The effects of cassava variety, fertilizer type and dosage on physical and sensory characteristics of cassava-wheat composite bread

Substitution of wheat flour with high quality cassava flour (HQCF) in bread making is economically important in Nigeria as wheat is mainly imported. Different treatments are applied to cassava used for HQCF production and the effects of such a treatment on cassava-wheat bread quality is scarce in literature. This study was conducted to study the effects of cassava varieties (TME 419, TMS 30572), fertilizer type ((NPK 15-15-15, 20-10-10, 12-12-17) and dosage (150, 300 kg/ha) on physical and sensory characteristics of cassava-wheat composite bread according to General Linear Model (GLM) analysis. According to the results, the independent variables had varying effects on the composite bread quality. While the main effect of fertilizer type was significant for oven spring and crumb moisture content, the interactive effects of fertilizer type and dosage significantly influenced crumb texture and taste. In spite of the significant differences in certain physical and sensory attributes, the overall acceptability of bread samples did not differ significantly. HQCF from cassava variety TMS 30572 showed the best performance in making composite cassava-wheat bread in terms of physical and sensory properties

Assessment of the potential industrial applications of commercial dried cassava products in Nigeria

Article Purchased; Published Online:18 October 2016Variations in the functional and pasting properties of four groups of commercial dried cassava product in Nigeria were evaluated in this study, to explore their potential for use as industrial raw materials. In total, 692 products were analyzed using standard analytical methods. The functional and pasting properties of the samples were found to vary significantly (p < 0.05). Toasted cassava was found to have the highest water absorption capacity, at 467.42 %, and dried cassava the lowest, at 252.57 %. Conversely, dried cassava was found to have the highest peak and breakdown viscosities, and toasted cassava the lowest. A significant (p < 0.01) positive correlation was found to exist between dispersibility and the swelling power (r = −0.93) and solubility index (r = −0.84) of the cassava products. Meanwhile, the correlation between dispersibility and the peak (r = −0.75) and breakdown (r = −0.72) viscosities was positive and significant (p < 0.05). Therefore, the authors of this study conclude that user industries such as the food, paper, adhesives, textiles and plywood sectors might require information on the pre-processing of cassava-based feedstock, so as to predetermine the technical usability of such raw materials within their industrial processes

Analysis of the Effect of Distributed Generation on Loss Reduction in Electrical Distribution Network

Distribution network is said to be the most visual part of the electric production and the most observed by the utilities for investment, maintenance and operation. The system have been operated under stressed conditions due to limited structure and increasing day to day requirement of power consumption, which have a significant economic and social impact on the system. Due to the system high resistance to impendence ratio, large amount of power loss occur in the network. This loss is the most severity factors affecting the power quality delivered to the end users and depend on power network expansion and load complexity. Among the support methods available for power loss minimization in distribution network, strategic allocation of Distributed Generation (DG) in distribution system is widely considered a viable option. DGs are electrical sources connected to the power network located to consumer’s side but very small when compared with the centralized power plant. They can be in form of wind, mini-hydro, photovoltaic and fuel-based system such as fuel cells and micro-turbines. Therefore, in this study, different approaches for power loss minimization in electrical distribution system with the incorporation of DG by various researchers were reviewed. These approaches have become powerful tools to overcome the problem of power loss minimization in distribution system. Keywords: Distribution System, Power Loss. Distributed Generation, Power Consumption, Photovoltaic System, Centralized Power Plant. DOI: 10.7176/JETP/11-6-02 Publication date: November 30th 202

Adaptation Practices Among Arable Crop Farmers Against Perceived Effects of Climate Change in Rural Southwestern Nigeria

The way farmers perceived their environment dictates how they practice agriculture and by extension, type of adaptation measure to undertake in mitigating the effects of climate change on their crops. Therefore, the study examined the adaptation practices being employed by farmers to mitigate the perceived effects of climate change on selected arable crops in Rural Southwestern Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: identify sources of agricultural information; determine awareness of climate change by arable crop farmers; determine the perceived effects of climate parameters on selected arable crops; and identify adaptation measures employed to mitigate the perceived effects of climate change on arable crops in the study area. The only hypothesis was that there was no significant relationship between adaptation measures employed by farmers and perceived effects of climate change on selected arable crops. Multistage sampling technique was used in selecting 350 arable crop farmers. The results revealed that 97.4% of the respondents were aware that climate was changing and that arable crops were almost uniformly affected unfavourably by rainfall while 98.8% never insured their farms against climate change. The odd ratio of logistic regression revealed that planting different crops (7.23); employing tillage methods such as ridging, terracing, use of compost (2.74); use of mulching (0.42) and farming combined with non-farming activities (2.51) were significantly related to perceived effects of climate change on selected arable crops, all at p ≤ 0.05 level. It was recommended that farmers should adopt planting of their arable crops sequentially. Extension services must be invigorated to persuade farmers to use early maturing and drought resistance planting materials

Postharvest losses along the cooking banana, potato and cassava fresh value chains in Uganda

Policy makers and development practitioners are challenged by the paucity of reliable data on the extent of postharvest losses (PHL) for devising suitable policies and strategies for their reduction. This study estimates PHL at different stages of the cooking banana, potato and cassava fresh value chains in Uganda by using cross-sectional data. A distinction was made between physical losses (product disappearing from the chain) and economic losses (partially deteriorated product sold at discounted price). Our findings indicate that the non-marketed output incurs very low physical losses (apart from potatoes, primarily during harvesting and storage) and, by definition, no economic losses. Conversely, substantial losses are found along the market chain. Physical losses affect about 30% of traded potatoes, followed by bananas (21%) and cassava (3%). However, the cassava value chain is characterized by much higher economic losses (about 47% of marketed roots sold at discount due to their rapid postharvest deterioration) than in the case of bananas and potatoes (10% and 8%, respectively). Overall, out of the total marketed output, 50% of cassava, 38% of potatoes and 30% of bananas incur either physical or economic losses. However, unlike banana and cassava that are mainly subsistence crops, potato in Uganda is primarily produced for the market. This results in a proportion of total potato production incurring PHL much higher (36%) than for banana and cassava (about 12%). Nevertheless, being its annual production enormous in the country, the quantity of bananas affected by PHL is about 7 and 25 times higher than the one of cassava and potato, respectively. Banana and cassava retailers - primarily women - are the value chain actors incurring the highest losses while, for potato, wholesalers are the most affected. Our findings contribute to policy prioritization and show that a diverse set of interventions is required to tackle PHL

