ANTIBACTERIAL AND COAGULANT PROPERTIES OF LOCALLY GROWN MORINGA SEEDS IN SWAZILAND

Moringa oleifera is a tree that has many valuable properties including medicinal and nutritive properties. Different parts of the plant have been found to possess important antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. The current study investigated the coagulant and antimicrobial properties of moringa seeds on raw water. The seeds were collected from the highveld, middleveld, and lowveld areas of Swaziland. The coagulant and antimicrobial properties were determined by adding either an aqueous solution of moringa seed powder or the powder directly into raw water. The water was taken from Lobamba river and Mbekelweni dam. It was observed that using an aqueous solution containing 200mg/L moringa seed powder was not effective in treating the water. Both turbidity and Escherichia coli counts remained high after 22h of contact. After adding the moringa powder directly into the raw water, the turbidity was significantly reduced after 7h contact at a concentration of 0.2g/L moringa powder. The turbidity was reduced to less than 5NTU, the recommended WHO limit for safe drinking water. Higher amounts of moringa seed resulted in increased turbidity, which did not settle even after 7h contact time. E. coli counts remained high in the treated water (>200 MPN/100mL) at all concentrations of moringa seed powder used even after 22h contact time. Safe drinking water should not have viable E. coli. Microbial counts (MPN/100mL) between 100 and 1000 are considered high risk in drinking water. It can be concluded that moringa seed has some coagulant properties which may be suitable for treating raw water. However, the seeds did not exhibit antimicrobial properties. The treated water was not suitable for drinking because of the high microbial load

Enhanced hypoglycaemic effects of metformin by valsartan in a diabetic rat model

The objective of this study was to establish the effect of valsartan on the hypoglycaemic effect of metformin. Forty-four 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were fed on a high fat diet or standard diet for six weeks. Diabetes mellitus was induced by administering alloxan monohydrate 120 mg/kg intraperitoneally in rats on high fat diet. Valsartan had no significant effect on blood glucose levels in non-diabetic rats. Treatment of diabetic rats with a combination of metformin and valsartan at 5mg/kg (-10.8±8.5%), 15 mg/kg (-43.0±13.7%), and 30 mg/kg (-28.6±9.1%) for 14 days resulted in significant differences in the change in blood glucose levels compared to treatment with metformin alone (+9.5±9.1%) (F=4.351; d.f.=3;16; p=0.0201). Valsartan enhanced the hypoglycaemic effects of metformin in diabetic rats after two weeks of treatment. However, valsartan did not have significant effect on glucose tolerance in both nondiabetic and diabetic rats.Keywords: hypoglycaemia, valsartan, metformin, diabete

Phosphites for the control of anthracnose in common bean.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of phosphites in the protection of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) against anthracnose. Different phosphite formulations were evaluated by quantifying peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activity, total phenols, and lignin content. The treatments consisted of sprayings, in the V4, R5, and R7 stages, with: the K, Zn, Mn, K+Mn, K+salicyclic acid, and Cu phosphites; salicylic acid; acibenzolar-S-methyl; and the fungicide azoxystrobin; besides a control, without sprayings. The area under the disease progress curve was lower in plants that received applications of the K and Mn phosphites, whose values ranged between 74 and 81%, compared with the control. The K, Zn, and K+salicyilic acid phosphites were effective in controlling the disease. In addition, disease severity was lower with the application of the K, Zn, and Mn phosphites than with the control. Enzyme (peroxidases and polyphenol oxidases) activity and levels of soluble phenols were higher in common bean plants treated with the K and Mn phosphites, although no change was detected in the levels of soluble lignin in the same tissue. Phosphite application reduces the severity of the disease, can enhance enzymatic activity, and is an effective alternative for the control of anthracnose in common bean

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Hlapljivi organski spojevi u mlijeku dobivenom prirodnom fermentacijom i fermentacijom s pomoću pojedinačnih ili mješovitih kultura kvasaca i mliječno-kiselih bakterija

