Vitamin A rich bananas

With funding from the Harvestplus Challenge program, Bioversity International carried out germplasm screening for over 400 accessions from different regions. The objective was to identify proteins and enzymes responsible for the accumulation of pVACs in the fruit and establish the vitamin A levels in these varieties. The germplasm screening led to a selection of 12 promising varieties of different subgroups (plantain, East African Highland bananas, ABB cooking bananas, AA and AAA dessert bananas, Pacific plantains, and AA cooking bananas), for trial within East and Central Africa

Dietary diversity and nutrition status of preschool children from banana dependent households in Gitega (Burundi) and Butembo (Democratic Republic of Congo)

A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Gitega health zone (Burundi) and Butembo health zone (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) with the objective of establishing dietary diversity and nutritional status of pre-school children from rural-banana dependent households. The two health zones were selected based on high dependency on bananas and plantains and the high levels of food insecurity. Through multi-stage random sampling commune/collectivity, colline/localite and villages were selected from each of the health zones; household listing was done in each of the sub-sites and systematic random sampling used to select 281 households with pre-school children (Butembo- 138 and Gitega- 143). Findings showed that 48% and 42% of the children from Butembo (DRC) and Gitega (Burundi) respectively had consumed food items from less than 3 food groups. Only 7% and 29% of children from Butembo (DRC) and Gitega (Burundi), respectively had consumed highly diversified diets (>6 food groups). The other popular food groups were; vegetables group, cereals and grains group in Gitega (Burundi) and vegetables group and legumes group in Butembo (DRC). In both countries less than 15% of the preschool children consumed food from meat, eggs or milk groups

Content and changes in Provitamin A carotenoids during ripening of fruit from four popular Musa cultivars consumed in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Poster presented at Nutrition Congress Africa 2012. Transforming the Nutrition Landscape in Africa. Bloemfontein (South Africa), 1-4 Oct 201

Dietary diversity among smallholder households in Bukoba district, Tanzania and Kiboga district, Uganda

Undernutrition in developing countries continues to affect 780 million people resulting in poor growth and development; increasing the burden of disease and imposing a number of costs on the affected countries. The aim of this study was to establish the dietary diversity and consumption patterns among small-holder farming households. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Kiboga district, Uganda and Bukoba district, Tanzania with 220 and 199 households, respectively. Results from the 24 hour recall showed that white roots, tubers and bananas were the most consumed food group in the two districts with a significantly higher consumption in Kiboga than Bukoba. However, households in Bukoba had higher dietary diversity scores compared to those in Kiboga even though both districts had 52% of the households consuming diets with moderate dietary diversity. The percentage of households consuming vitamin A rich vegetables and fruits, and animal protein (flesh meats, organ meats and eggs) was negligible. There was no significant difference between food group consumption at household level and that of the youngest 6-59 month-old child within these households. High consumption of a food group and absence of a food group by the whole household was matched by the consumption of the children. Only 48% and 35% of caregivers in Kiboga and Bukoba, respectively reported preparing special meals for the child. Younger caregivers, ability of households to rent out land, and distance to market were variables that significantly influenced intake of vitamin A and iron but not protein. The results highlight opportunities for the promotion of vitamin A- rich fruits and vegetables, and protein foods in between the main household meals of the day, as well as avenues through which nutrition education can be reinforced to improve the knowledge and skills of the households, especially the decision makers and care givers of children under five years of age

Content of iron and vitamin A in common foods given to children 12–59 months old from North Western Tanzania and Central Uganda

Improving infant and young child feeding is an effective intervention to improve child growth. A cross-sectional study followed by observation of selected households was used to establish the most popular foods given to children 12–59 months old in Bukoba and Kiboga districts of Tanzania and Uganda, respectively. Six meals were identified: maize-based porridge, steamed-mashed banana served with beans, banana cooked with beans, banana cooked with groundnut sauce, stiff porridge (Ugali) served with beans and sardines, and cassava cooked with beans. Raw ingredients were transported to Universität für Bodenkultur, Austria, within 48 h and meals prepared following community validated procedures within 24 h by project team members that involved graduate students from East Africa and Europe. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and microwave digestion followed by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy were used in establishing provitamin A carotenoids and iron content, respectively. Findings indicated no trace of vitamin A or iron in the maize-based porridge, whereas 2.28 mg/100 g ep (edible portion) and 1.18 mg/100 g ep of iron were recorded in stiff-porridge served with beans and sardines and banana cooked with beans, respectively. Banana-based foods had 23 to 43 vitamin A RAE (retinal activity equivalent) µg/100 g ep. With estimated average requirements of iron and vitamin A for children 1–3 years being 5 mg/day and 275 RAE µg/day, respectively, these foods are poor sources of these nutrients in their current form. Thus, there is a need to explore opportunities for modifying preparation methods and incorporating nutritious and diverse ingredients into the foods prepared for infants and young children in Eastern African countries

A community resource persons’ training guide: improving food and nutrition security through banana-based farming systems and foods

The information in this manual was selected following gaps identified at community level through focus group discussions and household surveys. The guide first describes what food security implies, it then goes on to give basic concepts on nutrition, i.e., types of nutrients, role in the body and local sources. The Guide goes ahead to describe how to make balanced family meals using locally available resources. The guide gives details on management of banana farms, post-harvest handling of the bananas and appropriate processing and cooking/combination methods that will enhance nutrient quality and promote better health. Last but not least, information on food safety and hygiene is also given

Sensory evaluation of provitamin A carotenoid-rich banana cultivars on trial for potential adoption in Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction – Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a widespread health problem in Eastern Africa where banana is a staple food crop. Research has shown that certain banana cultivars grown outside Eastern Africa are rich in provitamin A carotenoids (pVACs) and could thus be utilized in addressing VAD in the region. The objective of this research was to compare the consumer preference of the pVAC-rich banana cultivars with that of local cultivars of the same genome and following similar postharvest handling treatments. Materials and methods – Evaluation trials of selected pVAC-rich banana cultivars [‘Apantu’ (AAB, Plantain), ‘Bira’ (AAB, Iholena), ‘Lahi’ (AAB, Popo’ulo), ‘Pelipita’ (ABB), ‘Sepi’ (AA), ‘To’o’ (AA), ‘Hung Tu’ (AA) and ‘Laï’ (AAA)] were established in Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). During sensory evaluations 450 panellists (50% male and 50% female) tested the products using standard procedures and rated them on a 5-point hedonic scale. Dessert types were served raw; cooking types were boiled, roasted and pan-fried. The attributes evaluated included: peel appearance, ease of peeling, pulp appearance, aroma, texture in hand, texture in mouth, taste and overall acceptability. Results and discussion – In Burundi, all the cultivars had overall acceptability median scores of 4 (good). In North Kivu, DRC, the overall acceptability medians ranged from fair to very good (3-5). In South Kivu, DRC, the median overall acceptability scores were good (4) for all cultivars except ‘To’o’ and ‘Gros Michel’ (AAA) that scored 3 and 5 respectively (fair and very good). In all three sites and for all the cultivars, there was a significant correlation between the scores for texture in the mouth, taste and the scores for overall acceptability. Conclusion – Taste and texture in mouth have proved to be major consumption attributes that determine acceptability of a banana cultivar. A number of the pVAC-rich cultivars have shown good potential for adoption within existing farming systems and diets in these regions

Intensification and diversification of banana production systems: key drivers for increased income and food and nutritional security in the Great Lakes region

Peer Revie