Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the govern... more Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the government of Sierra Leone has made it a priority to tackle it. Over the last twenty years, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) has been a success in treating SAM but it has to be imported. Sierra Leone has a diverse agroecological system potentially enabling the cultivation of various food crops that could be used as ingredients in RUTF. We investigated the feasibility of developing RUTF from locally produced ingredients and by local enterprises from 1) nutrition, 2) food safety and 3) business perspectives. A literature review was carried out to identify the nutritional requirements and possible formulations for RUTF, assess potential food safety risks using local ingredients and to consider the business case for RUTF initiatives based on locally sources ingredients. Field interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private and public sectors in-country and with international experts in RUTF. Linear programming was applied to identify suitable formulations that could meet international product specifications for RUTF nutritional and aflatoxin requirements at minimum cost. Our findings show that there are several possibilities for locally made RUTF formulations in Sierra Leone: • Using existing formulations such as the standard formulation based on peanuts and powdered milk (allowing 50% substitution with local ingredients) or the milk-free soybean-based formulation with crystalline amino acids (allowing 95% substitution with local ingredients), • Developing a novel formulation with some of the same ingredients as the existing formulations and/or other key local ingredients such as egg or fish powder. Ensuring quality across the value chain from farm to consumption, will be of paramount importance for a food destined for severely malnourished children. Food testing capacity in Sierra Leone will require significant investment, alongside the adoption of Codex Alimentarius food safety standards (GAP, GHP, HACCP, GMP) by food business operators across the RUTF supply chains. Activities that initiate demand for processed food can play an demonstration role in the local economy, encouraging other food sectors and businesses to emerge. We identified the following hurdles: • In-country laboratories (including private ones) are not yet accredited to ISO. UNICEF and WFP specify analytical product testing through ISO accredited laboratories only. Even where these bodies are not the target buyers, at a minimum, codex standards, to which Sierra Leone subscribes within its mandate, must be the standard to attain. This means that current methods measuring those key safety parameters such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, salmonella, and others, in raw ingredients and final product will need validation. • Companies manufacturing food grade (stainless steel food contact parts) ancillary equipment are not present in the country, and therefore it is likely that some of the technology for producing RUTF will need to be imported. • The literature on RUTF business models elsewhere based on local ingredient supply is rather scant and biased towards a limited number of successes. Most of these are from the Nutriset model of largely imported ingredients but locally manufactured. • Government tax and the possibility of tax exemptions is an important issue that can have a big impact on viability and investment decisions. • Scale of operation is important for business viability. Total demand for RUTF is not large (estimated at max. 500mt finished product). A business based on this scale may struggle with viability. • The more complex the final product (i.e. RUTF), the greater the investment needs to be to achieve domestic production of that product. We conclude that Sierra Leone has the means (i.e. domestic supply of ingredients) to produce healthy nutritious processed foods to address domestic malnutrition challenges. Local ingredient inclusion is possible: there is sufficient quantity and a range of ingredients are available to make a selection of nutritious foods up to and including RUTF. We propose three options: • Option 1: Do nothing – continue to import RUTF as needed • Option 2: Develop the manufacture of intermediate products (i.e. nutritious food products) with the aim of developing RUTF production (product diversification): • Option 3: Go directly to the production of RUTF: This option will require considerable technical and financial investment. Of these options we strongly recommend Option 2 that encourages the emergence of a nutritious food sector, which can lead to the domestic manufacture of RUTF once the necessary infrastructure, supply chains and domestic policies/regulations are in place. Our final recommendations are the following: • The development of a detailed ingredient supply plan for the necessary ingredient chains that are viable and meet the necessary standards. • Building from less complex food product…
High quality cassava flour (HQCF) is one of the products derivable from cassava roots. Drying in ... more High quality cassava flour (HQCF) is one of the products derivable from cassava roots. Drying in HQCF production is a complex operation which changes the quality of a product physically and chemica...
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the govern... more Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the government of Sierra Leone has made it a priority to tackle it. Over the last twenty years, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) has been a success in treating SAM but it has to be imported. Sierra Leone has a diverse agroecological system potentially enabling the cultivation of various food crops that could be used as ingredients in RUTF. We investigated the feasibility of developing RUTF from locally produced ingredients and by local enterprises from 1) nutrition, 2) food safety and 3) business perspectives. A literature review was carried out to identify the nutritional requirements and possible formulations for RUTF, assess potential food safety risks using local ingredients and to consider the business case for RUTF initiatives based on locally sources ingredients. Field interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private and public sectors in-country and with international experts in RUTF. Linear programming was applied to identify suitable formulations that could meet international product specifications for RUTF nutritional and aflatoxin requirements at minimum cost. Our findings show that there are several possibilities for locally made RUTF formulations in Sierra Leone: • Using existing formulations such as the standard formulation based on peanuts and powdered milk (allowing 50% substitution with local ingredients) or the milk-free soybean-based formulation with crystalline amino acids (allowing 95% substitution with local ingredients), • Developing a novel formulation with some of the same ingredients as the existing formulations and/or other key local ingredients such as egg or fish powder. Ensuring quality across the value chain from farm to consumption, will be of paramount importance for a food destined for severely malnourished children. Food testing capacity in Sierra Leone will require significant investment, alongside the adoption of Codex Alimentarius food safety standards (GAP, GHP, HACCP, GMP) by food business operators across the RUTF supply chains. Activities that initiate demand for processed food can play an demonstration role in the local economy, encouraging other food sectors and businesses to emerge. We identified the following hurdles: • In-country laboratories (including private ones) are not yet accredited to ISO. UNICEF and WFP specify analytical product testing through ISO accredited laboratories only. Even where these bodies are not the target buyers, at a minimum, codex standards, to which Sierra Leone subscribes within its mandate, must be the standard to attain. This means that current methods measuring those key safety parameters such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, salmonella, and others, in raw ingredients and final product will need validation. • Companies manufacturing food grade (stainless steel food contact parts) ancillary equipment are not present in the country, and therefore it is likely that some of the technology for producing RUTF will need to be imported. • The literature on RUTF business