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Gboma is a leafy vegetable commonly consumed in Benin, which plays an important role in food security. This study assessed the handling and preservation practices as well as quality attributes of gboma along the supply chain in Southern Benin. A survey among 785 people (285 producers, 180 wholesalers/retailers, and 326 consumers) living in four Departments of Benin was conducted to evaluate the consumption frequency, the transportation mode, the preservation methods and quality attributes of gboma during purchasing. The survey revealed that, in general, gboma sauce is consumed twice to three times a month in all the departments covered. Different practices, including humidification, were used to preserve the leaves during selling. Traditional baskets or old clothes were used for the transportation and storage of gboma. Important quality attributes mostly used by actors during purchasing were freshness and color followed by physical damage and, to a lesser extent, weight and leaf surface at different degrees. gboma is currently sold in informal markets; however, improving handling and selling practices could preserve the freshness of this leafy vegetable that could then be placed in conventional supermarkets. Thereby, the selling and consequently the production level will increase, with positive impact on the income of producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary diversity before and during pregnancy is crucial to ensure optimal foetal health and development. We carried out a cohort study of women of reproductive age living in the Sô‐Ava and Abomey‐Calavi districts (Southern Benin) to investigate women's changes in dietary diversity and identify their determinants both before and during pregnancy. Nonpregnant women were enrolled (n = 1214) and followed up monthly until they became pregnant (n = 316), then every 3 months during pregnancy. One 24‐hr dietary recall was administered before conception and during each trimester of pregnancy. Women's dietary diversity scores (WDDS) were computed, defined as the number of food groups out of a list of 10 consumed by the women during the past 24 hr. The analysis included 234 women who had complete data. Mixed‐effects linear regression models were used to examine changes in the WDDS over the entire follow‐up, while controlling for the season, subdistrict, socio‐demographic, and economic factors. At preconception, the mean WDDS was low (4.3 ± 1.1 food groups), and the diet was mainly composed of cereals, oils, vegetables, and fish. The mean WDDS did not change during pregnancy and was equally low at all trimesters. Parity and household wealth index were positively associated with the WDDS before and during pregnancy in the multivariate analysis. Additional research is needed to better understand perceptions of food consumption among populations, and more importantly, efforts must be made to encourage women and communities in Benin to improve the diversity of their diets before and during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical brackish water shrimp (Penaeus notialis) is an important commercial species in West Africa. Sulfiting agents, which may pose a risk to human health, are still intensively used to prevent melanosis in P. notialis. In this study, the effectiveness of a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) chemical product (4-hexylresorcinol (4-HR)) and a plant phenolic compound (catechin) in preventing shrimp spoilage was assessed. Freshly caught shrimps were treated with three 4-HR concentrations (0.005%, 0.01%, and 0.1%) and three catechin concentrations (0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2%) and stored at 0°C and 7°C. Shrimp samples treated with sodium metabisulphite (1.25%) and untreated samples were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. At appropriate time intervals, samples were taken for microbiological, chemical, and sensory analysis. Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) data were used to validate a previously developed model that predicts TVBN production in P. notialis. At 0°C, 4-HR, even at the lowest concentration, significantly (P <.05) inhibited melanosis formation. Catechin (0.2%) significantly lowered melanosis formation in P. notialis during the first two days of storage at 7°C. At 0°C, 4-HR treatments extended shrimp sensory rejection time by one week; while at 7°C, only a slight (<1 day) prolongation of sensory rejection time was noticed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A good understanding of the socio-demographic and economic factors which characterize the food value chains (FVC) of traditional African fermented foods is a major prerequisite for developing and implementing scientific evidence-based policies towards the improvement of Africa’s food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture. This study aims at identifying the key factors which shape the FVC for mawè and its derived products. Mawè is a traditional fermented cereal dough, widely consumed in Benin. The findings of the study show that mawè and its derived products are processed, marketed, and consumed through both ‘traditional’ and ‘traditional-to-modern’ value chains. The traditional chain plays a key role in facilitating food affordability for low-income people. However, the traditional-to-modern value chain is increasingly predominant, especially in an urbanized environment, and