Production and Quality Evaluation of Dambu-Nama - A Nigerian Dried Meat Product

ABSTRACTThe quality attributes of dambu-nama, a dried Nigerian meat product were studied for sixteen (16) weeks comparing traditional products and packaging systems with a laboratory product and simple modern packaging. The most optimum processing time, viz cooking and steaming for 60, 90 and 120min respectively, was determined. The six resulting products were subjected to a 9-point hedonic scale and results showed that the product of cooking for 90min was the most adequate and acceptable in all organoleptic attributes by the sensory panellists. Process standardization was achieved by optimization of the cooking time and formulation of a standard ingredient mix. Proximate composition of the finished product showed that moisture ranged from 5.50% laboratory dambu-nama (LDBN) to 7.60% traditional dambu-nama (TDBN), protein from 46.51% (LDBN) to 39.19% (TDBN), Ash from 5.76% (LDBN) to 4.90% (TDBN), crude fibre from 0.015% (LDBN) to 0.72% (TDBN), crude fat from 15.65% (LDBN) to 24.94% (TDBN), and carbohydrate by difference of 26.54% (LDBN) to 22.64% (TDBN). The hydrogen ion concentration (pH), bulk density, Thiobarbituric acid (TBA), microbiological and sensory attributes of the product packed in low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethyelene (HDPE), Aluminium foil (Af) and plastic containers (Pc) stored at 30±10°C were evaluated at 0, 3, 6, 9 and 16 weeks. The traditional dambu-nama packed in plastic containers grew visible moulds while others did not show any visible growth. The findings show that boiling for 90 minutes is the best processing technique for preparation of high quality dambu-nana

Comparative Study of Nutritional Status of Children and Adolescents with Sickle Cell Anemia in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

Background: Poor growth and nutritional status are common features of sickle cell anemia (SCA) in children. The rising trend of obesity in children in developing countries has been reported despite a huge burden of undernutrition in these settings. In SCA, overweight/obesity is being increasingly reported. Aims: To evaluate the nutritional status and its determinants in children with SCA and to compare the same with hemoglobin AA (HbAA) controls of similar age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional analytical study involving 175 subjects and controls aged 1–18 years who met the inclusion criteria. Weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Z scores were computed for the anthropometric measurements using the World Health Organization (WHO) standard reference. Hemoglobin concentration was determined using HemoCue Hb201+  Analyzer.  Results: Subjects had significantly lower Z- scores for weight, height, and BMI compared with controls. Stunting, wasting, and overweight/obesity were observed in 10.9%, 24.6%, and 5.1% of subjects compared with 2.3%, 5.7%, and 9.7% respectively in controls. Wasting, stunting and overweight/obesity in SCA were significantly associated with age while overweight/obesity was significantly associated with upper social class (P=0.001).  Conclusions: Poor growth and nutritional status are still prevalent while overweight and obesity are emerging comorbidities among children with SCA in our environment. Regular nutritional assessment of children with SCA should be encouraged while those at risk of under/over-nutrition should receive adequate nutritional rehabilitation to prevent possible complications