The volatile organic compounds present in 18 Zimbabwean naturally fermented milk (amasi) samples and those produced by various yeasts, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast/ LAB combinations were determined using headspace gas chromatography. The yeast strains used were: Candida kefyr 23, C. lipolytica 57, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 71, C. lusitaniae 68, C. tropicalis 78, C. lusitaniae 63, C. colliculosa 41, S. dairenensis 32, and Dekkera bruxellensis 43, and were coded Y1 to Y9, respectively. The LAB strains used were Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis Lc39, L. lactis subsp. lactis Lc261, Lactobacillus paracasei Lb11, and L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis C1, and were coded B1 to B4, respectively. Some of the volatile organic compounds found in amasi were acetaldehyde, ethanol, acetone, 2-methyl propanal, 2-methyl-1-propanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol. However, the levels of volatile organic compounds in the naturally fermented milk (NFM) samples varied from one sample to another, with acetaldehyde ranging from 0.1–18.4 ppm, 3-methyl butanal from <0.1–0.47 ppm and ethanol from 39.3–656 ppm. The LAB/C. kefyr 23 (B/Y1) co-cultures produced significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of acetaldehyde and ethanol than the levels found in the NFM. The acetaldehyde levels in the B/Y1 samples ranged from 26.7–87.7 ppm, with L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis C1 (B4) producing the highest level of acetaldehyde in combination with C. kefyr 23 (Y1). Using principal component analysis (PCA), most of the NFM samples were grouped together with single and co-cultures of Lc261, Lb11 and the non-lactose fermenting yeasts, mainly because of the low levels of ethanol and similar levels of 3-methyl butanal. Chromatograms of amasi showed prominent peak of methyl aldehydes and their alcohols including 3-methyl-butanal and 3-methyl-butanol, suggesting that these compounds are important attributes of Zimbabwean naturally fermented milk.Hlapljivi organski proizvodi, u 18 uzoraka prirodno fermentiranog mlijeka iz Zimbabvea (amasi) i mlijeka dobivenog fermentacijom s pomoću kvasaca, mliječno-kiselih bakterija (LAB) i kombinacijom kvasaca i mliječno-kiselih bakterija određeni su plinskom kromatografijom na čvrstoj fazi. Upotrijebljeni su ovi sojevi kvasaca: Candida kefyr 23, C. lipolytica 57, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 71, C. lusitaniae 68, C. tropicalis 78, C. lusitaniae 63, C. colliculosa 41, S. dairenensis 32 i Dekkera bruxellensis 43, te su označeni s Y1 do Y9. Od LAB korišteni su sojevi Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis Lc39, L. lactis subsp. lactis Lc261, Lactobacillus paracasei Lb11 i L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis C1, označeni s B1 do B4. Acetaldehid, etanol, aceton, 2-metilpropanal, 2-metil-1-propanol i 3-metil-1-butanol su neki hlapljivi organskih spojevi pronađeni u prirodno fermentiranom mlijeku amasi. Količina hlapljivih organskih spojeva u prirodno fermentiranom mlijeku (naturally fermented milk – NFM) razlikovala se od uzorka do uzorka, te je iznosila 0,1-18,4 ppm acetaldehida, <0,1-0,47 ppm 3-metilbutanala i 39,3-656 ppm etanola. Upotrebom kulture LAB/C. kefyr 23 (B/Y1) proizvedena je kudikamo veća (p<0,05) količina acetaldehida i etanola nego u NFM. Količina acetaldehida u uzorcima B/Y1 iznosila je 26,7-87,7 ppm, a najviše acetaldehida dobiveno je fermentacijom s pomoću L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis C1 (B4) u kombinaciji s C. kefyr 23 (Y1). Metodom glavnih komponenata (principal component analysis – PCA) svrstana je većina NFM uzoraka s pojedinačnim i mješovitim kulturama Lc261, Lb11 i kvascima koji ne fermentiraju laktozu, prema malim količinama etanola i sličnom udjelu 3-metilbutanala. Kromatogram prirodno fermentiranog mlijeka amasi pokazuje visok pik metilaldehida i njihovih alkohola, uključujući 3-metilbutanal i 3-metilbutanol, čime je dokazano da su ti spojevi značajni za mlijeko amasi

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Individual and structural environmental influences on utilization of iron and folic acid supplementation among pregnant women in Harare, Zimbabwe

Micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent among Zimbabweans with serious health and social implications. Due to a lack of a national micronutrient food fortification policy, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care established a policy for the prevention of maternal micronutrient deficiencies, which centres on pregnant women receiving daily iron and folic acid (IFA) at their first antenatal care visit and throughout pregnancy. Despite these efforts, utilization of IFA supplementation in pregnancy in Zimbabwe is low. This study aimed to understand the experiences and knowledge of IFA supplementation among pregnant women and healthcare workers in Harare, Zimbabwe, and the influence of health-service and social environments on utilization. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in Shona and English, with pregnant women (n = 24) and healthcare workers (n=14) providing direct antenatal care services to pregnant women in two high-density community clinics. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo 10. Influences on utilization were at the individual and structural environmental levels. Reasons for low utilization of IFA supplementation included forgetting to take IFA, side effects, misconceptions about IFA, limited access to nutrition information, delayed entry or non-uptake of antenatal care and social norms of pregnant women for IFA supplementation. Utilization was enhanced by knowledge of risks and benefits of supplementation, fear of negative health complications with non-utilization, family support and healthcare worker recommendation for supplementation. Study findings can inform approaches to strengthen micronutrient supplementation utilization to improve the micronutrient status of pregnant women to decrease maternal mortality and improve overall maternal and child health in Zimbabwe