Physical, chemical and sesnory properties of flakes (Gari) prepared from refrigerated cassava roots

Cassava is a tropical crop that can be processed into a variety of products including flakes popularly called gari. Gari is a product obtained from cassava root by fermentation, but the root from which the gari is obtained spoils rapidly. Efforts have been made to extend the shelf life of the root through the use of traditional and improved storage techniques, for example storage in boxes, freezing and refrigeration. However, the quality of the products from refrigerated roots, such as gari, has not been reported. In this study, cassava roots were refrigerated for a period of three weeks and the physicochemical properties of gari from the stored roots were determined. With the exception of the carbohydrate content which was very similar (approx. 88%), refrigeration of cassava roots significantly (p < 0.05) affected the physical and chemical properties of the resulting gari. The cyanide content decreased from 2.96 to 1.90 mg/ kg with increase in refrigeration period, while the functional properties including bulk densities and swelling power were only slightly affected. Cassava roots can be refrigerated for a period of two weeks without substantial changes in the eating quality of the resulting gari, if the storage condition is closely monitored. Future studies are required to investigate the physicochemical properties of other valuable products from refrigerated cassava roots to determine their potentials in food and non-food applications. Keyword: Cassava; Functional; Gari; Refrigeration; Pasting; Sensor

Investigating the impact of enhanced community case management and monthly screening and treatment on the transmissibility of malaria infections in Burkina Faso: study protocol for a cluster-randomised trial.

Contains fulltext : 208814.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)INTRODUCTION: A large proportion of malaria-infected individuals in endemic areas do not experience symptoms that prompt treatment-seeking. These asymptomatically infected individuals may retain their infections for many months during which sexual-stage parasites (gametocytes) are produced that may be transmissible to mosquitoes. Reductions in malaria transmission could be achieved by detecting and treating these infections early. This study assesses the impact of enhanced community case management (CCM) and monthly screening and treatment (MSAT) on the prevalence and transmissibility of malaria infections. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This cluster-randomised trial will take place in Sapone, an area of intense, highly seasonal malaria in Burkina Faso. In total, 180 compounds will be randomised to one of three interventions: arm 1 - current standard of care with passively monitored malaria infections; arm 2 - standard of care plus enhanced CCM, comprising active weekly screening for fever, and detection and treatment of infections in fever positive individuals using conventional rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs); or arm 3 - standard of care and enhanced CCM, plus MSAT using RDTs. The study will be conducted over approximately 18 months covering two high-transmission seasons and the intervening dry season. The recruitment strategy aims to ensure that overall transmission and force of infection is not affected so we are able to continuously evaluate the impact of interventions in the context of ongoing intense malaria transmission. The main objectives of the study are to determine the impact of enhanced CCM and MSAT on the prevalence and density of parasitaemia and gametocytaemia and the transmissibility of infections. This will be achieved by molecular detection of infections in all study participants during start and end season cross-sectional surveys and routine sampling of malaria-positive individuals to assess their infectiousness to mosquitoes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been reviewed and approved by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) (Review number: 14724) and The Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme institutional review board (IRB) (Deliberation N degrees 2018/000002/MS/SG/CNRFP/CIB) and Burkina Faso national medical ethics committees (Deliberation N degrees 2018-01-010).Findings of the study will be shared with the community via local opinion leaders and community meetings. Results may also be shared through conferences, seminars, reports, theses and peer-reviewed publications; disease occurrence data and study outcomes will be shared with the Ministry of Health. Data will be published in an online digital repository. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03705624

Assessment of anti-trypanosomal drug resistance in cattle of the Ladduga Grazing Reserve, Kachia, Nigeria

A survey was conducted to determine the occurrence and magnitude of antitrypanosomal drug resistance in cattle of the Ladduga Grazing Reserve. The 310 cattle used in the study were randomly selected from each of the 6 blocks of the reserve. Blood samples obtained by venipuncture from the cattle were examined for trypanosomes by the Buffy Coat Technique and a PCR-based assay technique. Naturally occurring trypanosomal infections, diagnosed microscopically, in the cattle (No. detected parasitaemic/No. examined) were 11/71 (block I), 14/60 (block II), 39/54 (block III), 42/50 (block IV), 21/43 (block V) and 29/29 (block VI). In this study, we applied a protocol for rapid detection of anti-trypanosomal drug resistance hotspots which involved the monitoring of all the 156 cattle detected parasitaemic that were divided into two equal groups of 78 subjects each and treated on day 0 with diminazene aceturate (7.0 mg/kg, i.m.) or isometamidium chloride (0.5 mg/kg, i.m.). All treated cattle subsequently detected parasitaemic when re-examined on day 14 received treatment with the other “sanative pair” drug (i.e. diminazene in those previously treated with isometamidium, and vice versa). All the cattle treated on day 14 and subsequently detected parasitaemic on day 28 were treated with the other “sanative pair” drug. The infections included single infections with Trypanosoma brucei (8.9%), T. congolense (46.2%) and T. vivax (3.8%), and mixed infections of T. brucei /T. congolense (28.9%), T. congolense /T. vivax (7.1%), T. brucei /T. vivax (0.6%), and T. brucei /T. congolense /T. vivax (5.1%). Regardless of the Trypanosoma spp. found and nature (single/multiple) of the infection, the overall treatment failure rate determined on day 14 was 20.3% for isometamidium and 10.7% for diminazene. Data determined on day 28 indicated overall failure rates of 40.5% for treatment with isometamidium and 7.3% for that with the “sanative pair”. Based on response to questionnaire surveys, the herdsmen indicated that they readily purchased and self-administered diminazene or isometamidium to their cattle although only 20% of the respondents appeared to use the correct dosages of the two drugs. Data from the study would contribute to the mapping and control of animal trypanosomiasis in Nigeria and the West African cotton belt