Researchers have analyzed the biomarkers present in the urine as part of a research on potatoes.
Most scientific work on food uses the questionnaire as a research tool. Participants must declare what they eat, in what form, at what time, in what proportions, etc. This method includes methodological biases: people can forget to declare certain things, underestimate their consumption or the size of portions, or conversely, overestimate them. In Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a scientific team sought a more reliable method to carry out nutritional studies. They carried out scientific analyzes on the urine of the participants in their study.
A study on potatoes
“Many people forget, or don’t want to honestly state what they ate.é, explains Cristian De Gobba, assistant professor in the department of food sciences at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and co-author of the research. We have therefore found a method that uses urine tests to examine the substances present in the body following the consumption of various foods. By doing so, we hope to be able to contribute to the establishment of more thorough and objective scientific studies.” Ten people were recruited for this research. The researchers asked them to consume potatoes in different forms: boiled, fried or cooked in chips.
Analyze harmful substances
Participants between the ages of 24 and 46 were separated into different groups, depending on which they were prescribed a one-week diet. They had to consume the potatoes in this or that form for the duration of the experiment. At the end of it, the scientists analyzed their urine samples to examine the different substances present.
“We used spectrometry, a technique that separates different chemicals according to their massadds Cristian De Gobba. For example, sugar mass is different from protein mass.” This method enabled them to understand that depending on the type of cooking of the potato, the molecules present in the urine are different. Pyrroles, a substance known for its low nutritional value and its influence on our ability to regulate sugar, are more present in fried potatoes than in boiled ones.
The urine test, a widespread tool
“We now need to know if these substances are specific to potatoes and potato products, or if they are found more widely, in different types of heated food.”, concludes Lars Ove Dragsted, co-author. Urine tests are already used in other scientific fields. Doctors practice them in particular for screening for bladder cancer.
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