Tackling vitamin A deficiency with biofortified sweetpotato in sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, vitamin A deficiency constitutes a severe health problem despite various supplementation and food fortification programs. Given that the intake of preformed vitamin A from animal products remains low in these countries, an efficient metabolization of plant-based provitamin A carotenoids is essential. Previously, adolescents in rural Ghana have shown high total plasma carotenoid concentrations, while 36% had a vitamin A deficiency (defined as plasma retinol < 0.7 µmol/L). Hence, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify the relationships between variants in the β-carotene 15,15’-oxygenase (BCO1) gene and plasma carotenoid concentrations among 189 15-year-old girls and boys in rural Ghana. BCO1 rs6564851, rs7500996, rs10048138 and PKD1L2 rs6420424, and rs8044334 were typed, and carotenoid concentrations were compared among the different genotypes. G allele carriers of rs6564851 (53%) showed higher plasma carotenoid concentrations than T allele carriers (median (interquartile range): 3.07 (2.17–4.02) vs. 2.59 (2.21–3.50) µmol/L, p-value = 0.0424). This was not explained by differences in socio-demographic or dietary factors. In contrast, no differences in plasma retinol concentrations were observed between these genotypes. Pending verification in independent populations, the low conversion efficiency of provitamin A carotenoids among rs6564851 G allele carriers may undermine existing fortification and supplementation programs to improve the vitamin A status in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Vitamin A Deficiency and Child Survival in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Reappraisal of Challenges and Opportunities

Food and Nutrition Bulletin ◽

10.1177/156482650502600404 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 348-355 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Victor M. Aguayo ◽

Shawn K. Baker

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Vitamin A ◽

Child Mortality ◽

Vitamin A Deficiency ◽

Child Survival ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Children At Risk ◽

Potential Child ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Policies And Programs

Background Children with vitamin A deficiency have higher risk of morbidity and mortality than vitamin A–sufficient children. Estimates on the potential child survival benefits of vitamin A deficiency control are needed for policy and program advocacy. Objective To determine the current prevalence of children at risk for vitamin A deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa in order to estimate the potential child-survival benefits of effective and sustained policies and programs for the control of vitamin A deficiency in this region. Methods Estimates of the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency generated in 1998, data from 11 nationally representative vitamin A deficiency surveys conducted in sub-Saharan Africa between 1997 and 2003, and the measured effects of vitamin A deficiency on child mortality were combined to estimate the prevalence of children at risk for vitamin A deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential child-survival benefits of effective and sustained policies and programs for the control of vitamin A deficiency in this region. Results Our analysis shows that in the absence of effective and sustained policies and programs for the control of vitamin A deficiency, an estimated 42.4% of children 0 to 59 months of age in sub-Saharan Africa (43.2 million children) are at risk for vitamin A deficiency. Such effective and sustained policy and program action for the control of vitamin A deficiency can bring about a potential 25% reduction in mortality in children 0 to 59 months with respect to 1995 mortality levels (i.e., before the onset of large-scale vitamin A supplementation programs in sub-Saharan Africa). Conclusions Effective and sustained control of vitamin A deficiency has the potential to be among the most cost-effective and high-impact child-survival interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. A stronger political commitment and a more appropriate level of investment in the effective control of vitamin A deficiency could make a large contribution toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goal for the reduction of child mortality rates by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. Among the many challenges that Africa will need to face in the coming years, vitamin A deficiency is one that can be overcome. The need is urgent, and the solutions are known, effective, and affordable.