models elsewhere based on local ingredient supply is rather scant and biased towards a limited number of successes. Most of these are from the Nutriset model of largely imported ingredients but locally manufactured. • Government tax and the possibility of tax exemptions is an important issue that can have a big impact on viability and investment decisions. • Scale of operation is important for business viability. Total demand for RUTF is not large (estimated at max. 500mt finished product). A business based on this scale may struggle with viability. • The more complex the final product (i.e. RUTF), the greater the investment needs to be to achieve domestic production of that product. We conclude that Sierra Leone has the means (i.e. domestic supply of ingredients) to produce healthy nutritious processed foods to address domestic malnutrition challenges. Local ingredient inclusion is possible: there is sufficient quantity and a range of ingredients are available to make a selection of nutritious foods up to and including RUTF. We propose three options: • Option 1: Do nothing – continue to import RUTF as needed • Option 2: Develop the manufacture of intermediate products (i.e. nutritious food products) with the aim of developing RUTF production (product diversification): • Option 3: Go directly to the production of RUTF: This option will require considerable technical and financial investment. Of these options we strongly recommend Option 2 that encourages the emergence of a nutritious food sector, which can lead to the domestic manufacture of RUTF once the necessary infrastructure, supply chains and domestic policies/regulations are in place. Our final recommendations are the following: • The development of a detailed ingredient supply plan for the necessary ingredient chains that are viable and meet the necessary standards. • Building from less complex food product…
Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines... more Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines emerging issues and lessons for adding value to cassava, one of Africa's widely cultivated staples in ways that contribute to the global market environment as well as bring benefits to small holders on the continent. The main issues discussed include: competiveness in the supply of raw material, assisting smallholders to produce value-added products sustainably and competitively, ensuring and maintaining quality of products, selecting appropriate technologies for different circumstances and anticipating negative effects of the market environment on smallholders. One of the main challenges for value addition to a staple crop in Africa is finding 'champions' who are willing to make new investments with knowledge, skill and expertise requirements derived from other nations. The other is increasing the drying capacities for a tropical root crop through appropriate technologies that ensure production of high quality products in required volumes. One focus of the C:AVA project in the near future is to promote transfer of energy efficient Nigerian-made flash drier in collaboration with partners and fabricators from other C:AVA countries (Ghana, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania). Improved energy efficiency will reduce fuel consumption, reduce operating cost and improve throughput of the dryers. An additional benefit will be reduction in emission of harmful greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming. It is anticipated that the knowledge and skills for further developing the value addition potential for cassava in all five countries will be enhanced. Benchmarking of key variables was used as an approach to understand differences between countries in terms of their abilities to develop high quality cassava flour value chains. It is clear that one strategy does not work in all countries and while positive government support for cassava development is helpful, the real driver is targeting markets according to realisable capacities of the smallholder actors in the value chain
The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produce... more The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produced and value chain development as a result of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). Analysis of flour prepared from roots affected to various degrees of CBSD were assessed for various parameters such as starch and carbohydrate content, viscosity, pasting temperature, colour and pH. Values showed significant differences between the grades. There was a strong correlation (R2=0.904) between flour viscosity breakdown and pH value, and with peak viscosity and pH value (R2=0.737). A 25% level of CBSD root necrosis not only increased the conversion ratio of fresh roots to final product, but also presented an additional $41-47/t for the cost of fresh cassava roots if necrotic tissue were removed, representing a significant economic loss that makes cassava processing unprofitable.
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the govern... more Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the government of Sierra Leone has made it a priority to tackle it. Over the last twenty years, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) has been a success in treating SAM but it has to be imported. Sierra Leone has a diverse agroecological system potentially enabling the cultivation of various food crops that could be used as ingredients in RUTF. We investigated the feasibility of developing RUTF from locally produced ingredients and by local enterprises from 1) nutrition, 2) food safety and 3) business perspectives. A literature review was carried out to identify the nutritional requirements and possible formulations for RUTF, assess potential food safety risks using local ingredients and to consider the business case for RUTF initiatives based on locally sources ingredients. Field interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private and public sectors in-country and with international experts in RUTF. Linear programming was applied to identify suitable formulations that could meet international product specifications for RUTF nutritional and aflatoxin requirements at minimum cost. Our findings show that there are several possibilities for locally made RUTF formulations in Sierra Leone: • Using existing formulations such as the standard formulation based on peanuts and powdered milk (allowing 50% substitution with local ingredients) or the milk-free soybean-based formulation with crystalline amino acids (allowing 95% substitution with local ingredients), • Developing a novel formulation with some of the same ingredients as the existing formulations and/or other key local ingredients such as egg or fish powder. Ensuring quality across the value chain from farm to consumption, will be of paramount importance for a food destined for severely malnourished children. Food testing capacity in Sierra Leone will require significant investment, alongside the adoption of Codex Alimentarius food safety standards (GAP, GHP, HACCP, GMP) by food business operators across the RUTF supply chains. Activities that initiate demand for processed food can play an demonstration role in the local economy, encouraging other food sectors and businesses to emerge. We identified the following hurdles: • In-country laboratories (including private ones) are not yet accredited to ISO. UNICEF and WFP specify analytical product testing through ISO accredited laboratories only. Even where these bodies are not the target buyers, at a minimum, codex standards, to which Sierra Leone subscribes within its mandate, must be the standard to attain. This means that current methods measuring those key safety parameters such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, salmonella, and others, in raw ingredients and final product will need validation. • Companies manufacturing food grade (stainless steel food contact parts) ancillary equipment are not present in the country, and therefore it is likely that some of the technology for producing RUTF will need to be imported. • The literature on RUTF business models elsewhere based on local ingredient supply is rather scant and biased towards a limited number of successes. Most of these are from the Nutriset model of largely imported ingredients but locally manufactured. • Government tax and the possibility of tax exemptions is an important issue that can have a big impact on viability and investment decisions. • Scale of operation is