This study compared, for the first time, the postharvest conservative action of edible fungal chitosan coatings (gel, nanoparticles and gel-nanoparticle) on the physico-chemical, sensorial and microbiological characteristics of strawberries. The nanoparticles were prepared by an ionic gelation method and characterized by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. The antioxidant (DPPH* and ABTS*) activity of the edible coatings and the antimicrobial (macrodilution method) action against phytopathogenic fungi were verified. The nanoparticles had a size of 331.1 nm and a zeta potential of+ 34 mV. The gel, nanoparticles and gel+nanoparticles exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 4 to 5, 1.5 to 2.5 and 1.0 + 0.5 to 2.0 + 1.5 g.L-1, respectively. All the edible coatings exhibited antifungal action. All the coatings had high scavenging activity, especially the gel edible coating. The coatings, especially the gel+nanoparticles, decreased the weight loss, microbiological growth, soluble solids, maturity index and moisture loss of the strawberry and preserved the pH values, anthocyanin content, titratable acidity and sensory characteristics. Therefore, the use of chitosan edible coating containing nanoparticles can be a promising strategy to improve the post-harvest quality of strawberries.

This paper focuses on research, development, and capacity building in relation to food and nutrition security (FNS) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It looks at human capacity, education, teaching and learning, women empowerment, research, innovation and technology, research, indigenous knowledge (IK), institutional aspects, infrastructure, information and communication technologies (ICT), policies and finance. Professional bodies exist in many countries and the extent to which they engage in FNS awareness creation differs. Food and nutrition insecurity continues to affect people in Africa’s 54 nations where the population is expected to double by 2050 with the expected doubling of food production to keep pace with population growth. Within the continent there is a substantial number of human capacity professionals who are global leaders in food, nutrition and related professions. Some research organisations in the continent directly or indirectly benefit from grants administered by developed economies but a challenge exists with brain drain and ageing of qualified and experienced experts. Increasing educational need, coupled with the growing population necessitates attention to ensuring a sustained supply of highly trained, adequately equipped and qualified professionals in the relevant fields of food and nutrition sciences. Higher educational institutions exist in especially those that fall within the 500 in world universities ranking. Research activities take place in the continent along with the translation of research outputs into commercialisable products. Research towards transforming agriculture for improved livelihoods is taking place in different parts of the continent. Education, governance, gender and rural development are the key challenges. Income growth and the impacts of climate change on food production have contributed to food insecurity. ICTs can play an important role for FNS. Strengthening research, development, capacity building and industry cooperation are critical for FNS in Africa.

Currently, improvement of food preservation has been a substantial challenge for industries to increase shelf-life of products and to maintain food quality during storage. These goals are often tied to the sustainable tendency for use of eco-friendly packaging to store these products without loss of the packaging features. Therefore, the aim of this study was to produce biodegradable antimicrobial films by the incorporation of nisin Z peptide under different concentrations (0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 % and 20 % wt.) into hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) matrices. The active film properties were evaluated in terms of their antimicrobial capacity in vitro, mechanical performance and microscopic characteristics. Hence, active films containing 10 % (wt.) of nisin Z and control films were placed in contact with sliced mozzarella cheese for eight days, and microbiological growth was monitored during storage. Nisin Z’s antimicrobial effects were observed against the Gram-positive microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria innocua, regardless if the compound was free as a suspension or incorporated into HPMC matrices. However, the expected low action of nisin Z against Gram-negative bacteria, as reported in literature, was not observed since Salmonella enterica Choleraesuis’s growth was inhibited. Moreover, active films with added nisin Z (10 % wt.) were more effective than the control film to inhibit mesophilic microorganisms in mozzarella cheese during 8 days of storage. The mechanical properties of the films were not influenced by nisin Z incorporation, since the addition of the compound enhanced the active function without the loss of mechanical properties required for a good food packaging. These results suggest that biodegradable films produced by nisin Z addition into HPMC matrix are an excellent biomaterial for mozzarella cheese preservation.

In this work, the exposure of people, through their diet, to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been assessed for the urban, rural, and general populations in Syria. The food categories consumed have been divided into major groups, and the health risk assessment on dietary exposure of PAHs determined in each food category. For this purpose, two approaches were used: incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) and margin of exposure approach (MOE). The results showed that each of the following food categories: oils and fats, meat and meat products, vegetables, and cereals dominantly contribute in the dietary exposure of PAHs. Also their MOE values are the lowest. Additionally, they have higher ILCR values. Therefore, these groups are a main risk source to health. On the other hand, the dietary exposure of PAHs in each of urban, rural and general populations was of low health concern, whereas their ILCR values reached to 10E-05 in total food categories, nevertheless it remains lower than serious risk level (ILCR>10E-04). This work is the first study that is dealing with dietary exposure of PAHs and their health risk assessment in Syria.

Azanza garckeana is among the least utilized indigenous wild fruit trees of interest in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. The tree's fruit and seeds have found their importance as food while their barks and leaves as medicine because of their vast nutritional and functional components. This paper reviews the utilization of the fruit in food processing demonstrating the potential this species has in the preparation of novel foods. There are few reports on macronutrients and micronutrient composition of the fruit and the seeds, and their utilization in food processing. Some researchers have identified key functional ingredients in the fruits as well as their seeds that could be of benefit when incorporated in the production of value-added food products. This paper not only advocates for the production of value-added food products from this fruit, but also its integration into farming systems to enhance nutritional security and provide ready income for communities in the dry areas in sub Saharan Africa.

