Diet In Ethiopia Research Articles

Experimental investigation on the separation and cleaning efficiency of pea & lentil split chaffs using cyclone cleaner

Cereal grains like pea & lentil split are the principal component of human diet in Ethiopia. But the separation process is very exhaustive and disturbing for the environment since it is used traditional separation. To design an effective separator machine, experimental testing is carried out in a cyclone with body diameter of 0.25 m to determine the efficiency of pea & lentil split grain-chaff separation and cleaning. The average speed of inlet air used for better separation minimizing grain loss is measured using Mini Digital Anemometer at different speed of fan motor by controlling motor speed controller device. In this test, the average air speed of 10.3 m/s and 9.4 m/s are measured for better separation with separation efficiency of 99.03 % & 99.37 % and cleaning efficiency of 99.02 % & 99.07 % for pea and lentil split chaff separation respectively within 1 % of loss.

Addressing Parent-Adolescent Roles and Interactions to Improve Adolescents’ Diets in Ethiopia

Addressing Parent-Adolescent Roles and Interactions to Improve Adolescents’ Diets in Ethiopia

Mediating effects of women’s empowerment on dietary diversity during pregnancy in Central West Ethiopia: A structural equation modelling

ABSTRACT Background Considerable proportions of pregnant women consume inadequately diversified diets in Ethiopia. On the other hand, women’s empowerment is identified as a means of achieving maternal nutrition improvement. However, evidence on the relationship between multiple dimensions of women’s empowerment and dietary diversity during pregnancy is limited in Ethiopia. Objective This study aimed to assess the mediating effects of women’s empowerment in the pathway between women’s education and dietary diversity during pregnancy in West Shewa zone, Ethiopia. Methods A health facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,383 pregnant women in 2021. Dietary diversity was measured using the minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) tool. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were employed to identify and validate women’s empowerment dimensions. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine the pathways linking pregnant women’s education and empowerment to dietary diversity during pregnancy. Results From the latent dimensions of women’s empowerment produced by factor analyses, pregnant women’s education was directly associated with household decision-making power, psychological and time dimensions. In turn, household decision-making power, psychological and time dimensions were associated with dietary diversity during pregnancy. The direct relationship between pregnant women’s education and dietary diversity was insignificant, but the total indirect effect and total effect were significant. Household decision-making power, psychological and time dimensions were significant mediators in the relationship between pregnant women’s education and dietary diversity. However, economic dimension was related to neither pregnant women’s education nor dietary diversity. Conclusion This study highlights pregnant women with better education are more likely to be empowered in household decision-making, psychological and time dimensions; and those empowered pregnant women are more likely to consume more diverse diets, suggesting women’s access to higher education could have a positive indirect effect on consumption of more diverse diets during pregnancy by empowering women in the study area.

Minimum acceptable dietary intake among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

In the absence of minimum acceptable diet, children aged 6-23 months are vulnerable to malnutrition. Not feeding at least the minimum acceptable diet is a major global problem, particularly in developing countries. Even though many studies have been conducted in Ethiopia there are inconsistencies. Therefore, this review aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of a minimum acceptable diet in Ethiopia. Published articles from various electronic databases, such as PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and Science Direct were systematically searched. All cross-sectional studies conducted on the minimum acceptable diet of children aged 6-24 months and published up to October 30/2021 were included in this review. Data were extracted using an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using STATA version 14.1. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence, and a subgroup analysis was performed to identify the possible source of heterogeneity. Begg's and Egger's tests were used to identify possible publication bias. Nine cross-sectional studies involving 4,223 participants were included. Significant heterogeneity was observed across the studies (I2 = 99.4%). The pooled prevalence of minimum acceptable diet in Ethiopia was found to be 25.69% (95% CI: 11.96, 39.41). This review revealed that the minimum acceptable dietary intake among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia was relatively low; only 1 in 4 of children met the minimum acceptable diet. This indicates that the government should promote child feeding practices according to guidelines to increase the proportion of children with a minimum acceptable diet.

