Food Safety and Quality Research Papers/Topics

Klebsiella pneumoniae: A potential food safety risk in wild fruits and dried vegetables in Botswana

Abstract: The bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae is ubiquitous in nature and is found on the general vegetation and their fruits. The subspecies “pneumonia” is known to cause community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia in immune-compromised persons (Ko et al., 2002; Yu et al., 2007; Yinnon et al., 1996 and Struve and Krogfelt, 2004). Some the vegetation and wild fruits form part of the staple diet or is consumed as delicacies in Botswana. The potential presence of K. pneumoniae therefore po...

Improved storage mitigates vulnerability to food-supply shocks in smallholder agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: Millions of smallholder farmers in low-income countries are highly vulnerable to food-supply shocks, and reducing this vulnerability remains challenging in view of climatic changes. Restrictions to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic produced a severe supply-side shock in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, including through frictions in agricultural markets. We use a large-scale field experiment to examine the effects of improved on farm storage on household food security dur...

Consumers’ perception towards eggs from laying hens fed commercial black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal-based feeds

Abstract: Increased demand for animal protein has motivated the search for more efficient livestock production systems. In recent years, there has been growing interest to incorporate insect meal as an alternative source of protein to fish/soybean meal in chicken feed for improved nutrition, sustainability, and animal welfare benefits. Black soldier fly larval (BSFL)-based feeds has been shown to increase egg production in a cost-effective manner. However, poultry consumers perception toward...