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Orange fleshed sweet potato a nutrition sensitive functional food for possible dietary approach to vitamin A deficiency and undernutrition

World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews ◽

10.30574/wjarr.2021.12.3.0520 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 645-651

Author(s):

Jyotsna Khanam ◽

Sheikh Faisal Asadullah Mahdi ◽

Monera Ahsan ◽

Sheikh Nazrul Islam

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Vitamin A Deficiency ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sweet Potatoes ◽

Carotene Content ◽

Sensitive Function ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Nutrition Sensitive ◽

Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato ◽

Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes

Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSPs) is an excellent nutrition sensitive function food. It contains dense amount of carotene and is also rich in proximate nutrients. A wide number of cultivars of OFSPs has been developed worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In Bangladesh, sixteen cultivars have been developed. Carotene content in the OFSPs surpasses all of the plant food carotene. OFSPs also contains good content of energy yielding nutrients. The Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes could, therefore, be a potential dietary approach to address the vitamin A deficiency for undernourished indigent people.

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The Potential of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato to Prevent Vitamin A Deficiency in Africa

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831/a000194 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 84 (1-2) ◽

pp. 65-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Fekadu Gurmu ◽

Shimelis Hussein ◽

Mark Laing

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Sweet Potato ◽

Ipomoea Batatas ◽

Vitamin A Deficiency ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Countries ◽

Vitamin A Status ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Prevention Methods ◽

Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato

Purpose: Vitamin A deficiency is among major health problems worldwide that leads to blindness, retarded growth and death, particularly in developing countries. In these countries, vitamin A deficiency largely affects pre-school children, pregnant and lactating mothers, and the rural poor. For instance, the predicted prevalence of vitamin A deficiency for 36 sub-Saharan African countries is 19.1 %. Methods: Different strategies, including vitamin A supplementation, food fortification and dietary diversification, have been used to combat this problem. However, these strategies are not sustainable due to their high costs. Results: Orange-fleshed sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) is a low priced crop, which is part of staple foods in most of sub-Saharan Africa that can be a year-round source of vitamin A. Most of the orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties contain 3000 - 16000 μg 100 g-1 of β-carotene and this contributes to 250 to 1300 μg 100 g-1 Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAE). Therefore, by using orange-fleshed sweet potato, it is possible to improve vitamin A status, increase the bio-availability of different micro-nutrients such as Fe, Zn, Ca and Mg, reduce vitamin A deficiency and hence reduce child mortality rates by 23 to 30 %. Conclusion: The article highlights the significance of vitamin A for human nutrition, the effect of vitamin A deficiency, the different prevention methods and the potential of orange- fleshed sweet potato as a food crop to prevent vitamin A deficiency.

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Opportunities for promoting orange-fleshed sweetpotato as a mechanism for combat vitamin-a deficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa

African Crop Science Journal ◽

10.4314/acsj.v12i3.27884 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S Tumwegamire ◽

R Kapinga ◽

D Zhang ◽

C Crissman ◽

S Agili

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Vitamin A Deficiency ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan

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Thriving Public—Private Partnership to Fortify Cooking Oil in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) to Control Vitamin A Deficiency: Faire Tache d'Huile en Afrique de l'Ouest

Food and Nutrition Bulletin ◽

10.1177/15648265120334s307 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 33 (4_suppl3) ◽

pp. S310-S320 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Mawuli Sablah ◽

Jennifer Klopp ◽

Douglas Steinberg ◽

Zaoro Touaoro ◽

Arnaud Laillou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Monetary Union ◽

Vitamin A Deficiency ◽

West African ◽

Edible Oil ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Economic And Monetary Union ◽

