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For Ghanaian women of reproductive age (WRA), anemia remains a pressing issue. Currently, at the global level, anemia affects 35% of this population according to the most recent 'State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World' report. In Ghana, anemia is mostly associated with iron deficiency and, if left untreated, could result in several adverse outcomes including severe fatigue and exhaustion resulting in decreased work productivity, neurocognitive impairment, and complications with chronic kidney disease. Various strategies can effectively reduce iron-deficiency anemia at the population level, including food fortification, supplementation, and dietary improvement. Unfortunately, these have failed to reach Ghanaian women adequately and equitably, resulting in many not meeting their nutritional needs. As an alternative strategy to curtail iron deficiency, edible insects, such as palm weevil larvae, have been suggested for their nutritional benefits, cost-effective rearing, and yearly availability. As such, popularizing their consumption could present an opportunity to improve WRA's iron status in Ghana. To assess the feasibility of this strategy, formative research is needed to examine local attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs associated with the consumption of palm weevil larvae. Formative research was conducted in five peri-urban communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana that were purposefully selected for the study. These communities were separated into two clusters based on their access to palm trees. The analysis was based on 12 focus group discussions conducted with 121 female respondents, at which point data saturation was reached. Thematic analysis was used to examine the facilitators and barriers to palm weevil larvae consumption as well as WRA's general knowledge of nutrition and anemia. Women generally had favorable perceptions of palm weevil larvae as a nutritious food in its raw, frozen, and processed forms, and were eager to be involved in its value chain. The factors positively influencing the acceptance of palm weevil larvae were its perceived nutritional and health benefits, and its taste. The main barriers to its consumption in all communities were its scarcity, difficult and inconsistent access, and fear of unauthenticity and unsafety. Finally, despite women's general awareness of the importance of iron, persistent misinformation by health-professionals undermined their perceived seriousness of iron-deficiency anemia. Women's clear interest in palm weevil larvae is encouraging for the community-based domestication of palm weevil larvae. Future studies should examine the feasibility and logistical requirements of such a strategy and its impact on increasing the consumption of palm weevil larvae. Key words: formative research, palm weevil larvae, edible insects, food fortification, anemia, INTRODUCTION Micronutrient deficiencies, also called 'hidden hunger,' remain a widely prevalent threat to human health. In 2019, 1.7 billion people, including 30% of women of reproductive age (WRA), were estimated [...]

For the Sasar river basin, following the carried out survey, modifications are observed in the structuring mode of the zoobenthic communities relative to the intensity of disturbances. Thus, species which are sensitive to perturbations were only observed in the areas with minimum anthropic impact (the station of Valea Mariutii), in the stations placed on the tributaries: Valea Limpedea, Valea Morii, Valea Gordanului the species with medium tolerance to pollution are dominant, and downriver of the industrial platforms of Baia Sprie and Baia Mare (stations: downriver of Baia Sprie, upriver and downriver of Baia Mare and Firiza) the majority of the zoobenthic communities disappear. Introduction. Macroinvertebrates can be successfully used for the water quality monitoring due to the their characteristics (Skriver şi colab., 2000). Materials and methods. This work sums up the results of the sampling campaigns which had been developed in period 2003-2006, during which stations: Valea Măriuţii, upriver and downriver of Baia Sprie, upriver and downriver of Baia Mare, downriver of Blidari and Valea Firiza respective Valea Limpedea, Valea Morii Valea Gordanului were identified and analyzed according to the Normalized Global Biologic Index (AFNOR, 1992). Results and discussions. Relative to the structure type of the zoobenthic communities, the ecological condition of the Sasar river is good up to the station upriver of Baia Sprie. Modifications are found in the composition of the benthic zoocenoses, according to the intensity of disturbances, starting downriver of the town of Baia Sprie. The impurity sources for the Sasar river are supplied from the extractive industry and the community households. As about the Firiza river, the zoobenthic communities are well coagulated (the station upriver of Blidari). The disappearance of the benthic invertebrates is observed, 20 km downriver, in the Valea Firiza station. The decrease of the zoobenthic diversity is especially due to the spill from the Herja Mining Exploitation. Valea Limpedea, Valea Morii and Valea Gordanului are subjected to a moderate to critical anthropic pressure, the aquatic life being especially perturbed by agriculture and deforestation. As about the constituents of the zoobenthic communities, it is observed that as the taxons sensitive to perturbations are dominant in the Valea Limpedea station, for the Valea Morii and Valea Gordanului are dominant the tolerant taxons. Conclusions. The steadiest stations from the point of view of the structuring mode of the zoobenthic communities are: the Valea Măriuţii, Valea Limpedea, upriver of Baia Sprie and upriver of Blidari. