Journal of Food, Nutrition and Diet Science

Factors influencing health, food safety and hygiene practices among street food vendors in Meru town, Kenya

2024-07-23T17:22:31+08:00

Street food vending is a popular and essential aspect of urban food culture in many African cities, including Meru Town, Kenya. However, concerns about food safety and hygiene have become significant public health issues. This research aimed to investigate the factors influencing the health, food safety and hygiene practices among Street Food Vendors (SFVs) in Meru Town, Kenya. A cross-sectional study on 344 SFVs was carried out using structured questionnaires. The results revealed a clustering of SFVs in four locations within Meru town. Slightly more respondents were male (50.87%) than female (49.13%). The majority of SFVs were aged between 26-35 years old (38.66%) and had completed secondary education (50.29%). On average, the vendors had been in business for 5.13 years with an average daily income of KES 1,417.38. Age significantly (p = 0.0335) influenced the occurrence of health issues among SFVs, with vendors aged 26-35 years being more likely to fall sick. There was a highly significant association between education level and training on food hygiene and safety (p < 0.0001), training on food preparation (p = 0.0119), and holding a food handlers’ certificate (p < 0.0001). Factors significantly (p < 0.01) influencing food hygiene practices included vending location, vendors' education level, gender, age, food handler’s health certification, and vendor mobility. Poor hygiene and food handling practices were reported that 97% of vendors handled food with bare hands, 75.29% handled food without washing their hands and 92.44% did not wash their hands after handling money. Targeted interventions and awareness programs to improve food hygiene and safety among SFVs in Meru Town are needed to safeguard public health.

Analysis of organophosphorus pesticide residue content in brinjal and cucumber vegetables in the Narsingdi district in Bangladesh

2024-08-29T10:15:31+08:00

This study investigated the prevalence of organophosphorus (OPs) pesticide residues in brinjal (eggplant) and cucumber samples collected between September 2021 and June 2022 in Narsingdi District, Bangladesh. A total of 36 unwashed vegetable samples (18 samples of brinjals and 18 samples of cucumbers) were collected from three sources, namely farmers' fields, retail markets and a controlled export zone. The samples were analyzed for residues of four OPs pesticides, viz. diazinon, dimethoate, malathion and chlorpyrifos, using the QuEChERS method followed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) technology. The results revealed a concerning level of pesticide contamination, particularly with dimethoate. Over half (58%) of all samples contained dimethoate, of which more than a third (39%) exceeded the European Union's Maximum Residue Limits (MRL). Chlorpyrifos was also detected in 50% of the samples, but only 8% of the samples exceeded the MRLs. Malathion residues were found in a small number of samples (11%), all of which were within the MRLs. Notably, diazinon was not detected in any of the samples. Cooking (boiling at 100°C for 30 minutes) reduced the pesticide content in some samples, but this was not always sufficient to bring the pesticide content below the MRLs. This highlights the limitations of cooking as a sole decontamination method. Encouragingly, no pesticide residues were found in samples collected from the export zone, indicating stricter adherence to regulations in these controlled environments. These findings highlight the potential health risks such as nervous system disorders, vomiting, blurred vision, coma, etc. and even death associated with consuming vegetables contaminated with pesticide residues above the recommended limits. These factors emphasize the need for stricter regulations on the use of pesticide, the promotion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques and consumer education on safe prewashing practices.

Technological, microbiological and sensory quality attributes of goat's milk kefir: comparison between plain and flavored types

2025-02-18T10:07:30+08:00

Introduction: Kefir is a popular probiotic drink that strengthens the immune system, reduces lactose intolerance and lowers blood cholesterol levels. It can be made from various milk sources, including goat's milk, which has superior nutritional qualities such as higher protein content and better digestibility compared to cow's milk.

The objectives of this study were: firstly, to optimize the production parameters for goat's milk kefir, focusing on the incubation time, temperature and grain/milk ratio to achieve standard technological and microbiological qualities of kefir; and secondly, to monitor the changes in the physicochemical, textural and microbiological properties of kefir during shelf life. Two types of kefir (plain and flavored) were assessed and also compared in terms of consumer preference.