important for business viability. Total demand for RUTF is not large (estimated at max. 500mt finished product). A business based on this scale may struggle with viability. • The more complex the final product (i.e. RUTF), the greater the investment needs to be to achieve domestic production of that product. We conclude that Sierra Leone has the means (i.e. domestic supply of ingredients) to produce healthy nutritious processed foods to address domestic malnutrition challenges. Local ingredient inclusion is possible: there is sufficient quantity and a range of ingredients are available to make a selection of nutritious foods up to and including RUTF. We propose three options: • Option 1: Do nothing – continue to import RUTF as needed • Option 2: Develop the manufacture of intermediate products (i.e. nutritious food products) with the aim of developing RUTF production (product diversification): • Option 3: Go directly to the production of RUTF: This option will require considerable technical and financial investment. Of these options we strongly recommend Option 2 that encourages the emergence of a nutritious food sector, which can lead to the domestic manufacture of RUTF once the necessary infrastructure, supply chains and domestic policies/regulations are in place. Our final recommendations are the following: • The development of a detailed ingredient supply plan for the necessary ingredient chains that are viable and meet the necessary standards. • Building from less complex food product…
Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines... more Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines emerging issues and lessons for adding value to cassava, one of Africa's widely cultivated staples in ways that contribute to the global market environment as well as bring benefits to small holders on the continent. The main issues discussed include: competiveness in the supply of raw material, assisting smallholders to produce value-added products sustainably and competitively, ensuring and maintaining quality of products, selecting appropriate technologies for different circumstances and anticipating negative effects of the market environment on smallholders. One of the main challenges for value addition to a staple crop in Africa is finding 'champions' who are willing to make new investments with knowledge, skill and expertise requirements derived from other nations. The other is increasing the drying capacities for a tropical root crop through appropriate technologies that ensure production of high quality products in required volumes. One focus of the C:AVA project in the near future is to promote transfer of energy efficient Nigerian-made flash drier in collaboration with partners and fabricators from other C:AVA countries (Ghana, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania). Improved energy efficiency will reduce fuel consumption, reduce operating cost and improve throughput of the dryers. An additional benefit will be reduction in emission of harmful greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming. It is anticipated that the knowledge and skills for further developing the value addition potential for cassava in all five countries will be enhanced. Benchmarking of key variables was used as an approach to understand differences between countries in terms of their abilities to develop high quality cassava flour value chains. It is clear that one strategy does not work in all countries and while positive government support for cassava development is helpful, the real driver is targeting markets according to realisable capacities of the smallholder actors in the value chain
This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, e... more This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, etc.) on the safety of some traditional Nigerian yam-derived foodstuff. The present investigation is a case study to understand the possible source of contamination of crop-derived food items, an issue which affects the lives of millions of people in developing countries. The food items studied were yam-derived chips, flakes and flours; the chemical hazards analysed were aflatoxins, pesticides and heavy metal (Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg) complemented by fungal and bacterial enumeration. A comparison was performed between freshly produced samples, purchased from food processors, and food items bought from local markets/supermarket. Results showed that, although no pesticides were detected, many samples showed high level of bacterial and fungal contamination, together with heavy metal concentrations above the recommended safety levels. No particular trend was observed between the different food item...
The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produce... more The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produced and value chain development as a result of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). Analysis of flour prepared from roots affected to various degrees of CBSD were assessed for various parameters such as starch and carbohydrate content, viscosity, pasting temperature, colour and pH. Values showed significant differences between the grades. There was a strong correlation (R2=0.904) between flour viscosity breakdown and pH value, and with peak viscosity and pH value (R2=0.737). A 25% level of CBSD root necrosis not only increased the conversion ratio of fresh roots to final product, but also presented an additional $41-47/t for the cost of fresh cassava roots if necrotic tissue were removed, representing a significant economic loss that makes cassava processing unprofitable.
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the govern... more Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the government of Sierra Leone has made it a priority to tackle it. Over the last twenty years, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) has been a success in treating SAM but it has to be imported. Sierra Leone has a diverse agroecological system potentially enabling the cultivation of various food crops that could be used as ingredients in RUTF. We investigated the feasibility of developing RUTF from locally produced ingredients and by local enterprises from 1) nutrition, 2) food safety and 3) business perspectives. A literature review was carried out to identify the nutritional requirements and possible formulations for RUTF, assess potential food safety risks using local ingredients and to consider the business case for RUTF initiatives based on locally sources ingredients. Field interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private and public sectors in-country and with international experts in RUTF. Linear programming was applied to identify suitable formulations that could meet international product specifications for RUTF nutritional and aflatoxin requirements at minimum cost. Our findings show that there are several possibilities for locally made RUTF formulations in Sierra Leone: • Using existing formulations such as the standard formulation based on peanuts and powdered milk (allowing 50% substitution with local ingredients) or the milk-free soybean-based formulation with crystalline amino acids (allowing 95% substitution with local ingredients), • Developing a novel formulation with some of the same ingredients as the existing formulations and/or other key local ingredients such as egg or fish powder. Ensuring quality across the value chain from farm to consumption, will be of paramount importance for a food destined for severely malnourished children. Food testing capacity in Sierra Leone will require significant investment, alongside the adoption of Codex Alimentarius food safety standards (GAP, GHP, HACCP, GMP) by food business operators across the RUTF supply chains. Activities that initiate demand for processed food can play an demonstration role in the local economy, encouraging other food sectors and businesses to emerge. We identified the following hurdles: • In-country laboratories (including private ones) are not yet accredited to ISO. UNICEF and WFP specify analytical product testing through ISO accredited laboratories only. Even where these bodies are not the target buyers, at a minimum, codex standards, to which Sierra Leone subscribes within its mandate, must be the standard to attain. This means that current methods measuring those key safety parameters such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, salmonella, and others, in raw ingredients