Improvement of Injera shelf life through the use of chemical preservatives

Mould spoilage is a serious problem that affects the shelf life of injera, the staple Ethiopian fermented bread. Injera is made from teff (Eragrostis tef) but other cereals may also be used in combination with teff. About two-third of Ethiopian diet consists of injera and it accounts for about two-thirds of the daily protein intake of the Ethiopian population. Injera has a high nutritional value, as it is rich in calcium and iron. Unfortunately, injera has a shelf life of only 3-4 days essentially due to mould spoilage. The use of weak organic acid as preservative is allowed in acidic foods,primarily as mould inhibitors. In this study, the effect of chemical preservatives such as benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and calcium propionate were investigated to prolong shelf life of injera. The preservatives were added immediately before baking at the concentration of 0.1% of benzoic acid, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.2% of potassium sorbate, 0.3% of calcium propionate and 0.2% blend of the four as recommended by Food and Drug Administration of USA. Three fungal species: Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp and Rhizopus sp were found to be responsible for injera spoilage. Penicillium and Rhizopus were more dominant at storage temperature of between 16-200C, while Aspergillus niger was found to be more dominant at higher temperature of 25-320C. Injera samples had a pH and moisture content between 3.38- 3.45 and 62-65%, respectively. Anti-fungal activities of the preservatives investigated significantly prolonged the shelf life of injera for up to12 days. It was found out that the effectiveness of preservation was ranked as sodium benzoate>benzoic acid>potassium sorbate>blend>calcium propionate showing that benzoate and benzoic acid are the most effective. The outcome of the research has a significant implication in food security, energy utilization and a significant reduction in the amount of time used by women to produce injera

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Improvement Of Injera Shelf Life Through The Use Of Chemical Preservatives

Mould spoilage is a serious problem that affects the shelf life of injera , the staple Ethiopian fermented bread. injera is made from teff ( Eragrostis tef ) but other cereals may also be used in combination with teff. About two-third of Ethiopian diet consists of injera and it accounts for about two-thirds of the daily protein intake of the Ethiopian population. injera has a high nutritional value, as it is rich in calcium and iron. Unfortunately, injera has a shelf life of only 3-4 days essentially due to mould spoilage. The use of weak organic acid as preservative is allowed in acidic foods, primarily as mould inhibitors. In this study, the effect of chemical preservatives such as benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and calcium propionate were investigated to prolong shelf life of injera. The preservatives were added immediately before baking at the concentration of 0.1% of benzoic acid, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.2% of potassium sorbate, 0.3% of calcium propionate and 0.2% blend of the four as recommended by Food and Drug Administration of USA. Three fungal species: Aspergillus niger , Penicillium sp and Rhizopus sp were found to be responsible for injera spoilage. Penicillium and Rhizopus were more dominant at storage temperature of between 16-200C, while Aspergillus niger was found to be more dominant at higher temperature of 25-320C. injera samples had a pH and moisture content between 3.38- 3.45 and 62-65%, respectively. Anti-fungal activities of the preservatives investigated significantly prolonged the shelf life of injera for up to12 days. It was found out that the effectiveness of preservation was ranked as sodium benzoate>benzoic acid>potassium sorbate>blend>calcium propionate showing that benzoate and benzoic acid are the most effective. The outcome of the research has a significant implication in food security, energy utilization and a significant reduction in the amount of time used by women to produce injera

Performance of broilers and layers supplemented with Moringa stenopetala leaf meal under hot humid tropical conditions

Context: Heat stress poses a major limit to poultry production. Moringa stenopetala leaf meal (MSL) could be a promising feed additive for poultry raised under heat stress as it is rich in antioxidants. Aims: To determine the effect of (MSL) supplementation on the production and quality of broilers under heat stress conditions. Methods: In the meat growth trial, 156 one-day old Cobb 500 broilers were assigned to four groups containing three replicates of 13 chicks each. For the egg production trial, 108 Bovan Brown layers aged 20 weeks were allocated to four groups containing three replicates of 9 hens. The four groups of broiler and layer chicken were supplemented with MSL at a level of 0% (control), 1% (MSL1), 1.5% (MSL1.5) and 2% (MSL2). Relative humidity, minimum and maximum temperature were 82%, 13°C and 23°C respectively. The effect of MSL supplementation on growth performance, characteristics of digestive organs, carcass traits, egg production and egg quality was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Key results: Moringa stenopetala leaf supplementation up to a level of 2% (MSL2) did not significantly affect feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio of birds. Supplemented broilers had significantly longer large intestine (24% for MSL1, 37% for MSL1.5 and 49% for MSL2) and heavier pancreas (82% for MSL1, 67% for MSL1.5, and 57% for MSL2) compared to the control broilers. Hot and cold carcass weight, dressing yield, dressing percentage, breast meat weight, drumstick and thigh meat, wing meat weight, back weight and meat pH were not significantly affected by MSL supplementation. Ash content of meat of MSL2-fed birds was significantly higher than that of the control (3.51% vs. 2.74% respectively). Egg production, feed conversion ratio and interior and exterior egg quality parameters were not significantly affected by MSL supplementation. Intensity of yolk colour was significantly and linearly enhanced due to MSL supplementation (by ~5-8 times compared to the control). Conclusions: Supplementation of MSL at a level up to 2% improved yolk colour of Bovan Brown layers eggs with no effect on meat and egg production. Implications: Yolk colour of eggs of layers raised under heat stress can be improved by 1% of MSL supplementation with a minimum increase in the diet cost

Indigenous Ethiopian okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) mucilage: A novel ingredient with functional and antioxidant properties

Functional and antioxidant properties of mucilage extracted from the pods of eight okra accessions grown in Benishangul‐Gumuz region, Western Ethiopia, were evaluated. This study had shown that the mucilage contents of the pods of eight okra accessions ranged from 1.25 to 3.45 g/100 g. Functional properties of the mucilage of okra pods varied significantly (p < .05) and had respective ranges of bulk density of 0.58–0.64 g/ml; water absorption capacity of 2.45–4.60 ml/g; oil absorption capacity of 0.02–3.64 ml/g; emulsifying capacity of 42.22%–74.45%; emulsion stability of 42.22%–74.45%; foaming capacity of 50.51%–62.50%, and foam stability of 36.04%–54.35%. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the mucilage of the pods of okra accessions ranged from 4.66 to 49.93 mg GAE/g and 8.18–18.72 mg CE/g, respectively. The effective concentration (EC50) values (mg/ml) of mucilage of okra pods varied from 3.15 to 6.60 and 1.10 to 1.85 for DPPH scavenging and metal‐chelating activity, respectively. The study revealed that the mucilage of the pods of okra accessions was found to exhibit good functional properties and can offer a great potential in various food systems. Particularly, mucilage of the pods from OPA#5 and OPA#7 had desirable water and oil absorption capacities, whereas the mucilage of accession OPA#1 and OPA#6 had high emulsifying and foaming properties. The results also demonstrated that okra pod mucilage had potential sources of natural antioxidant