Over 20% of plant species assessed are threatened with extinction. Most of these plants have food security implications, especially in developing countries. Traditional seeds and cutting propagation techniques cannot counter the loss rate, and tissue culture provides a fast alternative to conventional propagation techniques. However, tissue culture has been considered too expensive for developing countries negatively impacted by food insecurity. A gelling agent is the costliest media component in plant tissue culture. This study aims to assess different gelling agents to find suitable ones with low cost and acceptable gelling properties for developing countries, especially in rural areas. Plantain explants were propagated on 16 starch-based substrates to evaluate their suitability as tissue culture gelling agents. This study compared the cost of various substrates and their gelling properties, such as clarity, toxicity, and texture, with agar as a reference gelling agent. Some substrates, such as xanthan, had good gelling properties, but their cost was too high (5.98 Euro L−1) to be considered low-cost. Other substrates, such as cassava starch, did not have suitable gelling properties; however, the cost was low (0.99 Euro L−1). Two of the substrates, mung bean and Isabgol, had suitable gelling properties and cost less than one euro. Therefore, smallholder banana and plantain farmers in resource-poor countries can undertake tissue culture operations with mung bean and Isabgol as gelling agents with minimum cost.

No abstract

No abstract

Purpose Limited data are available in facilitating nutritional interventions in developing countries. The objective of this study is to assess the mean dietary diversity score (DDS)of Mbororo minority women in the Northwest region of Cameroon. Design/methodology/approach The study used the random sampling technique within the Mbororo minority communities (Adorates). A questionnaire on dietary diversity, including 461 Mbororo women, provided information on food consumed using the 24-h dietary recall method. Findings Various socio-cultural and economic characteristics of the Mbororo women affected the nutrient level of their diet. Moreover, starchy staples, vitamin-A rich vegetables and palm oil and milk and milk products were consumed by more than half of the Mbororo community. Family herd size showed a positive influence on the dietary habit of the Mbororo population. The mean DDS significantly increased (p = 0.001), as herd size increased from below 50 (3.9 ± 1.1) to above 100 (4.8 ± 1.2). Practical implications Most of the diet consumed by the Mbororo women were low in iron, making them susceptible to nutrition anemia. The diet of the Aku women was more deficient in micronutrients than their Jaafun counterpart. These results indicate suitable areas of intervention for any nutrition program that targets the Mbororo minority group of Northwest Cameron. Social implications DDS can be used in assessing and classifying the population in rural communities according to the deficiencies in micronutrients of their diet. Originality/value The use of DDS to assess the nutrient quality of diets is frequently used to evaluate the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies but has never been applied to Mbororo minority women.

No abstract