The search for lesser known and underutilized crops, many of which are potentially valuable as human and animal foods has been the focus for research in recent years. The aim of this study is to determine the physico-chemical and functional properties of jackfruit seed flour. The fruits were cut, the seeds removed, sliced, dried at 60 °C for 24 hrs, milled using hammer mill to pass through a 250 µm sieve, packaged in polyethelyne bag and kept in a refrigerator (~ 4 °C). The moisture content of the jackfruit seed flour was 6.09 %. The ash and fat contents (dry matter basis) were 2.70 % and 1.27 % respectively. The protein content, fibre content and carbohydrate content were 13.50 %, 3.19 % and 79.34 % respectively. The caloric value obtained was 382.79 kcal/100g. The Jackfruit seed flour contains an appreciable value of calcium (3087 mg/kg), Iron (130.74 mg/kg), potassium (14781 mg/kg), sodium (60.66 mg/kg), copper (10.45 mg/kg) and manganese (1.12 mg/kg). The pH and titratable acidity values were 5.78 and 1.12 % (as lactic acid) respectively. High water absorption capacity (25 %), fat absorption capacity (17.0 %) and bulk density (0.80 g/cm 3 ) were recorded for the jackfruit seed flour. The values for swelling power, foam capacity and foam stability were 4.77, 25.34 % and 33 % respectively. The flour produced may be use as thickening and binding agent in food systems.

Background Few studies have evaluated the long-term effects of nutritional supplementation during the first 1000 d of life. We previously reported that maternal and child lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) increased child length by 18 mo. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the effects of LNS on later growth and body composition at 4–6 y of age. Design This was a follow-up of children in the International Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (iLiNS)-DYAD trial in Ghana. Women (n = 1320) at ≤20 weeks of gestation were randomly assigned to: 1) iron and folic acid during pregnancy and 200 mg calcium/d for 6 mo postpartum, 2) multiple micronutrients (1–2 RDA of 18 vitamins and minerals) during both periods, or 3) maternal LNS during both periods plus child LNS from 6 to 18 mo. At 4–6 y, we compared height, height-for-age z score (HAZ), and % body fat (deuterium dilution method) between the LNS group and the 2 non-LNS groups combined. Results Data were available for 961 children (76.5% of live births). There were no significant differences between LNS compared with non-LNS groups in height [106.7 compared with 106.3 cm (mean difference, MD, 0.36; P = 0.226)], HAZ [−0.49 compared with −0.57 (MD = 0.08; P = 0.226)], stunting (< -2 SD) [6.5 compared with 6.3% (OR = 1.00; P = 0.993)], or % body fat [15.5 compared with 15.3% (MD = 0.16; P = 0.630)]. However, there was an interaction with maternal prepregnancy BMI (kg/m2) (P-interaction = 0.046 before correction for multiple testing): among children of women with BMI < 25 , LNS children were taller than non-LNS children (+1.1 cm, P = 0.017), whereas there was no difference among children of women with BMI ≥ 25 (+0.1 cm; P = 0.874). Conclusions There was no overall effect of LNS on height at 4–6 y in this cohort, which had a low stunting rate, but height was greater in the LNS group among children of nonoverweight/obese women. There was no adverse impact of LNS on body composition. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00970866.

BackgroundAlthough breastfeeding of infants is recommended globally, the fact that maternal toxic metal stores are mobilised into breast milk implies infants, whose mothers live and work in mining communities, are at risk of multiple exposure to mining related toxic metals, such as Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd) and Arsenic (As), through breast milk intake, in addition to in utero exposure.MethodA total of 114 mother-baby pairs, recruited from two community hospitals servicing mining communities in two different regions in Ghana (57 each), were involved in this study. When the babies were 3 months old, the amount of breast milk intake, concentrations of selected toxic metals in the breast milk and therefore the amount of toxic metals exposure through breast milk were determined. The study also, determined the amount of these toxic metals in the hair and urine of each mother-baby pair at 3 months postpartum.ResultsBased on the amounts of milk intake and non-milk oral intakes (geometric mean of 0.701 (95% CL 0.59–0.81) Kg/day and median of 0.22 Kg/day respectively), 90% of the babies were determined to have been exclusively breastfed. The amounts of most of the toxic metals in breast milk were higher than the WHO set limits and for 46.4%, 33.3% and 4.4% of the babies, their intake of As, Hg and Pb respectively were above the WHO provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) values.ConclusionAn appreciable proportion of babies living within the communities served by the Mangoasi Community Hospital in the Obuasi Municipality of the Ashanti Region and the Dompime Health Centre in the Tarkwa Municipality of the Western Region were exposed to Hg, As and Pb through breast milk in excess of what they should and these may have health implication for the infants and therefore calls for interventions.

Objectives Tomato is a popular fruit that makes significant contributions to human nutrition for its content of sugars, acids, vitamins, minerals, lycopene, and other constituents. The fruit, however, has a short shelf life due to its climacteric nature. In view of this, an experiment was conducted to determine the effect of postharvest treatment on the physicochemical properties of fresh tomato fruits. Materials and Methods Freshly harvested tomato fruits were subjected to 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 kGy gamma radiation and stored at 10 ± 1°C and 28 ± 1°C. Parameters analysed during the study include pH, total titratable acidity, weight loss, total solids, and moisture content of the sample. Results At both storage temperatures, results of the analyses were in the range of 2.80%–38.67% for weight loss, 0.23%–0.51% for total titratable acidity, 3.5%–5.0% for total soluble solids, 94.43%–96.53% for moisture content, and pH was generally low in the samples stored at 10 ± 1°C. Generally, gamma irradiation had an effect on the total soluble solids, total titratable acids, pH values, and moisture content and physiological weight loss at both storage temperatures. Conclusion From the study, storing Burkina variety at a low temperature preserves the tomato fruits better than storing them at ambient temperature.

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