Abstract: Edible orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts) are major delicacies, especially across sub-Saharan Africa. Their promotion as food ingredients is increasingly gaining momentum.This study evaluates the nutritional profiles of three widely consumed orthopterans: Gryllus bimacu latus, Locusta migratoria, and Schistocerca gregaria after blanching and oven-drying. All three species had high protein (65.3, 54.2, and 61.4% on a dry matter (DM) basis for G. bimaculatus, L. migra...
This paper examined the causes, effects and measures for mitigating climate change to ensure adequate supply of food through crop production to address the food insecurity which has occupied a central focus of the Nigerian economy. Unfortunately, crop production is fraught with many ecological challenges including climate change. This climate change which occurs as a result of the buildup of Green House Gases (GHGs) occasioned by industrialization, technological modeling and agriculture, exer...
Abstract/Overview Floods are extreme weather events that occur when water rises to overflow on land that is not normally submerged. Flood is one the major natural disasters affecting man and his environment in Kenya, floods have been declared a National disaster. Budalangi Division, which lies in the floodplains of rivers Nzoia and Yala experiences floods every year. This has resulted in decline in agricultural production. The inhabitants of the division are threatened by food Insecurity ...
The scope of nanotechnology is increasingly covering every facets of life, with applications to food taking a lead. Starting from the first-generation passive nanomaterial and now, the energetic nanotechnology to food and food systems is growing exceedingly, although nano foods are in growing stage. Applications include utilization of nanotechnology in Food safety and food safety assurance, production of nanoparticles which are better biologically active than large sized particles, neutraceut...
Abstract: The term 'locusts' refers to insect species which can aggregate into migratory swarms that cause wide-scale destruction of crops and pasture, causing significant effect to food security. This review assesses the potential of harnessing locust swarms for beneficial uses. Among 21 known locusts, ~10 species have been traditionally consumed by humans or fed to animals for millennia in 65 countries. Their nutritional composition is comparable or superior to that of conventional meat. H...
Abstract: Enset (Ensete ventricosum), is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the family Musaceae, along with banana and plantain. Despite wild populations occurring in eastern, central and southern Africa, it is only in Ethiopia that the crop has been domesticated, where it is culturally and agriculturally symbolic as a food security crop. Although an under-researched orphan crop, enset serves as a staple food for about 20% of the Ethiopian population, comprising more than 20 million p...
Abstract: The unfavorable soil (low supply of nutrients, high levels of toxic elements, salinity, compaction) and climatic (drought, waterlogging, high temperature, low temperature) conditions reduce plant and crop productivity (Pereira, 2016). Low fertility soils, and extreme weather events resulting from climate change, are a major threat to global food security (Evans, 2009). Plants have evolved sophisticated adaptive mechanisms to withstand the multiple abiotic stresses to which they are...
Abstract: In this era of global climate change, intrinsic rapid and evolutionary responses of invasive agricultural pests to thermal variability are of concern given the potential implications on their biogeography and dire consequences on human food security. For insects, chill coma recovery time (CCRT) and critical thermal minima (CTmin ), the point at which neuromuscu-lar coordination is lost following cold exposure, remain good indices for cold tolerance. Using laboratory-reared Spodopte...
Weaning food was produced from the blends of sprouted and unsprouted sorghum–Irish potato, and groundnut flour. In the developed weaning foods, moisture content ranged from 8.44% to 12.70%, crude protein (7.40%–14.53%) crude ash (1.53%–1.77%), crude fiber (6.65%–6.88%), crude fat (3.31%–3.73%) and carbohydrate content (65.10%–69.15%). Sprouting and protein supplementation with groundnut improved the protein content of the formulated meals with values comparable to commercial sam...
Abstract: Lepidoptera represents one of the most abundant and diverse insect groups globally, with more than 178,159 species described in more than 4000 genera. This paper discusses the economic importance of these insects in Cameroon. The work was built on a comprehensive review of 60 relevant published articles from 1955 to 2021.Results show a great diversity of insects of economic importance belonging to the order Lepidoptera, of which 51 are known at the species level, eleven at the genu...
A spice is a vegetable substance of indigenous or exotic origin, which has a hot pigment taste that could be used to enhance taste of food or add to food some necessary stimulant ingredients. Knowledge of radioactivity levels in human diet is of particular concern for the estimation of possible radiological hazards to human health. In this study, the radioactivity concentrations of 40K, 238U and 232Th in some selected natural food spices commonly used in Nigeria were determined using gamma sp...
ABSTRACTListeriosis is a disease of humans and animals cause by pathogenic Listeria species and are associated with various types of food items of both animals and plants origin. The aim of this work was to assess the occurrence of Listeria species in some foods items sold from four selected markets in two Local Government Areas of Kaduna State. A total number of 400 samples were collected, 100 samples each from the four locations comprising 25 sample each of beef, chicken, lettuce and cabbag...
Abstract Almost one-third of lactating mothers in Sub-Saharan Africa are undernourished. The study examined the effect of food price hike on the nutritional quality of lactating mothers in Nigeria with particular reference to Gusau metropolis, Zamfara state, Nigeria. The study is quantitative using cross-sectional and survey research techniques. The research analysed data from 467 lactating mothers in Gusau metropolis employing snowballing sampling technique. Data were analysed using Statisti...
Abstract: This research focuses on the SME's in the food processing industry in Kenya. Mainly due to the realization that the Agricultural sector especially with regard to food processing is still vastly unexploited and with great potential for contributing in the economic growth of this country. Adoption of Operations based strategies in the : processing of food products is key to realizing the contribution anticipated in this sector in terms of creation of employment and contribution to th...
Abstract: The current honey bee decline necessitates the use of alternative native pollinators to ensure global food security. Here, we compared the pollination behaviour and efficiency of the African honey bee (Apis mellifera) and six African endemic Meliponini (Meliponula bocandei, Dactylurina schmidti, Meliponula lendliana, Hypotrigona gribodoi, Meliponula ferruginea and Meliponula togoensis) in a greenhouse with the non-parthenocarpic cucumber variety Super Marketer. Honey bees and D. sc...