Cookies are widely consumed all over the world and can bring important nutrients, especially to children. Composite flours consisting of plantain, moringa seed and sesame seeds were used to produce cookies in this study. Response surface methodology was employed in setting up the cookie’s formulation. The samples with the best protein and fibre contents were sample F (71.34% plantain, 6.66% moringa and 22.00% sesame seed, with 14.08% protein and 3.02% fibre) and sample I (68.00% plantain, 10.00% moringa and 22.00% sesame seed, with 14.35% protein and 2.29% fibre). Cookies from 100% wheat flour were prepared as control. The protein, fat, ash and crude fibre contents of formulated cookies were significantly (p≤0.05) higher than control, whereas carbohydrate content was lower. There was no significant difference between the formulated cookies and the control in terms of overall acceptability, aroma and crunchiness. The formulated cookies showed higher biological value, net protein utilization, true digestibility, protein efficiency ratio, net protein ratio and protein retention efficiency than control, resulting in a significant increase in rat growth and development. The composite cookies containing unripe plantain, moringa seed and defatted sesame, at the blending ratio obtained in this study showed better nutritional quality than control cookies. These composite cookies, therefore, would be suitable for mitigating protein-energy malnutrition in children.

This work examined the relationships between quality characteristics of raw milk and climatic conditions. Over a period of three years, a total of 5,065 samples were collected encompassing two types of farms. The quality characteristics analysed were titratable acidity (TA), total plate count (TPC) and somatic cells count (SCC). Climatic conditions were evaluated in respect to the outdoor air temperature, pressure, humidity and precipitation. Big farms showed a stronger correlation between TA and climatic conditions as opposed to SCC and climatic conditions. TPC was out of limit in big farms when the outdoor air temperature was higher than 19.8 °C (p<0.05) and during periods with accumulated precipitation over 4.2 mm (p>0.05). Small farms showed a stronger correlation between SCC and climatic conditions as opposed to TA. In these farms, occurrence of acidity out of limit was detected in less than 7.2% of samples. Samples with TA out of limit were observed when air temperature was higher than 18.4 °C (p<0.05) and accumulated precipitation was below 3.1 mm (p>0.05). These results can be used to improve good agricultural practices in respect to climatic conditions and size of farms.

Imported rice is perceived to have better cooking properties than locally grown rice in Nigeria and it has increased its market share while reducing patronage for local rice. Rice in Nigeria has many applications, including consumption as whole cooked grain or dumpling or use as an adjunct in making beverages. Eighteen varieties of parboiled milled local rice and three imported rice varieties, coded Ip1, Ip2 and Ip3, were studied for their cooking and functional properties using standard methods. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in the dimensions of all the rice varieties when cooked. There was a 25 g increase in the grain weight and an elongation ratio of more than 1.26 in all the rice varieties. Ghesua had the highest cooked grain weight (68.67 g) while Omor-Mas (6.00) and R-Bus (6.00) had the highest volume expansion ratio (VER). The VER was more than 3.00 for all the rice varieties. All the local rice varieties imbibed less water (17.67-25.33 ml) compared to the imported rice varieties (26.00-27.67ml) before they reached their optimum cooking time. The imported rice varieties were of soft gel consistency (89.67-73.50 mm) and intermediate amylose content (20.71-23.14 %) while the local rice varied in amylose and gel consistency. Abakiliki-Mas (27.00 mm) and R-8 (33.67 mm) were of hard gel-consistency, intermediate (21.11 %) and high amylose (27.21 %) content respectively and have not been exploited although they would be appropriate for making canned rice, dry mixes and rice-noodles.

Understanding the causes of obesity epidemic requires examination of what contributes to preference of palatable foods. Using a sensorial-consumer approach, this research examined the relationship between the sensation of the hedonic liking of fat with psychological and weight profiles. The study began with preliminary testing of the hedonic ratings of 24 food items (12 low fat (LF), 12 high fat(HF)) and completion of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18) investigating cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating aspects. Eight (8) out of the twelve (12) food pairs that had discriminating characteristics were selected, for inclusion in the study, by 347 panellists. Results showed that overweight individuals had significantly lower liking towards LF sensation (4.27±2.13, p= 0.001) but significantly higher liking towards HF sensation (5.26±2.33, p= 0.001), compared to normal BMI individuals who had a significantly higher liking towards LF sensation (5.69±2.35, p= 0.001) but significantly lower liking towards HF sensation (4.17±2.40, p= 0.001). The Pearson product-moment correlation revealed similar trends on the association between liking of fat sensation and eating behaviour regardless of weight statuses. Specifically, cognitive restrainers were found to prefer the LF sensation while HF sensation were more favoured among uncontrolled and emotional eaters. This highlights the importance of investigating the combined effect of psychological aspects of eating behaviour and weight profiles towards liking of fat sensation.

Food is a necessity of human beings, and the consumption of food is aimed at obtaining energy and nutrients necessary for the growth and proper functioning of the body. However, food can also be a vehicle for various diseases, and the causal agents can have physical, chemical or biological origin with relevance to health due to their incidence, mortality and negative consequences in the population. Bacteria are the main agents of biological origin associated with foodborne diseases. Among these microorganisms are species of the genus Campylobacter, which cause a zoonosis with one of the highest incidences globally, known as Campylobacteriosis. This document provides an overview of foodborne diseases, specifically the causal agents of Campylobacteriosis, including the different measures of control and prevention for this disease in different foods such as poultry, milk, meat, and fish, among others. It also covers the phenomenon of resistance to antimicrobials by these pathogens and the health implications to consumers. The above can generate and maintain safety practices in food production for the protection of public health in different regions around the world.