The Global Diet Quality Score is Associated with Higher Nutrient Adequacy, Midupper Arm Circumference, Venous Hemoglobin, and Serum Folate Among Urban and Rural Ethiopian Adults

BackgroundNutritionally inadequate diets in Ethiopia contribute to a persisting national burden of adult undernutrition, while the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is rising. ObjectivesTo evaluate performance of a novel Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) in capturing diet quality outcomes among Ethiopian adults. MethodsWe scored the GDQS and a suite of comparison metrics in secondary analyses of FFQ and 24-hour recall (24HR) data from a population-based cross-sectional survey of nonpregnant, nonlactating women of reproductive age and men (15–49 years) in Addis Ababa and 5 predominately rural regions. We evaluated Spearman correlations between metrics and energy-adjusted nutrient adequacy, and associations between metrics and anthropometric/biomarker outcomes in covariate-adjusted regression models. ResultsIn the FFQ analysis, correlations between the GDQS and an energy-adjusted aggregate measure of dietary protein, fiber, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, folate, and vitamin B12 adequacy were 0.32 in men and 0.26 in women. GDQS scores were inversely associated with folate deficiency in men and women (GDQS Quintile 5 compared with Quintile 1 OR in women, 0.50; 95% CI: 0.31–0.79); inversely associated with underweight (OR, 0.63; 95% CI: 0.44–0.90), low midupper arm circumference (OR, 0.61; 95% CI: 0.45–0.84), and anemia (OR, 0.59; 95% CI: 0.38–0.91) in women; and positively associated with hypertension in men (OR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.12–2.80). For comparison, the Minimum Dietary Diversity–Women (MDD-W) was associated more positively (P < 0.05) with overall nutrient adequacy in men and women, but also associated with low ferritin in men, overweight/obesity in women, and hypertension in men and women. In the 24HR analysis (restricted to women), the MDD-W was associated more positively (P < 0.05) with nutrient adequacy than the GDQS, but also associated with low ferritin, while the GDQS was associated inversely with anemia. ConclusionsThe GDQS performed capably in capturing nutrient adequacy–related outcomes in Ethiopian adults. Prospective studies are warranted to assess the GDQS’ performance in capturing NCD outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.

Review on Feed Resources with More Emphasis on Use of Cassava and Sweet Potato Meal in Chicken Diet: Ethiopia

This review paper is aimed to focus on feed resources with more emphasis on use of cassava and sweet potato meal in Chicken diet in Ethiopia. Poultry production has significant socioeconomic roles in developing countries like Ethiopia. Households keep chickens for home consumption, selling and breeding purposes and other purposes such as social and cultural purposes. The chicken farming in Ethiopia is predominantly backyard type of farming system and it is generally disadvantaged since the poor management. According to different research results, the commonly available sources of feeds for chickens includes cereal crops and their aftermaths and household waste products or left overs. Roots and tuber crops can be incorporated in different substitution levels in chickens’ diet. Sweet potato and cassava are among the root and tuber crops and can be incorporated in chickens’ diet. Substitution of sweet potato in broilers diet enhances feed consumption, growth performance and edible meat characteristics of chickens. Accordingly, addition of sweet potato meal in the ration of chicken causes no any impact on edible meat quality and it may possibly substitute up to 50% maize in broiler finisher ration without detrimentally upsetting production performance of chickens. Besides, the tuber meal of sweet potato can also be incorporated up to 25% in layers ration causing no damaging result on the performance of layer chickens. The tuber of cassava will be cut up and dried up, and milled or pelletized and incorporated in chickens’ diet and it can also be included in broilers diet and capable of substituting 50% maize in broilers ration with no adverse effect on their performances and addition of 40% cassava flour or addition of 20% cassava peel meal in layer’s ration is pleasing for laying performance of chickens.

Occurrence of Multi-Drug Resistant Escherichia Coli and Escherichia Coli O157:H7 in Meat and Swab Samples of Various Contact Surfaces at Abattoir and Butcher Shops in Jimma Town, Southwest District of Ethiopia.