Investigation of Distribution System Stability with Incorporation of Capacitor Switching: A Case Study of Monatan 11 Kv Distribution System

Effectiveness of an electrical distribution system depends on the stability of its voltage profile. Several methods such as Static Compensator (SC), Thyristor Controlled Series Compensation (TCSC) and Series Capacitor have been applied for the stability of the system. However, these methods have been characterized by harmonic variation and low efficiency. Therefore, this research paper applied Shunt Switching Capacitor (SSC) on 11 kV distribution system located at Monatan, Ibadan, Oyo State in order to investigate the stability of the system during outages. Hourly data on bus voltage of the system were collected to determine the average bus voltage and voltage drop of the distribution system for stability evaluation using IEEE statutory limits method. Load Flow Model (LFM) of the distribution system was developed with incorporation of Capacitor Switching Compensation (CSC). This was solved using Kirchoff’s Current Law( KCL) analysis to improve the average bus voltage and voltage drop of the distribution system while simulation was done using MATLAB R2015a. The results of the average bus voltage and voltage drop of the distribution system were 10.5  and 4.2 , respectively. The CSC model improved the average bus voltage and voltage drop by 6 % and 33 % respectively. The research showed that incorporating capacitor switching as a compensation technique enhanced the stability of the distribution systems. The research is useful in the planning and optimization of electrical distribution systems. Keywords: Electrical Distribution System, Voltage, Capacitor Switching Compensation, Load Flow Models, Monatan 11 kV Distribution System, Voltage Drop, MATLAB. DOI: 10.7176/NCS/14-02 Publication date:August 31st 202

Relationship between Ratio of Second and Fourth Digit and Obesity Traits among Different Ethnic Groups in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria

Digit ratio (2D:4D) denotes the relative length of the second and fourth digits. There are contradicting reports on its relationship with ethnicity/race, whereas convincing studies show it is related to obesity. This cross-sectional study was undertaken to demystify ethnic difference in 2D:4D ratio and to analyze its relationship with obesity among adults in Ilorin Nigeria. The cross-sectional study included 701 individuals. Finger lengths were measured with electronic calipers and other anthropometric traits were measured with standard procedure. Student t test and one-way ANOVA were used to detect differences among groups and relationship was computed with Pearson correlation. The receiver operator characteristic curves were used to detect the diagnostic effect of 2D:4D for obesity. The obtained results showed sexual dimorphism in 2D:4D ratio and other anthropometrics at p 0.05); this result proved that there was no ethnic specificity in 2D:4D ratio among study' participants. Thus, it can be reported that the digit ratio was related to high 2D:4D, but this cannot be said for different ethnic groups. The results imply that 2D:4D might be a good surrogate indicator for obesity, but not ethnicity

On-farm comparison of different postharvest storage technologies for effectiveness in pest management in a maize farming system of Tanzania Central Corridor: Presentation

Seven methods for storing maize were compared with traditional practice of storing maize in polypropylene bags. Twenty farmers managed the experiment under their prevailing conditions for 30 weeks. Stored grain was assessed for damage every six weeks. The dominant storage insect pests identified were the Maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) and the Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). There was no significant difference (F = 87.09; P &lt; 0.0001) in insect control and grain damage between hermetic storage and fumigation with insecticides. However, the insecticide treated polypropylene yarn (ZeroFly®) did not control insect infestation of grain for the experimental period under farmers’ management. Grain damage was significantly lower in hermetic storage and fumigated grain than ZeroFly® and polypropylene bags without fumigation. No significant difference in grain damage was found between airtight treatment alone and when combined with the use of insecticides. During storage, S. zeamais was predominant and could be of more economic importance than T. castaneum as far as maize damage is concerned. Even though ZeroFly®, and polypropylene bags without grain treatment did not control storage pests, farmers still prefered this cheap technology. Hermetic storage techniques can be recommended to farmers without the use of insecticides provided they are inexpensive, and the proper application of technologies is ensured.Seven methods for storing maize were compared with traditional practice of storing maize in polypropylene bags. Twenty farmers managed the experiment under their prevailing conditions for 30 weeks. Stored grain was assessed for damage every six weeks. The dominant storage insect pests identified were the Maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) and the Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). There was no significant difference (F = 87.09; P &lt; 0.0001) in insect control and grain damage between hermetic storage and fumigation with insecticides. However, the insecticide treated polypropylene yarn (ZeroFly®) did not control insect infestation of grain for the experimental period under farmers’ management. Grain damage was significantly lower in hermetic storage and fumigated grain than ZeroFly® and polypropylene bags without fumigation. No significant difference in grain damage was found between airtight treatment alone and when combined with the use of insecticides. During storage, S. zeamais was predominant and could be of more economic importance than T. castaneum as far as maize damage is concerned. Even though ZeroFly®, and polypropylene bags without grain treatment did not control storage pests, farmers still prefered this cheap technology. Hermetic storage techniques can be recommended to farmers without the use of insecticides provided they are inexpensive, and the proper application of technologies is ensured