The West ◽

Cooking Oil ◽

Sub Saharan

Background In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 42% of children are at risk for vitamin A deficiency, and control of vitamin A deficiency will prevent more than 600,000 child deaths annually. In the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), an estimated 54.3% of preschool-age children are vitamin A deficient and 13% of pregnant women have night blindness. Objective To project the achievements of this West African coalition. Methods This article documents the achievements, challenges, and lessons learned associated with the development of a public—private partnership to fortify vegetable oil in West Africa through project reports and industry assessments. Results National-level food consumption surveys identified cooking oil as a key vehicle for vitamin A. Stakeholders therefore advocated for the production of fortified vegetable oil at large scale, supported industrial assessments, and reinforced the capacity of cooking oil industries to implement vitamin A fortification through effective coordination of public and private partnerships tied with standards, regulations, and social marketing. Strong alliances for food fortification were established at the regional and national levels. Stakeholders also developed policies, adopted directives, built capacity, implemented social marketing, and monitored quality enforcement systems to sustain fortification for maximum public health impact. The synergy created resulted from the unique and complementary core competencies of all the partners under effective coordination. The initiative began with the 8 UEMOA member countries and now includes all 15 countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), plus Cameroon, Tanzania, and Mozambique, forming a sub-Saharan Africa-wide initiative on food fortification. All members of the Professional Association of Cooking Oil Industries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (AIFO-UEMOA) now fortify edible oil with vitamin A. Through multisector cooperation, an estimated 70% of the population has access to vitamin A–fortified edible oil in participating countries. Conclusions Sustainable fortification of cooking oil is now a reality in all UEMOA countries.

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Retention of Pro-Vitamin A Content in Products from New Biofortified Cassava Varieties

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods8050177 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 177 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Toluwalope Emmanuel Eyinla ◽

Busie Maziya-Dixon ◽

Oladeji Emmanuel Alamu ◽

Rasaki Ajani Sanusi

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Carotenoid Content ◽

Standard Methods ◽

Percentage Retention ◽

New Varieties ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact ◽

Β Carotene ◽

Cassava Varieties

Plant breeding efforts in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have produced biofortified cassava with high carotenoid content to address vitamin A deficiencies (VAD). Since carotenoids in foods are easily depleted during processing, the retention of β-carotene in some newly released cassava varieties is under query. From four of these new varieties, two commonly consumed products (gari and its dough) were processed according to standard methods. Retention of β-carotene was then probed after applying fermentation periods of a day and three days. The possible contribution of the products to Vitamin A intake in children, adolescents, and women was also assessed. The concentration of β-carotene in fresh Cassava roots ranged from 5.32 to 7.81 µg/g. The percentage retention ranged from 14.4 to 29.3% and 10 to 21.7% in gari fermented for one and three days respectively. The impact of varietal difference and length of fermentation was significant on retention in the intermediate and final products (p < 0.001). When compared with dietary intake data, cooking biofortified gari into its dough reduced Vitamin A intake in most varieties. We conclude that processing Cassava into gari (especially its dough) could hinder the retention of β-carotene however some varieties have retention advantage over others irrespective of the initial concentration in their fresh roots.

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Nutritional Properties of Ogi Powder and Sensory Perception of Ogi Porridge Made From Synthetic Provitamin: A Maize Genotype

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.685004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Omololami Tolulope Akinsola ◽

Emmanuel Oladeji Alamu ◽

Bolanle Omolara Otegbayo ◽

Abebe Menkir ◽

Busie Maziya-Dixon

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Sensory Perception ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Provitamin A ◽

Carotenoid Content ◽

Adult Males ◽

Phytic Acid Content ◽

Need To Evaluate ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Phytate Content

Provitamin-A maize (PVA) with increased carotenoid content obtained through conventional breeding techniques has been largely successful in sub-Saharan Africa. This resulted in a need to evaluate their susceptibility, retention, and nutritional content during processing into local foods. This study evaluated the chemical, carotenoid composition, and retention of PVA, the phytic acid content in ogi powder, and the sensory perception of ogi porridge produced traditionally from the three novel PVA maize genotypes (PVA SYN HGAC0 Maize 1; PVA SYN HGBC0 Maize 2; and PVA SYN HGBC1 Maize 3) and one yellow maize variety (control). Chemical composition analyses showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in all parameters. The PVA ranged from 5.96 to 8.43 μg/g in Maize 2 and 3 before processing while the true percentage retention after processing into ogi powder ranged from 20.25 to 37.54% in Maize 1 and 2, respectively. In addition, there was a reduction in the phytate content of ogi powder, and Maize 2 contained the lowest (2.78 mg/g from 4.09 mg/g). Maize 2 genotype had the highest vitamin A contribution; it can meet 18.3% of the vitamin A requirements in children while in adult males and females (>19 years), 6.2 and 7.7%, respectively. Sensory evaluation showed that the ogi 3 porridge (Maize 3) was the most acceptable, followed by Maize 2. In conclusion, Maize 2 had the highest PVA, true retention of carotenoid, vitamin A contributions, and the second most acceptable ogi porridge with the lowest phytate content.

