The impacts of integrated homestead pond‐dike systems in relation to production,consumption and seasonality in central north Bangladesh

The roles of homestead ponds and surrounding dike production of vegetables on farms in peri‐urban and rural communities in central north Bangladesh were assessed. A baseline survey sought to characterize actively managed (“active”) pond‐dike systems, producing fish and vegetables, in terms of productivity and impact compared to less intensively integrated (“passive”) and control, no‐pond households. A longitudinal survey was carried out over 12 months to explore the relationship between seasonality and livelihood outcomes in relation to location and well‐being status. Active homestead pond operators tended to have greater access to information and credit compared to passive and non‐pond households; this was likely linked to their greater literacy and greater social connectedness. They enjoyed higher incomes through fish sales and consumed more fish than passive households, which was related to their higher production, in turn explained mainly by the use of more inputs. All active, 50% passive and 38% non‐pond households were involved in vegetable cultivation; however, significantly more vegetables were produced by active households than others. The impacts of pond‐dike production were more critical for food‐vulnerable, rural households than peri‐urban households prior to monsoon rice harvest; worse‐off households suffered more prior to the “irrigated rice” harvest. Fish and vegetables raised on farm were most important during lower income months. The study supports the view that small homestead ponds can contribute to the wider food supply, and that such “quasi‐peasant” forms of aquaculture contribute to reduced poverty and enhanced dietary diversity and food security in the broader population.     

The burden of chronic disease

The shift from acute infectious and deficiency diseases to chronic noncommunicable diseases is not a simple transition but a complex and dynamic epidemiological process, with some diseases disappearing and others appearing or reemerging. The unabated pandemic of childhood and adulthood obesity and concomitant comorbidities are affecting both rich and poor nations, while infectious diseases remain an important public health problem, particularly in developing countries. More attention should be given to the high burden of disease associated with soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis, which until recently was not considered a priority even though regular drug treatment is obtainable at relatively little cost. In developing countries, the pressing requirement is to provide an accessible and good quality health-care system, whereas industrialized countries have a major need for greater public health education and the promotion of healthy life-styles.     

Breadmaking Quality of Selected Durum Wheat Genotypes and Its Relationship with High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunits Allelic Variation and Gluten Protein Polymeric Composition

Twenty‐seven durum wheat genotypes originating from different geographical areas, all expressing LMW‐2 at Glu‐B3, and five bread wheats were evaluated for flour mixing properties, dough physical characteristics, and baking performance. Gluten polymeric composition was studied using size‐exclusion HPLC of unreduced flour protein extracts. As a group, durum wheats had poorer baking quality than bread wheats in spite of higher protein and total polymer concentrations. Durum wheats exhibited weaker gluten characteristics, which could generally be attributed to a reduced proportion of SDS‐unextractable polymer, and produced less extensible doughs than did bread wheats. However, substantial variation in breadmaking quality attributes was observed among durum genotypes. Better baking performance was generally associated with greater dough extensibility and protein content, but not with gluten strength related parameters. Extensibility did not correlate with gluten strength or SEHPLC parameters. Genotypes expressing high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW‐GS) 6+8 exhibited better overall breadmaking quality compared with those expressing HMW‐GS 7+8 or 20. Whereas differences between genotypes expressing HMW‐GS 6+8 and those carrying HMW‐GS 7+8 could only be attributed to variations in extensibility, the generally inferior baking performance of the HMW‐GS 20 group relative to the HMW‐GS 6+8 group could be attributed to both weaker and less extensible gluten characteristics.     

Bioactive Compounds and Pharmacological Potential of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Seeds - A Review

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - The use of complementary medicine has recently increased in an attempt to find effective alternative therapies that reduce the adverse effects of drugs....     

Dual modification of starch via partial enzymatic hydrolysis in the granular state and subsequent hydroxypropylation

The effect of enzymatic pretreatment on the degree of corn and mung bean starch derivatization by propylene oxide was investigated. The starch was enzymatically treated in the granular state with a mixture of fungal alpha-amylase and glucoamylase at 35 degrees C for 16 h and then chemically modified to produce enzyme-hydrolyzed-hydroxypropyl (HP) starch. Partial enzyme hydrolysis of starch in the granular state appeared to enhance the subsequent hydroxypropylation, as judged from the significant increase in the molar substitution. A variable degree of granule modification was obtained after enzyme hydrolysis, and one of the determinants of the modification degree appeared to be the presence of natural pores in the granules. Enzyme-hydrolyzed-HP starch exhibited significantly different functional properties compared to hydroxypropyl starch prepared from untreated (native) starch. It is evident that the dual modification of starch using this approach provides a range of functional properties that can be customized for specific applications.     

