Use of sensory and physico-chemical parameters to understand consumer perception of attiéké, a fermented cassava product

Background: Cassava breeding research programs focused initially on agronomic performance but in recent years they have con-sidered the processability and the organoleptic properties of the final product, to increase the adoption of new varieties. One important cassava foodstuff is attiéké, a fermented and granular product, so it is necessary to determine criteria used by attiéké processors to select raw cassava and the characteristics leading consumers to like this product. This study assessed the attiéké pro-duction process, the criteria associated with the quality of attiéké, the sensory drivers of consumer acceptance, and their thresholds. Results: The total processing yield of attiéké varied according to the cassava variety and depended primarily on the fermentation-pressing yield. However, it was not correlated either with the peeling yield or with morphological characteristics of cassava roots. The production of a ton of attiéké required about 150 h. Dry matter, organic acids, soluble sugars, total pectin, and the pH of raw material and attiéké varied depending on the cassava variety. Ten discriminating sensory attributes of attiéké were identified. Consumer testing showed that overall liking for attiéké was associated with sourness, texture, and brightness. Acceptable sensory score thresholds were 1.67–2.18 for sour odor, 4.75 to 6.3 for cohesiveness, and 5.4 to 6.3 for ‘mouth feel sensation’. Attiéké dry matter correlated positively with cohesiveness and moldability. Conclusions: Several potential solutions are discussed to improve the adoption of cassava varieties for attiéké production. How-ever, further studies need to be carried out to translate the sensory thresholds of texture attributes into robust instrumental methods because texture is an important attribute of attiéké in addition to sourness

Compte rendu du séminaire du 12 décembre 1991 : dynamique de populations et développement agricole

Cet exposé comporte deux parties. La première partie traite des rapports entre les mouvements de populations et les dynamiques agraires tandis que la seconde s'intéresse aux recompositions au sein des structures démographiques et familiale

Compte rendu du séminaire du 12 décembre 1991 : dynamique de populations et développement agricole

Cet exposé comporte deux parties. La première partie traite des rapports entre les mouvements de populations et les dynamiques agraires tandis que la seconde s'intéresse aux recompositions au sein des structures démographiques et familiale

Improvement Tests on the Germination in Lippia Multiflora: Influence of Some Factors Related to Soil on Germination and Seedling Development

Abstract Studies on the germination and growth of seedlings of Lippia multiflora were conducted on several types of substrates. They consisted of germination tests and monitoring of seedling growth. The results showed that the best germination rates were recorded with the batch of seeds germinated on substrates made of a mixture of soil and manure (S2 = 82.67% and S3 = 65.33%). After 60 days of culture, the most significant heights of the plants of Lippia multiflora were recorded in culture media S2 (7.48 cm) and S3 (5.46 cm), with an average number of leaves 7; 12 and 6, respectively for the circles S1, S2 and S3. The root elongation is more important in substrates S2 (6.3 cm) and S3 (4.74 cm). The Pearson correlation tests carried out indicate that the contribution of organic matter in the substrates improves seedling development in Lippia multiflora

Improvement Tests on the Germination in Lippia Multiflora: Influence of Some Factors Related to Soil on Germination and Seedling Development

Studies on the germination and growth of seedlings of Lippia multiflora were conducted on several types of substrates. They consisted of germination tests and monitoring of seedling growth. The results showed that the best germination rates were recorded with the batch of seeds germinated on substrates made of a mixture of soil and manure (S2 = 82.67% and S3 = 65.33%). After 60 days of culture, the most significant heights of the plants of Lippia multiflora were recorded in culture media S2 (7.48 cm) and S3 (5.46 cm), with an average number of leaves 7; 12 and 6, respectively for the circles S1, S2 and S3. The root elongation is more important in substrates S2 (6.3 cm) and S3 (4.74 cm). The Pearson correlation tests carried out indicate that the contribution of organic matter in the substrates improves seedling development in Lippia multiflora

Reasons for Being “Zero-Dose and Under-Vaccinated” among Children Aged 12–23 Months in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

(1) Introduction: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has one of the largest cohorts of un- and under-vaccinated children worldwide. This study aimed to identify and compare the main reasons for there being zero-dose (ZD) or under-vaccinated children in the DRC. (2) Methods: This is a secondary analysis derived from a province-level vaccination coverage survey conducted between November 2021 and February 2022; this survey included questions about the reasons for not receiving one or more vaccines. A zero-dose child (ZD) was a person aged 12–23 months not having received any pentavalent vaccine (diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis–Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)–Hepatitis B) as per card or caregiver recall and an under-vaccinated child was one who had not received the third dose of the pentavalent vaccine. The proportions of the reasons for non-vaccination were first presented using the WHO-endorsed behavioral and social drivers for vaccination (BeSD) conceptual framework and then compared across the groups of ZD and under-vaccinated children using the Rao–Scott chi-square test; analyses were conducted at province and national level, and accounting for the sample approach. (3) Results: Of the 51,054 children aged 12–23 m in the survey sample, 19,676 ZD and under-vaccinated children were included in the study. For the ZD children, reasons related to people’s thinking and feelings were cited as 64.03% and those related to social reasons as 31.13%; both proportions were higher than for under-vaccinated children (44.7% and 26.2%, respectively, p p < 0.001). The distribution of reasons varied between provinces, e.g., 12 of the 26 provinces had a proportion of reasons for the ZD children relating to practical issues that was higher than the national level. (4) Conclusions: reasons provided for non-vaccination among the ZD children in the DRC were largely related to lack of parental/guardian motivation to have their children vaccinated, while reasons among under-vaccinated children were mostly related to practical issues. These results can help inform decision-makers to direct vaccination interventions