Effect of Linalool and Piperine on Chicken Meat Quality During Refrigerated Conditions

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of bioactive compounds (BACs): linalool (LIN) and piperine (PIP) on chicken meat characteristics. The meat was treated with 500, 1000 ppm of BACs, vacuum packaged and stored at 4 °C for 8 days. Physicochemical characteristics, lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS), microbiological status, and sensorial (electronic-nose based) properties were investigated. Both BACs significantly increased the redness (a*) and chroma (C*) values in meat compared to increased lightness (L*) and higher TBARS in control. Although both BACs showed overlapping aroma profile, the E-nose was able to distinguish between the different meat groups. LIN with various dilution ratios, particularly 1:10 (v:v), showed in vitro growth inhibition against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Bacillus cereus, concomitantly Listeria monocytogenes required 1:80 (v:v) to be inhibited, and no inhibition was detected for Pseudomonas lundensis. In contrast, PIP at different dilutions did not exhibit inhibitory activity. Regarding aerobic mesophilic counts (AMC), less than 7 log CFU g−1 were recorded except for control showing higher log. Both BACs have potential to improve quality characteristics and increase the shelf life of meat and meat products

Community Awareness and Preferences on Health Financing Options: The Case of Songea Rural District, Tanzania

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess community awareness and preferences on the alternative health financing mechanisms that have been introduced in the district. Design: A cross sectional, household survey Setting: Songea Rural District, Ruvuma Region South Western Tanzania Methods: Multistage random sampling procedure was used to select 6 villages that were included in the study. A total of 622 heads of households or their representatives were interviewed using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Computer data entry and analysis were done using EPI Info version 6.0 software programme. Results: Community awareness on the Community Health Fund (CHF) and User Fees were high i.e. 94.9% and 93.2% respectively, while awareness on National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was relatively low at 34.6%. Most of the respondents used User Fees (81.4%) in financing their health care consumption and it was also the most preferred health financing mechanism (38.4%) followed by CHF (30.5%), however almost a fifth of the respondents, the majority of whom were peasants (95.0%) preferred getting "free care". Recommendations: Study recommendations include increasing community awareness on NHIS and ensuring proper identification of individuals who should be given fee waivers/ exemptions