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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of different times and freezing temperatures on the antioxidant activity of raw human milk (HM) and the impact of light by different packaging on retinol level and the antioxidant activity of pasteurized HM.

Donor milks were homogenized to form the pool of the experimental study characterized by the evaluation of the effects of time (0, 2, 4, 8 and 15 days) freezing temperatures (−3°C, −8°C and −18°C) and the interference of the type of packaging on the antioxidant activity and retinol levels of HM.

The existing studies do not reveal the real impact of HM storage conditions adopted by human milk banks (HMB) in Brazil on their compounds, mainly in relation to the effects of temperature and freezing time and the incidence of light on retinol levels and antioxidant activity. In view of the already documented importance of these compounds for the growth, development and health of children, it is extremely important to assess their stability according to the procedures adopted by the banks. It has been observed in this study that lower freezing temperatures (−18°C) further preserve the antioxidant activity. It was found that the amber and transparent vials wrapped with aluminum foil allowed for greater retinol stability of HM, with values of 2.501±0.757 µmol/L and 4.991±0.825 µmol/L, respectively. On the contrary, there was no significant influence on antioxidant activity.

It is suggested that HMB store milk at lower temperatures and use glass jars that block the passage of light.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of black sesame germination on its nutritional composition and antioxidant activity.

Germination occurred at constant temperature and humidity (35 °C and 95 ± 5%) for 72 h. The levels of moisture, protein, lipids, ash, total dietary fibre and fractions, carbohydrates, calories, phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity were determined.

With germination, there was a significant increase in moisture and protein content, as well as a reduction in the other parameters assessed in terms of nutritional composition. When analysing bioactive compounds, no significant change was found in the content of phenolic compounds; however, there was a reduction in antioxidant capacity according to the three methods tested, which may be related to the characteristics of the grain itself, the conditions used for germination, or even the process of extracting phenolic compounds for analysis. Other conditions for the germination of black sesame using different times and temperatures should be evaluated in future studies.

This is an original research article, which has an industrial and health impact by transmitting highly relevant responses on nutrition and food. The novelty of this research is the fact of studying the germination of black sesame on the nutritional composition (moisture, protein, lipids, ash, total dietary fibre and fractions, carbohydrates and calories), levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. These results can help improve the procedures adopted by the food industries and also in nutritional conduct, as the germination process leads to a change in the nutritional composition, especially with regard to protein synthesis, which is relevant, once it is an interesting protein option. However, it also brings us responses to reductions in important nutritional compounds.

There is some evidence that suggest a higher dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Considering the conflicting results in this field, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive summary of studies on the association of DTAC and components of MetS.

A systematic review of articles indexed in PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar, published from inception to September 2018, with defined keywords, was done. Duplicate or irrelevant reports were screened out and data were extracted through critical analysis. Finally, among the 353 articles, 19 articles met the inclusion criteria.

The included cohort studies revealed that higher DTAC was associated with reduced risk of MetS. Also, the association between DTAC and mortality risk of MetS was insignificant in these studies. The case–control studies showed high DTAC is inversely associated with MetS, its components and complications. The randomized controlled trials found that changes in DTAC were negatively correlated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and there was a positive association between DTAC and subjects’ weight and body mass index. Finally, results from the cross-sectional studies were inconsistence in this regard.

The assessed relationship between MetS or its components with DTAC is inconsistent in the included studies. Different sample size, dietary assessment tools, DTAC index values and geographical location may justify the observed inconsistencies. It seems that further studies are needed to reveal more confident and reliable findings.