foliar application of fertilizers, is a strategy that can increase the contents of some nutrients, namely Zn. In this context, a workflow for agronomic enrichment with zinc was carried out on irrigated Vitis vinifera cv. Syrah, aiming to evaluate the mobilization of photoassimilates to the winegrapes and the consequences of this for winemaking. During three productive cycles, foliar applications were performed with ZnSO4 or ZnO, at concentrations ranging between 150 and 1350 g.ha−1. The normal vegetation index as well as some photosynthetic parameters indicated that the threshold of Zn toxicity was not reached; it is even worth noting that with ZnSO4, a significant increase in several cases was observed in net photosynthesis (Pn). At harvest, Zn biofortification reached a 1.2 to 2.3-fold increase with ZnSO4 and ZnO, respectively (being significant relative to the control, in two consecutive years, with ZnO at a concentration of 1350 g.ha−1). Total soluble sugars revealed higher values with grapes submitted to ZnSO4 and ZnO foliar applications, which can be advantageous for winemaking. It was concluded that foliar spraying was efficient with ZnO and ZnSO4, showing potential benefits for wine quality without evidencing negative impacts.

Different soil management systems can change the sugarcane yield and quality parameters for sugar/ethanol production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of subsoiling on the inter-row of sugarcane ratoons after the second harvest on productivity and technological quality. Productivity was estimated in tonnes of sugarcane per hectare (TSH), and technological quality parameters were apparent sucrose percentage (Pol) and total sugar recoverable per hectare (TRS). The apparent sucrose percentage and total recoverable sugar were measured in tonnes per hectare, corresponding to the parameters TSH and total recoverable sugar in tonnes per hectare (TTRSH), respectively. This research was carried out at the Experimental Sugarcane Station at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco in the northeast region of Brazil. A randomized complete block design was used, with two treatments: conventional tillage and inter-row subsoiling. Subsoiling provided a significant gain of stalk yield of 5.53 tonnes per hectare. The other parameters evaluated did not differ significantly.

Pepper can be expanded into processed products such as food and beverages. Kombucha is one of the products that can be made with pepper basic ingredients. Fermented kombucha tea has been shown to boost antioxidant activity. The presence of free phenolic substances obtained during the fermentation process causes an increase in antioxidant activity. The purpose of this study was to determine how pepper shape (powder and granule), concentration (5 and 10 g), and formulation (pepper alone and pepper coupled with black tea) affected the physicochemical properties of pepper-based kombucha. Kombucha was made by fermenting a 20% sucrose solution with a bacterial and yeast symbiotic culture (SCOBY) for 14 days. The parameters tested were pH, total sugar (°Brix), and total titratable acidity. The result of this study is the addition of 10 grams of pepper granules resulted in the lowest pH value (3.43), the lowest total sugar was in the treatment of tea pepper powder adding 10 grams (15.00) and the highest was a mixture of tea pepper powder 5 grams (17.87 Brix). The third anlaysis is total acid showed the lowest total acid value in the tea pepper granule treatment with the addition of 5 grams (70.74 %) and the highest, namely a mixture of tea. pepper granules 10 grams (94.61 %). Based on overall physicochemical characteristics, the addition of 10 g pepper granules produced the best kombucha quality. These findings indicate that white pepper has strong potential as a raw material for kombucha fermentation

Additional artificial ultraviolet-B irradiation (UV-B) is a substitute for the natural UV-B radiation, which is believed to modulate the antioxidants production in plants against the abiotic stress. The present research was formulated by using an indoor UV-B chamber, capable of irradiating UV-B at single wavelength of 315 nm on spearmint. In vitro destructive analysis revealed the reduction in accumulation of chlorophyll a and b as well as carotenoids. However, an elevated levels of phenolic index and total anthocyanins were recorded for both 43.2 KJ/m2 and 86.4 KJ/m2 UV-B doses. TBARS assay was carried out to record the lipid peroxidation in the spearmint and likewise, an enhanced secondary metabolites production, an increased lipid peroxidation was seen with the successive increased in the UV–B doses. A remarkable accumulation in the total sugars, reducing sugars and sucrose were also noticed. In vivo analysis revealed a decrease in chlorophyll estimated values as well as an increase of flavanols. Overall leaf fluorescence performance index was improved under both UV-B doses as well as the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II. Decreases in the total yield, plant height and length of internode was observed for both UV-B doses however, an enhanced number of stems was recorded for the 43.2 KJ/m2 UV-B dose. The results of present study not only provided a clear indication of the potential of UV-B in modifying the phytochemicals accumulation in plants but also opened a room for investigating various indoor UV-B doses for future studies of plants and their interaction towards UV-B.