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

Status Of Micronutrient Nutrition In Zimbabwe: A Review

More than 65% of the Zimbabwean population live in the rural areas and are food insecure especially due to droughts. The population experiences fluctuating levels of malnutrition including vitamin and mineral malnutrition. This paper constitutes a review of the micronutrient malnutrition status of the Zimbabwean population, focusing on the period from 1980 to 2006, using data from nutrition surveys, the demographic health surveys, sentinel surveillance and monitoring programmes. Data collated from the numerous surveys show that a significant proportion of children under 5 years of age, school children, pregnant and lactating women experience malnutrition. In 1999, 35.8% of children 12-71 months of age were vitamin A deficient (serum retinol <0.70µmol/L). In March 2005, 22.3% of targeted children received vitamin A capsules during routine visits to clinics for growth monitoring and immunisation. However, about 82% of the targeted children received vitamin A capsules during Child Health Days, which is therefore an effective strategy. More than 95% of households in the country have access to iodised salt, while the median urinary iodine in 2005 was about 200µg/L. In 1997, about 9% of the population were found to have less than 10µg/L serum ferritin leading to the conclusion that iron deficiency anaemia was of public health significance in Zimbabwe. About 31% of women of child bearing age were found to be anaemic in a 1999 survey leading to the expansion of iron tablet distribution during ante-natal visits. However, in 2005, 43% of pregnant women were taking iron supplements during pregnancy, with women in urban areas less likely to take iron supplements than women living in rural areas. There is need, therefore, to increase efforts to reduce micronutrient deficiencies in the country. Fortification of vegetable oil with vitamin A is technically feasible and the vitamin is stable for up to 6 months at 23°C. With increasing evidence of other micronutrient deficiencies such as the B-group vitamins, fortification of staple foods, such maize meal, could be a long term strategy of addressing micronutrient deficiencies in Zimbabwe

Traditional processing of masau fruits (Ziziphus mauritiana) in Zimbabwe

A survey of the traditional processing techniques of masau was conducted using a questionnaire and two focus group discussions in Mudzi, Mt. Darwin, and Muzarabani districts in Zimbabwe. Masau fruits form part of the family diet and generate additional income by selling at local markets. Surplus fruits are sun dried and can be transformed into various products such as porridge, traditional cakes, mahewu, and also fermented to produce a spirit called Kachasu. The ethanol content of the fermented fruit pulp ranged from 2.1 - 3.7 mL 100mL(-1), whereas the traditionally made distillate contained 23.8 - 45.6 mL 100 mL(-1)

The Moon Project: Where Management Meets Mathematics

This article studies a cost project problem identified here as the Moon project with mathematical laws. The Moon project is a program cost project regulated by certain constraints with principal variable N∈Z that survives on project h∈H only if it survives the lowest level (level 1). For this particular problem, we model the total cost T for mounting a Moon project under project coordinates involving the inward payables (w), the outward payables (x), consumables (y), cross subsidisation (z) as independent coordinates and sufficient for describing the configuration of complicated production systems. Additionally, optimal path analysis to completeness in form of examples and remarks on Moon projects survival chances is provided

Yeasts and lactic acid bacteria microbiota from masau (Ziziphus mauritiana) fruits and their fermented fruit pulp in Zimbabwe

Masau are Zimbabwean wild fruits, which are usually eaten raw and/ or processed into products such as porridge, traditional cakes, mahewu and jam. Yeasts, yeast-like fungi, and lactic acid bacteria present on the unripe, ripe and dried fruits, and in the fermented masau fruits collected from Muzarabani district in Zimbabwe were isolated and identified using physiological and molecular methods. The predominant species were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Issatchenkia orientalis, Pichia fabianii and Aureobasidium pullulans. A. pullulans was the dominant species on the unripe fruits but was not isolated from the fermented fruit pulp. S. cerevisiae and I. orientalis were predominant in the fermented fruit pulp but were not detected in the unripe fruits. S. cerevisiae, I. orientalis, P. fabianii and S. fibuligera are fermentative yeasts and these might be used in the future development of starter cultures to produce better quality fermented products from masau fruit. Lactic acid bacteria were preliminary identified and the predominant strains found were Lactobacillus agilis and L. plantarum. Other species identified included L. bifermentans, L. minor, L. divergens, L. confusus, L. hilgardii, L. fructosus, L. fermentum and Streptococcus spp. Some of the strains of LAB could also potentially be used in a mixed-starter culture with yeasts and might contribute positively in the production of fermented masau fruit products

Nutritive value of masau (Ziziphus mauritiana) fruits from Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe

Ziziphus mauritiana (masau) fruits are consumed by many people in Zimbabwe. The fruits contribute significantly to people’s diet when they are in season. The objective of this study was to determine the nutritional content of the fruits and, hence, quantify their contribution to the diet. Samples of masau were collected in two seasons (August 2006 and August 2007). Both macronutrients and micronutrients were determined using standard AOAC methods of analysis. Dry matter content ranged from 21.1 ± 0.2 to 24.1 ± 0.3 g 100 g-1 of edible portion of the sweet and sour fruits, and 84.8 ± 0.2 to 87.2 ± 0.2 g 100 g-1 for the dried fruit. Crude protein per 100 g edible portion of dry weight ranged between 7.9 ± 0.0 and 8.7 ± 0.0 g, crude fat from 0.8 ± 0.0 to 1.5 ± 0.0 g, crude fibre from 4.9 ± 0.0 to 7.3 ± 0.0 g, ash between 3.0 ± 0.0 and 4.3 ± 0.0 g and carbohydrate between 79.5 ± 0.0 and 83.2 ± 0.0 g. The fruits were rich in vitamin C (15.0 ± 0.0–43.8 ± 0.02 mg 100 g-1) and the energy values ranged between 1516.0 ± 1.73 and 1575.0 ± 2.3 kJ 100 g-1. Furthermore, the fruits contained (mg 100 g-1 of dry weight) potassium from 1865.0 ± 1.3 to 2441.0 ± 1.1, calcium from 160.0 ± 0.3 to 254.0 ± 0.1, sodium between 185.0 ± 0.1 and 223.0 ± 0.2, magnesium between 83.0 ± 0.0 and 150.0 ± 0.13 and phosphorous from 87.0 ± 0.1 to 148.0 ± 0.5. Manganese and copper contents ranged between 0.7 ± 0.03 and 1.6 ± 0.03, while iron and zinc ranged between 2.1 ± 0.43 and 4.3 ± 0.1, and 0.6 ± 0.0–0.9 ± 0.0 mg 100 g-1 of dry weight, respectively. The masau fruit is therefore a good potential source of carbohydrates, proteins and micronutrients, such as calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorous, copper, iron, Vitamin C and zin