Context: Traditional medicine, which is more available and affordable for the poor uses medicinal plants for the treatment and management of various ailments, including the sickle cell disease (SCD). About 24 million Nigerians are carriers of this sickled cell gene, while approximately 2.4 million are SCD patients. Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) possesses high nutritional value and has been used in folklore medicine to treat various ailments related to pain and inflammation. Chemical, pharmacological and pharmacognostical applications of Moringa oleifera have been reported. Objective: This study investigated the antisickling potential of polar and non-polar extracts of the seed, flower and leaf of Moringa oleifera for the first time. Materials and Methods: Using crude methanol extract, aqueous extract, ethyl acetate and butanol, the in vitro antisickling activities of Moringa oleifera fractions, were evaluated using erythrocyte cells deoxygenated with 2% sodium metabisulphite. p-Hydroxybenzoic acid and normal saline were employed as positive and negative controls. Results: Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, free anthraquinones, and alkaloids. Extracts of the seed and flower demonstrated a higher (P<0.05) antisickling activity in comparison to the leaf extract. The leaf extract, as well as those of the seed and flower, equally demonstrated a (P<0.05) reversal of sickled erythrocytes. Discussions and Conclusions: These findings suggest that Moringa oleifera may play a role in the management of SCD, by incorporation of its fractions into recipes. More extensive biological evaluations and further studies will be necessary for the chemical characterization of the antisickling principles.

There are indications that significant levels of mycotoxins may be absorbed from inhaled fungal spores. The problem is likely to be most serious with aflatoxins. Indoor airborne fungi in three feed mills in south-western Nigeria were assayed using Sabouraud dextrose agar and coconut agar medium. Fungi isolated include Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus spp., Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus candidus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus with incidence rates of 61, 15, 12, 5, 5 and 2%, respectively. Amount and type of aflatoxins produced in Sabouraud dextrose broth by aflatoxigenic strains of A. flavus isolated at the three mills were strain dependent. Exposure of feed mill workers to aflatoxins was assessed by HPLC analysis of blood samples. Subjects from different occupational groups served as a control group. The mean concentrations of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 in blood samples of the feed mill workers varied from 73.4-189.2, <0.1-0.5, 0.3-1.9 and <0.1-3.4 ng/ml, respectively. There was a significant difiference between the mills regarding blood aflatoxin levels of the workers; poorly ventilated mills resulted in higher blood aflatoxin B1 levels. Aflatoxin B1 was not detected in the blood samples of the control group; mean concentrations of aflatoxin B2, G1 and G2 detected in this group varied from <0.1-0.3, 0.4-1.5 and <0.1-0.3 ng/ml, respectively. Results from the present study showed that ventilation of feed mills is an important issue that should be considered to lower the risk of aflatoxin exposure among feed mill workers.

The possibility of enhancing the sensory attributes of soy yoghurt through the use of composite soymilk was investigated. The effect of using starter cultures from different sources on the chemical characteristics and consumer acceptability was also studied. Soy milk containing 0, 10 and 20% coconut milk were used in the production of soy yoghurt using commercially available yoghurt starter and starters isolated from naturally fermenting soy milk and cow milk. Chemical and sensory characteristics of soy yoghurts obtained were evaluated. The pH of the yoghurt premixes at the beginning of fermentation ranged between 6.25 and 6.45; after fermentation the values were between 4.81 and 5.51 with commercially available starter bringing about greatest pH reduction. Chemical compositions of obtained soy yoghurts were as follows: titratable acidity as %lactic acid (0.25-0.43%), crude protein (2.66-3.62%), fat content (0.13-0.89%), total solid content (7.91-9.06%). Variation in premix formulation had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the chemical composition of different soy yoghurts obtained. Addition of coconut milk to soy milk improved the sensory characteristics of soy yoghurts with the premix containing 10% coconut milk fermented with starter obtained from cow milk producing yoghurts with the best taste, aroma, and acceptability. Results from the present study have demonstrated a further way of enhancing soy yoghurt acceptability by the western ‘palate’.

