Enhancing the quality of school feeding programs in Ghana. Unpublished article. Legon: Department of Nutrition and Food Science.
A nation's ability to harness its resources for development is partly based on the quality of human capital available. The cognitive and mental development of undernourished children is known to be deficient or delayed and can adversely affect school performance. If under-nutrition is present in educational institutions and is carried further in life (7-18 years age group) the health of the population is compromised. Proper nutrition is critical for optimal growth, development and the general well-being and academic performance of children. Access to good nutrition either at home or through the educational system can contribute to the elimination of malnutrition and all its associated health and developmental problems. In this regard, efforts to promote health should begin as early in life as possible and the educational institutional settings provide a good opportunity. In Ghana, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture …
HIV/AIDS and Agriculture in Africa: The Woman's Role in Agricultural Policy Formulation and Implementation
Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is frequently perceived as an individual health problem or as an epidemic with effects on morbidity or mortality, health care and costs. From such a perspective, the" AIDS epidemic" emerges as a series of more or less clearly defined epidemics, each with characteristics of the subsystem in which it occurs and, together, forming a pandemic. HIV/AIDS is transmitted through heterosexual and homosexual intercourse, intravenous drug use (IDU), homosexual or based on blood transfusion. These aspects are very important, but they are not the only possible dimensions of the epidemic (Semba and Tang, 1999). Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than 70 per cent of all HIV/AIDS cases globally. It is the only region where women living with HIV/AIDS outnumber men. Nearly 25 million Africans are living with HIV/AIDS, the vast majority of them adults in the prime of their working and parenting lives. Some 15 million people in Africa have already died of AIDS, with devastating social and economic consequences (UNAIDS, 1999). In the 30 sub-Saharan African countries with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence levels, the average life expectancy has already started to decline, standing at about 47 years, roughly seven years lower than it would have been in the absence of the pandemic. The lifetime risk of dying from AIDS has
The Woman’s Role In Agricultural Policy Formulation and Implementation
Gender issues in agricultural technology development are focused on. In spite of a general perception of the vital role of women in agricultural production, some models and concepts still undermining this reality are identified and discussed. The prevalent model of modal rural households assumes a male head who acts as the single farm decision maker and many economic models of farm enterprises assume a commonality of interest among household members. Similarly, the conceptual and modelling biases of studies of production, commodities and annual field monocrops, and the focus on single utilities are also discussed, drawing examples from several developing countries. It is suggested that irrationality and waste of research and extension inevitably result in a non-adoption of technological innovation. It is concluded that entrenched normative and methodological problems continue to inhibit adequate data …
Over the past few decades, cocoa has increasingly gained spectacular attention on the global market as it continues to become one of the most lucrative and heavily traded food commodities in the world. This has led to interesting continuous increases in cocoa production across the world, most especially by the four main growing countries in West Africa—Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon—now together providing~ 75% of the global cocoa market. Coupled with these and the recent expansion of cocoa production from Southeast Asia—Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam—has raised questions by various stakeholders in the cocoa business and processors in the confectionery industry over the quality of cocoa that enters the international market. That notwithstanding, the cocoa market has become far more sophisticated than it was in the 1990s and despite the challenges it faces it is still one of the largest …
Viscoelastic properties and physico-functional characterization of six high yielding cassava mosaic disease-resistant cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) genotypes
Investigations were conducted to characterize six high yielding cassava mosaic disease (CMD) resistant cassava varieties (Ampong, Broni bankye, Sika, Otuhia, Amakuma and Bankye fitaa) that have been developed by the Crop Research Institute of Ghana in collaboration with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture for their differences and similarities in viscoelastic properties and physico-functional characteristics. The viscoelastic properties (pasting temperature, peak viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown viscosity and setback viscosity), and physico-functional characteristics (swelling power, solubility and water binding capacity) were determined using standard analytical methods. The results showed wide variations in viscoelastic properties with values ranging from 270.67-380.67 BU for peak viscosity, 37.17-260 BU for final viscosity, 199.83-282.33 BU for breakdown viscosity, 21.83-98.66 BU for setback viscosity and 2.48-10.51 min time to pasting temperature. Similarly, variations in swelling power, solubility and water binding capacity were noted with values ranging between 14.34-17.04%, 73.04-79.98% and 234.53-276.63% respectively for all the different cassava genotypes. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (P< 0.05) amongst the studied cassava genotypes with Sika (improved variety) having exceptionally high viscoelastic characteristics. The differences noted in the viscoelastic properties and physico-functional characteristics of the six CMD resistant cassava genotypes could be used in their selection for specific food and industrial processing applications.
Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, A Budu, S Asiedu, C Chiwona-Karltun, DB Nyirenda
Response surface methodology for studying the effect of processing conditions on some nutritional and textural properties of bambara groundnuts (Voandzei subterranea) during …
The response surface methodology and central composite rotatable design for K=3 was used to study the combined effect of blanching, soaking and sodium hexametaphosphate salt concentration on moisture, ash, leached solids, phytates, tannins and hardness of bambara groundnut during canning. Regression models were developed to predict the effects of the processing parameters on the studied indices. Significant interactions were observed between all the factors with high regression coefficients (64.4–82.6%). Blanching and soaking of the seeds prior to canning led to increases in moisture content and leached solids, while significant decreases were observed for phytates, tannins and hardness of the canned bambara groundnuts. Increasing the concentration of sodium salt added during soaking caused significant (P≤0.05) decreases in phytates, tannins and the hardness of the seeds, suggesting that pre …
Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, Agnes Simpson Budu, Alan Bullock Merson
Application of response surface methodology for optimizing the pre-processing conditions of bambara groundnut (Voandzei subterranea) during canning
Bambara groundnut (Voandzei subterranea) seeds were canned with the objective of investigating the optimal pre-processing conditions that would yield the best quality canned product from it. Pre-canning procedures such as blanching time, soaking time and sodium hexametaphosphate [(NaPO3) 6] salt concentration were used as the independent variables for a Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD). The pre-processing parameters obtained from the CCRD for k= 3 were used for the canning of the bambara groundnuts and the quality characteristics (moisture content, pH of the drained liquid, drained weight, splitting of the seeds, leached solids and seed hardness) of the canned products were studied using response surface methodology. Regression models were generated using regression analysis and used for the plotting of response surface curves. Adequacy of the model equation for predicting the …
High yielding and cassava mosaic disease (CMD) resistant cassava varieties have been developed by the Crop Research Institute of Ghana with varying compositions and concentrations of starches and sugars. This study characterized four of these improved cassava varieties (Ampong, Broni bankye, Sika and Otuhia) together with two traditional varieties (Amakuma and Bankye fitaa) for their composition of starches and sugars using principal component and cluster analyses. The concentration of total sugars, reducing and non-reducing sugars, sucrose, starches, amylose and amylopectin were determined using standard analytical methods. Results obtained were total sugar (4.04-18.47%), non-reducing sugar (2.08-16.21%), sucrose (1.98-15.40%), starch (15.39-31.07%) and amylose (30.57-40.33%) and these were significantly different (p< 0.05) amongst the studied cassava varieties. The improved varieties (Ampong, Broni bankye, Sika and Otuhia) had high total sugar levels ranging from 7.19 to 18.47%. With the exception of Broni bankye (improved variety) all the improved and traditional varieties were high starch and amylose containing varieties. These differences in the biochemical composition of the traditional and improved cassava varieties could be used in their selection for specific food and industrial processing applications.
Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, Agnes Simpson Budu, Clement Asiedu, Linley Chiwona-Karltun, Drinah B Nyirenda
Changes in biochemical and physico-chemical qualities during drying of pulp preconditioned and fermented cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans
This study investigated the effects of post-harvest pod storage as a means of pulp preconditioning on the souring production, flavour precursors development and free fatty acids during drying of fermented Ghanaian cocoa beans. A 4 x 4 full factorial experiment was conducted with pod storage (0, 7, 14, 21 days) and drying times (0, 2, 4 and 6 days) as the principal factors. The souring/acidification indices (pH and titratable acidity), total sugar, total nitrogen and free fatty acids (FFA) were studied using standard analytical methods. The results showed that titratable acidity, total sugars and total nitrogen in cocoa beans decreased during drying and with increasing pod storage durations probably due to their participation in Maillard nonenzymatic reactions to form flavour volatiles and colour pigments as Amadori intermediates. By contrast, FFAs and pH increased during drying and with increasing pod storage durations. Pod storage for up to 7 days followed by 6 days of fermentation and drying respectively produced beans with acceptable FFA values below 1.75% whilst enhancing the flavour precursors development and reductions in nib acidity. However, these observed changes were more dependent on pod storage than on drying.
Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, Agnes Simpson Budu, Henry Mensah-Brown, Jemmy Felix