Food Safety Characterization of Food Enterprises for Inclusive Nutrition Sensitive Value Chain Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. A Case Study of the Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Value Chain in Kenya

Food safety receives minimal attention and only captures national attention during foodborne disease outbreaks. The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices on food safety aspects related to Orange Fleshed Sweet potato (OFSP) along the food value chain in Kenya. A cross-sectional study was designed and investigated food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among the OFSP processors, traders, and consumers of street foods in Kenya. A socio-demographic questionnaire and KAP questionnaire were used as data collection instruments. The study included OFSP traders OFSP puree processors, large retailer’s bakeries and consumers in Nairobi. The OFSP traders included were the suppliers of OFSP in the markets around Nairobi city. The OFSP consumers included the people who buy cooked OFSP from the street vendors in Nairobi city. Descriptive statistics such as percentage means and standard deviation were used to summarize the socio-demographic data and the knowledge, attitude, practices, and overall KAP. Pearson’s correlation was used to establish an association of the three study components. Adjusted linear regression was used to assess the effect of food safety on knowledge, attitude, and practices. Knowledgeable, positive attitude and good practice on food safety were considered for mean scores above 80%. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The findings from the OFSP processors revealed a mean percentage score for knowledge, attitude, practices at 70.7%, 93.5%, and 90%, respectively, with an overall mean score of 84.6%.  Lower education level was statistically significantly associated with food safety practices at p = 0.002. Adjusted linear regression found a significant effect of food safety on knowledge at p<0.001.  Adjusted multiple regression revealed that age was statistically significantly associated with food safety knowledge, and food safety attitude (both at p <0.001).  Education level was significantly associated with food safety practices (p<0.001). Findings from OFSP traders revealed mean percentage scores for knowledge, attitude, practices at 63.1%, 74.4%, and 64.7%, respectively, with an overall mean score of 67.4%.  Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between food safety attitude and food safety practice p= 0.015. Similarly, a strong positive correlation between food safety practice and food safety knowledge was noted (p <0.001). Adjusted linear regression found that Food safety practice was significantly impacted by both knowledge and attitude R2=0.578 F=49.6 p=0.000. Results from OFSP consumers revealed mean percentage scores for knowledge, attitude, practices at 66.2%, 87.3%, and 91.6%, respectively with an overall mean score of 81.7%. Lower education level was statistically significantly associated with inappropriate practices among OFSP consumers p = 0.040. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a week positive correlation between food safety knowledge attitude and practice. : This study reveals a gap in the area of food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice along the OFSP value chain. The study highlights the need for policymakers to address and review the knowledge, attitude, and practices in the food industry, to raise food safety awareness campaigns and organize more targeted training along the food chains to reduce the foodborne disease burden. Keywords: Food safety, Knowledge, attitude, practices, processor, traders, consumers DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/110-05 Publication date:September 30th 202

An efficient algorithm for order evaluation of Strict Locally Testable languages

Strict k-local testability is an important concept in fields like pattern recognition, neural networks and formal languages theory. Words of a strict k-locally testable language L are parsed by decomposing the input in k-length sub strings without the need to consider context-dependent phenomena. First, we study the problem to decide if a language L is strict locally testable: an algorithm is presented to ascertain whether a value of k exists such that L is k-locally testable in a strict sense. Then we face the problem to determine the order of language L, e.g. the minimum value of parameter k so that string recognition can be optimally performed. Our approach relies on the development of the concept of a prefix path intersection graph. Through it, we can provide topological characterizations of strict local testability properties that can efficiently be tested in polynomial time. Moreover, the methods proposed in this paper distinguish from previously achieved results because we do no..

