Good Manufacturing and Hygienic Practices at Small and Medium Scale Pineapple Processing Enterprises in Rwanda

The purpose of this study was to assess the compliance of small and medium scale pineapple processing enterprises in Rwanda to the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) as set by the national, regional and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) food safety and hygiene regulations. The layout design and practices of hygiene for 16 small and 11 medium pineapple processing enterprises were characterised by conducting face-to-face interviews using questionnaires and observations. None of the visited enterprises had clear criteria of the delivery procedure of raw pineapples and none had a signed contract with the suppliers and this led to uncontrolled primary production. The plant layout and design of both small and medium enterprises were characterised by insufficient number of working rooms and there was  crisscrossing in the production line of 81.8% and 87.5% respectively for medium and small enterprises. The clean and unclean sectors were only separated at 63.6% and 31.2% of the medium and small enterprises respectively. In generally, the status of all enterprise categories, their surrounding areas and equipment was classified as unsatisfactory. The majority of enterprises did not have temperature and time control systems and for both enterprise categories, there was no clear plan for waste disposal, plus pest and insect control. Lack of compliance to the standard requirements was observed in the majority of both enterprise categories. In order for these enterprises to access export market, it is recommended that training on the requirements for GMP and HGP for food processing industries by the Rwanda Bureau of Standards and other government and non-government institutions be provided. Training programs on basic food safety and hygiene in food processing enterprises need to be in place to support implementation of prerequisite programs in the small scale fruit processing enterprises. Keywords: Good manufacturing practices, Small and medium enterprises, Pineapple processing, Standard

Issues Affecting Small- and Medium-Scale Pineapple Processing Enterprises in Rwanda: A Cross-sectional Study

Fruit processing small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the national economic development of Rwanda. Though they receive attention from the government, they still face numerous constraints that hinder their development. A cross-sectional study design was used to profile 16 small-scale and 11 medium-scale pineapple-processing enterprises in the country and assess the issues affecting them. From July to August in 2011, data was collected using a structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews with enterprise managers. Results showed that most managers of these SMEs are male, married, within the age range of 36–40 years, have had formal education, and works 10 h per day. Most of these SMEs are located in the Eastern Province near pineapple production areas. The mean for the capital investment for small-scale processors was estimated at US$11,066 and for medium enterprises at US$805,000. Majority of small-scale enterprises had 10 employees or less while majority of the medium-scale enterprises had more than 10 employees, with both enterprises hiring mostly unskilled laborers working 8 h per day. Results reveal that the major constraints in pineapple-processing industry in Rwanda were the following: access to modern processing equipment and proper packaging material, access to raw materials, high cost of water and electricity, high transportation cost, and limited knowledge and skills of human resources. This article provides various recommendations on how SMEs can overcome these constraints and produce quality products that can penetrate the export market

Country and Economic Assessment for Aflatoxin Contamination and Control in Tanzania; A supplement to the 2012 Report

This report supplements the report released by the Abt Associates Inc in 2013 on the Country and Economic Assessment for Aflatoxins in Tanzania. It is an output of the work done by the United Republic of Tanzania, through national consultants led by the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), with support from the African Union Commission through the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA). Extensive information on knowledge and awareness of aflatoxins among Tanzanians as well as information on aflatoxin contamination for maize and groundnuts was collected. Data of aflatoxins contamination in rice from three main rice growing districts of Tanzania; Kilosa (Morogoro), Mbarali (Mbeya) and Misungwi (Shinyanga) were also collected. A review of existing food safety policies and those being developed, to identify gaps that could be addressed to strengthen the food safety system of Tanzania was also performed. In addition, a health and economic impact analysis for aflatoxins, based on aflatoxin biomarker data for children in Tabora, Iringa and Kilimanjaro, was done. The Tanzania Food Security Investment Plan (TAFSIP) document was reviewed to identify areas into which aflatoxin measures could be mainstreamed. The situation analysis and action planning was conducted in consultation with several key stakeholders including the government line ministries, regional economic communities (RECs), donors and the private sector. It was found that the general awareness about aflatoxins was low, amongst stakeholders interviewed. Furthermore, it was found that knowledge about Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is not widespread and that guidelines on GAP were not availablePAC