Deep water longline selectivity for black spot seabream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagellus bogaraveo</Emphasis>) in the Strait of Gibraltar

Species and size selectivity of the deep water longline traditionally used in commercial fishing of the black spot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) were studied in the Strait of Gibraltar with four sizes of hooks. Black spot seabream contributed up to 88% of the catch by number. Catch and by-catch rates differed for the different hooks and fishing trials. Significant differences in average fish length between all hooks, except in one case, were found. The comparison of two experimental fishing trials within 4 years indicates a displacement towards smaller sizes in the size frequency distributions. The results of this study show that the fishing gear can be size selective depending on hook size. The fitted selectivity models for each experiments were very different despite having two hooks in common. This is probably due to the very different catch size distributions in the two periods, which suggests that the population size structure changed significantly between 2000/2001 and 2004/2005.     

Effects of growing region and maturity stages on oil yield and fatty acid composition of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) fruit

Changes on oil yield and fatty acid profiles were studied during maturation of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) fruits cultivated in Menzel Temime and Oued Beja, Tunisia. Oil and petroselinic acid biosynthesis proceeded at a steady rate up to 16 DAF in Oued Beja and in 33 DAF in Menzel Temime. The first results show that a rapid oil accumulation started at newly formed fruits and continued until their full maturity. During fruit maturation, fatty acid profiles varied significantly among the growing regions and stages of maturity. Petroselinic acid had the highest amount at the 16th and the 33th DAF, in Oued Beja and Menzel Temime, respectively. In Oued Beja, at full maturity, the main fatty acids were petroselinic acid (80.90 ± 9.45%), followed by oleic (14.79 ± 2.25%), palmitic (3.50 ± 0.65%) and stearic (0.49 ± 0.09%) acids. Fatty acid profile of fruits cultivated in Menzel Temime showed that in fully ripe fruit, petroselinic acid is the main compound (80.86 ± 7.23%) followed by oleic (14.83 ± 2.05%), palmitic (3.27 ± 3.12%) and stearic (0.31 ± 0.05%) acids. In both growing region, fruit development resulted mainly in an increase of petroselinic acid and a decrease of palmitic acid. Saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased significantly and monounsaturated fatty acids increased during maturation of fruit. Oil composition at the first four stages of maturity has a healthy and nutritionally value and the last stages were with important economic and industrial applications. Coriander fruit is potentially an important source of petroselinic which have numerous industrial applications.     

Growth, haematology, blood constituents and immunological status of lambs fed graded levels of animal feed grade damaged wheat as substitute of maize

The aim of this study was to explore possibilities of utilization of animal feed grade damaged wheat (ADW) in lamb feeding, and assess the effect of ADW and its aflatoxin on intake, growth, haematology, blood biochemical constituents and immunological status. The ADW is a slightly mouldy feed resource, which is not suitable for human consumption. The experimental ADW contained dry matter (DM) 964, organic matter 974, crude protein 153, cellulose 205 and lignin 24, and starch 732 g/kg DM. ADW also contained aflatoxin B1 50 microg/kg due to mould infestation. Thirty-five weaner lambs (90 +/- 15 days of age and 16.1 +/- 0.82 kg body weight) in a randomized design were fed for 91 days on one of four composite feed mixtures (roughage to concentrate ratio of 25:75) containing 0, 118, 235, 353 or 470 g/kg ADW, which replaced equal amounts of maize and at these inclusion levels ADW replaced 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% maize in lamb diets respectively. Dry matter intake (DMI) was similar in different level of ADW fed lambs but ADW inclusion linearly (p = 0.016) reduced DMI. Average daily gain (g/day) was higher (p = 0.038) in lambs fed 353 g ADW diet. Haematological attributes viz. WBC, haemoglobin (Hb) and mean corpuscular volume did not affect by ADW feeding whereas it increased haematocrit, mean cell Hb and decreased neutrophil, RBC counts and mean cell Hb concentration. Blood glucose and urea-N increased whereas albumin and protein level reduced by ADW feeding. ADW feeding of lambs did not affect serum IgG level. The activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphates and acid phosphates were not affected, whereas alanine aminotransferase increased linearly (p = 0.001) with increasing levels of ADW. It is concluded that ADW containing aflatoxin B1 50 microg/kg DM can safely be incorporated in growing lamb feeding up to 353 g/kg diet without affecting growth and cellular immunity, however ADW may induce a transient alteration of hepatic enzymatic activities. Further aflatoxin content of the diet should be kept within permissible limits of respective country.