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Performance, Variance Components, and Acceptability of Pro-vitamin A-Biofortified Sweetpotato in Southern Africa and Implications in Future Breeding

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.696738 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Edmore Gasura ◽

Francisca Matsaure ◽

Peter Sekwena Setimela ◽

Joyful Tatenda Rugare ◽

Cacious Stanford Nyakurwa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Tuber Yield ◽

Vitamin A Deficiency ◽

Matter Content ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Dry Matter Content ◽

Marketable Yield ◽

Lattice Design

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major cause of blindness in children under 5 years. Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas L.) is widely grown in this region, and pro-vitamin A varieties could help to combat such problems. Fourteen newly introduced orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties from the International Potato Centre (CIP) and two local checks were evaluated at four environments using a 4 × 4 triple-lattice design for total tuber yield, marketable yield, unmarketable yield, total tuber numbers, marketable tuber numbers, unmarketable tuber numbers, dry matter content, and sensory characteristics on boiled sweetpotato. Since varieties were previously tested intensively by CIP under diverse conditions, the focus of the current study was to determine their acceptability by farmers. Across-environment ANOVA showed highly significant differences (P < 0.001) for environments, genotypes, and genotype × environment interaction (GE) for all traits studied. Variety Cecelia outperformed the rest in three environments. Cecelia, Erica, Ininda, and Lourdes were found to be the top four most stable and high-yielding varieties. Genetic gains of the top four varieties over the preferred local check Mai Chenje ranged from 135 to 184%, and across-environment broad-sense heritability was 60% for tuber yield. Furthermore, farmers accepted the dry matter content (which was >25%) and taste of all the introduced OFSP varieties. Since there was a high acceptability by farmers, introductions from CIP could help improve human nutrition. Despite the appropriate design, the error variance component was the highest for all traits, and proper field plot techniques were proposed in future breeding and testing activities.

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Sensory Analysis of a Processed Food Intended for Vitamin A Supplementation

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods9020232 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 232

Author(s):

Xiaoyu Zhang ◽

George A. Cavender ◽

Kristina R. Lewandowski ◽

Ginnefer O. Cox ◽

Chad M. Paton

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Sensory Analysis ◽

Vitamin A Deficiency ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Peanut Butter ◽

Food Product ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sweet Potatoes ◽

Carotene Content ◽

Β Carotene

Provitamin A and pre-formed vitamin A compounds are essential micronutrients for humans. However, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects the health status of nearly 50% of populations in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and is especially pronounced in preschool children and pregnant women. The objective of this research was to determine an acceptable flavor/ingredient combination to produce a palatable food product that incorporates sweet potatoes, peanut paste, and chickpeas. We sought to determine the acceptability of the three product formulations and to determine the influence of demographic data on ratings for the sensory attributes of each sample. To address VAD issues, three formulations of a product incorporating sweet potato puree (to increase β-carotene content), pure peanut butter (to provide fat for β-carotene absorption), and chickpeas (to provide a complete protein source), were developed: (1) an unflavored control, and two formulations with added natural seasonings: (2) curry-flavored, and (3) pumpkin spice-flavored. Sensory analysis of the three products showed that the curry-flavored product received the highest acceptability in terms of overall liking, flavor, texture, and appearance (p < 0.001). Since the demographic effect was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), it is highly likely that the curry-flavored product can be implemented in other countries or areas with high acceptability.

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