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Research on alternative protein sources is becoming increasingly important in our modern world due to the issue of sustainability and efficiency in food production. Insects are seen as promising alternatives to known animal protein sources due to their attractive nutritional composition and the fact that they can be bred and fattened in a possibly more resource-efficient way. As consumers, especially in Europe, have a certain disgusting feeling towards whole insects (larvae), various research projects are working on the production of hybrid (meat) products in which the insects are mostly processed as dried powders or flour so that they are unrecognizable to the consumer as a whole. In this study, in order to avoid the high-energy and complex steps of pre-processing, such as protein or fat extraction, drying, or hydrolysis, whole larvae of the species Alphitobius (A.) diaperinus (Alphitobius diaperinus, Panzer, 1797) and Tenebrio (T.) molitor (Tenebrio molitor, Linnaeus, 1758) were pulverized and then processed in a meat grinder (without pre-processing) together with the lean meat and other required ingredients. Five batches of two types of cooked sausages (turkey and pork cooked sausages) were produced: in addition to a control sausage without insect content, 10% and 20% of the turkey and pork lean meats were replaced with A. diaperinus and/or T. molitor larvae powder. The replacement with insect larvae had an influence on the color of the sausages, as well as on sensory properties such as smell and appearance. There was no effect on texture and nutritional values (e.g., fat and protein content). The processing of the insect larvae in the meat product also had no effect on the growth of inoculated bacterial species over a storage period. Proteins from insect production represent an interesting (environmentally friendly) option or supplement to commercial livestock farming. At present, however, the larval stages of T. molitor (mealworm) and A. diaperinus (buffalo worm) have been authorized as food for human consumption EU-wide, as have the nymph and adult stages of Locusta (L.) migratoria (Locusta migratoria, Linnaeus, 1758) and Acheta (A.) domesticus (house cricket, Acheta domesticus, Linnaeus, 1758). However, there is the problem that insects that are recognizable as a whole tend to be avoided by consumers, especially in the European region, as they are reminiscent of living things and can cause aversion and disgust in consumers. Against this background, in the present study, five batches of two types of cooked sausages were produced: on the one hand, with turkey, and on the other hand, with pork lean meat as a base. In different formulations, 10% and 20% of the meat contents (turkey or pork) in these meat products were replaced by deep-frozen, pulverized T. molitor and A. diaperinus larvae. The effects of the addition of these insects in the products on the microbiological and physicochemical parameters of these cooked sausages, compared to a product without insect content, directly after heating, were investigated. After production, a storage trial was also carried out to determine whether possible insect ingredients could influence the growth of inoculated bacterial species (Bacillus (B.) cereus, Escherichia (E.) coli, Listeria (L.) monocytogenes, and Campylobacter (C.) jejuni) and how the addition of insect larvae affectsthe sensory and physicochemical properties during storage. The study showed that the products with insects had reduced lightness (turkey p C = 0.025), increased yellowness (pork p S = 0.0009, p C < 0.0001 and turkey p C = 0.0027) and a reduced red color (pork p S < 0.0001, p C = 0.0001) after heating when compared to the cooked sausages without insects. However, no significant differences between the various cooked sausages with or without insects in terms of cooking loss, firmness, and protein, ash, and fat or water contents were found. The microbiological tests showed, on the one hand, that the prior microbial reduction (e.g., in the form of blanching) of the insect larvae was essential in order to guarantee the flawless microbiological quality of the cooked sausages and, on the other hand, that the addition of insects to the cooked sausages did not significantly affect the growth of the inoculated bacterial species and that no sensory differences could be detected during storage. Despite the significant color effects on the product, A. diaperinus and T. molitor larvae would be suitable as protein or meat alternatives in cooked sausages, but they would have to undergo pre-treatment, primarily with regard to microbiological safety. The extent to which a complete replacement of meat is possible has to be investigated in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]