Inter-Procedural Analysis for Parallelization of Java Programs

this paper, we discuss first the inter-procedural analysis technique we are studying and implementing to characterize data-dependency. And then we enhance this framework with type-based alias analysis. 2 Inter-Procedural Analysi

Insights on road safety with open data: the case of Rome

Modern cities face the challenge of providing citizens with an appropriate level of services to maintain the growing population. Thanks to the support of open data policymakers are capable of ensuring administrative transparency and participation in decisions, enabling citizens and employees to effectively use services and tools and integrating physical and intangible infrastructures (systems, data and processes) in a service-oriented perspective. This study investigates open data about car accidents in the metropolitan city of Rome between 2014 and 2019 through the service science lens. It is pointed out how the city roads maintenance (for example, road surfaces, road signs and traffic extent) can significantly affect the number of people involved in accidents. From these results, possible improvements in diminishing the number of people involved in car accidents are explored through a prescriptive analysis. This study represents a powerful tool to improve services in the public sphere and an example of the shared value generated by open data initiatives. It contributes in improving the understanding of a data-oriented culture and of building a network of people in all public administrations to increase the shareable information assets of the metropolitan city of Rome

From lab to life: Making storable orange-fleshed sweetpotato purée a commercial reality

Research in Rwanda demonstrated that orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) purée (steamed, mashed roots) was an economically viable, vitamin A enhancing ingredient in baked products when the purée was produced and used in the same bakery. Having a storable, packaged OFSP purée produced by a firm to supply bakers is an alternative model. Vacuum-packed OFSP purée with preservatives with a four-month shelf-life at 23°C was developed by the International Potato Center under laboratory conditions in 2015. Turning it into a commercial reality required developing a public-private partnership to establish an OFSP purée-bread value chain. The phases in developing the chain are described. Cost-benefit assessment focuses on two points along the chain: the farmers producing roots for the purée factory and purée production. The first OFSP bread began to be marketed in six Tuskys’ stores in June 2015 at a premium price (5 Ksh above its regular bread), reaching 20 stores by August 2016. OFSP bread was well-received by consumers. Purée production became profitable (18% profit margin) when we shifted from using peeled to unpeeled roots--the new product being a “high fiber” purée. Commercial OFSP purée production has been improved and is poised for profitable, larger-scale output

GABA receptor-mediated effects in the peripheral nervous system:A cross-interaction with neuroactive steroids

A review. GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS), exerts its action via an interaction with specific receptors (e.g., GABAA and GABAB). These receptors are expressed not only in neurons but also on glial cells of the CNS, which might represent a target for the allosteric action of neuroactive steroids. Herein, we have demonstrated first that in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the sciatic nerve and myelin-producing Schwann cells express both GABAA and GABAB receptors. Specific ligands, muscimol and baclofen, resp., control Schwann-cell proliferation and expression of some specific myelin proteins (i.e., glycoprotein P0 and peripheral myelin protein 22 [PMP22]). Moreover, the progesterone (P) metabolite allopregnanolone, acting via the GABAA receptor, can influence PMP22 synthesis. In addn., we demonstrate that P, dihydroprogesterone, and allopregnanolone influence the expression of GABAB subunits in Schwann cells. The results suggest, at least in the myelinating cells of the PNS, a cross-interaction within the GABAergic receptor system, via GABAA and GABAB receptors and neuroactive steroid

Altered peripheral myelination in mice lacking GABAB receptors

Emerging evidence implicates gamma-aminobutyric acid type B (GABA(B)) receptors in peripheral nervous system (PNS) functions. In order to elucidate which biochemical, morphological and functional parameters of peripheral nerve fibers depend on GABA(B) receptors we studied GABA(B1)-deficient mice, which are devoid of functional GABA(B) receptors. Here, we show that GABA(B1)-deficient mice exhibit morphological and molecular changes in peripheral myelin, including an increase in the number of irregular fibers and increases in the expression levels of the myelin proteins PMP22 and P0. Moreover, the number of small myelinated fibers and small neurons of the lumbar dorsal root ganglia is higher in GABA(B1)-deficient mice than in wild-type littermates. We further show that GABA(B1)-deficient mice exhibit gait alterations and reduced allodynia. In summary, our findings implicate GABA(B) receptors in the PNS myelination process and raise the possibility that PNS alterations contribute to the sensory phenotypes of GABA(B1)-deficient mice