Assessing milk products quality, safety, and influencing factors along the dairy value chain in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dairying is one of the new promising economic sectors in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but still not explored enough to ensure consumers' safety. This study aimed to assess the health risks and nutritional profile of milk products along the value chain in South-Kivu and Tanganyika provinces. A total of 288 milk actors, including 160 producers, 35 collectors and 93 vendors, were concerned for interview and milk samples collection. A total of 302 milk samples (159 raw, 44 pasteurized, 76 fermented and 19 white cheese so-called “Mashanza”) were collected for physicochemical [pH, fat, non-fat dry matter (NFDM), lactose, protein, freezing point, density] and microbiological (total Aerobic Mesophilic Flora, Escherichia coli, Total Coliforms, Fecal Coliforms, Salmonella and Staphylococci) analyses. Results revealed that the physicochemical characteristics of the milk mostly varied according to the type of milk and the regions. The pasteurized milk from Tanganyika presented the best physicochemical parameters [crude protein (CP) = 4.36%, Fat = 4.06%, NFDM = 12%, lactose = 5.4%, density = 1.02 and pH = 6.59] compared to other types of milk. For microbiology, no E. coli was recorded but Salmonella and Staphylococci were found in all the milk types with the values not exceeding 3 × 104 CFU ml−1 and 3 × 103 CFU ml−1, respectively. This implies a long-term consumers' health issue if appropriate measures are not taken by milk actors along the value chain. The microbiological quality was influenced by the ecologies of production axis (representing the production zones) and by handling methods and infrastructures used by the actors involved along the value chain. Factors related to animal husbandry, milking method, milk processing and packaging had no significant effect on the physicochemical parameters under study. These results indicated that health risks for milk consumers are accrued by production practices and handling by milk actors due to shortage of required skills and appropriate equipment along the milk value chain. Observance of hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) measures is carefully required along the milk value chain nodes to improve the quality of milk produced and sold and thus reduce the risks among consumers in South-Kivu and Tanganyika provinces

IDENTIFICATION DE FACTEURS MOLECULAIRES CONTROLANT L'ACCUMULATION DE GLUCOSIDES CYANOGENIQUES DANS LE MANIOC

PARIS7-Bibliothèque centrale (751132105) / SudocSudocFranceF

Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Using DArTseq-Derived Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)

Understanding the genetic diversity and population structure of rice is crucial for breeding programs, conservation efforts, and the development of sustainable agricultural practices. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of 94 rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes from the Democratic Republic of Congo using a set of 8389 high-quality DArTseq-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The average polymorphic information content (PIC) of the markers was 0.25. About 42.4% of the SNPs had a PIC value between 0.25 and 0.5, which were moderately informative. The ADMIXTURE program was used for structure analysis, which revealed five sub-populations (K = 5), with admixtures. In principal component analysis (PCA), the first three principal components accounted for 36.3% of the total variation. Analysis of molecular variance revealed significant variation between sub-populations (36.09%) and within genotypes (34.04%). The low overall number of migrants (Nm = 0.23) and high fixation index (Fst = 0.52) indicated limited gene flow and significant differentiation between the sub-populations. Observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.08) was lower than expected heterozygosity (He = 0.14) because of the high inbreeding (Fis = 0.52) nature of rice. A high average Euclidean genetic distance (0.87) revealed the existence of genetic diversity among the 94 genotypes. The significant genetic diversity among the evaluated rice genotypes can be further explored to obtain potentially desirable genes for rice improvement

Entrepreneurial Potential and Agribusiness Desirability among Youths in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector remains for youth a key pillar for income creation. However, few are attracted by agribusiness despite stakeholders’ efforts toward engaging youth in agriculture. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between entrepreneurial potential characteristics and youth desirability to start an enterprise in agriculture among 514 young people in Eastern DRC. This study revealed that youth in South Kivu have different entrepreneurship potential features and agribusiness desirability levels according to their gender and living area. Hence, the youth’s agribusiness desirability is motivated by an awareness of emerging agripreneurial activities, land ownership, parent involvement in farming activities as a role model, perceived agribusiness as an employment source, management-organizing and opportunistic competencies, market analysis, negotiating, and planning skills. Therefore, efforts to attract youth into agribusiness should focus on the use of media, the creation of awareness of available agribusiness initiatives in their area, and the setup of land policy. This is in addition to putting in place capacity-building programs on entrepreneurial and business skills through incubators, and the formalization of youth agribusiness groups that foster capitalizing experiences between new and accelerated agripreneurial enterprises, with the support of parents and financial institutions, focusing on gender sensitivity, in both rural and urban areas

Association Mapping of Candidate Genes Associated with Iron and Zinc Content in Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.) Grains

Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), in the diet contribute to health issues and hidden hunger. Enhancing the Fe and Zn content in globally staple food crops like rice is necessary to address food malnutrition. A Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) was conducted using 85 diverse rice accessions from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to identify genomic regions associated with grain Fe and Zn content. The Fe content ranged from 0.95 to 8.68 mg/100 g on a dry weight basis (dwb) while Zn content ranged from 0.87 to 3.8 mg/100 g (dwb). Using MLM and FarmCPU models, we found 10 significant SNPs out of which one SNP on chromosome 11 was associated with the variation in Fe content and one SNP on chromosome 4 was associated with the Zn content, and both were commonly detected by the two models. Candidate genes belonging to transcription regulator activities, including the bZIP family genes and MYB family genes, as well as transporter activities involved in Fe and Zn homeostasis were identified in the vicinity of the SNP markers and selected. The identified SNP markers hold promise for marker-assisted selection in rice breeding programs aimed at enhancing Fe and Zn content in rice. This study provides valuable insights into the genetic factors controlling Fe and Zn uptake and their transport and accumulation in rice, offering opportunities for developing biofortified rice varieties to combat malnutrition among rice consumers

Regulatory considerations surrounding the deployment Of Bt-expressing cowpea in Africa: Report of the deliberations of an expert panel

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata spp unguiculata) is adapted to the drier agro-ecological zones of West Africa where it is a major source of dietary protein and widely used as a fodder crop. Improving the productivity of cowpea can enhance food availability and security in West Africa. Insect predation – predominately from the legume pod borer (Maruca vitrata), flower thrips (Megalurothrips sjostedti) and a complex of pod-sucking bugs (e.g.,Clavigralla spp) – is a major yield-limiting factor in West African cowpea production. Dramatic increases in yield are shown when M. vitrata is controlled with insecticides. However, availability, costs, and safety considerations limit pesticides as a viable option for boosting cowpea production. Development of Bt-cowpea through genetic modification (GM) to control the legume pod borer is a promising approach to cowpea improvement. Cowpea expressing the lepidopteran-active Cry1Ab protein from Bacillus thuringiensisis being developed as a first generation Bt-cowpea crop for West Africa. Appropriate stewardship of Bt-cowpea to assure its sustainability under West African conditions is critical to its successful development. A first step in this process is an environmental risk assessment to determine the likelihood and magnitude of adverse effects of the Cry1Ab protein on key environmental protection goals in West Africa. Here we describe the results of an expert panel convened in 2009 to develop the problem formulation phase for Bt-cowpea and to address specific issues around gene flow, non-target arthropods, and insect resistance management.This article is from GM Crops & Food 2 (2011): 211–224, doi:10.4161/gmcr.2.3.18689.</p