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Transitioning towards sustainable diets is imperative to avoid the worst effects of climate change, environmental degradation, and malnutrition. In South Africa, households most vulnerable to food insecurity employ various strategies to access food. These include purchasing hampers; a combination of staple foods sold in bulk at a discounted price, which are cake wheat flour, super maize meal, white sugar, cooking oil, and white parboiled rice. We explore the barriers and opportunities for hampers to advance sustainable diets in the context of Cape Town. Our findings show hampers contain energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Furthermore, we find that brand loyalty plays an important role in households' purchase of hampers. We conclude there is potential to leverage hampers to become a sustainable strategy through which people can access healthier food by working with retailers to offer nutritious and sustainably produced alternatives. Such change would require challenging retailers' and consumers' understanding of what 'necessities' are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is one of the significant hidden hunger challenges in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and children are the most vulnerable group. Therefore, there is a need for interventions to reduce this deficiency. Provitamin A biofortified maize (PVABM) has the potential to reduce VAD for the vulnerable groups of SSA. The study investigated the possibility of incorporating provitamin A biofortified maize into smallholder farming systems and assessed the acceptability of typical PVABM meals for household consumption. Using a quantitative approach, a crosssectional study design was conducted in Bulwer local municipality of Sisonke district and Mhlathuze local municipality of uThungulu district, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. A total of 233 smallholder farmers were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The sensory evaluation was done with 72 smallholder farmers assessing the sensory attributes of typical meals such as steamed mealies (ifutho) and crumbled maize meal (uphuthu) produced by PVABM and common maize. Knowledge about PVABM and the average household income highly influenced (p < 0.05) the farmers’ likeliness to accept and incorporate PVABM into their farming systems. About 82% (Bulwer) and 83% (Mhlathuze) of farmers from the areas were willing to incorporate PVABM in their farming systems, and they had positive perceptions about the success of the varieties in their systems. Farmers already growing yellow maize were more willing to integrate PVABM. Sensory evaluation showed that PVABM foods (uphuthu and ifutho) were accepted for consumption and the farmers expressed the willingness to consume PVABM in their diets for nutrient improvement. The response showed that the taste of ifutho was acceptable for both PVABM (52.8%) and white maize (52.8%). The colour of PVABM ifutho was acceptable (50%) and white maize (44.4%), and the aroma was good for PVABM (58.3%) and very good for white maize (44.4%). Overall, both maize sensory attributes were rated as acceptable. The study indicated that farmers could accept PVABM into farming systems and it can be consumed at the household level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of silages during the dry season could ameliorate major nutritional constraints in ruminant livestock production in tropical regions. Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is a tropical forage source that is used for silage in South Africa. The present objective was to determine the effects of fertilization with bio-digester slurry (BDS) and of carbohydrate additives [no additive (control), molasses, brown sugar, and maize meal] at ensiling on in vitro digestibility of Napier grass silage. Fresh Napier grass irrigated weekly with either BDS or water was cut after 12 weeks and ensiled for 90 days in 1 liter glass jars in a 2 (control and slurry irrigation) x 4 (no additive, molasses, maize meal and brown sugar) factorial arrangement replicated three times. The nutrient composition was determined using standard protocols. The in vitro digestibility of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) were determined by the three-stage method after incubation in rumen of steers for 12, 24 and 48-hour incubation. The bags containing rumen undegradable residuals (RURs) were removed from the bags, composited by treatment, and ground through a 1 mm sieve. Approximately 1g samples of RURs of each silage sample were placed in a 0.1 N HCl solution adjusted to pH 1.9 with 1 g l-1 of pepsin, and then in pancreatin solution and rinsed with deionized water and dried at 60°C for 48 h. At 24 h incubation, the no BDS, no additive (control) treatment had the least (P < 0.01) DM degradability. As incubation time progressed to 48 h, fertilization with BDS with molasses inclusion increased (P < 0.05) DM disappearance. However, the BDS fertilization and carbohydrate additive interaction had no effect (P > 0.05) on 12 incubation h, and in vitro digestibility after 12, 24 and 48 h of incubation. Fertilization with BDS reduced (P < 0.05) DM digestibility after 48 hours of rumen incubation. Carbohydrate additives increased (P < 0.01) DM disappearance at 12, 24 and 48 rumen incubation h but did not not influence in vitro DM digestibility after 12, 24, and 48 h of rumen incubation. Fertilization with BDS and carbohydrate additives at ensiling interaction had no effect (P > 0.05) on CP degradability at 12, 24, and 48 h of rumen incubation, and in vitro CP digestibility after 12, 24, and 48 h of incubation. Carbohydrate additives increased (P < 0.01) CP disappearance at 12, 24 and 48 rumen incubation h and reduced (P < 0.01) in vitro CP digestibility after 12 h of rumen incubation but did not have an effect (P > 0.05) on in vitro CP digestibility after 24 and 48 h of rumen incubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the acceptability and perceptions of traditionally prepared maize meal porridge, cooked from commercial roller-mill white maize meal and hammer-mill white and yellow maize meal (with and without fibre), among female Tsonga consumers in Giyani in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study used sensory evaluation tests, followed by focus group discussions to gather supportive information about consumer attitudes, perceptions and practices regarding the consumption of maize meal porridge prepared from these maize meal types. Giyani consumers preferred commercial roller-mill white sifted fortified and white super-fortified maize meal, but, contrary to popular belief, were also willing to accept hammer-mill yellow maize meal, mainly for its nutritional value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South African maize meal porridge (pap) was analyzed for its nutritional properties after reheating by microwave following room-temperature storage for 12 and 24 h. In comparison with freshly prepared samples, reheated samples showed a higher resistant starch content with values of 44.2 ± 8.1 g/100 g and 39.8 ± 9.4 g/100 g when reheated after 12 and 24 h, respectively, compared with 31.4 ± 7.9 g/100 g for a fresh pap. A lower (P < 0.05) total protein content was recorded after the room storage-and-reheating cycle with values of 11.76 ± 2.4 g/100 g for fresh pap and 8.96 ± 1.57 and 7.56 ± 1.78 for pap reheated at 12 and 24 h, respectively. In vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) was also improved (P < 0.05). These results, especially the improvement of resistant starch content and the IVPD during room storage-and-reheating cycle of South African maize meal porridge, may open new perspectives to maize consumers both from the socioeconomical and nutritional point of view. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Despite the safety benefit of the thermal process that is applied to extend the shelf life of foods, natural nutrients could be significantly lost, thus in principle a continuous cycle of storage and reheating of food should be avoided. This study posits that in addition to improving the safety of room-stored maize meal porridge; resistant starch (RS) improvement during the storage–reheating cycle offers unique health benefits, including intestinal/colonic health and glycemic management. RS is also “invisible” in foods as it does not affect taste and texture like other insoluble fiber sources often do. The increase of the in vitro protein digestibility by the heating process may also be advantageous for populations where the high prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition is largely caused by the poor nutritional quality of the diet. These results may be useful for decision makers, public health authorities and governments with regard to food safety and regulation for consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]