ABSTRACT Tamarindus indica l leaves extract was evaluated against six bacterial strains (2 Gram-positive and 4 Gram-negative) known to cause food spoilage. Functional groups of Tamarindus indica l leaves were evaluated using the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The leaves were extracted by the Soxhlet extraction using aqueous and organic solvents (acetone, ethanol and methanol). Stock solution of the extracts was prepared by dissolving 0.8g of each extract in 2ml dimethyl sul...
Abstract The main purpose of this study was to assess the nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices within the Mkoba South community and promote nutrition education with the aim of improving nutrition knowledge and food choices, to encourage a better quality of life and improve performance of learners. The research was qualitative in nature and the design used was the participatory action research. Due to the nature of the research design adopted, a purposive sample was drawn from the popu...
ABSTRACT Contamination of luncheon meats by bacteria has resulted in premature product spoilage and food poisoning outbreaks as well as major product recalls. A quantitative microbial assessment of air, surfaces, equipment and personnel hands (swabs), and finished product was conducted on 3 batches during separate visits at various processing stages during production of sliced vacuum packed French polony at a large meat processing plant in Zimbabwe. The aim was to determine the routes of micr...
ABSTRACT This study assessed the impact of Camfed’s bursary scheme in S3 schools focusing on five schools in Mola and Siakobvu clusters of Nyaminyami rural district. The study aimed at identifying outcomes of Camfed’s bursary scheme in S3 schools. A qualitative descriptive survey design was used and data were collected from a wide range of participants namely school heads, teachers, Camfed mentors, parents and learners. Questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and document study were the ...
ABSTRACT This study was initiated to identify the dominant microbial species and investigate their activities during the fermentation of soybeans to daw adaw a. The dominant microorganism s present in both the boiled and roasted soydaw adaw a, which were spontaneously fermented for 72 h, were isolated, characterized and identified using an API kit. The proteinase and a -a m y lase activities o f the microorganism s were determined. Q quality indices such as pH, m oisture, protein and fat con...
ABSTRACT Cotton is the URT’s largest export crop after coffee and accounts for 14 percent of its total agricultural exports. Forty percent of Tanzanian’s livelihoods are linked to the cotton sector, which also provides livelihoods for over 500,000 rural households. Despite policy makers‘ efforts to boost production and productivity, yields and the technical efficiency of ginneries remain low. Nonetheless, there is a huge potential for increasing production and exports – especially sin...
ABSTRACT Kenkey is a traditional fermented cornmeal product that is native to the coastal regions of Ghana. The traditional method of cooking Ga-kenkey takes a lot of time and features a high degree of variability in the sensory attributes of the kenkey balls. A major source of variability is due to the way the Ga-kenkey balls are arranged in the cooking pot in relation to the amount of water used in cooking. The objective of this study was to develop a cooking process that would reduce the...
ABSTRACT Kenkey, is a maize based sour, stiff dumpling, and it is among the most common fermented cereal food products in Ghana. There are several types of kenkey, and while some are made from whole maize grains others are produced using degermed/and dehulled maize grains. The kenkey types made using dehulled maize grains are less popular and have largely remained at the level of “ethnic food”, restricted to very few socio-cultural communities. Current trends in urbanization, and the incr...
ABSTRACT This research was conducted to determine the contribution of mushroom to the Physico-chemical, nutritive and sensory properties of hamburger. Four burger samples were prepared with different combinations (0%, 20%, 40% and 60%) of mushroom. The inclusion of mushroom caused a general decrease in the protein, fat, moisture, ash, mineral element, vitamin as well as a soluble protein and an increase in the carbohydrate contents of hamburgers. The proximate and soluble protein contents of...
ABSTRACT Globally three (3) billion people use inefficient cook stoves and fuels and the smoke emitted from these cook stoves leads to 4.3 million deaths per year. In Ghana, 70% of households use traditional cook stoves and solid fuels whose emissions lead to 17,000 deaths every year with 50% of them being children under five (5) years of age. Whilst the negative health impacts of the emissions generated by these cook stoves is increasingly being recognized, there are limited varieties of imp...
ABSTRACT Honey is the most commercialized bee product in Ghana. It is utilized by all age groups and religious bodies with increasing demand. However, the production, packaging and handling has been associated with unsanitary and unhygienic practices with scanty documented information on production practices. Most of the artisanal honey are also mainly retailed in places where environmental conditions and handling practices do not meet fundamental food hygiene standards. This study sought to ...
ABSTRACT Background: Adolescent offenders in juvenile detention centers are generally dependent on the centers for their nutrient intakes, and therefore their food selection may be limited, which could have a negative consequences for their nutritional status. We examined the nutritional status of adolescent inmates at the Senior Correctional Centre, Junior Girls Correctional Centre and the Boys Remand Home in Accra Methods: The study was cross-sectional involving inmates (N= 79) between 13-1...
ABSTRACT While fish and fish oil promote good health, increasing environmental pollution may introduce heavy metals into the fish which may render them injurious to health. Nine commonly consumed fish samples in Ghana, five from marine sources and four from freshwater sources were analysed for their heavy metal contents. The heavy metals are Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As) and Selenium (Se). The fish samples are Herring (Sardinella species), Redfish (Red mullet), Mackerel...
ABSTRACT Fura is a millet-based spontaneously fermented dumpling produced and consumed in parts of West Africa, particularly Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Ghana. From eight (8) traditional fura production sites in northern Ghana, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts were isolated, characterized and identified using genotypic methods. These included (GTG)5-based rep-PCR fingerprinting, sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, multiplex PCR by means of recA gene sequence comparison and sequencing of D1/D2...
Knowledge about body composition is essential when one considers nutritional status, body weight, and health. Excess body fat is associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, coronary heart diseases and strokes, while underweight or under-nutrition in adults can result in reduced work capacity and affect productivity. Both conditions exist in developing countries. Research on body composition is widespread in developed countries. Literature is, however, not readily availab...