The transformation of smallholder farming is poised to be one of the key drivers of achieving the dual objectives of food security and poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Smallholder farmers account for between 60–80% of the food produced in the region but face many challenges that impede their productivity. Such challenges include a lack of timely access to appropriate agricultural information and services, which results in poor decision-making, particularly in addressing challenges and responding effectively to opportunities. In that context, the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in improving accessibility to appropriate agricultural information and services presents substantial prospects for transforming the productivity and livelihoods of the farmers. Currently, the region experiences massive penetration and propagation of mobile and web-based applications. However, there is a dearth of compelling, comprehensive reviews evaluating their importance in enhancing agricultural information and services dissemination to smallholder farmers. Therefore, the current review explores the potential of enhancing agricultural information and services dissemination to smallholder farmers through ICTs and highlights gaps in their development and deployment in SSA. Five existing mobile applications used to disseminate agricultural information and services to smallholder farmers were identified, and their advantages, limitations, and opportunities were discussed. These were Esoko, iCow, Community Knowledge Workers, WeFarm and DigiFarm. The development and deployment of user-driven mobile applications that provide curated skill-sharing platforms, encourage farmers to give feedback to extension systems in real-time and promote the participation of women and youth in agriculture are recommended.
Feedlot beef production in tropics and subtropics is being limited by shortage of feed ingredients due to prolonged droughts resulting in high prices of cereal grains and reduced profitability. To alleviate feed shortages and increase profitability for the feedlot industry, it is important to explore underutilized non-conventional resources such as fruit by-products. The current study compared the nutrient intake, digestibility and utilization effects of feeding either 150 g/kg of dried citrus pulp (DCP) or grape pomace (DGP) as alternative dietary fibre sources to 7 months-old Angus steers (281 ± 15.7 kg) under feedlot conditions. Twenty-four steers were assigned to three dietary treatments (8 steers/treatment) in a completely randomised design. Each steer was treated as an experimental unit. Steers were adapted to diets for 21 d followed by 7 d of sample collection during which nutrient intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation parameters, nitrogen retention and microbial N supply were determined. All the data were analysed using the GLIMMIX procedures. Overall, steers fed DGP had the greatest dry matter intake (DM), organic matter (OM) crude protein (CP), ash free neutral detergent fibre (aNDFom), ether extract (EE) and starch intake followed by DCP and control (CON) diets (P ≤ .05). Apparent digestibilities of DM, OM and aNDFom were higher (P ≤ .05) for DCP diet compared to DGP and CON diets. Feeding DCP and DGP diets increased ruminal concentrations of total volatile fatty acids, acetate and isovalerate, and acetate to propionate ratio, and reduced propionate concentrations compared to the CON diet (P ≤ .05). The steers fed the CON diet had the greatest urinary excretions of allantoin, uric acid and total purine derivatives followed by those fed the DCP and DGP diets (P ≤ .05). Nitrogen intake, faecal nitrogen (N), N retention and N efficiency utilization were in the order of DGP > DCP > CON diets (P ≤ .05). Overall, feeding DGP as alternative fibre source to wheat bran improved nutrient intake, retention and efficiency of N utilization but reduced apparent nutrient digestibility compared to DCP. Current finding suggests that DGP may be a better fibre substitute for wheat bran in beef diets than DCP.
Abstract The objective of this research was to study the metabolism of individual trans fatty acids (FAs) that can be found in ruminant fat or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO) and determine their effects on FA composition and lipogenic gene expression in adipocytes. Differentiated 3T3‐L1 adipocytes were treated with 200 µM of either trans ‐9‐18:1, trans ‐11‐18:1, trans ‐13‐18:1, cis ‐9‐18:1 or BSA vehicle control for 120 h. Trans ‐9‐18:1 increased total cell FA content (µmole/well) compared to other FA treatments, which was mainly related to the accumulation of trans ‐9‐18:1 in the cells. Adipocytes were able to desaturate a significant proportion of absorbed trans ‐11‐18:1 and trans ‐13‐18:1 (~20 and 30 % respectively) to cis ‐9, trans ‐11‐18:2 and cis ‐9, trans ‐13‐18:2, whereas trans ‐9‐18:1 was mostly incorporated intact resulting in a greater lipophilic index (i.e. decreased mean FA fluidity) of adipocytes. Trans ‐9‐18:1 up‐regulated ( P < 0.05) the expression of lipogenic genes including acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (1.65 fold), FA synthase (1.45 fold), FA elongase‐5 (1.52 fold) and stearoyl‐CoA desaturase‐1 (1.49 fold), compared to the control, whereas trans ‐11‐18:1 and trans ‐13‐18:1 did not affect the expression of these genes compared to control. Our results suggest that the metabolism and lipogenic properties of trans ‐11‐18:1 and trans ‐13‐18:1, typically the most abundant trans FA in beef from cattle fed forage‐based diets, are similar and are different from those of trans ‐9‐18:1, the predominant trans FA in PHVO.
