There has been increasing consumption of potato products such as French fries and crisps in most countries as a result of lifestyle change in both developed and developing countries. Due to their generally pleasurable taste and texture, they are appreciated by a high number of consumers across the world, with the younger members of the population mostly those in the urban areas having a higher preference. The hard economic situations have also driven many people to their consumption as they are affordable. Moreover, these products are convenient for the younger generation who do not prepare their own food. However, there have been food safety concerns that have been linked in the past to glycoalkaloids in the raw potatoes that are used for processing. Potatoes are known to accumulate glycoalkaloids (GAs) during growth and postharvest storage. Some potato varieties have been shown to have high glycoalkaloids. These toxicants have been found to bioaccumulate in the body especially if daily consumption of foods containing the glycoalkaloids are consumed. Glycoalkaloids lead to intestinal discomfort, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and neurological problems and can lead to human or animal deaths in cases of acute toxicity. Transportation, handling, poor storage and exposure to sunlight during marketing of potatoes exposes consumers to potential risk of glycoalkaloids due to injury and greening which lead to increased levels of glycoalkaloids. Glycoalkaloids are quite stable and therefore, freeze-drying, boiling, dehydration or microwaving have got limited effect and thus persist through the processing conditions into the final products with the levels being proportional to the concentrations in the raw materials used. This current review focuses on the occurrence of glycoalkakloids in potato and potato products that are commonly consumed.

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease which is endemic to certain regions of the world including Sub‐Saharan Africa. The aim of this article is to provide a recent and rapid review on brucellosis prevalence in East African Community (EAC) countries. Literature was obtained using Google Scholar search engine and screened for relevancy and fulfilment of criteria to 1, 17, 4, 4, 30 and 29 articles retained for brucellosis prevalence in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Recent literature (published in the last decade 2010 to 2019) was considered for prevalence results in this review. In EAC, livestock had an animal‐level prevalence of 0.2% to 43.8%, 0.0% to 20.0% and 0.0% to 13.8% for cattle, goats and sheep respectively. In humans, the prevalence varied mostly between 0.0% and 35.8%. In conclusion, brucellosis is quite prevalent in the region. The reported prevalence calls for plans or more efforts from individual member countries and from EAC, as a region, to control brucellosis.

This study reports the inherent phytochemical contents in leaves and roots of nine sweet potato varieties from Kenya. Results indicated that vitamin C content varied significantly (P<0.05) among the sweet potato varieties regardless of the plant part, leaves having significantly (P<0.05) higher levels than in the roots. Total flavonoids and phenolic compounds differed significantly (P<0.05) among varieties, higher values were found in leaves than in roots. Flavonoid contents in roots ranged from below detectable limits (Whitesp) to 25.8 mg CE/100 g (SPK031), while in leaves it ranged from 4097 to 7316 mg CE/100 g in SPK4 and Kenspot 5, respectively. Phenolic content was below detectable limits in the roots of whitesp but it was in substantial amounts in orange fleshed varieties. Theβ-carotene content was significantly (P<0.05) higher in leaves (16.43–34.47 mg/100 g dry weight) than in roots (not detected—11.1 mg/100 g dry weight). Total and phytic phosphorus were directly correlated with phytate contents in leaves and the roots. Tannins and soluble oxalates varied significantly (P<0.05) with variety and plant part being higher in leaves. The current information is important for ration formulations and dietary recommendations utilizing sweet potato leaves and roots. Future studies on effects of processing methods on these phytochemicals are recommended.

Phytochemicals enhance human health by acting antagonistically on incidences of cancer and other chronic diseases. They are considered indispensable in a variety of nutraceutical, pharmaceuticals, and medicinal and cosmetic applications. This study evaluated the effects of common processing methods on inherent phytochemical content in the roots and leaves of orange‐fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties called Kabode and SPK031. Yellosp and Whitesp, which are local sweetpotato varieties, were also included as check for roots and leaves, respectively. The sweetpotato products prepared for phytochemical analysis were boiling roots and leaves, frying chips and crisps, baking bread (for roots only), and fermenting and dehydrating leaves. Phytochemicals that were assessed included vitamin C, total phenolics and flavonoids, tannins, phytates, and soluble oxalates. Results indicated that retention of vitamin C was highest in boiled roots (85%–95%), followed by fries (71%–94%) and crisps (44%–76%), whereas the least retention was in bread (4%–11%) and leaves (0%–27%). Total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity in leaves significantly (p < .05) varied with the type of processing. Higher retention of these phytochemicals was observed in processed roots but was lowest in bread. Boiling retained more than 100% of all carotenoids, while fermenting and drying the leaves retained 58–62 and 22%–48%, respectively. Frying retained more than 100% of the β‐carotene in the roots, while boiling retained 96%–100%. All processing methods significantly (p < .05) reduced antinutrients in leaves and roots. Fermentation of leaves had higher reduction of oxalates, tannins, and phytates, while boiling had the least effect. It is concluded that traditional boiling enhances phytochemical retention in roots but degrades most of them in leaves.

The guava (Psidium guajava L.) tree is extensively grown in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. It is quite resilient, highly productive, has high economic returns and requires minimal care. The fruit is very nutritious with a characteristic flavor and has a high demand internationally especially when processed into pulp, concentrates, ready to serve beverages, wines, as well as jams and jellies. Although Kenya has a favorable climate for guava farming, the fruit’s nutritional and economic potential remain highly underutilized due to low adoption of processing and preservation techniques in addition to limited research. This review focuses on guava production utilization, processing and preservation with emphasis on Kenya There has been progressive increase in the total acreage under guava farming with various varieties of guavas being produced. The country produces as much as 11,327 tons of guava fruits worth 1.1 million US dollars although the fruit is mainly cultivated for local consumption with minimal processing. Naturalized guavas from sprouts of randomly dispersed seeds are common across all the agroecological zones both in the wild and on farms except in the arid areas. The fruit is however, climacteric and has a high rate of perishability resulting to high postharvest losses when in season. Processing of guavas into commercial products can increase the fruit’s value, improve farmers’ household incomes and enhance their utilization. The guava value chain also remains highly underexploited and since it is a neglected crop, there is need for a multisectoral approach in order to exploit the nutritional and economic potential of the fruit.

Currently, no data exist on the utilization of the newly described cricket species (Scapsipedus icipe) meal as additive in food products, though they have high protein (57%) with 88% total digestibility as well as a variety of essential amino acids. This article presents the first report on the effects of processing techniques and the inclusion of cricket meal (CM) on the nutrient and antinutrient properties of four porridge products compared to a popularly consumed commercial porridge flour (CPF). Porridge enriched with CM had significantly higher protein (2-folds), crude fat (3.4–4-folds), and energy (1.1–1.2-folds) levels than the CPF. Fermented cereal porridge fortified with CM had all three types of omega-3 fatty acids compared to the others. The vitamin content across the different porridge products varied considerably. Germinated cereal porridge with CM had significantly higher iron content (19.5 mg/100 g). Zinc levels ranged from 3.1–3.7 mg/100 g across the various treatments. Total flavonoid content varied significantly in the different porridge products. The phytic acid degradation in germinated and fermented porridge products with CM was 67% and 33%, respectively. Thus, the fortification of porridge products with cricket and indigenous vegetable grain powder could be considered an appropriate preventive approach against malnutrition and to reduce incidences in many low-and middle-income countries.