consequently offers greater opportunities for value chain upgrading for value-added processing of traditional fermented foods. The study offers insights into policy and research challenges in value chain upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production and processing of meat constitute important activities that procure substantial revenues for breeders, food processors, and sellers, as well as supplying animal proteins to the populations of Niger. Among the meat products, kilichi is one of the most popular, made of a diversity of meats, but also produced in diverse forms. A survey involving 695 stakeholders was carried out to investigate kilichi production, selling, consumption, and quality perception in different regions known to be the highest production zones of kilichi in the country. Data collected were analysed by descriptive statistics and correspondence analyses. Production and commercialization of kilichi involved men exclusively, all from the Hausa ethnic group, with more than 80 per cent between 21 and 50 years old, all of Islamic religion and low educational level. Two categories of kilichi were produced from bovine, camel, ovine, and goat meat, comprising coated kilichi enrobed with sauce made from blends of ingredients and uncoated kilichi slightly seasoned. Within each category, types of kilichi were differentiated by the process, mainly involving enrobing, drying, and grilling, and the types of seasonings used, which probably affect the organoleptic, nutritional, and sanitary quality of kilichi. The quality attributes of kilichi are flavour, tenderness, friability, and shelf life. The survey also showed that the production of kilichi was artisanal, and unsanitary conditions prevailing in the workshops can result in unsafe food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews indigenous Beninese food resources as potential ingredients for complementary infant foods with the aim to develop affordable formulations for low-income households in each agro-ecological zone of the country. Potential ingredients were selected on their documented nutritional value. The selected foods encompass 347 food resources, namely 297 plant products from home gardens or collected from natural vegetation and 50 animals, either domesticated or from the wild. The compiled data reveal that the distribution of the available food resources was unbalanced between agro-ecological zones. Only a few animal ingredients are obtainable in northern Benin. Most resources are seasonal, but their availability may be extended. A high variation was observed in energy and nutrient contents. Antinutritional factors were identified in some resources, but processing techniques were reported to reduce their presence in meals. In general, ingredients from local tree foods ( Adansonia digitata, Parkia biglobosa) were adequate as sources of nutrients for complementary infant foods. Based on this review, local foods for the development of complementary food formulas for Beninese infants and children may be selected for each agro-ecological zone. The approach used is exemplary for other sub-Saharan African countries in need of complementary infant foods. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Pentadesma butyracea is a tropical plant species. Its kernels are rich in edible butter similar to shea butter. This study evaluated the quality characteristics of the Pentadesma butter produced by cottage enterprises in Benin, using a quantitative survey approach and physicochemical and sensorial analysis methods. RESULTS The butter of Pentadesma is mostly used for food preparation, cosmetic and therapeutic applications. It is characterized by a yellow colour, a hard texture, a relatively sweet taste and a bright appearance. Consumers preferred Pentadesma butter to shea butter for colour, taste, texture and appearance. Instrumental analysis showed that the average water content (6.5 g kg−1) and peroxide value (0.74 mEq O2 kg−1) of Pentadesma butter were lower than those of shea butter, for which average water content and peroxide values were 20.7g kg−1 and 2.09 mEq O2 kg−1 respectively. The fatty acid profile of Pentadesma butter is similar to that of shea butter. CONCLUSION This study showed that the Pentadesma butyracea butter produced by cottage enterprises in Benin exhibited quality characteristics which are better than that of shea butter. The data generated can be used for a better exploitation of the butter in food and cosmetic industries. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentadesma butyracea is used in the North of Benin to produce a type of butter similar to shea butter. The present work was carried out to investigate the traditional processing of butter from P. butyracea through a survey among 192 traditional butter processors from 14 sociocultural groups in five different parklands in northern Benin. Three different pre-treatments of P. butyracea kernels have been identiied as the basis of the butter extraction process. The pre-treatment more frequently used (69.7 per cent of processors) consists of depulping the fruit to get fresh kernels which are first boiled for 1-2 h before sun drying for 14-30 days to get cooked and dried kernels which are involved in the next steps of the extraction process. The extraction itself involves two main steps, heating and kneading, which also vary according to processors. Ten methods of processing of P. butyracea including