Conservation implications of the mating system of the Pampa Hermosa landrace of peach palm analyzed with microsatellite markers

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is cultivated by many indigenous and traditional communities from Amazonia to Central America for its edible fruits, and is currently important for its heart-of-palm. The objective of this study was to investigate the mating system of peach palm, as this is important for conservation and breeding. Eight microsatellite loci were used to genotype 24 open-pollinated progenies from three populations of the Pampa Hermosa landrace maintained in a progeny trial for genetic improvement. Both the multi-locus outcrossing rates (0.95 to 0.99) and the progeny level multi-locus outcrossing rates (0.9 to 1.0) were high, indicating that peach palm is predominantly allogamous. The outcrossing rates among relatives were significantly different from zero (0.101 to 0.202), providing evidence for considerable biparental inbreeding within populations, probably due to farmers planting seeds of a small number of open-pollinated progenies in the same plot. The correlations of paternity estimates were low (0.051 to 0.112), suggesting a large number of pollen sources (9 to 20) participating in pollination of individual fruit bunches. Effective population size estimates suggest that current germplasm collections are insufficient for long-term ex situ conservation. As with most underutilized crops, on farm conservation is the most important component of an integrated conservation strategy

Realizing an ASEAN Economic Community: Progress and Remaining Challenges

Launched as a political bloc and security pact in the aftermath of the Viet Nam War, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has evolved to embrace an ambitious economic agenda. Its latest project is to establish the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 31 December 2015. Fulfilling these commitments would promote predictability in ASEAN, as well as strengthen its credibility. But is ASEAN likely to meet this deadline? The blueprint for achieving the goal envisages the AEC standing on four pillars and meeting the deadline depends on progress on each of them. Each pillar presents a demanding set of challenges to be met before the AEC can be fully realized. We find that although ASEAN has come a long way toward realizing its goal, the challenges that remain suggest that the AEC will miss its approaching deadline. Accommodating AEC accords will not be easy when they require changes to domestic laws or even the national constitution. The flexibility that characterizes ASEAN cooperation, the celebrated "ASEAN way," may hand member states a convenient pretext for noncompliance. How to enforce the accords remains an issue. If the AEC is to be more than a display of political solidarity, ASEAN must find a way to give the commitments more teeth. The real test for the community, therefore, will lie in the years ahead

Polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of traditional juices consumed in Côte d’Ivoire

Objective: This study aims at determining the total phenol content and antioxidant potency of traditional juices consumed as soft beverages in Côte d’Ivoire.Methodology and Results: The total polyphenol content (TPC) of juices of baobab fruit pulp, passion fruit pulp, lemon, tamarind pulp, also Roselle calices and ginger roots was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC). Their antioxidant capacity was assessed as ability to scavenge 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and the radical-cation ABTS•+, and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). An overall antioxidant composite index (ACI) of each juice was determined by calculating an index score referring to an index value of 100, assigned to the best score of antioxidant capacity for each test and the index value of the juice. TPC ranged from 3.7 ± 2.49 mg of gallic acid equivalents/mL of juice for lemon to 50.1 ± 15.5 mg of gallic acid equivalents/mL of juice for baobab. The rank order of TPC of the investigated juices was baobab > Roselle > tamarind > ginger > passion > lemon. Baobab fruit juice and Roselle calices juices exhibited the highest antioxidant potency with the three DPPH, FRAP and ABTS methods and had the highest antioxidant composite index (89.5 and 96.1 respectively). These juices are followed by tamarind fruit juice with values of TPC and ACI equal to 22.92 mg of gallic acid equivalents/mL of juice and 74.4 respectively.Conclusions and application of findings: This study shows that baobab juice contains the highest total polyphenol amount, followed by Roselle juice. Although all the investigated juices exhibit an antioxidant activity, these two beverages present the highest antioxidant capacities. Regarding these findings, Roselle baobab and Tamarind juice juices are the most promising antioxidant sources and should be promoted as functional beverages to fight against chronic diseases in Côte d’Ivoire.Keywords: juices, homemade, total phenol, antioxidant activity, Côte d’Ivoir

CARACTERISATION SENSORIELLE, CHIMIQUE ET INSTRUMENTALE DE L’IGNAME BOUILLIE (DIOSCOREA SPP.)

