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Introduction: Herbs and spices have been used in cooking and food preparation to add flavour and aroma for centuries. However, many herbs and spices are also associated with a number of health benefits. Despite this, little is known about the types and frequency of use of herbs and spices in Australian households. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the types of herbs and spices used in cooking and food preparation in Australian households.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken amongst Australian adults aged ≥18 years. Participants were recruited via social media platforms requesting voluntary participation in an online questionnaire. The survey tool included questions related to the types of herbs and spices used and consumed in Australian households, frequency of use, and adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener.
Results: A total of n = 400 participants responded and completed the survey. Participants were mostly female (n = 341; 85.3%) aged between 25 and 64 years (n = 331; 82.8%) and were overweight (body mass index: 26.5 ± 5.9 kg/m). In the previous 12 months, two-thirds of participants (n = 257; 64.3%) reported consuming herbs and spices 1-2 times per day, which were mostly consumed as part of lunch/dinner meals (n = 372; 93%). Basil (n = 391; 97.8%), pepper (n = 390; 97.5%) and garlic (n = 387; 96.8%) were amongst the most frequently used herbs and spices. Moderate to high adherence to a MedDiet was associated with daily use of herbs and spices [χ (1, n = 397) = 5.6, P = 0.018].
Conclusion: This cross-sectional analysis of Australian households shows that most Australian adults consume herbs and spices daily. Further investigation into the quantities used and needed to elicit potential health benefits of herbs and spices when incorporated into a healthy dietary pattern warrants future investigation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13406 | DOI Listing |
ACS Omega
September 2025
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Bashundhara, Plot # 15, Dhaka Division, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh.
Air pollution is a critical threat to human health and the quality of life in large cities. In this work, we electrically characterized indoor air quality in Dhaka City with a microcontroller-based advanced sensing system in the presence of 60 air purifiers. We conducted LabVIEW-controlled, fully automated, and remotely operated experiments to precisely monitor, store, and analyze the air-purifying effects in the concentrations of air quality index (AQI) parametersPM2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Bot
September 2025
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Xizang University, Lhasa, China.
Premise: The demographic histories of temperate plants in Northeast Asia in response to Quaternary climate oscillations have long been the focus of evolutionary biologists, but have rarely been studied in herbaceous plants. Here, we investigated the phylogeographic patterns of Mukdenia and Oresitrophe.
Methods: We sequenced two plastid regions for O.
Molecules
August 2025
Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Skromna Str. 8, 20-704 Lublin, Poland.
Herbs and spices are a rich source of bioactive compounds that exhibit multidirectional health-promoting effects. Their bioactivity is mainly related to the presence of phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, essential oils, alkaloids, tannins, saponins and other plant bioactive compounds. The potential of herbs and spices in preventing oxidative stress, inflammation, bacterial infections and metabolic disorders is increasingly highlighted in the scientific literature, making them a valuable addition to functional foods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
August 2025
Soil and Water Sciences Department, Faculty of Technology and Development, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt.
Egyptian sweet marjoram leaves (ESML) are aromatic herbs long valued for their ability to enhance flavor and extend shelf life by inhibiting the autoxidation of food lipids. Despite their widespread use, limited research exists on how various drying techniques, air temperatures, and thin-layer thicknesses affect the drying behavior, mathematical modeling, effective moisture diffusivity (EMD), activation energy, and thermodynamic properties of ESML. This study addresses this gap by examining the drying characteristics of ESML using a hybrid solar drying system (HSDS) at three air temperatures (50, 60, and 70 °C) and three layer thicknesses (1, 2, and 3 cm), comparing with a conventional oven drying (OD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrients
July 2025
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83201-8117, USA.
: Culinary herbs and spices are potent sources of bioactive compounds such as (poly)phenols that confer health benefits to consumers. Observational studies have quantified (poly)phenol intake levels from foods and beverages but not herbs and spices. Hence, the contribution of herbs and spices to (poly)phenol intakes is unclear.
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