and final product will need validation. • Companies manufacturing food grade (stainless steel food contact parts) ancillary equipment are not present in the country, and therefore it is likely that some of the technology for producing RUTF will need to be imported. • The literature on RUTF business models elsewhere based on local ingredient supply is rather scant and biased towards a limited number of successes. Most of these are from the Nutriset model of largely imported ingredients but locally manufactured. • Government tax and the possibility of tax exemptions is an important issue that can have a big impact on viability and investment decisions. • Scale of operation is important for business viability. Total demand for RUTF is not large (estimated at max. 500mt finished product). A business based on this scale may struggle with viability. • The more complex the final product (i.e. RUTF), the greater the investment needs to be to achieve domestic production of that product. We conclude that Sierra Leone has the means (i.e. domestic supply of ingredients) to produce healthy nutritious processed foods to address domestic malnutrition challenges. Local ingredient inclusion is possible: there is sufficient quantity and a range of ingredients are available to make a selection of nutritious foods up to and including RUTF. We propose three options: • Option 1: Do nothing – continue to import RUTF as needed • Option 2: Develop the manufacture of intermediate products (i.e. nutritious food products) with the aim of developing RUTF production (product diversification): • Option 3: Go directly to the production of RUTF: This option will require considerable technical and financial investment. Of these options we strongly recommend Option 2 that encourages the emergence of a nutritious food sector, which can lead to the domestic manufacture of RUTF once the necessary infrastructure, supply chains and domestic policies/regulations are in place. Our final recommendations are the following: • The development of a detailed ingredient supply plan for the necessary ingredient chains that are viable and meet the necessary standards. • Building from less complex food product…
Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines... more Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines emerging issues and lessons for adding value to cassava, one of Africa's widely cultivated staples in ways that contribute to the global market environment as well as bring benefits to small holders on the continent. The main issues discussed include: competiveness in the supply of raw material, assisting smallholders to produce value-added products sustainably and competitively, ensuring and maintaining quality of products, selecting appropriate technologies for different circumstances and anticipating negative effects of the market environment on smallholders. One of the main challenges for value addition to a staple crop in Africa is finding 'champions' who are willing to make new investments with knowledge, skill and expertise requirements derived from other nations. The other is increasing the drying capacities for a tropical root crop through appropriate technologies that ensure production of high quality products in required volumes. One focus of the C:AVA project in the near future is to promote transfer of energy efficient Nigerian-made flash drier in collaboration with partners and fabricators from other C:AVA countries (Ghana, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania). Improved energy efficiency will reduce fuel consumption, reduce operating cost and improve throughput of the dryers. An additional benefit will be reduction in emission of harmful greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming. It is anticipated that the knowledge and skills for further developing the value addition potential for cassava in all five countries will be enhanced. Benchmarking of key variables was used as an approach to understand differences between countries in terms of their abilities to develop high quality cassava flour value chains. It is clear that one strategy does not work in all countries and while positive government support for cassava development is helpful, the real driver is targeting markets according to realisable capacities of the smallholder actors in the value chain
This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, e... more This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, etc.) on the safety of some traditional Nigerian yam-derived foodstuff. The present investigation is a case study to understand the possible source of contamination of crop-derived food items, an issue which affects the lives of millions of people in developing countries. The food items studied were yam-derived chips, flakes and flours; the chemical hazards analysed were aflatoxins, pesticides and heavy metal (Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg) complemented by fungal and bacterial enumeration. A comparison was performed between freshly produced samples, purchased from food processors, and food items bought from local markets/supermarket. Results showed that, although no pesticides were detected, many samples showed high level of bacterial and fungal contamination, together with heavy metal concentrations above the recommended safety levels. No particular trend was observed between the different food item...
The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produce... more The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produced and value chain development as a result of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). Analysis of flour prepared from roots affected to various degrees of CBSD were assessed for various parameters such as starch and carbohydrate content, viscosity, pasting temperature, colour and pH. Values showed significant differences between the grades. There was a strong correlation (R2=0.904) between flour viscosity breakdown and pH value, and with peak viscosity and pH value (R2=0.737). A 25% level of CBSD root necrosis not only increased the conversion ratio of fresh roots to final product, but also presented an additional $41-47/t for the cost of fresh cassava roots if necrotic tissue were removed, representing a significant economic loss that makes cassava processing unprofitable.
This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, e... more This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, etc.) on the safety of some traditional Nigerian yam-derived foodstuff. The present investigation is a case study to understand the possible source of contamination of crop-derived food items, an issue which affects the lives of millions of people in developing countries. The food items studied were yam-derived chips, flakes and flours; the chemical hazards analysed were aflatoxins, pesticides and heavy metal (Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg) complemented by fungal and bacterial enumeration. A comparison was performed between freshly produced samples, purchased from food processors, and food items bought from local markets/supermarket. Results showed that, although no pesticides were detected, many samples showed high level of bacterial and fungal contamination, together with heavy metal concentrations above the recommended safety levels. No particular trend was observed between the different food item...
The UK-grown onion sector shows strong potential for growth through new product development as co... more The UK-grown onion sector shows strong potential for growth through new product development as consumers become increasingly aware of the health and dietary benefits of fresh onion consumption. Prospects for the production of new, more palatable sweet onions will be boosted by the development of improved grower diagnostics for flavour standardisation. Growers require simple-to-use on-farm diagnostics to assure flavour quality. The introduction of pungency tests has led to increased mild onion sales, however currently tests are out-sourced and as a result costly. Through this Defra(Department for Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs) sponsored research project (HL0164), hand-held biosensor technology, adapted from the medical sector, has been developed for improved and lower cost pungency and sweetness analysis in onions. Following investigations on variability of pyruvate and glucose within onion bulbs, spatial and temporal profiling of these biochemical constituents revealed commonly...