BackgroundRaw meat is one of the commonly consumed traditional diets in Ethiopia. However, unhygienic processing and distribution practices are risky for contamination of meat leading to human infection. This study was conducted to assess the presence of multi-drug resistant E. coli with special emphasis on E. coli O157:H7 from meat of cattle and swab samples at abattoir houses and butcher shops in Jimma town, Southwest district of Ethiopia.MethodologyA cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from April to July, 2018. The isolation and identification processes passed through enrichment of samples with modified tryptone soy broth (mTSB), streaked onto MacConkey agar and Cefixime-tellurite sorbitol MacConkey agar, biochemical testing (indole and TSI), followed by latex agglutination testing.ResultsOut of 505 samples, 102 (20.2%) and 27 (5.4%) were positive for E. coli and E. coli O157:H7, respectively. Of these, 55 (19.3%) and 47 (21.4%) of E. coli and 17 (6.0%) and 10 (4.5%) of E. coli O157:H7 were isolated from the abattoir and butcher shop samples, respectively. A significant difference in the occurrences was observed among sample sources. Antimicrobial susceptibility test results showed that, 92.2% to 96.1% of E. coli and 85.5% to 96.3% of E. coli O157:H7 were susceptible to third generation cephalosporin, ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and chloramphenicol. About 91.2% and 97.1% of E. coli and 88.9% and 92.6% of E. coli 0157:H7 were resistant to ampicillin and erythromycin, respectively. A total of 57 (44.2%) E. coli and E. coli O157:H7 isolates were resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. All abattoir and butcher shop workers did not have any formal education or training certificates on food safety, and unhygienic practices were also observed.ConclusionThe presence of E. coli and E. coli O157:H7 including multi-drug resistant isolates in raw meat highlights how the current meat processing and distribution practice was unhygienic. Therefore, strategies in the prevention and control of food-borne infections that could be caused by multi-drug resistant strains will depend greatly on hygienic processing and distribution practices of meat.

Dietary non-adherence and associated factors among individuals with diabetes who are on treatment follow up at Felege-Hiwot Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Difficulty in adhering to the recommended diet is a common problem in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM). Dietary non-adherence among diabetic individuals leads to diabetes related complication and death. As far as our search established, there is a scarcity of scientific evidence of dietary non-adherence of individuals with diabetes to the recommended diet in Ethiopia, specifically in the Northwest part of the country. Hence, this study aims to assess the dietary non-adherence and associated factors among individuals with diabetes at Felege-Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 385 systematically selected individuals with diabetes following their treatment from March to April 2017. Quantitative data were collected using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. The dependent variable association with explanatory variables was determined using logistic regression. Statistical significance was considered at p-value <0.05 with 95% CI. The overall proportion of dietary non-adherence among participants was 46.8% (95% CI: 41.1–52.0). Living rurally (AOR = 3. 75; 95% CI: 2.12–6.63), duration of diabetes less than 5 years (AOR = 2. 81; 95% CI: 1.22–6.50), did not receive nutritional education (AOR = 5. 88; 95% CI: 3.30–10.48), poor social support (AOR = 3. 84; 95% CI: 1.74–8.46) and did not make choices when eating out (AOR = 3. 49; 95% CI: 2.09–5.81) were significantly associated with dietary non-adherence. Nearly half of the individuals with diabetes involved in this study did not adhere to the recommended diet. This problem could be addressed through the provision of nutritional education and strengthening social support to adhere to diabetes dietary recommendations. Therefore, health professional and nutritional educators should take appropriate action to increase the proportion of dietary adherence of individuals with diabetes.

