Effect of vacuum frying conditions on physico-chemical properties of banana chips

Open Access Article; Published online: 12 Dec 2018The feasibility of vacuum frying technology to produce high quality banana chips with lower oil absorption and better flavor and color was investigated. The effects of three frying temperatures (120, 130, and 140C) and three vacuum pressures (21.3, 31.3, and 41.3 kPa) were studied. The quality of vacuum fried chips was subsequently compared with that of chips fried under atmospheric conditions (101.3 kPa) at 170°C. The rate of moisture loss significantly increased (p 0.05) difference in color (L* = 58.8, a* = 5.1, b* = 23.9) was found in any of the chips fried under each vacuum condition. Banana chips fried under vacuum pressure conclusively contained (p < 0.05) less oil, were lighter in color, had higher volume shrinkage, less crispness, and a harder texture than atmospherically fried chips

Intensification and diversification of banana production systems: key drivers for increased income and food and nutritional security in the Great Lakes region

Peer Revie

Occurrence of aflatoxin in agricultural produce from local markets in Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Open Access JournalAflatoxins are noxious secondary metabolites, of certain fungal species, found in food and feed. Contamination of a commodity with aflatoxins is associated with production and storage losses, and subsequently less food availability. Aflatoxins can also pose human health risks and represent a barrier to the development of trade, in both domestic and international markets. In this study, samples of cassava, maize, groundnut, beans, soybean, sorghum and milk, and their processed products were collected from local markets in Burundi and Eastern DRC. In order to investigate the levels of aflatoxin, crop samples were analyzed using a single step lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (Reveal Q+), while enzyme‐linked immune‐sorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyze aflatoxin‐M1 in milk, yogurt, and cheese samples. The results revealed the presence of aflatoxins in all samples from both countries, with levels ranging from 1.3 to 2,410 μg/kg. Samples collected from Burundi contained relatively higher (p > 0.0.5) levels of aflatoxins. In 51% of all the crops samples, total aflatoxin contamination was above the EU maximum tolerable level of 4 μg/kg. Processed products, particularly from groundnut, maize, and sorghum, had the highest levels of aflatoxin contamination when compared to unprocessed grain. With regard to milk and dairy products, the level of aflatoxin‐M1 ranged from 4.8 to 261.1 ng/kg. Approximately 29% of milk and yogurt samples had aflatoxin‐M1 higher than the EU regulatory limit of 50 ng/kg, whereas 20% of cheese samples were found to be contaminated at levels higher than the maximum limit of 250 ng/kg. These results can serve as the basis for pre‐ and postharvest approaches to reduce aflatoxin contamination in agricultural commodities in Burundi and Eastern DRC in order to reduce health risk, avoid reduced production in livestock, and open up export markets

Collection and characterization of cassava germplasm in Comoros

Open Access ArticleIn Comoros, cassava plays a major food security role, however yields are low as few modern cultivars are grown. Prior to the introduction of new cultivars, and as a germplasm resource for breeders, germplasm collection missions were undertaken in the three largest islands; Ngazidja, Ndzouani and Mwali; and associated farmer knowledge documented. Cassava landraces were collected from 34 farms, and 17 key informant interviews conducted. Stakes of 79 collected landraces were planted for agro-morphological characterization. All landraces were genotyped using DaRTSeq technology and data analysed to identify duplicates. Genetic fingerprints of 46 unique landraces were co-analysed with 402 previously genotyped landraces and improved cultivars from Tanzania. From this set only one match was made with a very old cultivar, Aipin Valenca, from the Northern Zone in Tanzania. According to SNP data, germplasm from the three islands of Comoros were similarly related to one another, and more distantly related to germplasm from Tanzania. They were most closely related to germplasm from the Northern Zone in Tanzania, suggesting a possible historical introduction of germplasm from this area. Lower levels of diversity were observed on these islands, as well as the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar. This implies limited introduction and movement of cassava germplasm into the islands. Introductions of improved germplasm to Comoros is recommended with the simultaneous conservation of collected unique landraces. Two landraces with high market demand and reported tolerance to diseases were identified for further evaluation with a view to multiplication and distribution and incorporation into the breeding program

