What Is Safe and How Much Does It Matter? Food Vendors’ and Consumers’ Views on Food Safety in Urban Nigeria

This study examines the food safety beliefs of vendors and consumers in a mid-sized Nigerian city using data from in-depth interviews and cognitive mapping techniques drawn from ethnography. We examine vendors’ and consumers’ perspectives on which foods are safe, which are not, and why; the place of foodborne illness among other health concerns and motivators of food choice; and how salient food safety is as a concern for vendors. The main perceived causes of unsafe food were found to be chemicals and insects; while bacterial illnesses were widely mentioned as a cause of gastrointestinal symptoms, these were not necessarily linked to food in consumers’ minds. Respondents agreed strongly that certain foods (e.g., cowpea, beef, green leafy vegetables, and local rice) were less safe than others. The importance of food safety as a choice motivator among consumers varies depending on framing: when asked directly, it was prominent and closely related to visible cleanliness, but concerns about food safety competed in consumers’ minds against other salient motivators of food and vendor choice, such as price. Most vendors did not see food safety, cleanliness, or hygiene as a key trait of a successful vendor, and just over half of vendors had any concern about the safety of their food. In conclusion, we note the implications for intervention designs, particularly the need to build upon consumers’ and vendors’ current beliefs and practices related to food safety in order to make foodborne disease prevention a more salient concern in food choice.

Food Behavior in Emergency Time: Wild Plant Use for Human Nutrition during the Conflict in Syria

Wild food plants (WFPs) have been an important source of human nutrition since ancient times, and it particularly revives when conventional food is not available due to emergency situations, such as natural disasters and conflicts. The war in Syria has entered 10 years since it started in 2011, and it has caused the largest war-related crises since World War II. Nearly 60% of the Syrian population (12.4 million people) are food-insecure. WFPs are already culturally important in the region, and may be supplementing local diets during this conflict. Our study aimed to uncover the conflict’s effect on the use of WFPs and to know what species are consumed by local people during the current crisis. The fieldwork was carried out between March 2020 and March 2021 in the Tartus governorate located in the coastal region of Syria. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 participants (26 women and 24 men) distributed in 26 villages along the study area. We recorded the vernacular names, uses, plant parts used, modes of preparation and consumption, change in WFP use before and during the conflict, and informants’ perceptions towards WFPs. We documented 75 wild food plant species used for food and drink. Almost two-thirds (64%) of informants reported an increase in their reliance on wild plants as a food source during the conflict. The species of Origanum syriacum, Rhus coriaria, Eryngium creticum, and Cichorium intybus were among the most quoted species by informants. Sleeq (steamed leafy vegetables), Zaatar (breakfast/dinner food), and Louf (soup) were the most popular wild plant-based dishes.

Synergistic effect of naturally occurring Granulosis virus isolates (PbGV) with phagostimulants against the cabbage butterfly, Pieris brassicae (L.) for its eco-friendly management

Background To manage the cabbage butterfly, Pierisbrassicae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), it is not wise to use insecticides on leafy vegetables which are eaten mostly fresh. During the past decades, the efforts to manage the pest, through chemical insecticides have raised serious health. Investigations were carried out to isolate naturally occurring GVs (PbGV) as a potent biopesticide against P.brassicae and to explore their efficacy with the application of phagostimulants. Results Among the four naturally occurring isolates obtained from Northwestern Himalayas, Sudhmahadev isolate was found to be the most promising based on virulence and speed of kill against all the instars tested in the laboratory, showing the natural incidence of PbGV infection in field conditions. In concentration and time–response bioassay, all the isolates of P.brassicae Granulosis virus were found high virulent against second instar larvae of cabbage butterfly. Therefore, for enhanced efficacy of PBGV, its combined application with phagostimulants (Lepidiumsativum + Teepol + jaggery) or sticker (Teepol + jaggery), applied in field trials, resulted into greater mortality of larval instars than the single one. Overall, the results indicated that the introduction of a more isolates PBGV strain into populations of P.brassicae could be of vital importance for eco-friendly suppression of this pest globally with the combination of phagostimulants. The application virus alone with the pre-standardized concentration of 1 × 1012 OBs/ha did not reduce the larval population density to the desirable extent in the greenhouse chamber and therefore was not included in field experiments. Overall, the most promising treatments in reducing the larval population of the pest were PbGV + Teepol + B.thuringiensis (93.49 and 91.39%) and PbGV + Teepol + L.sativum (88.79 and 86.97%) over control in both greenhouse and field trials, respectively. Conclusions In this study, the native isolates of PbGV from different target locations to test their efficacy against different instars of P.brassicae were explored. Using native PBGV isolates with phagostimulant combinations played an important role for regulating the pest effectively. These phagostimulants not only protected the OBs from degradation in the presence of sunlight but also increased the speed of killing. The biocontrol potential of PbGV in both laboratory and field conditions indicated that baculoviruses are sustainable alternative to chemical insecticides.