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the govern... more Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the government of Sierra Leone has made it a priority to tackle it. Over the last twenty years, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) has been a success in treating SAM but it has to be imported. Sierra Leone has a diverse agroecological system potentially enabling the cultivation of various food crops that could be used as ingredients in RUTF. We investigated the feasibility of developing RUTF from locally produced ingredients and by local enterprises from 1) nutrition, 2) food safety and 3) business perspectives. A literature review was carried out to identify the nutritional requirements and possible formulations for RUTF, assess potential food safety risks using local ingredients and to consider the business case for RUTF initiatives based on locally sources ingredients. Field interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private and public sectors in-country and with international experts in RUTF. Linear programming was applied to identify suitable formulations that could meet international product specifications for RUTF nutritional and aflatoxin requirements at minimum cost. Our findings show that there are several possibilities for locally made RUTF formulations in Sierra Leone: • Using existing formulations such as the standard formulation based on peanuts and powdered milk (allowing 50% substitution with local ingredients) or the milk-free soybean-based formulation with crystalline amino acids (allowing 95% substitution with local ingredients), • Developing a novel formulation with some of the same ingredients as the existing formulations and/or other key local ingredients such as egg or fish powder. Ensuring quality across the value chain from farm to consumption, will be of paramount importance for a food destined for severely malnourished children. Food testing capacity in Sierra Leone will require significant investment, alongside the adoption of Codex Alimentarius food safety standards (GAP, GHP, HACCP, GMP) by food business operators across the RUTF supply chains. Activities that initiate demand for processed food can play an demonstration role in the local economy, encouraging other food sectors and businesses to emerge. We identified the following hurdles: • In-country laboratories (including private ones) are not yet accredited to ISO. UNICEF and WFP specify analytical product testing through ISO accredited laboratories only. Even where these bodies are not the target buyers, at a minimum, codex standards, to which Sierra Leone subscribes within its mandate, must be the standard to attain. This means that current methods measuring those key safety parameters such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, salmonella, and others, in raw ingredients and final product will need validation. • Companies manufacturing food grade (stainless steel food contact parts) ancillary equipment are not present in the country, and therefore it is likely that some of the technology for producing RUTF will need to be imported. • The literature on RUTF business models elsewhere based on local ingredient supply is rather scant and biased towards a limited number of successes. Most of these are from the Nutriset model of largely imported ingredients but locally manufactured. • Government tax and the possibility of tax exemptions is an important issue that can have a big impact on viability and investment decisions. • Scale of operation is important for business viability. Total demand for RUTF is not large (estimated at max. 500mt finished product). A business based on this scale may struggle with viability. • The more complex the final product (i.e. RUTF), the greater the investment needs to be to achieve domestic production of that product. We conclude that Sierra Leone has the means (i.e. domestic supply of ingredients) to produce healthy nutritious processed foods to address domestic malnutrition challenges. Local ingredient inclusion is possible: there is sufficient quantity and a range of ingredients are available to make a selection of nutritious foods up to and including RUTF. We propose three options: • Option 1: Do nothing – continue to import RUTF as needed • Option 2: Develop the manufacture of intermediate products (i.e. nutritious food products) with the aim of developing RUTF production (product diversification): • Option 3: Go directly to the production of RUTF: This option will require considerable technical and financial investment. Of these options we strongly recommend Option 2 that encourages the emergence of a nutritious food sector, which can lead to the domestic manufacture of RUTF once the necessary infrastructure, supply chains and domestic policies/regulations are in place. Our final recommendations are the following: • The development of a detailed ingredient supply plan for the necessary ingredient chains that are viable and meet the necessary standards. • Building from less complex food product…
High quality cassava flour (HQCF) is one of the products derivable from cassava roots. Drying in ... more High quality cassava flour (HQCF) is one of the products derivable from cassava roots. Drying in HQCF production is a complex operation which changes the quality of a product physically and chemica...
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the govern... more Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the government of Sierra Leone has made it a priority to tackle it. Over the last twenty years, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) has been a success in treating SAM but it has to be imported. Sierra Leone has a diverse agroecological system potentially enabling the cultivation of various food crops that could be used as ingredients in RUTF. We investigated the feasibility of developing RUTF from locally produced ingredients and by local enterprises from 1) nutrition, 2) food safety and 3) business perspectives. A literature review was carried out to identify the nutritional requirements and possible formulations for RUTF, assess potential food safety risks using local ingredients and to consider the business case for RUTF initiatives based on locally sources ingredients. Field interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private and public sectors in-country and with international experts in RUTF. Linear programming was applied to identify suitable formulations that could meet international product specifications for RUTF nutritional and aflatoxin requirements at minimum cost. Our findings show that there are several possibilities for locally made RUTF formulations in Sierra Leone: • Using existing formulations such as the standard formulation based on peanuts and powdered milk (allowing 50% substitution with local ingredients) or the milk-free soybean-based formulation with crystalline amino acids (allowing 95% substitution with local ingredients), • Developing a novel formulation with some of the same ingredients as the existing formulations and/or other key local ingredients such as egg or fish powder. Ensuring quality across the value chain from farm to consumption, will be of paramount importance for a food destined for severely malnourished children. Food testing capacity in Sierra Leone will require significant investment, alongside the adoption of Codex Alimentarius food safety standards (GAP, GHP, HACCP, GMP) by food business operators across the RUTF supply chains. Activities that initiate demand for processed food can play an demonstration role in the local economy, encouraging other food sectors and businesses to emerge. We identified the following hurdles: • In-country laboratories (including private ones) are not yet accredited to ISO. UNICEF and WFP specify analytical product testing through ISO accredited laboratories only. Even where these bodies are not the target buyers, at a minimum, codex standards, to which Sierra Leone subscribes within its mandate, must be the standard to attain. This means that current methods measuring those key safety parameters such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, salmonella, and others, in raw ingredients and final product will need validation. • Companies manufacturing food grade (stainless steel food contact parts) ancillary equipment are not present in the country, and therefore it is likely that some of the technology for producing RUTF will need to be imported. • The literature on RUTF business models elsewhere based on local ingredient supply is