Food Hygiene Practices at the Ghana School Feeding Programme in Wa and Cape Coast Cities

Objective. The integrity and the wholesomeness of the food served to school pupils cannot be overlooked, especially when one considers the magnitude of health and sanitation issues that are plaguing the West African nations. This study aimed to investigate some of the personal hygiene practices by the pupils and the hygienic conditions in which food is cooked and served to these school-going children under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP). Design. A cross-sectional and descriptive survey research designs were used in the study. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed in selecting participants. Participants. There were 720 respondents for the study, comprising 600 pupils, 60 teachers, and 60 kitchen staff members from 20 schools. Information was obtained using questionnaire, observation, and unstructured interview instruments. Results. Findings from the study revealed that the majority of pupils (92% in Wa and 65% in Cape Coast) did not wash their hands with soap under running water. No hand washing centers for pupils were also seen in most of the schools studied. Majority of the cooks did not have health certificate, and neither had attended any in-service training in two years. In both Wa and Cape Coast municipal schools, none of the kitchen staff admitted that pupils and teachers ever complained about the meals they served to the pupils. Conclusion. The GSFP in basic schools forms part of the integral diet of the school children; hence, provision of good quality food can affect the health, learning, and physical activities of these children. Observational checklist revealed that most of the kitchen staff do not strictly adhere to basic food hygiene practices, and this affects the wholesomeness of the food served to the children. There is, therefore, a need for kitchen staff training on hygiene and food preparation practices

Quality attributes of fufu: Instrumental and sensory measurement

Texture is one of the key desirable sensory attributes of fufu, a cassava-based staple of most Ghanaians. Cassava starch and plantain puree were blended in the ratios of 20:80, 25:75, 30:70, 35:65, and 40:60, respectively. To optimize the processing parameters for cassava starch-plantain puree fufu, the texture attributes of the reconstituted fufu were assessed and characterized using instrumental and sensory methods and compared with “Neat” fufu. The result of the instrumental test on texture showed that fufu samples with 20% cassava starch and 80% plantain puree are most desirable while the percentage of starch between 25 and 40% gave higher values which indicated hardness. Overall, the starch content did not have any significant effect on adhesiveness, smoothness and springiness of the fufu. The sensory analysis showed that 22 out of 30 assessors prefer fufu made from plantain puree and cassava starch in terms of softness and smoothness despite the browning nature of the fufu. In general, plantain puree-cassava starch fufu had high values for peak viscosity, final viscosity, setback, peak time and peak temperature than “Neat” fufu. These findings suggest the need to improve upon the colour of plantain puree in fufu preparation for total acceptability by consumers. Keywords: Plantain puree, Cassava starch, Texture, Colour, Preference, Pasting propertie

Pesticide Residues and Unauthorized Dyes as Adulteration Markers in Chilli Pepper and Tomato

To assess the contamination of processed chilli pepper and tomatoes, a report over the past four decades since the establishment of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) was retrieved and analysed. Out of the 887 notification reports assessed for eligibility, 446 were found regarding chilli pepper and tomato contamination. This study identified India as the country of origin with the highest number of reported cases relating to chilli pepper contamination. Italy and Türkiye were the countries with the highest number of reported cases regarding the exportation of adulterated tomatoes to other countries according to the RASFF report. Unauthorized dyes such as Sudan I, III, IV, orange II, rhodamine B, and para red were reported to have been detected in either chilli pepper or tomato in the supply chain. Almost all unauthorized dyes in this study were found to be more than the range (0.5 to 1 mg/kg) of the detection limit of Sudan dye and other related dyes using analytical methods set by the European Union. Unapproved pesticides by the European Union (EU) found in this study were acetamiprid, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, methomyl, monocrotophos, omethoate, oxamyl, and thiophanate methyl. The present study indicates the persistence of chilli pepper and tomato contamination with harmful dyes and pesticide residues despite the ban on the use of certain chemicals in the food chain

18 years analysis of RASFF notifications on Sudan dye adulterated cases in palm oil (2004 to 2022) and the principles of technique for its detection

Palm oil is one of the most widely consumed food products globally. Despite the restriction of Sudan dyes as a food colouring these dyes still feature prominently in palm oil adulteration, which occurs in most developing countries. The current study aims to provide insight into the recent palm oil adulteration over 18 years and the method for detecting this adulterant. By using the European Union's (EU) Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), data on palm oil adulterated with Sudan dye was extracted between the years 2004 to 2022 and analysed to determine their overall pattern. Adulteration of palm oil was categorised by origin and the concentration of various Sudan dyes. The results from RASFF could confirm a total of 204 cases of Sudan dye adulteration in palm oil. African countries recorded the highest number of alerts for exporting palm oil adulterated with Sudan dye to European countries. Additionally, 70 reported cases of palm oil adulteration were recorded in 2004 and this was a result of regular testing of Sudan dyes required in foods within the EU community. Also, the concentration of Sudan IV dye was the highest in all the palm oil tested by the notifying countries since it is highly soluble in crude palm oil compared to Sudan I, Sudan II and Sudan III. Finally, the results presented in this manuscript highlight the importance of the detection of Sudan dyes adulteration in palm oil from 2004 to 2022 from the RASFF database. The techniques frequently used for analysing palm oil included; gas chromatography (GC), gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and high liquid chromatography (HPLC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), NIR spectroscopy, MIR spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Surface Enhanced Raman spectroscopy, electronic tongue. Among the methods reviewed, HPLC and GC were frequently used, however, rapid non-destructive methods such as a spectroscopic technique for onsite Sudan dye detection in palm oil would be very helpful for palm oil-producing countries in Africa