Gari and tapioca are storage-cupboard convenience foods obtained from the tubers of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz). They are important staples in Nigeria and many African countries where malnu- trition is a major problem. Tapioca is a quick-cooking food made from partly gelatinized starch and gari is a fermented, roasted, granular food made from cassava pulp. Gari and tapioca are nutritionally inferior and need to be fortified. This paper reports the macro- and micronutrient profiles of soybean-fortified gari and tapioca. Gari and tapioca were fortified with soybean flour or soybean residue at 25% of dry weight. Standard methods were used for the determination of proximate parameters such as crude protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate and moisture content. All the samples were analyzed for phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc. Unfortified tapioca had significantly lower (p < .05) proximate values (protein: 0.31%; fat: 0.17%; ash: 0.34%) than unfortified gari (protein: 1.50%; fat: 1.56%; ash: 1.35%). The fortification of both gari and tapioca significantly (p < .05) increased the contents of crude protein, phosphorus, fat, and ash as well as all the monitored macro- and micronutrients. These values (%) increased from 1.50–9.31, 0.06–0.11, 1.56–4.31 and 1.35–1.64 for gari-soybean fortified gari; and 0.31–12.56, 0.03–0.12, 0.17–5.45 and 0.34–1.41 for tapioca to soybean fortified tapioca respectively. Soybean flour increased the nutrient content of the fortified gari and tapioca compared to soybean residue. Data from this study suggest that both soybean flour-fortified tapioca and soybean flour-fortified gari are effective means of meeting the daily requirements of minerals, protein, and energy. Both soybean flour-fortified tapioca and soybean flour-fortified gari could be used to fight macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies, not only in Nigeria and other African countries where these two cassava products are staples, but also in other cassava- consuming developing nations.

In mid-2021, Africa’s population was more than one billion three hundred and seventy million persons and this figure is expected to reach 2.5 billion people by 2050. On the basis of regional population, Eastern, Middle and Western Africa countries are bound to continue to experience rapid rates of population growth in the coming decades. Between 1960 and 2010, the urban population of Africa increased by a factor of 8. Based on 2018 United Nation’s projection, nearly 60% of African people will be living in urban areas by 2050. Of deep concerns are most Eastern, Middle, and Western African countries which will have their urban populations multiplied by a factor of 3 to 7. Similarly, the number of youth entering the labor force, as well as elderly, will continue to grow rapidly. The dramatic increase for food secured Africa occasioned by the sprawling African population, and the corresponding jobs required will be the biggest challenge most African countries will need to confront between now and 2050.The biggest challenges in this respect will be in Eastern, Middle and Western Africa where the number of youth will triple in the next 30 years. Currently, different cassava fermented products are staples in various countries of Africa. Specifically, in the past six decades, cassava has become a food security crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) due to many favorable reasons. Many of these African cassava fermented products are still traditionally produced by spontaneous fermentation making the quality and safety of products uncontrollable, in addition to their incapability of mass production. Modern techniques have taken fermentation beyond preservation such that production is optimized via starter culture fermentation. These are done with a view of generating desirable organoleptic properties with quality and safety in mind. Beside this, a shift from traditional to industrial processing of cassava fermented products will generate jobs and provide enough food that will be needed to feed the projected highly urbanized future Africa. This paper advocates for the urgent need for optimization of cassava fermentation processes in Africa. However, such optimization should be characterized with multiple cultures fermentation which will generate desirable organoleptic properties, nutrition, quality and safety. Additionally, the wealth of information from genomics and proteomic era should be harnessed for improved culture performance and activities so as to improve the safety, quality and nutrient composition of cassava fermented food products indigenous to Africa. The possible impacts of such shift on food security in the twenty-first century Africa, realization of inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and achievement of economic convergence are going to be huge. It is therefore imperative for various African governments and policymakers to integrate this suggested shift into their future developmental plans so as to avoid the impeding ‘demographic time-bomb’.