Effect of Irrigation Regimes on Yield and Quality of Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. ‘Makutopora red’ in Dodoma Tanzania

Application of water to vines at a lower amount than the crop water requirement has shown to improve grape quality in some grapevine cultivars depending on the drought resistance and tolerance of the cultivars. In order to know the amount of water that can be lowered it is necessary to know the exact amount of water that is required by the plant. The daily transpiration (ETb) of mature Vitis vinifera L. cv. ‘Makutupora red’ grown in Dodoma-Tanzania for wine production during two growing seasons (2014 and 2015) was measured by compensation heat pulse method. Average daily transpiration was found to be 4.46 liters per plant in 2015 and 4.54 liters per plant in 2014.  Water lost through evaporation (ETe) was also determined on daily basis by using soil moisture probes (DFM Software Solution). The average daily evaporation found to be 0.46 liters per plant in 2015 and 0.42 liters per plant in 2014. After the determination of crop water requirement, the vines were subjected to different irrigation regimes in order to study their effects on grape yield and quality. Three different drip irrigation methods conversional drip irrigation (CDI), partial rootzone drying ( PRD) and root zone deficit rationing (RDR) together with four levels of water at 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc),  63.5% of ETc,  56.3% of  ETc and  48.9% of ETc were interacted in order to determine a combination that would give good grape yield and quality. The results showed that a decrease in the amount of water applied to the vines caused an improvement in grape quality and a decrease in grape yield. Conventional drip irrigation CDI was observed to be the best option for optimum grape yield and high grape quality at 63.5% of crop evapotranspiration. Conventional deficit irrigation at 56.3% of crop evapotranspiration was found to be a good option for very high quality grapes but with a decrease in grape yield. Key words: Grape yield, grape quality, deficit irrigation

Control of Fusarium verticillioides (Sacc.) Nirenberg and fumonisins by using a combination of crop protection products and fertilization

Fusarium verticillioides is the most common fungal pathogen associated with maize ear rot in Tanzania. In a two-year trial, we investigated the efficacy of crop protection (insecticide and/or fungicide) and fertilizer (nitrogen and/or phosphorus) treatments in reducing the occurrence of F. verticillioides and its mycotoxins in maize grown in Tanzania. Seasonal differences were seen to have a substantial influence on the incidence and severity of insect infestation, Fusarium ear and kernel rot, biomass of F. verticillioides and contamination with fumonisins. With regard to the application of fertilizers, it was concluded that the impact on maize stalk borer injury, Fusarium symptoms and fumonisin levels was not significant, whereas crop protection significantly reduced maize damage. The application of an insecticide was most effective in reducing insect injury and as a result of the reduced insect injury the insecticide treatment also resulted in a significant decrease in Fusarium symptoms. In 2014, fumonisin levels were also significantly lower in maize treated with an insecticide. Additionally, significant positive correlations between insect damage and Fusarium symptoms were observed. In conclusion, this study clearly shows that application of an insecticide alone or in combination with a fungicide at anthesis significantly reduces insect damage and consequently reduces F. verticillioides infection and associated fumonisin contamination

Post-harvest interventions decrease aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination in maize and subsequent dietary exposure in Tanzanian infants : a cluster randomised-controlled trial

A cluster randomised controlled trial was performed in three agro-ecological zones of Tanzania to evaluate the effectiveness of locally available post-harvest mitigation strategies in preventing and reducing aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination in maize. A total of 300 children, each from one household, were randomly selected from 30 villages (intervention: n=15). The mitigation strategies focused on hand sorting (prior to storage and use), drying maize on mat/raised platforms, proper sun drying, application of storage insecticides and de-hulling before milling. Maize sample was collected from each household at harvest (baseline) and six months after harvest. Maize intake by each child, estimated using the 24 h dietary recall technique and its body weight measured using standard procedures were taken at six months after harvest. Aflatoxins and fumonisins in the maize samples were determined using HPLC. Follow-up (six month after harvest) data were available for 261 of the 300 households (intervention: n=136). Mean concentration of aflatoxins, or fumonisins was significantly (P<0.05) lower in the intervention than in the control group: intervention effects: mu g/kg (95% confidence interval (CI)) -4.9 (-7.3,-2.5), and -405, (-647,-162), respectively. The difference corresponds to 83 and 70% for aflatoxins, and fumonisins, respectively. At the end of the intervention, aflatoxin and fumonisin estimated mean intakes were lower in the intervention than in the control group by 78 and 65%, respectively. Six months after harvest, prevalence of underweight in the intervention group was 6.7% lower (P=0.014) than in the control group. Mean weight-for-age Z-score difference between the groups was 0.57 (95% CI; 0.16,-0.98; P=0.007). Post-harvest practices are effective in preventing and reducing aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination in maize and subsequent dietary exposure to infants. The interventions may be applied in these and other communities with similar environmental conditions or agricultural practices that favour production of aflatoxin and fumonisins in food crops

