Objective: Nowadays, there have been several reports of herbal products falsified with well-known synthetic molecules, leading to harmful health consequences for the consumer. The aim of this study was to assess the profile of ‘natural' herbal aphrodisiacs in the local markets of the municipalities of Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi in Benin and to screen some of them for the presence of additives such as sildenafil and tadalafil. Methods: A non-probability survey was conducted to identify the available aphrodisiacs and their characteristics. Some of them were then selected for analysis. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) was adopted for qualitative detection. The TLC positive extracts were then analyzed by HPLC on a C18 column with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of 0.05M phosphate buffer (pH 5.8), acetonitrile and methanol (30:50:20). The Detection was performed at 290 nm. Results: Seventy-seven aphrodisiacs were identified and from these, 18 were selected for analysis. Six of them were adulterated with tadalafil. The concentration of tadalafil in the samples was 1.7 to 4.6 times higher than the recommended dose of 20 mg. Conclusion: This work opens the door to the need to control ‘‘natural’’ labeled products in order to ensure their quality.
Background: Homemade complementary foods which are prepared from staples by the mothers or caregivers are mostly used in Africa including Benin. These foods are not adequately enriched and hygienic conditions are sometimes poor. Aims: The aim was to describe household production methods of infant flours and to estimate their macronutrient content in Benin. Methods: From August to October 2020, 20 mothers of children aged 6 to 11 months were selected in the municipalities of Covè and Djakotomey to examine the process of domestic production of infant flours and porridges. Data were collected using a touch screen questionnaire and the energy content of the flours produced by the mothers was calculated and evaluated using the FAO/INFOODS food composition table for West Africa. Results: The main process units for the production of the infant flours were milling:100%, sorting: cereals 60% and legumes: 33%, roasting: cereals 70%, and legumes: 91.7%. Mothers had poor hygienic practices regarding Material: 20%, Manipulator: 20%, and Milieu: 35% during the preparation of infant porridges. Four of the 20 formulas produced had an acceptable energy content, two had a standard fat content (10 - 25 g/100 g flour) and 12 had a standard protein content (15 g/100 g flour). Conclusions: This study showed that the main production methods of infant flours need to be improved. More, the overall energy content from these flours was lower than the recommended macronutrients contents by the standard FAO/WHO/UNICEF and the standards references. It is therefore important to maintain and strengthen nutritional interventions in order to improve the nutritional quality of homemade infant flours. Keywords: Infant flour, household production, nutrition, hygiene.
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