Stabilization of Boumkaye’s Drink for an Accessibility in the Markets

Boumkaye is a fermented drink made from millet, and prepared according to a traditional process from Casamance’s region in Senegal. Still consumed for its anthelmintic properties, Boumkaye is obtained after maturation marked by two stages of fermentation (lactic and alcoholic). The main limits of this drink are the spontaneous nature of the fermentation and its instability. The objectives of this study is to stabilize this drink after fermentation step. For this purpose, an autoclave heat treatment at 120°C/15 minutes scale has been proposed. Two types of sterilized Boumkaye (crude and fermented) were kept at two temperatures (4 and 25°C) for one year follow-up. The sterilization tests on crude Boumkaye and fermented Boumkaye provided excellent microbiological and nutritional quality. No germ was detected during the entire storage period. In addition, Boumkaye beverages can be stored at 25°C (room temperature) for a minimum of one year while preserving all its organoleptic and therapeutic properties. This is a considerable asset for future industrial exploitation

Ethical Challenges and Lessons Learned During the Clinical Development of a Group A Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine.

BACKGROUND: The group A meningococcal vaccine (PsA-TT) clinical development plan included clinical trials in India and in the West African region between 2005 and 2013. During this period, the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) accumulated substantial experience in the ethical conduct of research to the highest standards. METHODS: Because of the public-private nature of the sponsorship of these trials and the extensive international collaboration with partners from a diverse setting of countries, the ethical review process was complex and required strategic, timely, and attentive communication to ensure the smooth review and approval for the clinical studies. Investigators and their site teams fostered strong community relationships prior to, during, and after the studies to ensure the involvement and the ownership of the research by the participating populations. As the clinical work proceeded, investigators and sponsors responded to specific questions of informed consent, pregnancy testing, healthcare, disease prevention, and posttrial access. RESULTS: Key factors that led to success included (1) constant dialogue between partners to explore and answer all ethical questions; (2) alertness and preparedness for emerging ethical questions during the research and in the context of evolving international ethics standards; and (3) care to assure that approaches were acceptable in the diverse community contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Many of the ethical issues encountered during the PsA-TT clinical development are familiar to groups conducting field trials in different cultural settings. The successful approaches used by the MVP clinical team offer useful examples of how these problems were resolved. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: ISRCTN17662153 (PsA-TT-001); ISRTCN78147026 (PsA-TT-002); ISRCTN87739946 (PsA-TT-003); ISRCTN46335400 (PsA-TT-003a); ISRCTN82484612 (PsA-TT-004); CTRI/2009/091/000368 (PsA-TT-005); PACTR ATMR2010030001913177 (PsA-TT-006); PACTR201110000328305 (PsA-TT-007)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Contents of Four Species of Smoked Fish from Different Sites in Senegal

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds resulting from any incomplete combustion process. These are pollutants that have proven toxicity due to their carcinogenic nature and can contaminate food during traditional smoking methods. Their highly toxic effect on human health requires monitoring of their levels in food products and the development of appropriate analytical methods for their determination. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the level of PAHs contamination of four (4) species of smoked fish (Arius heudelotii, Sardinella aurita, Ethmalosa fimbriata, and Sardinella maderensis) which were sampled in seventeen (17) localities in Senegal. The compounds targeted in this study were benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), benzo(a)anthracene (B(a)A), benzo(b)fluoranthene (B(b)F), and chrysene (Chr). The QuEChERS method was used for the extraction of PAHs, and their contents were quantified by gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectroscopy (MS). The validation method was performed in accordance with the French standard NF V03-110 (2010). Satisfactory linearity (R2 > 0.999), LOD (0.05–0.09 μg/kg), LOQ (0.19–0.24 μg/kg), and precision (1.33–3.13%) of the four PAHs were obtained. The results of analysis in the 17 localities showed that all samples are contaminated by the four (4) PAHs with great variability of the contents between the different species and their origin. The B(a)P and ∑4PAHS contents in the samples ranged from 1.7 to 33 µg/kg and from 4.8 to 1082.3 µg/kg, respectively. Twelve (12) samples showed high levels of B(a)P, ranging from 2.2 to 33 µg/kg, thus exceeding the maximum authorized level (2 µg/kg). Fourteen (14) samples showed an overall ∑4PAHS content varying from 14.8 to 1082.3 µg/kg, which is above the maximum authorized limit (12 µg/kg). The principal component analysis showed that sardinella (Sardinella aurita and Sardinella maderensis) have very low levels of B(a)P, B(b)F, B(a)A, and Chr contents. However, high ∑4PAHS contents characterize smoked fish of the Kong species (Arius heudelotii), from Cap Skiring, Diogne, Boudody, and Diaobé, and of the Cobo species (Ethmalosa fimbriata) from Djiffer. Thus, based on the authorized limits for PAHs in smoked fish, it appears that smoked fish of the sardinella species are less carcinogenic for human consumption