Deconstructing Diets: The Role of Wealth, Farming System, and Landscape Context in Shaping Rural Diets in Ethiopia

Dietary diversification is central to improving dietary quality and nutrition for food security. Several factors have been linked to higher diversity diets, including household wealth, market access, on-farm crop diversity and regional forest cover. How these factors combine in landscapes to shape diets, however, is not well understood. We take the Ethiopian context as a case study of how wealth, farming system type, and landscape context interact to explain household dietary profiles. Using cluster analysis on nationally representative data on household food consumption, we identify three distinct dietary profiles across rural Ethiopia: 1) A low diversity diet, 2) A diverse diet particularly rich in fruit and vegetables, and 3) A diverse diet also rich in oils, fats and sugars. We found that the low diversity diet was strongly associated with households in the bottom and middle wealth classes that were mostly involved in cereal-based farming, although not exclusively. In contrast, the diverse diet high in fruit and vegetables was primarily composed of households with coffee-agroforestry farming systems, and did not appear to be limited to any particular wealth class, although it was positively associated with forest cover. Households with a diverse diet profile also rich in oils, fats and sugars were stratified across multiple different farming types, situated closer to roads, and primarily came from the middle and top wealth classes. Finally, while forest cover was strongly associated with a dietary profile rich in fruits and vegetable and the pursuit of coffee-agroforestry farming, the forest cover in cereal-based systems was still significantly positively associated with the consumption of dark green leafy vegetables and fruits. This suggests that even small amounts of forest cover can contribute to healthy diets. These results, which illuminate how wealth, farming system type, and landscape context shape dietary profiles, have important implications for the design of effective food security policies in Ethiopia.

Contents of Metal(loid)s in a Traditional Ethiopian Flat Bread (Injera), Dietary Intake, and Health Risk Assessment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The traditional Ethiopian flat bread, injera, is a regular component of daily diets in Ethiopia and Eritrea. This bread is also popular among urban refugees particularly Eritreans in Addis Ababa. The levels of metal(loid)s in 40 composite (120 sub-samples) injera samples, representing 4 types of market establishments in Addis Ababa, were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF). For ICP-MS analysis, the accuracy of the method was evaluated by the analysis of a certified reference material and recovery experiments. It was found that the correlations between the mean levels of Al and Fe and between Al and Mn in injera were highly significant (p < 0.001). It was also found that 1.5 fresh injeras would cover 48-75% of recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for Mg, 17-21% of RDA for K, 19-23% of RDA for Ca, and 60-72% of RDA for P for an adult group aged between 19 and 50. Daily intakes of Al, Fe, and Mn were found to be above the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI)/maximum tolerable daily intake (MTDI) values. The mean target hazard quotient (THQ) values for Fe and Mn were greater than 1. The total THQ values varied from 6.52 to 8.53 among market establishments. Estimating carcinogenic risk due to exposure to As, Cr, and Pb indicated that perennial injera consumers might remain at cancer risk. This would further escalate if other staple food items and spices are considered. Hence, there is a need for home-based strategies to reduce extrinsic soil-Al-Fe-Mn in injera/tef batter.

The Study of Some Particle Size Distribution of Teff [&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Eragrostis teff&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; (Zucc.) Trotter] Grain Cultivars and Its Flour

Teff is one of the major and indigenous cereal crops in Ethiopia. It is a unique durable crop grown over a wide range of environmental conditions in Ethiopia and has been utilized as food and supplements for majority of the human diet in Ethiopia. The results were reported as an average value of triplicate analysis of (mean ± SD) and were analyzed by Fisher’s Least Significance Difference (LSD) method and at statistical significance of P<0.05. This study was conducted to generate information in different teff grain flour on some particle size distributionof teff [Eragrostisteff (Zucc.) Trotter] grain cultivars and its flour. Six teff varieties namely Quncho (DZ-Cr-387), Felagot (DZ-Cr-442), Tesfa (DZ-Cr-457), Kora (DZ-Cr-438), Dukem (DZ-Cr-425) and Dagme (DZ-Cr-43B varieties) were considered and their selection was based on their recent year coverage area and the expected future expansion. The grain particle size distribution showed that varieties differ in grain size and showed the size range which would be helpful in design of screens for cleaning of the grains. Each variety was studied for particle size distribution of teff grains cultivars and the flours. The particle size distribution of teff grain cultivars and its flour showed significant (P<0.05) differences among the varieties. There were significant (P<0.05) differences among the varieties except dough stability time.

