Fatty acid,amino acid,and trace mineral analyses of five weaning foods from Jos,Nigeria

Five plant-based weaning foods (WF) (Dietrend, Jot-M, Soy, Ang and Vic-T) locallyprepared in Jos, Nigeria were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography,reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and atomicemission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma to determine theirfatty acid (FA), amino acid, and trace mineral contents, respectively.Results of these direct analyses were compared to expected values derivedfrom food composition tables prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Additionally, results were compared against recommendednutrient values, using breast milk as the standard for FA content andrecommended dietary allowances (RDA) for amino acid and mineral contents.The overall nutritional value of the five WF varied considerably and thequantities of particular nutrients determined by direct analysis differedmarkedly from those estimated using USDA food tables. Comparison of WFfatty acid composition relative to the RDA recommendations and a humanmilk standard revealed a much higher proportion of both linoleic (35–55wt%) and -linolenic acids (1%–7 wt%) relative to human milklipids (11%–12% and 0.8%–0.9% wt, respectively); however, the WFwere devoid of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Soy containedthe highest amounts of linoleic acid (59.7 mg/g) and -linolenicacid (7.46 mg/g) compared to the other four WF (10.2–41.0 and 0.35–3.18 mg/g, respectively). The linoleic acid/-linolenic acid ratio was within the recommended range (5:1 to 10:1) in only Jot-M (10:1)and Soy (8:1). Dietrend, Vic-T and Ang, containedlinoleic/-linolenic ratios of 12:1, 29:1, and 82:1, respectively.The Soy weaning food would provide the most protein (24.3 g/day), basedon an estimated daily intake of 65 g of weaning food by a normalsix-month-old infant, compared to Jot-M (11.9 g/day), Dietrend (11.7g/day), Ang (8.07 g/day) and Vic-T (7.26 g/day). The protein RDA forchildren up to 1 year of age is 13–14 g/day. Comparison of the mineralcontents of the WF to the RDAs for various minerals indicated that all fivewould provide suboptimal amounts of calcium (16 to 250 mg/day) andzinc (1.42 to 3.56 mg/day) compared to respective RDAs of400 mg/day and 5 mg/day.These data show that the Soy weaning food is an excellent source of linoleicacid and -linolenic acid, as well as being a good source of highquality protein. Jot-M and Dietrend provide useful amounts of the essentialFA; however, it is advisable to reevaluate the composition of Ang andVic-T to find ways to improve the linoleic/-linolenic ratio of eachand increase their total protein content. These results document theshortcomings of using published food composition tables based on foods inAmerica when devising weaning foods based on ingredients in another partof the world.     

利用Matlab软件进行耳石形态实例研究

以东北水域六种常见鲤科鱼类微耳石为研究对象,利用Matlab软件,从传统形态分析法(I)和椭圆傅立叶轮廓分析法(EFA,Ⅱ)两方面进行形态学分析。对第I类参数进行方差分析和Bayes逐步判别分析及对第Ⅱ类参数进行聚类分析,结果表明,鲤科鱼类微耳石形态不仅具有种间多样性特征,还具有种内相似性特征;结果还表明,自判别的正确率达到了69.9%,主成分分析优化后的第Ⅰ、Ⅱ类参数的综合变量自判别将正判率提升至81.6%,表明微耳石形态对鲤科鱼类物种鉴别具有可行性。     

Comparison between α-LNA and DHA in early developmental stages of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Takifugu obscurus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Takifugu rubripes</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   Rearing experiments were conducted to investigate the essential fatty acid requirements in the early developmental stages of river puffer Takifugu obscurus and tiger puffer T. rubripes using two n-3 series unsaturated fatty acids, α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3, α-LNA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA), under salinity of 30 and 18.5–20.3°C. River and tiger puffer larvae used in this study were 15 and 14 days old after hatching, and their average body weights were 30.1 and 20.8 mg, respectively. The results on fatty acid requirements of these two species were evaluated from fish growth, survival, fatty acid composition of the fish body and activity test results. The DHA groups of both river and tiger puffer exhibited better survival and weight gain. However, there was no difference in the mean final body weights of river puffer between two dietary groups. Also, the DHA group of tiger puffer showed better results in the recovery test from anesthetic condition than that obtained in the LNA group. In an examination of the fatty acid compositions of the whole body, the LNA group containing no dietary DHA resulted in 0.5% DHA in tiger puffer and 1.1% DHA in river puffer . These results suggest that α-LNA from Artemia converted to eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) and to DHA successively by their fatty acid metabolism. Symptoms following essential fatty acid deficiency were not observed in any experimental groups. As river puffer did not represent a significant difference in the dietary effects between α-LNA and DHA treatment groups, its essential fatty acid requirement was assumed to be somewhat closer to that of the freshwater fishes in comparison with that of marine fishes, including tiger puffer.     

Farmers’ perceptions and attitudes toward forest watershed conservation of the North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest

Over the past several decades, the management of forest ecosystem functions through policies such as “command and control” has not been successful, largely because existing policies and legislation for natural resource management are inadequate and often formulated without consulting local communities such as farmers. However, farmers’ decisions to participate in natural resource conservation or watershed conservation more particularly are generally influenced by their knowledge of the problems and perceived benefits of conservation. This study focuses on farmers’ perceptions and attitudes toward forest watershed conservation in the North West Selangor Peat Swamp forest of Malaysia. A survey questionnaire was administered to 380 paddy farmers at the North West Selangor irrigation scheme. Dates were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the theory of value and social psychology constructs. The study concludes that farmers have generally positive attitudes toward forest watershed conservation. Therefore, we recommend farmers’ involvement in the conservation and management of the North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest (NSPSF).     

饲料中必需脂肪酸对中国对虾体内必需脂肪酸含量的影响

用正交设计法设计亚油酸（１８∶２ｎ－６）、亚麻酸（１８∶３ｎ－３）、二十碳五烯酸（２０∶５ｎ－３）和二十二碳六烯酸（２２∶６ｎ－３）３因素、３水平饲喂中国对虾试验，结果表明，对虾体内４种必需脂肪酸（ＥＦＡ）含量随饲料中４种必需脂肪酸含量增加而增加。当饲料中亚麻酸、二十碳五烯酸和二十二碳六烯酸含量分别为０．８４％～１．１０％、０．２１％～０．４８％和０．３７％～０７４％时，养殖对虾与野生虾体内这３种必需脂肪酸含量接近。由于饲料中亚油酸含量较高，所以养殖虾体内亚油酸含量高于野生虾。