rather scant and biased towards a limited number of successes. Most of these are from the Nutriset model of largely imported ingredients but locally manufactured. • Government tax and the possibility of tax exemptions is an important issue that can have a big impact on viability and investment decisions. • Scale of operation is important for business viability. Total demand for RUTF is not large (estimated at max. 500mt finished product). A business based on this scale may struggle with viability. • The more complex the final product (i.e. RUTF), the greater the investment needs to be to achieve domestic production of that product. We conclude that Sierra Leone has the means (i.e. domestic supply of ingredients) to produce healthy nutritious processed foods to address domestic malnutrition challenges. Local ingredient inclusion is possible: there is sufficient quantity and a range of ingredients are available to make a selection of nutritious foods up to and including RUTF. We propose three options: • Option 1: Do nothing – continue to import RUTF as needed • Option 2: Develop the manufacture of intermediate products (i.e. nutritious food products) with the aim of developing RUTF production (product diversification): • Option 3: Go directly to the production of RUTF: This option will require considerable technical and financial investment. Of these options we strongly recommend Option 2 that encourages the emergence of a nutritious food sector, which can lead to the domestic manufacture of RUTF once the necessary infrastructure, supply chains and domestic policies/regulations are in place. Our final recommendations are the following: • The development of a detailed ingredient supply plan for the necessary ingredient chains that are viable and meet the necessary standards. • Building from less complex food product…
Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines... more Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines emerging issues and lessons for adding value to cassava, one of Africa's widely cultivated staples in ways that contribute to the global market environment as well as bring benefits to small holders on the continent. The main issues discussed include: competiveness in the supply of raw material, assisting smallholders to produce value-added products sustainably and competitively, ensuring and maintaining quality of products, selecting appropriate technologies for different circumstances and anticipating negative effects of the market environment on smallholders. One of the main challenges for value addition to a staple crop in Africa is finding 'champions' who are willing to make new investments with knowledge, skill and expertise requirements derived from other nations. The other is increasing the drying capacities for a tropical root crop through appropriate technologies that ensure production of high quality products in required volumes. One focus of the C:AVA project in the near future is to promote transfer of energy efficient Nigerian-made flash drier in collaboration with partners and fabricators from other C:AVA countries (Ghana, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania). Improved energy efficiency will reduce fuel consumption, reduce operating cost and improve throughput of the dryers. An additional benefit will be reduction in emission of harmful greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming. It is anticipated that the knowledge and skills for further developing the value addition potential for cassava in all five countries will be enhanced. Benchmarking of key variables was used as an approach to understand differences between countries in terms of their abilities to develop high quality cassava flour value chains. It is clear that one strategy does not work in all countries and while positive government support for cassava development is helpful, the real driver is targeting markets according to realisable capacities of the smallholder actors in the value chain
The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produce... more The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produced and value chain development as a result of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). Analysis of flour prepared from roots affected to various degrees of CBSD were assessed for various parameters such as starch and carbohydrate content, viscosity, pasting temperature, colour and pH. Values showed significant differences between the grades. There was a strong correlation (R2=0.904) between flour viscosity breakdown and pH value, and with peak viscosity and pH value (R2=0.737). A 25% level of CBSD root necrosis not only increased the conversion ratio of fresh roots to final product, but also presented an additional $41-47/t for the cost of fresh cassava roots if necrotic tissue were removed, representing a significant economic loss that makes cassava processing unprofitable.
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the govern... more Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the government of Sierra Leone has made it a priority to tackle it. Over the last twenty years, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) has been a success in treating SAM but it has to be imported. Sierra Leone has a diverse agroecological system potentially enabling the cultivation of various food crops that could be used as ingredients in RUTF. We investigated the feasibility of developing RUTF from locally produced ingredients and by local enterprises from 1) nutrition, 2) food safety and 3) business perspectives. A literature review was carried out to identify the nutritional requirements and possible formulations for RUTF, assess potential food safety risks using local ingredients and to consider the business case for RUTF initiatives based on locally sources ingredients. Field interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private and public sectors in-country and with international experts in RUTF. Linear programming was applied to identify suitable formulations that could meet international product specifications for RUTF nutritional and aflatoxin requirements at minimum cost. Our findings show that there are several possibilities for locally made RUTF formulations in Sierra Leone: • Using existing formulations such as the standard formulation based on peanuts and powdered milk (allowing 50% substitution with local ingredients) or the milk-free soybean-based formulation with crystalline amino acids (allowing 95% substitution with local ingredients), • Developing a novel formulation with some of the same ingredients as the existing formulations and/or other key local ingredients such as egg or fish powder. Ensuring quality across the value chain from farm to consumption, will be of paramount importance for a food destined for severely malnourished children. Food testing capacity in Sierra Leone will require significant investment, alongside the adoption of Codex Alimentarius food safety standards (GAP, GHP, HACCP, GMP) by food business operators across the RUTF supply chains. Activities that initiate demand for processed food can play an demonstration role in the local economy, encouraging other food sectors and businesses to emerge. We identified the following hurdles: • In-country laboratories (including private ones) are not yet accredited to ISO. UNICEF and WFP specify analytical product testing through ISO accredited laboratories only. Even where these bodies are not the target buyers, at a minimum, codex standards, to which Sierra Leone subscribes within its mandate, must be the standard to attain. This means that current methods measuring those key safety parameters such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, salmonella, and others, in raw ingredients and final product will need validation. • Companies manufacturing food grade (stainless steel food contact parts) ancillary equipment are not present in the country, and therefore it is likely that some of the technology for producing RUTF will need to be imported. • The literature on RUTF business models elsewhere based on local ingredient supply is rather scant and biased towards a limited number of successes. Most of these are from the Nutriset model of largely imported ingredients but locally manufactured. • Government tax and the possibility of tax exemptions is an important issue that can have a big impact on viability and investment decisions. • Scale of operation is important for business viability. Total demand for RUTF is not large (estimated at max. 500mt finished product). A