six new methods have been reported. Two of the newly identified methods are mostly used by Boo, Anii, and Mokolé sociocultural groups from northern Benin. The identified methods of butter processing need to be optimized and the quality of the derivate butter should be assessed, using a well-known variety of P. butyracea as the raw material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Beninese shrimp sector has faced a ban on export to the European Union due to lack of compliance with food safety standards. The present study aimed at obtaining insight into the factors that determine shrimp quality and safety in Benin. A survey was conducted to investigate the relationships between stakeholders, the conditions under which shrimps are handled at fishing areas and processed at shrimp plants, and the stakeholders' perceptions of quality. A total of 325 fishermen, 128 intermediate traders, 12 collectors, and 3 shrimp processing plant managers were interviewed face to face. The results showed that various specific relations existed between the stakeholders. For example, loyalty was ensured by family relationships, or incentives were provided to ensure a supply of shrimps between stakeholders. Shrimp handling practices during the steps prior to shrimp processing at the plants were not in agreement with the requirements of the European regulations. For example, shrimps were kept at ambient temperature (28 + 1°C) by 94.1% of fishermen and 60.9% of intermediate traders. Shrimps were also stored in inappropriate holding containers and washed with nonpotable water. Fishermen, intermediate traders, and collectors considered shrimp size and texture their priority quality attributes, whereas plant managers considered shrimp appearance (freshness) and texture their priority quality attributes. This survey demonstrated that the steps prior to shrimp processing at the plants are the critical steps for shrimp quality and safety because of temperature abuse and inappropriate hygienic conditions. There is a need to communicate and provide incentives for the stakeholders in the first part of the chain to give priority to shrimp freshness. Moreover, training in Good Fishing Practices and safe food handling practices and evaluation of compliance with the practices through monitoring will contribute to better shrimp quality and safety management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gowe is a sweetish paste of malted, fermented, and cooked sorghum and/or maize flour, consumed in its pure state, but preferentially as a beverage after homogenizing with water, sugar, milk, and ice. A survey was carried out at different localities in the traditional gowe producing areas to investigate the diversity of the processing techniques, consumers' charac- teristics, and the quality attributes. Producers and sellers were women exclusively while consumers cut across all classes of age, socio-cultural groups, and educational levels. Gowe varied in cereal and processing techniques, with maize and sorghum being used either singly or in combination (maize/sorghum ratio varying from 1 to 3) through four processes. Apart from the alternative process which leaves out the malting step, gowe processing techniques aim at producing sweetish and acidic tasting products through malting, saccharification, and fermentation. A principal component analysis plot of quality criteria of gowe indicated that the preference of consumers was directly associated with the perceptions of producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leafy vegetables are sources of diet diversification and could contribute to food and nutritional security in African rural areas. However, in some places, little is known about if, how, and why leafy vegetables are consumed. Processing and preservation methods, food forms, and consumption determinants of four leafy vegetables (Sesamum radiatum, Ceratotheca sesamoïdes, Acmella uliginosa and Justicia tenella), known to contribute to the diet of rural populations in the Center and Northern parts of Benin, were investigated. Three hundred randomly selected households were investigated, using rapid appraisal and quantitative survey methods, descriptive statistics and correspondence analysis. Processing methods to prepare sauces varied depending on sociocultural groups. Cooking of fresh leaves predominated, while sun drying was the usual practice of preserving these leafy vegetables. Consumption frequencies were associated with sociocultural groups, food habits, and availability in living areas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Indigenous perception, processing methods, and physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of Yanyanku and Ikpiru, two additives used to produce fermented African locust bean condiments, Sonru and Iru, were evaluated. According to producers, these additives accelerate the fermentation and soften the texture of the condiments. Yanyanku is produced by spontaneous fermentation with either Hibiscus sabdariffa or Gossypium hirsutum or Adansonia digitata seeds, whereas only Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds are used for Ikpiru. Both additives, with pH values ranging between 6.2 and 10 and Bacillus spores varying between 5.5 and 8.9 Log10 (CFU/g), could be considered as softening additives or enrichment inocula to produce condiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the sorghum brewing microenterprises in Benin