Variability of provitamin A carotenoids in plantain: influence of cultivar, bunch type, maturation stage, and location

Open Access Article; Published online: 01 Sept 2020In this study, the effect of ripening stage (R), cultivar (C), bunch type (T), and location (L) on the variability of provitamin A carotenoids (pVACs) in 16 plantain cultivars grown in Cameroon and Gabon was investigated. For the sixteen plantain cultivars, fruits were collected at stages 1 (unripe), 5 (ripe), and 7 (overripe) from three different bunch types (French, False Horn, and True Horn) across 13 locations in Cameroon and Gabon. For all cultivars, the highest concentration of carotenoids was found in ripe pulp (p < 0.05). For bunch type, a higher level of pVACs was observed in the French type compared with the False Horn and True Horn types at all ripening stages. In addition, the concentration of pVACs at each ripening stage varied greatly across locations. In both countries, the interaction between the four factors, particularly between R × C, R × T, R × L, R × C × L, and R × T × L, contributed significantly (p < 0.05) to the variability of pVACs in plantain. Daily consumption of 100 g of ripe plantain could meet 36.2–101.7 % of the dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for children 1–5 years old, 20.7–58.1 % for adult women, and 16.1–45.2 % for adult men. These findings can serve as a guide to reducing vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in Africa

Epidemiological analysis of Cassava Mosaic and Brown Streak Diseases, and Bemisia tabaci in the Comoros Islands

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Epidemiological Analysis of Cassava Mosaic and Brown Streak Diseases, and Bemisia tabaci in the Comoros Islands by Rudolph Rufini Shirima 1,*ORCID,Everlyne Nafula Wosula 1ORCID,Abdou Azali Hamza 2,Nobataine Ali Mohammed 2,Hadji Mouigni 2,Salima Nouhou 2,Naima Mmadi Mchinda 2,Gloria Ceasar 1,Massoud Amour 1,Emmanuel Njukwe 3 andJames Peter Legg 1ORCID 1 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA-Tanzania), P.O. Box 34441, Dar es Salaam 14112, Tanzania 2 Institut National de Recherche pour L’Agriculture, La Pêche et L’Environnement (INRAPE), Moroni BP 1406, Comoros 3 West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), Dakar CP 18523, Senegal * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Viruses 2022, 14(10), 2165; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14102165 Received: 2 August 2022 / Revised: 15 September 2022 / Accepted: 28 September 2022 / Published: 30 September 2022 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Virus Surveillance and Metagenomics) Download Browse Figures Review Reports Versions Notes Abstract A comprehensive assessment of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD) was carried out in Comoros where cassava yield (5.7 t/ha) is significantly below the African average (8.6 t/ha) largely due to virus diseases. Observations from 66 sites across the Comoros Islands of Mwali, Ngazidja, and Ndzwani revealed that 83.3% of cassava fields had foliar symptoms of CBSD compared with 95.5% for CMD. Molecular diagnostics confirmed the presence of both cassava brown streak ipomoviruses (CBSIs) and cassava mosaic begomoviruses (CMBs). Although real-time RT-PCR only detected the presence of one CBSI species (Cassava brown streak virus, CBSV) the second species (Ugandan cassava brown streak virus, UCBSV) was identified using next-generation high-throughput sequencing. Both PCR and HTS detected the presence of East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV). African cassava mosaic virus was not detected in any of the samples. Four whitefly species were identified from a sample of 131 specimens: Bemisia tabaci, B. afer, Aleurodicus dispersus, and Paraleyrodes bondari. Cassava B. tabaci comprised two mitotypes: SSA1-SG2 (89%) and SSA1-SG3 (11%). KASP SNP genotyping categorized 82% of cassava B. tabaci as haplogroup SSA-ESA. This knowledge will provide an important base for developing and deploying effective management strategies for cassava viruses and their vectors