A survey was conducted to identify management information sources and communication channels used by commercially oriented smallholder beef cattle producers ( n = 62) in Limpopo province, South Africa. A total of 62 commercially oriented smallholder farmers under the Limpopo Industrial Development Corporation-Nguni cattle project were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data on farmers’ demographic and farm characteristics, sources of information and communication channels used. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to evaluate factors that influenced farmers’ choices of information sources and communications channels used. Findings show that government extension (53% of the respondents) and other farmers (30%) were the major sources of management information for the farmers. Based on the logistic regression results, the decision to choose government extension as the main source of information was mainly influenced by respondents’ gender ( p = 0.001) and access to training ( p = 0.023). Communication was mainly through farm-to-farm visits (56%) and the use of mobile phones (30%). Based on the current findings, the infusion of modern information communication technologies such as mobile phone-based innovations with the existing government extension service could further strengthen the capacity of farmers to share information among themselves as well as providing feedback to extension agents. Furthermore, it is essential to take cognizance of farmers’ socio-economic factors when identifying and characterizing their management information sources and communication strategies.
The discourse regarding plant-based preservatives for food application has generally revolved around extracts from commercial fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices with indigenous fruits (IFs) on the periphery, with little investment into their valorisation. While being important food sources at community level, IFs and their byproducts are also incorporated into medicinal remedies, combating various diseases. Their ethnomedicinal usage indicates potent bioactive profile that alleviate effects of oxidative stress, which accompany disease in vivo. This is supported by in vitro antioxidant activity of the IFs and their byproducts. As such, the current review explores the potential of bioprospecting extracts from nine IFs and their byproducts as food antioxidants. Evidence presented shows that IFs have high content of bioactive compounds further translating to high antioxidant activity. Research gaps in information concerning in vitro bioactivity warrant further research to provide impetus for valorisation and food application of IFs.
Hamburger is the most consumed beef product in North America, but lacks in nutritional appeal due to its high fat content and high proportion of saturated fatty acids (SFA). Objectives of the present study were to improve the FA profiles of hamburgers made with perirenal fat (PRF) and subcutaneous fat (SCF) when feeding steers different diets along with examining differences in sensory attributes and oxidative stability. Diets included a control diet containing 70:30 red clover silage: barley based concentrate, a diet containing sunflower-seed (SS) substituted for barley, and diets containing SS with 15% wheat dried distillers' grain with solubles (DDGS-15) or 30% DDGS (DDGS-30). Hamburgers were made from triceps brachii and either PRF or SCF (80:20 w/w). Perirenal fat versus SCF hamburgers FA had 14.3% more (P <0.05) 18:0, 11.8% less cis (c) 9-18:1 (P <0.05), and 1.82% more total trans (t)-18:1 mainly in the form of t 11-18:1. During sensory evaluation, PRF versus SCF hamburgers had greater (P <0.05) mouth coating, but the difference was less than one panel unit. Examining effects of steer diet within PRF hamburgers, feeding the SS compared to the control diet increased (P <0.05) t-18:1 by 2.89% mainly in the form of t 11-18:1, feeding DGGS-15 diet led to no further changes (P >0.05), but feeding DDGS-30 diet reduced the proportions of (P <0.05) of t-18:1 chiefly t 11-18:1. Feeding SS and DDGS diets had small but significant (P <0.05) effects on hamburger sensory attributes and oxidative stability. Feeding high-forage diets including SS and 15% DDGS, and taking advantage of the FA heterogeneity between fat depots offers an opportunity to differentially enhance beef hamburgers with 18:2n-6 biohydrogenation products (i.e., t 11-18:1) with potential human health benefits without compromising their sensory attributes and oxidative stability during retail display.
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