The Role of Food Systems in Shaping Diets and Addressing Malnutrition: Delivering on the Sustainable Development Agenda.

This paper provides an overview of the role of food systems in improving diets and addressing all forms of malnutrition, drawing on the experience of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its partners. Firstly, it highlights the growing momentum for food systems' contribution to nutrition outcomes, against a recent resurgence in the number of people suffering from hunger, slow progress in stunting among children, and the emergence of an obesity crisis and related health implications. Secondly, it reviews the Global Panel and CFS-HLPE conceptual frameworks linking food systems to diet and nutrition, as these have significant implications for identifying nutrition-oriented food systems policies and actions. Thirdly, the paper illustrates recent initiatives that support global food systems governance and policy coherence. This includes the CFS multi-stakeholder process for the development of Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems for Nutrition and five FAO regional symposia on "Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition." Fourthly, the paper provides examples of how the development of food systems policy options is being supported at country level, and in particular how various policy options are being framed (IFPRI, Nuffield Council, World Bank). Lastly, the need to build the evidence base at global and country levels to inform food systems policy options is put into sharp focus, using examples from IFPRI's development of a research agenda for healthier diets in Ethiopia, the annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, and the FAO/WHO Global Individual Food Consumption Data Tool platform.

Review on: Study the Effect of Fermentation on the Value of Teff Injera [Eragrostis (Zucc.) Trotter

ABSTRACT In Ethiopia, teff is smallest grain used as principal ingredient in formation of injera which is one of the staple foods of the population. It is unique durable crop grown over wide range of environmental conditions and has been utilized as food and supplements to majority of the human diets in Ethiopia . The potential of this grain, as an interesting raw material, for new food product development is due principally to its protein composition which is gluten free and has a high quality amino acid composition. Teff grains can be used in cooking and baking in place of other types of small grains, nuts or seed grain which used for injera preparation, to increase the nutritional and functional quality of injera. It is a fermented, pancake-like, soft, sour, circular flatbread. The main components of teff are protein, ash, fat, fiber, moisture and carbohydrates. Prolamins are the major proteins found in the teff grain. The grain is also rich in iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. Teff has a high content of minerals such as: iron, calcium, zinc and magnesium compared to wheat, barley and oats. It is nutritious as major staple cereals like wheat, rice, oats, barley, and even better in some aspects, containing more calcium, zinc, iron and potassium. They also described teff as being high in dietary fiber the properties of teff and injera have been reviewed. In the preparation of injera, teff flour undergoes fermentation by lactic acid bacteria and yeast. This review was lead to deductions that increasing fermentation temperature was brought in increased titratable acidity and reduced pH of the dough during injera making. Likewise prolonging the fermentation time which increases the acid content of the dough. As well as Increasing the fermentation temperature and time which lead to reduce protein content in injeras. The ash and fat contents of injeras was not affected by fermentation, whereas fiber and carbohydrate was increased.

Factors affecting feeding 6-23 months age children according to minimum acceptable diet in Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis of the Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey.

