The market potential for undervalued indigenous fruits in Africa is significantly promising due to increasing consumer demand for unique and healthy food products. The nutritional and medicinal value of these fruits supplements diets and fills nutritional gaps. Wild fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, proteins, microelements, and medicinal phytochemicals. Commercialization of wild fruit products can contribute to sustainable agriculture, biodiversity preservation, and provision of economic opportunities for local communities. Marula and baobab fruit’s market values, for instance, are estimated to reach 31.3 million and 10.1 billion USD, respectively, by 2027, with the majority being exported to EU markets. It is therefore imperative that critical research and development processes for underutilized fruits be conducted to uncover and promote the use of neglected fruit species. In addition to chemical analytical tests, consumer acceptance studies are critical as they provide insights into how consumers perceive and respond to products made from indigenous fruits, helping product developers understand consumer preferences, optimize formulations, and enhance market acceptance. In this chapter, strategies such as product development and evaluation, quality control, market research, and value chain development, crucial for successful commercialization in Africa’s diverse and dynamic market, are discussed. This review will look at the development of novel food products from wild and underutilized indigenous fruits in Africa. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->

Morphological techniques have been traditionally relied upon for the detection of Potato Virus Y (PVY) and Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), the two major economic significant viruses infecting tobacco in Zimbabwe and globally. However, morphological methods are subjective and unreliable as they are influenced by abiotic factors and phytotoxicity, leading to misdiagnosis. Accurate, sensitive, and timely diagnosis is crucial for effective management of these viruses to reduce yield losses. The advent of PCR-based methods has revolutionised pathogen diagnostics by providing robust diagnostic methods to support disease management strategies that can prevent yield losses. This study describes a reverse transcriptase- Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) protocol developed for the identification of PVY and TMV in tobacco in Zimbabwe. Internal specific primer pairs amplified 480 bp of the coat protein for PVY, 420 bp for the protein movement gene, and 496 bp for the virus genome of TMV. The effectiveness and reliability of the assays were analysed by sensitivity comparisons of double-stranded RNA extraction method (dsRNA), Double Antibody Sandwich-Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (DAS-ELISA) and RT-PCR conducted at weekly intervals after viral infection of tobacco plants. DsRNA was the least effective detecting PVY after three weeks of infection. DAS-ELISA exhibited more sensitivity than dsRNA, detecting viruses after one week of infection up to six weeks for PVY and three weeks for TMV. However, RT-PCR consistently detected viral infection throughout the duration of the experiment. A cost-benefit analysis of dsRNA, ELISA and RT-PCR was performed, and RT-PCR was found to be slightly more expensive than ELISA and significantly more expensive than dsRNA. Despite the cost differential, the superior sensitivity and reliability of RT-PCR make it the recommended method of detection for improved management of viral diseases in tobacco.

In Southern Africa, traditional herbal remedies are recognised as cost-effective and accessible options for management of respiratory conditions including acute bronchitis, common cold, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). We highlighted and provided a consolidated and critical coverage of the traditional herbal medicines used in the management of acute bronchitis, common cold, and SARS-CoV-2 in Southern Africa. Commonly used remedies include decoctions, infusions, concoctions, smoke of burnt plant materials, steam from boiled plant materials, and snuff prepared from plant materials. Plant species used in remedies come from families including Amaryllidaceae, Anaradriaceae, Apiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asphodelaceae, Aspleniaceae, Asteraceae, Celestraceae, Combretaceae, Fabaceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Polypodiaceae, Pteridaceae, Rananculaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae, Verbenaceae, and Xanthorrhoeaceae. Growth forms of plants used in formulation of remedies include ferns, herbs, trees, and shrubs. Leaves, roots, bulbs, rhizomes, corms, or tree bark are used in formulation of remedies. Limited information is available on ability of herbal formulations to inhibit activity of respiratory viruses. There is widespread use of traditional herbal remedies in management of acute bronchitis, common cold, and SARS-CoV-2 in Southern Africa, although the field is poorly explored. Evaluation of herbal remedies should be conducted to isolate the bioactive compounds and determine efficacy, dosage, and safety in management of viral respiratory conditions.

Background Schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease, is a major helminth disease in terms of morbidity and mortality that affects more than 200 million people worldwide. This study aimed to use real-time PCR (RT‒PCR) for the detection of Schistosoma sp. DNA in both urine and faeces samples before and after praziquantel (PZQ) treatment, and the results were compared with those of conventional PCR and microscopic detection of schistosome eggs to evaluate treatment efficacy. Methods Both urine and stool samples were collected from three hundred and eighty seven (387) study participants aged between 3 and 25 years before and after (3 weeks and 8 weeks) treatment with PZQ in Dumbi communities, Nigeria. On the treatment day, all participants who tested positive after microscopic examination (29) in the community were treated with a single dose of 40 mg/kg PZQ. DNA was isolated from 50 samples (urine) that tested positive using microscopy in preparation for molecular analysis. Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS version 20.0 statistical software were used for data analysis. Results Utilising diagnostic methods, microscopy detected Schistosoma haematobium eggs in 7.5% (29) of the urine samples collected before treatment, whereas RT‒PCR amplified DNA in 39.8% (154) of the same samples, and no eggs were detected in the stool samples analysed. Among the diagnostic methods for 50 samples that were used for comparative analysis, RT‒PCR had the highest positive detection of 80%, followed by conventional PCR (72%), haematuria (64%) and microscopy (58%). Compared with microscopy, RT‒PCR and conventional PCR both provided lower estimates of cure rates. Conclusions The results of this study revealed that RT‒PCR and conventional PCR are significantly more sensitive than microscopy for detecting and evaluating infection incidence, which is an important aspect of epidemiological studies. The RT‒PCR-based detection technique can be especially useful in circumstances of lower intensity or prevalence of infection, a condition for which the parasitological diagnosis shows a well-proven limitation of its sensitivity.