business based on this scale may struggle with viability. • The more complex the final product (i.e. RUTF), the greater the investment needs to be to achieve domestic production of that product. We conclude that Sierra Leone has the means (i.e. domestic supply of ingredients) to produce healthy nutritious processed foods to address domestic malnutrition challenges. Local ingredient inclusion is possible: there is sufficient quantity and a range of ingredients are available to make a selection of nutritious foods up to and including RUTF. We propose three options: • Option 1: Do nothing – continue to import RUTF as needed • Option 2: Develop the manufacture of intermediate products (i.e. nutritious food products) with the aim of developing RUTF production (product diversification): • Option 3: Go directly to the production of RUTF: This option will require considerable technical and financial investment. Of these options we strongly recommend Option 2 that encourages the emergence of a nutritious food sector, which can lead to the domestic manufacture of RUTF once the necessary infrastructure, supply chains and domestic policies/regulations are in place. Our final recommendations are the following: • The development of a detailed ingredient supply plan for the necessary ingredient chains that are viable and meet the necessary standards. • Building from less complex food product…
Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines... more Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines emerging issues and lessons for adding value to cassava, one of Africa's widely cultivated staples in ways that contribute to the global market environment as well as bring benefits to small holders on the continent. The main issues discussed include: competiveness in the supply of raw material, assisting smallholders to produce value-added products sustainably and competitively, ensuring and maintaining quality of products, selecting appropriate technologies for different circumstances and anticipating negative effects of the market environment on smallholders. One of the main challenges for value addition to a staple crop in Africa is finding 'champions' who are willing to make new investments with knowledge, skill and expertise requirements derived from other nations. The other is increasing the drying capacities for a tropical root crop through appropriate technologies that ensure production of high quality products in required volumes. One focus of the C:AVA project in the near future is to promote transfer of energy efficient Nigerian-made flash drier in collaboration with partners and fabricators from other C:AVA countries (Ghana, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania). Improved energy efficiency will reduce fuel consumption, reduce operating cost and improve throughput of the dryers. An additional benefit will be reduction in emission of harmful greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming. It is anticipated that the knowledge and skills for further developing the value addition potential for cassava in all five countries will be enhanced. Benchmarking of key variables was used as an approach to understand differences between countries in terms of their abilities to develop high quality cassava flour value chains. It is clear that one strategy does not work in all countries and while positive government support for cassava development is helpful, the real driver is targeting markets according to realisable capacities of the smallholder actors in the value chain
This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, e... more This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, etc.) on the safety of some traditional Nigerian yam-derived foodstuff. The present investigation is a case study to understand the possible source of contamination of crop-derived food items, an issue which affects the lives of millions of people in developing countries. The food items studied were yam-derived chips, flakes and flours; the chemical hazards analysed were aflatoxins, pesticides and heavy metal (Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg) complemented by fungal and bacterial enumeration. A comparison was performed between freshly produced samples, purchased from food processors, and food items bought from local markets/supermarket. Results showed that, although no pesticides were detected, many samples showed high level of bacterial and fungal contamination, together with heavy metal concentrations above the recommended safety levels. No particular trend was observed between the different food item...
The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produce... more The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produced and value chain development as a result of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). Analysis of flour prepared from roots affected to various degrees of CBSD were assessed for various parameters such as starch and carbohydrate content, viscosity, pasting temperature, colour and pH. Values showed significant differences between the grades. There was a strong correlation (R2=0.904) between flour viscosity breakdown and pH value, and with peak viscosity and pH value (R2=0.737). A 25% level of CBSD root necrosis not only increased the conversion ratio of fresh roots to final product, but also presented an additional $41-47/t for the cost of fresh cassava roots if necrotic tissue were removed, representing a significant economic loss that makes cassava processing unprofitable.
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the govern... more Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in Sierra Leone and the government of Sierra Leone has made it a priority to tackle it. Over the last twenty years, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) has been a success in treating SAM but it has to be imported. Sierra Leone has a diverse agroecological system potentially enabling the cultivation of various food crops that could be used as ingredients in RUTF. We investigated the feasibility of developing RUTF from locally produced ingredients and by local enterprises from 1) nutrition, 2) food safety and 3) business perspectives. A literature review was carried out to identify the nutritional requirements and possible formulations for RUTF, assess potential food safety risks using local ingredients and to consider the business case for RUTF initiatives based on locally sources ingredients. Field interviews were conducted with various stakeholders from the private and public sectors in-country and with international experts in RUTF. Linear programming was applied to identify suitable formulations that could meet international product specifications for RUTF nutritional and aflatoxin requirements at minimum cost. Our findings show that there are several possibilities for locally made RUTF formulations in Sierra Leone: • Using existing formulations such as the standard formulation based on peanuts and powdered milk (allowing 50% substitution with local ingredients) or the milk-free soybean-based formulation with crystalline amino acids (allowing 95% substitution with local ingredients), • Developing a novel formulation with some of the same ingredients as the existing formulations and/or other key local ingredients such as egg or fish powder. Ensuring quality across the value chain from farm to consumption, will be of paramount importance for a food destined for severely malnourished children. Food testing capacity in Sierra Leone will require significant investment, alongside the adoption of Codex Alimentarius food safety standards (GAP, GHP, HACCP, GMP) by food business operators across the RUTF supply chains. Activities that initiate demand for processed food can play an demonstration role in the local economy, encouraging other food sectors and businesses to emerge. We identified the following hurdles: • In-country laboratories (including private ones) are not yet accredited to ISO. UNICEF and WFP specify analytical product testing through ISO accredited laboratories only. Even where these bodies are not the target buyers, at a minimum, codex standards, to which Sierra Leone subscribes within its mandate, must be the standard to attain. This means that current methods measuring those key safety parameters such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, salmonella, and others, in raw ingredients and final product will need validation. • Companies manufacturing food grade (stainless steel food contact parts) ancillary equipment are not