Browsing by Author "Swai, Elirehema"

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Occurrence of aflatoxins and its management in diverse cropping systems of central Tanzania
(Springer, 2017) Seetha, Anitha; Munthali, Wills; Msere, Harry W; Swai, Elirehema; Muzanila, Yasinta; Sichone, Ethel; Tsusaka, Takuji W; Rathore, Abhishek; Okori, Patrick
The staple crops, maize, sorghum, bambara nut, groundnut, and sunflower common in semi-arid agro-pastoral farming systems of central Tanzania are prone to aflatoxin contamination. Consumption of such crop produce, contami- nated with high levels of aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ), affects growth and health. In this paper, aflatoxin contamination in freshly harvested and stored crop produce from central Tanzania was examined, including the efficacy of aflatoxin mitigation tech- nologies on grain/kernal quality. A total of 312 farmers were recruited, trained on aflatoxin mitigation technologies, and allowed to deploy the technologies for 2 years. After 2 years, 188 of the 312 farmers were tracked to determine whether they had adopted and complied with the mitigation practices. Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 contamina- tion in freshly harvested and stored grains/kernels were assessed. A. flavus frequency and aflatoxin production by fungi were assayed by examining culture characteristics and thin-layer chromatography respectively. AFB 1 was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The average aflatoxin contamination in freshly harvested samples was 18.8 μg/kg, which is above the acceptable standard of 10 μg/kg. Contamination increased during storage to an average of 57.2 μg/kg, indicating a high exposure risk. Grains and oil- seeds from maize, sorghum, and sunflower produced in aboveground reproductive structures had relatively low afla- toxin contamination compared to those produced in geocarpic structures of groundnut and bambara nut. Farmers who adopted recommended post-harvest management practices had considerably lower aflatoxin contamination in their stored kernels/grains. Furthermore, the effects of these factors were quantified by multivariate statistical analyses. Training and behavioral changes by farmers in their post-harvest practice minimize aflatoxin contamination and improve food safety. Moreover, if non-trained farmers receive mitigation training, aflatoxin concentration is predicted to decrease by 28.9 μg/kg on average.
Reducing child undernutrition through dietary diversification, reduced aflatoxin exposure, and improved hygiene practices: the immediate impacts in central Tanzania
(Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2020) Anitha, Seetha; Muzanila, Yasinta; Tsusaka, Takuji W.; Kachulu, Lizzie; Kumwenda, Nelson; Musoke, Mike; Swai, Elirehema; Shija, Jackson; Siambi, Moses; Bekunda, Mateete; Okori, Patrick; Monyo, Emmanuel S.
The study aimed to quantify the immediate effects of dietary diversification, food safety, and hygiene interventions on child undernutrition in four rural villages in Kongwa district of cen- tral Tanzania. One hundred mothers with their children of less than 24 months old were recruited for this study. The differ- ence-in-difference (DID) method was used to assess the effects of intensive intervention through a learning-by-doing process on the topic of aflatoxin free diversified food utilization and improved hygiene practices. Periodic anthropometric measure- ments were conducted on the 0th, 7th, 14th, and 21st days, and DID estimator showed the significant and positive average marginal effects of the intervention on Z-Scores being 0.459, 0.252, and 0.493 for wasting, stunting, and underweight, respectively. Notably, at the end of the study, the mean aflatoxin M 1 level in urine samples decreased by 64% in the intervention group, while it decreased by 11% in the control group. The study provides quantitative evidence on intensive 21-day training for mothers incorporating integrated technol- ogies yielded positive impacts on their children’s nutritional outcomes.
Reducing child undernutrition through dietary diversification, reduced aflatoxin exposure, and improved hygiene practices: the immediate impacts in central Tanzania
(Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, LLC., 2019) Anitha, Seetha; Muzanila, Yasinta; Tsusaka, Takuji W; Kachulu, Lizzie; Kumwenda, Nelson; Musoke, Mike; Swai, Elirehema; Shija, Jackson; Siambi, Moses; Monyo, Emmanuel S; Bekunda, Mateete; Okori, Patrick
The study aimed to quantify the immediate effects of dietary diversification, food safety, and hygiene interventions on child undernutrition in four rural villages in Kongwa district of cen- tral Tanzania. One hundred mothers with their children of less than 24 months old were recruited for this study. The differ- ence-in-difference (DID) method was used to assess the effects of intensive intervention through a learning-by-doing process on the topic of aflatoxin free diversified food utilization and improved hygiene practices. Periodic anthropometric measure- ments were conducted on the 0th, 7th, 14th, and 21st days, and DID estimator showed the significant and positive average marginal effects of the intervention on Z-Scores being 0.459, 0.252, and 0.493 for wasting, stunting, and underweight, respectively. Notably, at the end of the study, the mean aflatoxin M 1 level in urine samples decreased by 64% in the intervention group, while it decreased by 11% in the control group. The study provides quantitative evidence on intensive 21-day training for mothers incorporating integrated technol- ogies yielded positive impacts on their children’s nutritional outcomes.