Réponse du soja (Glycine max L.) à des doses croissantes du DAP et Urée au Sud-Kivu, RD Congo

Published online: 28 Feb 2018; Open Access JournalObjectif: La présente étude a été menée pour évaluer la réponse du soja à des doses croissantes du DAP et de l’Urée dans les conditions édapho-climatiques de Bugorhe dans les hautes altitudes du Sud-Kivu. Méthodologie et résultats: Une expérimentation a été conduite suivant un dispositif en parcelle divisée (split plot) avec la source d’engrais azoté et la dose d’application des engrais comme facteur principal et facteur secondaire respectivement. Trois doses de l’Urée et du Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) ont été appliquées à raison de 50 kg ha-1 (D1), 100 kg ha-1 (D2) et 150 kg ha-1 (D3) et une dose témoin D0 (sans engrais). Le rendement en graines variait significativement en fonction de la dose (p=0,0015) et de la nature (source) d’engrais azoté (p=0,0199). Le DAP avait permis d’obtenir le rendement le plus élevé (1158,1 kg ha-1) comparativement à l’Urée (956,7 kg ha-1). Quant aux doses d’engrais, le rendement variait proportionnellement avec la dose d’engrais appliquée : la D3 (150 kg ha-1) du DAP a donné une moyenne élevée de rendement en graines (1640,9 kg ha-1) alors que la dose témoin a donné une faible moyenne de rendement en graines (694,1 kg ha-1). Pour l’Urée, la dose D3 avait permis d’obtenir le rendement en graines le plus élevé (1229,8 kg ha-1) comparativement à la dose témoin (627,4 kg ha-1). Le rapport valeur sur coût obtenu sur les différentes doses d’engrais montre que la dose de 50 kg ha-1 de l’Urée et 100 kg ha-1 du DAP sont plus rentables avec des valeurs de 3,53 USD (4987,89 francs congolais) et 4,23 USD (5976,99 francs congolais). L’efficacité agronomique des doses d’engrais a varié entre 4,01 et 6,31 pour la dose 150 kg ha-1 de l'Urée et du DAP. Conclusion et application des résultats: Les résultats montrent que la dose de 150 kg ha-1 pour le DAP et l’Urée permettrait d’améliorer le rendement en graines du soja au Sud Kivu mais, n’est pas rentable. Cependant, les doses de 50 kg ha-1 et 100 kg ha-1 de l’Urée et DAP sont à encourager le plus au vue de leurs rentabilités. Mots-clés: Soja, Engrais azoté, Productivité, Rentabilité économique, Bugorhe, RD Congo English Title: Response of the soybean (Glycine max L.) to increasing doses of DAP and Urea in the South – Kivu, DR Congo English Abstract Objective: This study assessed the soybean response to increasing doses of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Urea in the agro-ecological conditions of Bugorhe located in the highlands of South – Kivu. Methodology and results: A field experiment was carried out in a split plot design with the fertilizer source as main factor and fertilizer dose as the sub-factor. Three doses of Urea and DAP were applied: 50 kg ha-1 (D1), 100 kg ha-1 (D2) and 150 kg ha-1 (D3) and a Control (D0) without fertilizer. The soybean grain yield varied significantly with the applied dose (p=0.0015) and the nitrogen fertilizer source (p=0.0199). The DAP application recorded the highest grain yield (1158.1 kg ha-1) compared to Urea (956.7 kg ha-1). Regarding to fertilizer doses, the grain yield varied proportionally with fertilizer dose applied: D3 (150 kg ha-1) of DAP gave the highest grain yield (1640.9 kg ha-1) compared to control, which had the lowest grain yield (694.1 kg ha-1). For Urea, the D3 dose gave the highest grain yield (1229.8 kg ha-1) compared to control D0 (627.4 kg ha-1) which recorded the lowest grain yield. The value cost ratio obtained for different doses of fertilizer showed that the dose of 50 kg.ha-1 of Urea and 100 kg ha-1 of DAP were more profitable with 3.53 USD (4987.89 Congolese francs) and 4.23 USD (5976.99 Congolese francs) of economic benefits, respectively. The agronomic efficiency (AE) of fertilizer doses was varying from 4.01 to 6 31 for 150 kg ha-1 of Urea and 150kg ha-1 of DAP. Conclusion and result applications: Results showed that the D3 dose (150 kg ha-1) of DAP and Urea would improve soybean grain yield in South – Kivu but, is not profitable. However, doses of 50 kg ha-1 and 100 kg ha-1 of Urea and DAP should be encouraged for their expected profit