Compliance by street salad and juice vendors with national food safety and quality requirements a case of Morogoro municipality, Tanzania

Compliance by street fruit salad and juice vendors with national food safety and quality requirements was evaluated. Evaluation was based on good manufacturing practices (GMP), good hygienic practices (GHP), selected heavy metals, physicochemical properties and microbiological quality parameters. Compliance by street vendors was also compared to vendors in university cafeterias and town restaurants. Among the fruit salad and fruit juice vendors, 71.4% and 54.3%, respectively, had no food safety knowledge. All vendors were not compliant with GHP and GMP. Fruit salad (94.1%) and 85.7% juice vendors were familiar with TBS and none, familiar with TFDA. A general compliance assessment using various indicators showed a range of 50-71% compliance for the right location and premises, 8-25% sanitation level, 0-50% processing and cleaning and ≤25% for personal hygiene. Samples were found free from heavy metals cadmium and lead, with one juice sample having 0.24mg/L copper. Ninety seven percent of juice and 85% of salad samples contained >3×106CFU/ml or g of aerobic mesophilic count. Fifty one percent of the juice samples had fungi>2.5×106CFU/ml with 41% having an average of 1.64×105 CFU/ml while for salads, 48% of the samples had an average fungi of 1.18×103 CFU/g. Moulds tentatively identified were Aspergillus spp and Cladosporium spp. Twelve percent of fruit juices had 2.8×103 MPN/ml of coliforms and 88% of the samples had ≥1.6×104 MPN/ml of juice. Salads had an average load of 2.4×103MPN/g with 62% having ≥1.6×104 MPN/g of coliforms. Ninety four percent of juice and 82% of salad samples were contaminated with E. coli with one sample containing E. coli O157:H7. Vendors on streets, at Universities and in restaurants were not significantly different in their compliance to hygiene requirements and microbiological quality criteria (P>0.05).Results of this study indicated the need for educating street vendors and other stakeholders in food hygiene to improve food safety

Microbial and heavy metal contamination of pineapple products processed by small and medium scale processing enterprises in Rwanda

Fruit products are increasingly consumed but highly prone to microbial deterioration if not adequately processed and stored. The present study was conducted to evaluate the microbial and heavy metal concentrations of packed pineapple nectars, syrups and jams processed by 10 Small and Medium scale pineapple processing Enterprises (SMEs) over a storage duration of 12 months. Collected samples were analysed to determine whether the levels of microbial and heavy metal concentrations were in line with maximum permissible limits set by Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), East African Standards (EAS) and Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS). The samples were tested for yeasts and moulds, total plate counts, Faecal coliforms, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Staphylococcus aureus using tested International Organization for Standardization (ISO) microbial determination methods. Quantitative determination of heavy metals: zinc, iron, lead, copper, cadmium and aluminium was carried out by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Pineapple products were free from most of the microorganisms but only nectars from 30% of SMEs were highly contaminated above the permissible Codex and RBS limits with total plate counts &gt;300 CFU/ml  and yeasts and mould counts &gt;300 CFU/ml. The mean levels of zinc, iron, copper and aluminium were within the acceptable recommended Codex and RBS standard values but the levels of lead and cadmium were above those permissible standard values. These results indicated that some fruit processors in Rwanda may not be observing good manufacturing and hygienic practices, leading to a need for improved post-harvest and processing guidelines, better monitoring and enforcement, and additional research into heavy-metal ingress in the manufacturing process.Keywords: Pineapple,  juices,  jams, microbial contamination,  heavy metal, Rwanda.African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(39) 3977-398