Leveraging Digital Tools and Crowdsourcing Approaches to Generate High-Frequency Data for Diet Quality Monitoring at Population Scale in Rwanda

Diet quality is a critical determinant of human health and increasingly serves as a key indicator for food system sustainability. However, data on diets are limited, scattered, often project-dependent, and current data collection systems do not support high-frequency or consistent data flows. We piloted in Rwanda a data collection system, powered by the principles of citizen science, to acquire high frequency data on diets. The system was deployed through an unstructured supplementary service data platform, where respondents were invited to answer questions regarding their dietary intake. By combining micro-incentives with a normative nudge, 9,726 responses have been crowdsourced over 8 weeks of data collection. The cost per respondent was < $1 (system set-up, maintenance, and a small payment to respondents), with interactions taking <15 min. Exploratory analyses show that >70% of respondents consume tubers and starchy vegetables, leafy vegetables, fruits, legumes, and wholegrains. Women consumed better quality diets than male respondents, revealing a sex-based disparity in diet quality. Similarly, younger respondents (age ≤ 24 years) consumed the lowest quality diets, which may pose significant risks to their health and mental well-being. Middle-income Rwandans were identified to have consumed the highest quality diets. Long-term tracking of diet quality metrics could help flag populations and locations with high probabilities of nutrition insecurity, in turn guiding relevant interventions to mitigate associated health and social risks.

Development and effectiveness of greenhouse type solar dryer for coriander leaves

Aim: Sun drying system is not able to provide the best drying performance and quality dried produce of leafy vegetables. To facilitate better options to the farmers, this study aims to develop and evaluate a cost-effective greenhouse type solar dryer to improve shelf stability of coriander leaves. Methodology: A greenhouse type solar dryer (5m x 3m x 2.3m) was developed with the provision of rigid frame, 200 µ UV stabilized LDPE glazing material, solar collector cum drying chamber, inlet air and outlet air openings. The dryer was evaluated for its performance, drying characteristics of coriander leaves and qualitative evaluation of dried product as compared to open sun drying. Results: The greenhouse type solar dryer performed well for coriander drying with increased level of temperature inside the dryer (42oC) and 24% reduced drying time as compared to sun drying (29oC).The loading capacity, efficiency, payback period and B:C ratio of the dryer were found to be 100 kg, 70.47 %, 1.26 yr and 1.79, respectively. The drying of coriander leaves occured mostly in falling rate period. Coriander leaves dried under the dryer possessed higher values of chlorophyll content (1.356 mg g-1 of tissue), ascorbic acid content (111.257 mg 100g-1), rehydration ratio (5.302) and coefficient of rehydration (0.762) than sun dried coriander leaves with the respective values of these quality parameters being 1.097 mg g-1 of tissue, 62.37 mg 100g-1, 4.715 and 0.689, respectively.

Protective Roles of Some Leafy and Non-leafy Vegetables against the Severity of Arsenic-induced Skin Lesions among Women Living in Rural Bangladesh: A Case Control Study

Arsenicosis is common among villagers as they drink more contaminatedwater since the arsenic-crisis in Bangladesh. Supplementation of vitamins and micronutrients in counteracting arsenic toxicity has been proved for arsenic treatment. This study was intended to assess protective and beneficial roles of some commonly eaten vegetables on the development and severity of arsenicinduced skin lesions. A case-control study among (N=122) adult rural-women (62 cases had various forms of arsenical skin-lesions e.g. melanosis/keratosis/ mixed-lesions and 60 sex-age-matched healthy-controls) was conducted in Shaharstee Upazilla of Chandpur district, Bangladesh. Socio-demographic data recorded in a pre-tested-questionnaire, ‘per-day vegetables ingestion’ of cases and controls were measured qualitative and quantitatively (24-hour recall-methods, food-frequency/week and food history-record/week). Multiple logistic regression/MLR analyses were performed to find out protective roles of some dietary leafy-vegetables/LVs and non-leafy vegetables/NLVs on arsenicosis and their influences on the degree of severity of arsenicosis also determined. Abstinence from taking some LVs/NLVs among cases than controls is associated with increased risk for arsenicosis (P<0.05). Amongst all most-frequently eaten vegetables (n=17) per day Momordica diocia has the highest skin protective role on arsenicosis [Adjusted odds ratio/AOR 8.2, 95% CI (2.11-31.9), P=<0.01], followed by Ipomoea acquatica (AOR:7.3), Basella alba (AOR:6.2), Solanum tuberosum (AOR:4.0), Vigna unguiculata sesquipedalis (AOR:3.2), Trichosanthes anguina (AOR:1.2) and Abelmoschus esculentus (AOR:1.2). Moreover, severe skin lesion was observed as compared to non-severe cases (mild/moderate) for less intake frequencies of vegetables. This study outlined that commonly eaten vegetables have protective and beneficial roles on arsenic-induced skin lesions. Large samples longitudinal study of this important field of therapeutic-intervention is warranted

