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Background: Fruits are excellent sources of micronutrients; hence, their consumption is highly recommended. However, fruit peels, often discarded, despite some being edible have been reported to contain essential nutrients and antioxidants, which contribute to disease prevention and well-being., Aim: This study sought to evaluate the micronutrient and antinutrient content of 10 edible fruit peels namely, orange, mango, pineapple, banana, lemon, mandarin, red apple, cucumber, guava and pawpaw peels., Setting: Laboratory analyses of the fruit peels were conducted at the University of Calabar, in a well-ventilated and temperature controlled environment to ensure accurate results., Methods: The research design was quantitative and experimental; laboratory analyses were carried out to determine the minerals, vitamins and antinutrients in fruit peels using AOAC standard methods. Data were analysed using ANOVA on SPSS version 20.0., Results: Calcium was the most predominant of the minerals analysed, with values ranging from 33.12 ± 0.05 mg/100 g (cucumber peels) to 72.04 ± 0.08 mg/100 g (mango peels); calcium was followed by magnesium. Mandarin, banana and pineapple peels had statistically similar ( p > 0.05) content of zinc (about 1.2 mg/100g), which was significantly ( p < 0.05) higher than others. Mandarin peels had significantly higher content (100.48 ± 2.03 mg/100 g) of vitamin C, while cucumber peels recorded the lowest (27.50 ± 0.01 mg/100 g). The results show significant concentrations of micronutrients such as iron, selenium and vitamin K; among the antinutrients, hydrogen cyanide had the highest concentrations, followed by phytate. The values were within safe limits., Conclusion: Therefore, the processing of fruit peels, for use as dietary additives to enrich foods and boost immunity, should be promoted., Contribution: The study shows the potential of fruit peels as food additives., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article., (© 2024. The Authors.)

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases still represents a public health concern in South Africa, of which eating habits are some of the main risk factors. A modern diet consisting of the consumption of highly processed foods high in fat, salt and caloric sweeteners and low in fibre is recognised as unhealthy. This study was conducted to assess the penchant of the population for these types of foods rather than traditional indigenous foods known to be healthier. This research was undertaken in the Gauteng region, which is the most urbanized province in the country. This study consisted of a quantitative research survey conducted in 2019 with 1527 participants (Asians, Black, Coloured, Indians and White) aged 18 and above who had lived in the province for at least two years. The results revealed that 30-40 % were neutral on the issue. Despite half (54.4 %) indicating that it was good to mix traditional and modern foods, a clear preference for modern food was noticed for 35.7 % of respondents, with 32.2 % reporting not being concerned that traditional foods have been replaced by modern foods. The traditional indigenous food consumption (TIFC) appeared to depend on monthly total household income, residential area, and settlement category. Participants with specific economic comfort consumed less. Race and number of people in the participants' households also significantly affected the TIFC (p < 0.05). Participants of white ethnicity and those living in a household of a maximum of 02 people displayed the lowest TIFC. In comparison to those who strongly disagree, participants with a neutral opinion about the idea of mixing eating habits were also the most neutral concerning preference for a modern diet (OR: 10.95, 95 % CI 7.00-17.12) and nutrition transition (OR: 14.66, 95 % CI 9.09-23.64). Sensitisation about healthy eating habits among the identified at-risk and target groups is undoubtedly a need in the region to avoid a resurgence of modern diet-related diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

We aimed to analyse the association between processed food consumption and the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Africa. In this empirical study, we analysed nationally representative secondary data obtained from the South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) VII. The survey included 13,288 occupied households, of which 11,083 were interviewed. In the interviewed households, 12,717 eligible adults aged 15 and older were identified and 10,336 were successfully interviewed. The study included four processed food groups (i.e. fried foods, takeaway foods/fast foods, salty snacks/packed chips, and processed meats) and eight NCDs (i.e. hypertension, cardiac arrest, cancer, stroke, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes, chronic bronchitis, and asthma). As per the logistic regression results following adjustment, none of the disease states showed association with all four processed food groups. However, at least three processed food groups showed a significant positive association with hypertension, cardiac arrest, and diabetes. Two processed food groups showed significant positive association with stroke, and chronic bronchitis; one with hypercholesterolaemia and asthma; and cancer was not associated with any food groups. Processed meat and salted snacks/packed chips were each associated with five chronic conditions. In summary, we found that the consumption of any of the processed food groups increased the risk of NCDs in the South African population. Enabling policy and regulatory efforts in the production and distribution of processed foods, combined with improved awareness among the population need to be prioritised for immediate action. Facilitating the populations to choose traditional healthy diets would be a sustainable strategy for the prevention of NCDs., Competing Interests: None., (© The Author(s) 2024.)