Introduction: Milk consumption in Kenya supersedes other countries in East Africa. However, milk contamination with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is common, but the magnitude of this exposure and the health risks are poorly understood and need to be monitored routinely. This study aimed at assessing the awareness, knowledge and practices of urban and peri-urban farmers about aflatoxins and determining the levels of aflatoxin contamination in on-farm milk in a selected area within Nairobi County. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess aflatoxin contamination levels of milk in Kasarani sub-county. A total of 84 milk samples were collected from small-holder dairy farms and analyzed for AFM1 using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results and Discussion: Ninety nine percent of the samples (83/84) analysed were contaminated with AFM1. The mean aflatoxin level was 84 ng/kg with 64% of the samples exceeding the EU legal limit of 50 ng/kg. Whereas 80% of the farmers were aware of aflatoxin, there was no correlation between farmers’ knowledge and gender with AFM1 prevalence. Conclusion: This study concludes that AFM1 is a frequent contaminant in milk and there is need to enhance farmers awareness on mitigation.

Aflatoxins, which commonly contaminate animal feeds and human food, present a major public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. After ingestion by cows, aflatoxin B1 is metabolized to aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), some of which is excreted in milk. This study involved smallholder dairy farms in urban and periurban areas of Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of training and providing farmers with aflatoxin binder (NovaSil®) on AFM1 contamination in raw milk. A baseline survey was undertaken and 30 farmers whose milk had AFM1 levels above 20 ppt were randomly selected for inclusion in the study. Of these, 20 farmers were part of the intervention, and were given training on the usage of the NovaSil® binder, while 10 served as a control group. All farmers were visited biweekly for three months for interviews and milk samples were collected to measure the AFM1 levels. The AFM1 levels were quantified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The NovaSil® binder significantly reduced AFM1 concentrations in the raw milk produced by the farmers in the intervention group over the duration of the study (p < 0.01). The control farms were more likely to have milk with AFM1 levels exceeding the regulatory limit of 50 ppt compared to the intervention farms (p < 0.001) (odds ratio = 6.5). The farmers in the intervention group perceived that there was an improvement in milk yield, and in cow health and appetite. These farmers also felt that the milk they sold, as well as the one they used at home, was safer. In conclusion, the use of binders by dairy farmers can be effective in reducing AFM1 in milk. Further research is needed to understand their effectiveness, especially when used in smallholder settings.

Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is a majestic tree associated with human habitation in some of the semi-arid regions of Africa and establishes an enormous economic and nutritional importance to the rural residential districts. The fruit pulp is considered to be of high nutritional significance; particularly vitamin C and calcium, also possess antioxidant functions as well as high dietary fiber content. Although it is a potential fruit for improving local diets and livelihoods,this fruit is underutilized and its potential not yet fully acknowledged. This work was contracted with the aim of defining the nutritional quality and functional properties of baobab pulp harvested from some selected parts of Tanzania.Results indicated that the pulp from the three locations had moisture content which ranged between 9.16% to 10.30%, fat 0.46%-1.98%, ash 4.75%-5.21%, fiber 5.91%-9.65%, protein 3.23%-3.53%, carbohydrate 80.49%-85.19, vitamin C 169.74mg/100g-231.57mg/100g, beta-carotene 2.16 mg/100g-3.19mg/100g.Fructose 0.56±0.15-0.81±0.17g/100g, glucose 0.77±0.26-0.87±0.31g/100g and sucrose 0.75±0.25-0.84±0.29g/100g. The substantial differences (p≤ 0.05) between locations were observed in fat, crude fiber, carbohydrates, and fructose. Vitamin C, beta-carotene, protein, ash, moisture, sucrose and glucose showed no significance difference (p≤ 0.05) among locations. The functional properties included emulsification, foaming and gelling properties which ranged between 37.9-45.15%, 1.85-6.57% and 11-12% respectively and were significantly different (p≤ 0.05) among locations. The results show that baobab pulp has a good content of nutrients and functional properties which can be useful in food industries.

Fermentation technology improves the flavour and shelf life of foods while lowering antinutrient levels. Common bean, though a highly nutritious food, contains high levels of anti-nutrients. Fermentation can be exploited to lower antinutrients in common bean. Though significant strides have been made in bean milk and flour fermentation, common bean is majorly consumed as whole grain. This study, therefore, was aimed at developing a fermentation protocol for whole common bean. Lactobacillus plantarum BFE 5092 was used as starter culture for fermentation. Salt and salt-sugar at 1%, 2% and 3% solute concentrations were used as brine. The effect of starter culture, solute composition and concentration on the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was monitored. pH and microbial safety were also monitored during the fermentation process. Inoculation with Lb. plantarum BFE 5092 caused a significant increase (P<0.05) of LAB counts in salt brines compared to spontaneous fermentation but no significant difference (P>0.05) in salt-sugar brines. The pH of salt sugar brine solutions was significantly (P<0.05) lowered during the fermentation process from 6.07 to ≤ 3.75. This inhibited enterobacteria growth while promoting the growth of yeast. In salt brines, the pH was ≥ 4.8 favoring enterobacterial growth while inhibiting yeast growth. Solute concentration had no significant effect (P>0.05) on the growth of LAB, pH and microbial safety during fermentation. The study established that use of salt-sugar brine was effective in promoting the growth of LAB during common bean fermentation. It also lowered the pH to ≤ 3.75 and inhibited enterobacterial growth unlike salt brines.

More than half of the morbidity and mortality cases among children in Kenya are as a result of micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs). Food fortification is considered by the Government of Kenya as a feasible strategy for addressing MNDs. Worldwide, fortification has been proven to be effective since it does not require any change in dietary habits. Success of large-scale food fortification however may depend on consumer awareness of the fortification benefits. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 counties to collect information on fortification awareness using structured questionnaires. 1435 respondents were selected using the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling method. Data were analyzed using Stata version 14.0 and statistical significance p<0.05. The study participants were described using descriptive statistics. The association of sociodemographic characteristics and awareness of fortification was performed using binary logistic regression analysis. The median age of the study participants was 35 years. Only 28% of the respondents were aware of the term “fortification.” Of the respondents, about 27% heard of food fortification through radio. Vernacular radio emerged as the most preferred channel for communicating fortification information among 24.9% of the respondents. Although awareness of vitamins (32%) and minerals (1.5%) was limited, most (76%) respondents reported of existence of health risks for lacking micronutrients. Awareness of food fortification was significantly associated with respondents’ occupation (p< 0.001), household size (p=0.012), education levels (p<0.001), and age (p=0.025). There is need for a wider use of broadcast media sources to modify information and education materials to promote fortification awareness among Kenyan consumers.

Seaweeds, also known as macroalgae are marine plants used widely as food and applied in other food allied industries, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and agrochemical industries. Their production has increased over the years with advancement in identification and cultivation of different seaweed species. Over the years seaweeds have been explored as a food due to their nutrition value and bioactive compounds that are beneficial to human nutrition and health. With this principle, seaweeds can also be used as feed ingredient in aqua feeds especially due to the fact that it is a source of omega-3 and hence can be used as an alternative to fish oil whose supply has declined. Studies have shown that polyunsaturated fatty acids which are important in fish nutrition can account for about 50% of total fatty acids in seaweeds. In addition to being a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, seaweeds provide protein and minerals, vitamins. They are also characterized with high levels of protein rich in all the amino acids relative to some higher plant-based protein crops like soya bean. This review, therefore, aims to look at the potential of seaweed as an aqua feed ingredient with the emphasis on the nutritional characteristics.