Maize germ and bran for value addition : high fiber bakery and confectionery products

The research aimed to add value to maize germ and bran, to develop improved products for human consumption, and to contribute to food security and human nutrition. Of low economic value, maize germ and bran currently dominate the livestock feed sector. However, with careful handling these processing by-products could be made to impact the confectionery and bakery sector. By incorporating them into bakery and confectionery products, nutritional value would be enhanced. The Ministry of Health and Uganda National Bureau of Standards can develop, implement and enforce standards for a positive impact on Food and Nutrition Policy

Antimicrobial Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria Starters against Acid Tolerant, Antibiotic Resistant, and Potentially Virulent E. coli Isolated from a Fermented Sorghum-Millet Beverage

Bacterial contamination of fermented foods is a serious global food safety challenge that requires effective control strategies. This study characterized presumptive E. coli isolated from Obushera, a traditional fermented cereal beverage from Uganda. Thereafter, the antimicrobial effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) previously isolated from Obushera, against the E. coli, was examined. The presumptive E. coli was incubated in brain heart infusion broth (pH = 3.6) at 25°C for 48 h. The most acid-stable strains were clustered using (GTG)5 rep-PCR fingerprinting and identified using 16S rRNA sequencing. E. coli was screened for Shiga toxins (Stx 1 and Stx 2) and Intimin (eae) virulence genes as well as antibiotic resistance. The spot-on-the-lawn method was used to evaluate antimicrobial activity. Eighteen isolates were acid stable and are identified as E. coli, Shigella, and Lysinibacillus. The Stx 2 gene and antibiotic resistance were detected in some E. coli isolates. The LAB were antagonistic against the E. coli. Lactic acid bacteria from traditional fermented foods can be applied in food processing to inhibit pathogens. Obushera lactic acid bacteria could be used to improve the safety of fermented foods

Probiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Starter Cultures Isolated from a Traditional Fermented Sorghum-Millet Beverage

The purpose of this study was to establish the probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) starter cultures, Lb. plantarum MNC 21, L. lactis MNC 24, and W. confusa MNC 20, isolated from a traditionally fermented sorghum-millet beverage from Uganda. The cultures were examined for tolerance to acid and bile salts, bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity, antibiotic susceptibility, biogenic amine production, mucin degradation, hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, adherence to the ileum, coaggregation, and antimicrobial properties against selected pathogenic species. Lb. rhamnosus yoba 2012, a known probiotic, was the reference. The isolates were tolerant to acid (pH = 3) and bile (1%). W. confusa MNC 20 and Lb. plantarum MNC 21 exhibited medium BSH activity (11–15 mm diameter of hydrolysis zone) while L. lactis and Lb. rhamnosus yoba 2012 exhibited low BSH activity (<10 mm diameter of hydrolysis zone). All isolates lacked mucolytic activity. Lb. plantarum MNC 21 and W. confusa MNC 20 produced agmatine. The candidate and reference microorganisms were resistant to 10 of 21 and 5 of 21 antibiotics, respectively. The isolates exhibited hydrophobic, auto-aggregation and coaggregation properties. These three properties were exhibited more (p<0.05) by the reference than the potential probiotics. The ability of the potential probiotics to attach onto the goat ileum (7.3–8.0 log cfu/cm2) was comparable to that of Lb. rhamnosus yoba 2012 (7.6 log cfu/cm2). The four LAB inhibited E. coli, S. aureus, and S. enterica to the same extent (p<0.05). The findings indicated potential probiotic activity of the starter cultures. However, further in vivo examination of these isolates is required to confirm their probiotic capabilities

PREDICTION OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF HOUSEHOLDS FOOD SECURITY IN THE LAKE VICTORIA REGION OF KENYA

This paper considers the modeling and prediction of &nbsp;households food security status using a sample of households in the &nbsp;Lake Victoria region of Kenya. A priori expected food security&nbsp; factors and their measurements are given. A binary logistic regression model&nbsp; derived was fitted to thirteen priori expected factors. Analysis of the marginal effects revealed that effecting the use of the seven significant determinants: farmland size, per capita aggregate production, household size, gender of household head, use of fertilizer, use of pesticide/herbicide and education of household head,&nbsp; increase the likelihood of a household being food secure. Finally, interpretations &nbsp;of&nbsp; &nbsp;predicted conditional probabilities, following improvement of significant determinants, &nbsp;are given

National food safety control systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does Uganda's aquaculture control system meet international requirements

Stringent food safety requirements set by developed country markets, which require exporting countries to establish effective national food control systems (NFCS) that guarantee safety of the products to the market, pose a challenge to Sub-Saharan countries in development of aquaculture products as alternative exports following the decline of capture fisheries. In the study, four components of Uganda's NFCS including legislation, competent authority, inspection services, and laboratory services were evaluated for compliance with FAO/WHO, European Union (EU), and the United States (US) market recommendations for guaranteeing aquaculture product safety. Using a checklist, component elements were benchmarked and scored, and components ranked for compliance with the recommendations. On a scale of 0-5, where 0 denotes none, 1 very low, 2 low, 3 some, 4 almost total, and 5 full compliance, only laboratory services had a barely acceptable score of 3.3 (some compliance). The rest including legislation which is central in setting the level of controls by the other three components scored below three, and the combined score for all components was only 2.2, indicating that Uganda's NFCS was still short of the requirements to allow entrepreneurs to access markets in the EU and other developed countries. The low score is partly attributed to the dynamics of this country's fledgling aquaculture industry and the rapidly evolving food safety requirements in the international markets.National food control system Aquaculture Compliance International requirements Uganda Sub-Saharan Africa

Gut Carriage of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Women Exposed to Small-Scale Poultry Farms in Rural Uganda: A Feasibility Study

Background: Antibiotic use for livestock is presumed to be a contributor to the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in humans, yet studies do not capture AMR data before and after livestock introduction. Methods: We performed a feasibility study by recruiting a subset of women in a delayed-start randomized controlled trial of small-scale chicken farming to examine the prevalence of clinically-relevant AMR genes. Stool samples were obtained at baseline and one year post-randomization from five intervention women who received chickens at the start of the study, six control women who did not receive chickens until the end of the study, and from chickens provided to the control group at the end of the study. Stool was screened for 87 clinically significant AMR genes using a commercially available qPCR array (Qiagen). Results: Chickens harbored 23 AMR genes from classes found in humans as well as additional vancomycin and β-lactamase resistance genes. AMR patterns between intervention and control women appeared more similar at baseline than one year post randomization (PERMANOVA R2 = 0.081, p = 0.61 at baseline, R2 = 0.186, p = 0.09 at 12 months) Women in the control group who had direct contact with the chickens sampled in the study had greater similarities in AMR gene patterns to chickens than those in the intervention group who did not have direct contact with chickens sampled (p = 0.01). However, at one year there was a trend towards increased similarity in AMR patterns between humans in both groups and the chickens sampled (p = 0.06). Conclusions: Studies designed to evaluate human AMR genes in the setting of animal exposure should account for high baseline AMR rates. Concomitant collection of animal, human, and environmental samples over time is recommended to determine the directionality and source of AMR genes