Aflatoxin contamination of maize and groundnut in Burundi: distribution of contamination, identification of causal agents and potential biocontrol genotypes of Aspergillus flavus

Open Access JournalAflatoxin contamination of the staples maize and groundnut is a concern for health and economic impacts across sub-Saharan Africa. The current study (i) determined aflatoxin levels in maize and groundnut collected at harvest in Burundi, (ii) characterized populations of Aspergillus section Flavi associated with the two crops, and (iii) assessed aflatoxin-producing potentials among the recovered fungi. A total of 120 groundnut and 380 maize samples were collected at harvest from eight and 16 provinces, respectively. Most of the groundnut (93%) and maize (87%) contained aflatoxin below the European Union threshold, 4 μg/kg. Morphological characterization of the recovered Aspergillus section Flavi fungi revealed that the L-morphotype of A. flavus was the predominant species. Aflatoxin production potentials of the L-morphotype isolates were evaluated in maize fermentations. Some isolates produced over 137,000 μg/kg aflatoxin B 1 . Thus, despite the relatively low aflatoxin levels at harvest, the association of both crops with highly toxigenic fungi poses significant risk of post-harvest aflatoxin contamination and suggests measures to mitigate aflatoxin contamination in Burundi should be developed. Over 55% of the L-morphotype A. flavus did not produce aflatoxins. These atoxigenic L-morphotype fungi were characterized using molecular markers. Several atoxigenic genotypes were detected across the country and could be used as biocontrol agents. The results from the current study hold promise for developing aflatoxin management strategies centered on biocontrol for use in Burundi to reduce aflatoxin contamination throughout the value chain

Plantain hybrids for the humid forest agroecology of Central Africa – diseases and pests load, fruit yield and farmers perception

Open Access Journal; Published online: 01 Nov 2022Plantain is one of the major staples contributing to food security and income generation in West and Central Africa. Local cultivars in Cameroon are susceptible to pests and diseases causing severe losses in plantain production. This study aimed at evaluating the agronomic performance and producer’s perception of plantain hybrids in the humid forest of Cameroon. Field trials were established in a completely randomized block design with eight genotypes and three replicates. Data on pest and disease as well as farmer perception were collected over two growing cycles. These genotypes included seven improved and one local genotype (check). Improved genotypes were highly tolerant to the Black Sigatoka disease compared to local plantain. While root necrosis index was above 50% in local varieties, indices below 25% were recorded in hybrids. Weevil severity in local was higher (55.0 ± 5.2%) compared to 21.0 ± 4.6% to 28.5 ± 3.2% in improved plantains. Average bunch weight was higher for FHIA 21 with 17.9 ± 0.7 kg in the first and 19.7 ± 0.3 kg for the second cycle, while those of the local Ebang were 9.6 ± 0.5 kg and 12.8 ± 0.9 kg, respectively. FHIA 21 and CRBP 568 were the preferred varieties by farmers (68.8% and 56.3% acceptance) from an agronomic perspective. The consumers’ preferences for all the genotypes varied with types of cooking. The implications of these findings for adoption by farmers and consumers as well as for the promotion of the plantain sector in central Africa are discussed