Quatre variétés d’igname des espèces Dioscorea alata et D. cayenensis-rotundata couramment trouvées sur les marchés urbains de la Côte d’Ivoire ont été cuites sous forme bouillie et testées pour leurs caractéristiques sensorielles et physicochimiques. Les attributs de texture, friable et farineux, et le goût sucré sont les descripteurs les plus déterminants de ce mets. Du point de vue biochimique, les variétés se sont distinguées selon que leur maturité soit précoce ou tardive. L’analyse factorielle multiple (AFM), apermis d’observer une synergie entre la matière sèche et les attributs friable et farineux. Aucune relation n’a été observée entre ces caractères et la dureté mesurée avec le pénétromètre. Le goût sucré est indicateur d’une texture farineuse mais, révélateur d’un faible taux de sucres réducteurs. Boiled yam was cooked with four varieties of yam varieties usually found on the urban markets of Ivory Coast and tested for their sensory and physicochemical characteristics. Crumbliness, mealiness, and sweetness are the most important descriptors of this dish. At biochemical level, the varieties were distinguished according to their early or late maturity.The multiple factorial analysis has revealed a synergy between the dry matter content and crumbliness and mealiness. No relation was observed between these attributes and hardness measured with the penetrometer. Sweetness is highly related to mealiness but is an indicator of low reducing sugar conten

Evaluation of the international standardized 24-h dietary recall methodology (GloboDiet) for potential application in research and surveillance within African settings

Background Collection of reliable and comparable individual food consumption data is of primary importance to better understand, control and monitor malnutrition and its related comorbidities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including in Africa. The lack of standardised dietary tools and their related research support infrastructure remains a major obstacle to implement concerted and region-specific research and action plans worldwide. Citing the magnitude and importance of this challenge, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO) launched the “Global Nutrition Surveillance initiative” to pilot test the use of a standardized 24-h dietary recall research tool (GloboDiet), validated in Europe, in other regions. In this regard, the development of the GloboDiet-Africa can be optimised by better understanding of the local specific methodological needs, barriers and opportunities. The study aimed to evaluate the standardized 24-h dietary recall research tool (GloboDiet) as a possible common methodology for research and surveillance across Africa. Methods A consultative panel of African and international experts in dietary assessment participated in six e-workshop sessions. They completed an in-depth e-questionnaire to evaluate the GloboDiet dietary methodology before and after participating in the e-workshop. Results The 29 experts expressed their satisfaction on the potential of the software to address local specific needs when evaluating the main structure of the software, the stepwise approach for data collection and standardisation concept. Nevertheless, additional information to better describe local foods and recipes, as well as particular culinary patterns (e.g. mortar pounding), were proposed. Furthermore, food quantification in shared-plates and -bowls eating situations and interviewing of populations with low literacy skills, especially in rural settings, were acknowledged as requiring further specific considerations and appropriate solutions. Conclusions An overall positive evaluation of the GloboDiet methodology by both African and international experts, supports the flexibility and potential applicability of this tool in diverse African settings and sets a positive platform for improved dietary monitoring and surveillance. Following this evaluation, prerequisite for future implementation and/or adaptation of GloboDiet in Africa, rigorous and robust capacity building as well as knowledge transfer will be required to roadmap a stepwise approach to implement this methodology across pilot African countries/regions

Contrasting the distribution of phenotypic and molecular variation in the freshwater snail Biomphalaria pfeifferi, the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni

Population differentiation was investigated by confronting phenotypic and molecular variation in the highly selfing freshwater snail Biomphalaria pfeifferi, the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni. We sampled seven natural populations separated by a few kilometers, and characterized by different habitat regimes (permanent/temporary) and openness (open/closed). A genetic analysis based on five microsatellite markers confirms that B. pfeifferi is a selfer (s≈0.9) and exhibits limited variation within populations. Most pairwise FST were significant indicating marked population structure, though no isolation by distance was detected. Families from the seven populations were monitored under laboratory conditions over two generations (G1 and G2), allowing to record several life-history traits, including growth, fecundity and survival, over 25 weeks. Marked differences were detected among populations for traits expressed early in the life cycle (up to sexual maturity). Age and size at first reproduction had high heritability values, but such a trend was not found for early reproductive traits. In most populations, G1 snails matured later and at a larger size than G2 individuals. Individuals from permanent habitats matured at a smaller size and were more fecund than those from temporary habitats. The mean phenotypic differentiation over all populations (QST) was lower than the mean genetic differentiation (FST), suggesting stabilizing selection. However, no difference was detected between QST and FST for both habitat regime and habitat openness