Evaluation of vegetables grown in dry mountainous regions for soil transmitted helminths contamination

Infection caused by geo-helminth parasites are called geohelminthiasis are one of the global health problems. Vegetables eaten raw is the principal source of transmission of geo-helminth parasites. Pakistani people believe that eating raw vegetables are a significant source to get important vitamins and minerals. Based on the high incidence of pathogenic parasites and cultivating different vegetable types in the study areas, we conducted this study to evaluate the geo-helminth contamination of raw vegetables in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This is a descriptive study comprised, 1942 samples of 25 various types of vegetables. The samples were examined in physiological saline solution using sedimentation and centrifugation methods. The findings were analyzed by Graph-Pad version 5. P value less than 0.05 (95% CI) was considered significant. Results showed that 16.5% (n=322) of all vegetables were contaminated with one or more type of geo-helminth parasites. Garlic was the highest (35%) and cauliflower the lowest (4%) contaminated samples respectively. Ascaris lumbricoides was the most common geo-helminth found followed by hook worm species while Trichuris trichura was the least in all the vegetable samples. Leafy vegetables were highly contaminated 25.3% than vegetables with root parts 21.2% and fruity 9.09%. More than half of the contaminated vegetables were contaminated with single species of geo-helminth (P<0.05) while less than half with multiple types of geo-helminth contamination. Ninety two vegetables samples were contaminated with 2 species of parasites (P<0.05) and 45 with 3 (P>0.05) species of geo-helminth parasites. Education level of vendors and means of display were not significantly associated while types of vegetable used were significantly associated with the prevalence of parasites. The findings of this study provide evidence that consumption of raw vegetable has a high risk of acquiring geo-helminth infections. The authors believe that preventing the human to enter to the vegetable farmland for defecation, avoiding the irrigation of agricultural fields via night soil, and educating the people on proper washing and cooking of vegetables may be useful in reducing parasitic infections.

Germination and Seedling Growth Response of Sprouts and Leafy Vegetables after Applying Oxygen Nanobubble Water

Background and objective: The nanobubbles remain stable in water, and it increased dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water that promotes the seed germination and the plant growth. We evaluated the seed germination and growth of sprouts (radish, wheat, and barley) and leafy vegetables (red mustard and pak choi) when irrigated with various DO of nanobubble water (NB).Methods: The oxygen NB was generated by surface friction and treated in 4 levels: NB 0% (control, DO 9.21 mg·L-1), NB 20% (DO 15.40 mg·L-1), NB 33% (DO 20.93 mg·L-1), and NB 100% (DO 39.29 mg·L-1).Results: The root length of radish and wheat increased more in NB 33% than the control plot. The fresh weight increased in NB 33% compared to the control plot in radish and wheat, and both fresh and dry weight increased more in NB 20%, NB 33%, and NB 100% than the control plot of barley. The leaf length and width of red mustard decreased more in NB 33% and NB 100% than the control plot and NB 20%, which indicated the leaf compactness. The fresh and dry weight of shoot and root increased more in NB 100% than the control plot in red mustard. In pak choi, the shoot fresh weight increased more in NB 100% than the control plot. In leafy vegetables, the germination rate of red mustard in NB 100% was higher than the control plot, however, it was not significantly different between oxygen NB plots in sprout vegetables.Conclusion: The results showed that the root growth and biomass increased after applying NB 33% in sprout vegetables. The leaf growth properties as the number of leaves and leaf size were not significantly different or decreased in NB treatments compared to control plots, but NB 100% (DO 39.29 mg·L-1) effectively increased the root growth and plant biomass in leafy vegetables.