present in the country, and therefore it is likely that some of the technology for producing RUTF will need to be imported. • The literature on RUTF business models elsewhere based on local ingredient supply is rather scant and biased towards a limited number of successes. Most of these are from the Nutriset model of largely imported ingredients but locally manufactured. • Government tax and the possibility of tax exemptions is an important issue that can have a big impact on viability and investment decisions. • Scale of operation is important for business viability. Total demand for RUTF is not large (estimated at max. 500mt finished product). A business based on this scale may struggle with viability. • The more complex the final product (i.e. RUTF), the greater the investment needs to be to achieve domestic production of that product. We conclude that Sierra Leone has the means (i.e. domestic supply of ingredients) to produce healthy nutritious processed foods to address domestic malnutrition challenges. Local ingredient inclusion is possible: there is sufficient quantity and a range of ingredients are available to make a selection of nutritious foods up to and including RUTF. We propose three options: • Option 1: Do nothing – continue to import RUTF as needed • Option 2: Develop the manufacture of intermediate products (i.e. nutritious food products) with the aim of developing RUTF production (product diversification): • Option 3: Go directly to the production of RUTF: This option will require considerable technical and financial investment. Of these options we strongly recommend Option 2 that encourages the emergence of a nutritious food sector, which can lead to the domestic manufacture of RUTF once the necessary infrastructure, supply chains and domestic policies/regulations are in place. Our final recommendations are the following: • The development of a detailed ingredient supply plan for the necessary ingredient chains that are viable and meet the necessary standards. • Building from less complex food product…
Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines... more Based on experiences in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project, this paper examines emerging issues and lessons for adding value to cassava, one of Africa's widely cultivated staples in ways that contribute to the global market environment as well as bring benefits to small holders on the continent. The main issues discussed include: competiveness in the supply of raw material, assisting smallholders to produce value-added products sustainably and competitively, ensuring and maintaining quality of products, selecting appropriate technologies for different circumstances and anticipating negative effects of the market environment on smallholders. One of the main challenges for value addition to a staple crop in Africa is finding 'champions' who are willing to make new investments with knowledge, skill and expertise requirements derived from other nations. The other is increasing the drying capacities for a tropical root crop through appropriate technologies that ensure production of high quality products in required volumes. One focus of the C:AVA project in the near future is to promote transfer of energy efficient Nigerian-made flash drier in collaboration with partners and fabricators from other C:AVA countries (Ghana, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania). Improved energy efficiency will reduce fuel consumption, reduce operating cost and improve throughput of the dryers. An additional benefit will be reduction in emission of harmful greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming. It is anticipated that the knowledge and skills for further developing the value addition potential for cassava in all five countries will be enhanced. Benchmarking of key variables was used as an approach to understand differences between countries in terms of their abilities to develop high quality cassava flour value chains. It is clear that one strategy does not work in all countries and while positive government support for cassava development is helpful, the real driver is targeting markets according to realisable capacities of the smallholder actors in the value chain
This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, e... more This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, etc.) on the safety of some traditional Nigerian yam-derived foodstuff. The present investigation is a case study to understand the possible source of contamination of crop-derived food items, an issue which affects the lives of millions of people in developing countries. The food items studied were yam-derived chips, flakes and flours; the chemical hazards analysed were aflatoxins, pesticides and heavy metal (Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg) complemented by fungal and bacterial enumeration. A comparison was performed between freshly produced samples, purchased from food processors, and food items bought from local markets/supermarket. Results showed that, although no pesticides were detected, many samples showed high level of bacterial and fungal contamination, together with heavy metal concentrations above the recommended safety levels. No particular trend was observed between the different food item...
The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produce... more The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality and quantities of cassava flour produced and value chain development as a result of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). Analysis of flour prepared from roots affected to various degrees of CBSD were assessed for various parameters such as starch and carbohydrate content, viscosity, pasting temperature, colour and pH. Values showed significant differences between the grades. There was a strong correlation (R2=0.904) between flour viscosity breakdown and pH value, and with peak viscosity and pH value (R2=0.737). A 25% level of CBSD root necrosis not only increased the conversion ratio of fresh roots to final product, but also presented an additional $41-47/t for the cost of fresh cassava roots if necrotic tissue were removed, representing a significant economic loss that makes cassava processing unprofitable.
This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, e... more This work reports the effect of processing and post-processing phases (i.e. storage, transport, etc.) on the safety of some traditional Nigerian yam-derived foodstuff. The present investigation is a case study to understand the possible source of contamination of crop-derived food items, an issue which affects the lives of millions of people in developing countries. The food items studied were yam-derived chips, flakes and flours; the chemical hazards analysed were aflatoxins, pesticides and heavy metal (Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg) complemented by fungal and bacterial enumeration. A comparison was performed between freshly produced samples, purchased from food processors, and food items bought from local markets/supermarket. Results showed that, although no pesticides were detected, many samples showed high level of bacterial and fungal contamination, together with heavy metal concentrations above the recommended safety levels. No particular trend was observed between the different food item...
The UK-grown onion sector shows strong potential for growth through new product development as co... more The UK-grown onion sector shows strong potential for growth through new product development as consumers become increasingly aware of the health and dietary benefits of fresh onion consumption. Prospects for the production of new, more palatable sweet onions will be boosted by the development of improved grower diagnostics for flavour standardisation. Growers require simple-to-use on-farm diagnostics to assure flavour quality. The introduction of pungency tests has led to increased mild onion sales, however currently tests are out-sourced and as a result costly. Through this Defra(Department for Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs) sponsored research project (HL0164), hand-held biosensor technology, adapted from the medical sector, has been developed for improved and lower cost pungency and sweetness analysis in onions. Following investigations on variability of pyruvate and glucose within onion bulbs, spatial and temporal profiling of these biochemical constituents revealed commonly...
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Papers by Louise Abayomi