Effect of dietary feed additives on haematological and serum biochemical parameters of broiler chickens

This study was amid to evaluate the effect of supplementation of oxytetracylin (OTC), probiotic (Pro.), and citric acid (CA) separately on growth rate hematological, intestinal microflora and morphology of broiler chickens. A total of 270 one- day old male broiler chickens (Ross 308), were randomly kept into six groups floor pens consisting 3 replicates of 15 birds each. Treatment were as following: T1 (control diet without supplement), T2 supplementing with OTC (0.5 g/ kg); T3 and T4 supplementing with CA (1.0 or 1.5 g/ kg diet respectively), T5 and T6 supplementing with CA (1.0 or 1.5 g/ kg diet respectively). The results showed, there were significant increase in weight gain in broilers fed T3 and T4 dietary treatments, and no significant difference between the other treatments. Significant decrease in RBC, PCV and Hb, while increased in WBC, Lymphocytes, ALT and AST in birds supplemented with T2 dietary treatment. The diet containing OTC T2 and CA T6 caused reduced in micoflora count in jejunum area. There was significant increase in villi height and crypt depth for T6 while there was significant decrease in T2. In conclusion, probiotic and citric acid are good alternative to antibiotics in promoting growth, and beneficial modulation of intestinal micoflora and improve intestinal morphology

How Worried Are You about Food Fraud? A Preliminary Multi-Country Study among Consumers in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries

Food fraud is an old, recurring, and global threat to public health. It poses a serious threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the prevalence of food fraud in SSA, little is known about how food fraud is viewed by consumers. This study aims to provide an overview of consumers’ concerns about food fraud in SSA. A multi-country survey was conducted in October 2022–31 January 2023, and 838 valid responses were returned. To reduce the large and correlated dataset, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used. Five components were derived from PCA: (i) Staple foods; (ii) Premium food and drink products; (iii) Trust in reliable sources; (iv) Trust in less reliable sources; and (v) Trust in food vendors. The findings revealed Ghanaian (mean rank = 509.47) and Nigerian (mean rank = 454.82) consumers tended to score higher on the measure of food fraud concern suggesting that they were less confident in the safety and quality of the food they consume. Demographic characteristics including age, number of children, personal and family experience of food fraud and PCA components such as ‘Staple foods’, ‘Trust in reliable sources’, and ‘Trust in food vendors’ significantly predicted the model. This is the first preliminary study to provide empirical findings on consumers’ concerns about food fraud in SSA. Practical and policy recommendations for the region are suggested. This includes (i) modelling the AfriFoodinTegrity in West Africa across other major regions such as Central, East, and Southern Africa; (ii) establish a regional sub-Saharan Africa Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (SSA-RASFF) platform; and (iii) food safety and food fraud reports could be incorporated into SSA-RASFF portal for information sharing

Implications of Cannabis sativa on serotonin receptors 1B (HTR1B) and 7 (HTR7) genes in modulation of aggression and depression

The use of Cannabis sativa L. is rampant in the young generation and it induces diverse psychological disturbances, hence the correlation between cannabinoids and expression of serotonin receptors in modulation of depression tendencies. Alterations in the expression of serotonin receptors 1B (HTR1B) and 7 (HTR7) genes in the brain of Wistar rats after oral administration of graded doses of C. sativa extract was investigated for different durations of daily administration to establish a correlation between dose, duration of exposure and modulation of aggression/depression. C. sativa was extracted using petroleum ether as the solvent and constituents analyzed through gas chromatography. We orally administered doses of cannabis extract (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg) daily for 4, 8, and 12 weeks to male Wistar rats divided into 12 groups of six animals. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was used to quantify the expressions of genes. Expression of HTR1B was upregulated after 4 and 8-weeks’ exposure to 50 mg/kg dose with relative expressions of 0.68 and 0.91 as compared to 0.48 and 0.52 of the control group, resulting in 41.7% and 75% upregulation. However, results got at 12 weeks revealed a downregulation in the lower doses group by 76% and 71% while the 50 mg/kg dose produced a downregulation of the gene. This suggests a reversal of effect because of prolonged exposure. The extract successfully upregulated HTR7 only after 12 weeks of exposure to 25 and 50 mg/kg doses by 22% and over 100% respectively. Cannabis sativa alters the expression of HTR1B and HTR7 and accounts for the mechanism through which users exhibit depression/aggression attributes, as well as modulation of cognitive ability

How Worried Are You about Food Fraud? A Preliminary Multi-Country Study among Consumers in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries

Peer reviewed: TrueAcknowledgements: We are grateful to all participants who took part in the study.Food fraud is an old, recurring, and global threat to public health. It poses a serious threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the prevalence of food fraud in SSA, little is known about how food fraud is viewed by consumers. This study aims to provide an overview of consumers’ concerns about food fraud in SSA. A multi-country survey was conducted in October 2022–31 January 2023, and 838 valid responses were returned. To reduce the large and correlated dataset, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used. Five components were derived from PCA: (i) Staple foods; (ii) Premium food and drink products; (iii) Trust in reliable sources; (iv) Trust in less reliable sources; and (v) Trust in food vendors. The findings revealed Ghanaian (mean rank = 509.47) and Nigerian (mean rank = 454.82) consumers tended to score higher on the measure of food fraud concern suggesting that they were less confident in the safety and quality of the food they consume. Demographic characteristics including age, number of children, personal and family experience of food fraud and PCA components such as ‘Staple foods’, ‘Trust in reliable sources’, and ‘Trust in food vendors’ significantly predicted the model. This is the first preliminary study to provide empirical findings on consumers’ concerns about food fraud in SSA. Practical and policy recommendations for the region are suggested. This includes (i) modelling the AfriFoodinTegrity in West Africa across other major regions such as Central, East, and Southern Africa; (ii) establish a regional sub-Saharan Africa Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (SSA-RASFF) platform; and (iii) food safety and food fraud reports could be incorporated into SSA-RASFF portal for information sharing

Diversity of plant-based food products involving alkaline fermentation

One of the hallmarks of alkaline fermentation is the rich diversity of products. e broad range of alkaline-fermented foods (AFFs) attributes to the variety of substrates used and the metabolic activities of the microorganisms involved in various fermentation processes. e knowledge of microbial diversity in AFFs will help in establishing their genetic resources and preparing knowledge databases.</p