with emphasis on the beer quality, the social significance of the product as well as the income generated. Tchoukoutou, the Benin opaque sorghum beer, has important social functions as it fosters the cooperative spirit and remains an ancestral beverage widely used for traditional ceremonies. The manufacturing process consists of malting (soaking, germination and sun drying), brewing (mashing, boiling, filtration) and fermentation. The beer is sour with a pH of 3.2 and contains a relatively high but variable level of solids and crude protein. Most of the consumers appreciate an opaque, sour and pink-coloured beer. The consumers related many of the beer properties to health effects. Participants can link the perceived qualities of the beer to the grain’s functional properties, and this leads to the classification of the farmers’ sorghum as varieties of top, medium and low quality for brewing. The profits from tchoukoutou production range from 2365 to 17 212 fcfa per month (1 euro = 656 fcfa) for the producers, depending on beer yield and quantity of raw grain transformed. The generated income is used for household needs and part of it is invested in children’s education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mawè is a West African spontaneous fermented cereal-based dough. Different types of mawè exist varying in type of cereal and/or production condition, with fermentations lasting 24–48 h. With the aim of obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the microbial ecology of mawè processing, a microbiological characterisation was performed for four mawè types, produced at eight sites in Benin. At the onset of the fermentations lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast counts were on average 7.5 ± 1.03 and 4.8 ± 0.79 Log 10  cfu/g, which increased to 9.2 ± 0.38 and 7.4 ± 0.42 Log 10  cfu/g, respectively, at the end of the fermentations. LAB (n = 321) and yeasts (n = 298), isolated during the fermentations, were identified. The predominant LAB and yeast species were Lactobacillus fermentum and Pichia kudriavzevii , respectively, followed by Kluyveromyces marxianus , all present throughout the mawè fermentations. Further, microbial successions took place with Weissella confusa occurring mostly at the onset, while Pediococcus acidilactici and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were mainly associated with the end of the fermentations. Species diversity was influenced both by type of cereal and production condition. The dominating strain clusters of L . fermentum and P . kudriavzevii were ubiquitous and strain diversities were influenced by type of cereal and production site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining the freshness of shrimp is a concern to shrimp stakeholders. To improve shrimp quality management, it is of importance to evaluate shrimp spoilage characteristics. Therefore, microbiological, sensory, and chemical changes of naturally contaminated tropical brackish water shrimp ( Penaeus notialis ) during storage at 28 °C, 7 °C and 0 °C were assessed. H 2 S-producing bacteria were the dominant group of microorganisms at 28 °C and 7 °C whereas Pseudomonas spp. were dominant at 0 °C. Total volatile basic nitrogen and trimethylamine correlated well ( R 2 > 0.90) with the sensory scores. An empirical model to predict the shelf-life of naturally contaminated tropical shrimp as a function of storage temperature was developed. Specific groups of organisms were isolated at the sensory rejection times and assessed for spoilage potential in shrimps of which the endogenous flora was heat inactivated. Isolates capable of producing strong off-odor identified by 16S rRNA sequencing were mainly lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Enterobacteriaceae at 28 °C or 7 °C and Pseudomonas spp. and LAB at 0 °C. The study contributes to the knowledge about tropical shrimp spoilage and provides a basis for the development of methods and tools to improve shrimp quality management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Afitin, iru and sonru are three spontaneously fermented African locust bean Benin condiments. The fermentation processes are exothermic, with temperatures mostly being above 40 °C. A total of 19 predominant Bacillus cereus isolates from afitin, iru and sonru, were investigated. The enterotoxin genes nhe (A, B, C) were present in all 19 isolates, the hbl (A, C, D) in one (afitin), and the cytK gene in three isolates (afitin). Levels of cytotoxicity to Vero cells and NheA production in BHI-broth was within the range of known diarrheal outbreak strains. Autoclaved cooked African locust beans inoculated with emetic (cereulide producing) B. cereus Ba18H2/RIF supported growth at 25, 30 and 40 °C with highly different maximum cereulide productions of 6 ± 5, 97 ± 3 and 0.04 ± 0.02 μg/g beans, respectively (48 h). For non-autoclaved cooked beans inoculated with 2, 4 and 6 log10 B. cereus Ba18H2/RIF spores/g beans, cereulide production was 5 ± 4, 64 ± 8 and 69 ± 34 μg/g beans, respectively at 24 h, while it was 70 ± 43, 92 ± 53 and 99 ± 31 μg/g at 48 h of fermentation at 30 °C. Even though high toxin levels were observed, to date there are no known reports on diarrhea or vomiting due to the consumption or afitin, iru and sonru in Benin, which also according to the present study is likely to be expected from the low levels of cereulide produced at 40 °C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]