Methods: The optimization of the incubation time, temperature and grain/milk ratio was carried out by using a Box-Behnken design and response surface to analyse the pH, acidity, syneresis, mesophilic and lactic acid bacteria concentrations, firmness, consistency, cohesiveness and viscosity index of plain kefir (control). After optimizing the production process, the physicochemical, textural and microbiological quality properties of plain and lemon-flavored kefir were assessed over time during a two-week storage at 4 ºC. The treatments were compared by linear modelling. The sensory attributes of appearance, odor, taste, sourness, smoothness and acceptability were assessed by a consumer panel and statistically analyzed on variance to determine differences between the two kefir types.

Results: The optimization experiment revealed significant effects (p < 0.05) of three factors on quality properties of kefir. The acidity was maximized at a 0.66% grain/milk ratio, 25.3 °C and 22.8 h, with incubation temperature having the greatest impact. Specific conditions optimized technological properties, particularly firmness (> 5 g) and viscosity index (< 1 g.s). Syneresis varied greatly with temperature; the highest values were found at lower temperatures (15-20 °C) and shorter incubation times (16 h). However, lower temperatures or longer incubation times could produce the desired acidity and texture, but only at higher grain/milk ratios (>1.0%). In the second phase of the experiment, the flavored kefir maintained a lower pH (4.00), which was beneficial for pathogen inhibition, and exhibited less pronounced proteolysis, contributing to better textural stability. While both kefir types reached similar firmness and cohesiveness, the flavored kefir showed a higher viscosity index and consistency, which had a positive effect on mouthfeel and consumer preference. Microbiologically, the control kefir presented slightly higher lactic acid bacteria and mesophilic populations (7.7 log CFU/mL and 7.6 log CFU/mL, respectively) than the flavored kefir (7.4 log CFU/mL and 7.2 log CFU/mL, respectively). The sensory evaluation revealed a clear preference among panelists for lemon-flavored kefir in almost all sensory attributes.

Conclusion: This comprehensive study offers crucial insights into the production of goat's milk kefir by elucidating the effects of key processing variables on product quality. It provides valuable information on the quality characteristics and storage stability of both the natural and flavored variants of kefir and enhances our understanding of quality changes over time. These findings not only contribute to optimizing production parameters for high-quality goat's milk kefir, but also lay a solid starting point for future research in this field.

Advancing the extraction of bioactive compound from fruit by-products through solid-state fermentation: A review

2024-12-31T10:14:03+08:00

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) is gaining interest for its potential to extract bioactive compounds from agro-industrial by-products, particularly macronutrient-related compounds. This review explored the composition of by-products from processed fruits such as grapes, apples, pomegranates, mangoes, and pineapples with focuses on the SSF technique and key factors influencing this bioprocess. The SSF method has been successfully used to extract phenolic compounds from waste products. However, there is a significant research gap focused on enhancing the carotenoid content in agro-industrial residues or using them as growth substrates for microorganisms that produce carotenoids. Additionally, there is limited research on the use of mango peels as a substrate for SSF to extract phenolic compounds and carotenoids. Addressing these research gaps would significantly contribute to the understanding and application of SSF for the extraction of bioactive compounds from agro-industrial by-products.

Lactoferrin in food and supplements and health benefits: state of the art and future directions

2024-12-04T17:17:02+08:00

Lactoferrin, a protein well known for its iron-binding capacity, is abundant in colostrum but is less concentrated in mature milk. Lactoferrin is relatively resistant to the action of proteases in the gastrointestinal tract, especially in neonates, and a small proportion of lactoferrin can be absorbed in intact form. In randomized, controlled clinical trials, lactoferrin reduces invasive fungal infections in neonates and the prevalence of diarrhea in children. Lactoferrin receptors have been identified in different cell phenotypes, including notably intestinal and liver cells, osteoblasts and immune cells. Lactoferrin, which is generally recognized as safe (GRAS), has been shown in experimental studies to have antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic effects. Beneficial effects of lactoferrin in intestinal and liver inflammation have been reported in experimental situations. In addition, oral supplementation with lactoferrin appears to be beneficial in experimental situations of compromised bone health. The present review recapitulates the effects of lactoferrin on target tissues in experimental and clinical situations. The present results highlight future research directions aimed at testing the potential utilization of this alimentary compound in different contexts.