BackgroundThough infant and young children should be fed according to a minimum acceptable diet to ensure appropriate growth and development, only 7% of Ethiopian 6–23 months age children meet the minimum acceptable dietary standards, which is lower than the national target of 11% set for 2016. Therefore, this study aims to assess the individual and community level factors affecting feeding according to minimum acceptable diet among 6–23 months age children in Ethiopia.MethodsThis study analyzed retrospectively a cross-sectional data on a weighted sample of 2919 children aged 6–23 months nested within 617 clusters after extracting from Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2016 via the link www.measuredhs.com. By employing bi-variate multilevel logistic regression model, variables which were significant at the p-value < 0.25 were included in multivariable multilevel logistic regression analysis. Finally, variables with a p-value < 0.05 were considered as significant predictors of minimum acceptable diet.ResultsOnly 6.1% of 6–23 months age children feed minimum acceptable diet in Ethiopia. Children 18–23 months age (AOR = 3.7, 95%CI 1.9, 7.2), father’s with secondary or higher education (AOR = 2.1, 95%CI 1.2, 3.6), Employed mothers (AOR = 1.7, 95%CI 1.2, 2.5), mothers have access to drinking water (AOR = 1.9, 95%CI 1.2, 2.9), mothers with media exposure (AOR = 2.1 95%CI 1.1, 2.7) were positive individual level predictors. Urban mothers (AOR = 4.8, 95%CI 1.7, 13.2)) and agrarian dominant region (AOR = 5.6, 95%CI 2.2, 14.5) were community level factors that significantly associated with a minimum acceptable diet of 6–23 months age children.ConclusionBoth individual and community level factors were significantly associated with a minimum acceptable diet of 6–23 months age children in Ethiopia, suggesting that nutritional interventions designed to improve child health should not only be implemented at the individual level but tailored to community context as well.

Exposure to Large-Scale Social and Behavior Change Communication Interventions Is Associated with Improvements in Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in Ethiopia.

Optimal breastfeeding (BF) practices in Ethiopia are far below the government’s targets, and complementary feeding practices are poor. The Alive & Thrive initiative aimed to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices through large-scale implementation of social and behavior change communication interventions in four regions of Ethiopia. The study assessed the effects of the interventions on IYCF practices and anthropometry over time in two regions–Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region and Tigray. A pre- and post-intervention adequacy evaluation design was used; repeated cross-sectional surveys of households with children aged 0–23.9 mo (n = 1481 and n = 1494) and with children aged 24–59.9 mo (n = 1481 and n = 1475) were conducted at baseline (2010) and endline (2014), respectively. Differences in outcomes over time were estimated using regression models, accounting for clustering and covariates. Plausibility analyses included tracing recall of key messages and promoted foods and dose-response analyses. We observed improvements in most WHO-recommended IYCF indicators. Early BF initiation and exclusive BF increased by 13.7 and 9.4 percentage points (pp), respectively. Differences for timely introduction of complementary foods, minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF), minimum acceptable diet (MAD), and consumption of iron-rich foods were 22.2, 3.3, 26.2, 3.5, and 2.7 pp, respectively. Timely introduction and intake of foods promoted by the interventions improved significantly, but anthropometric outcomes did not. We also observed a dose-response association between health post visits and early initiation of BF (OR: 1.8); higher numbers of home visits by community volunteers and key messages recalled were associated with 1.8–4.4 times greater odds of achieving MDD, MMF, and MAD, and higher numbers of radio spots heard were associated with 3 times greater odds of achieving MDD and MAD. The interventions were associated with plausible improvements in IYCF practices, but large gaps in improving children’s diets in Ethiopia remain, particularly during complementary feeding.

Seasonality and household diets in Ethiopia.

To revisit seasonality by assessing how household diets vary across agricultural seasons in rural and urban Ethiopia. The role of seasonality on the sources and intake of energy (per capita) and household dietary diversity score (HDDS) was analysed. The use of nationally representative household-level data collected each month over one year to study the seasonal changes in the sources and intake of energy and HDDS. Eleven regions of Ethiopia, including rural and urban settings. Total of 27 835 households were interviewed between July 2010 and July 2011 in all eleven regions of the country. On average each month saw 2300 household interviews, yielding nationally representative data for each calendar month. For rural households, the mean daily per capita energy intake was 10 288 kJ (2459 kcal) in February (post-harvest period) and lower in the lean season: 9703 kJ (2319 kcal) in June (P<0·05) and 9552 kJ (2283 kcal) in July (P<0·001). HDDS for rural households was highest in February (6·73) and lowest in June (5·98; P<0·001) but high again in July (6·57). Urban energy intake was also lower in the lean season but HDDS varied less by season. Considerable seasonal variation was also found in energy sources in rural areas, less so in urban areas. Household diets in Ethiopia remain subjected to significant seasonal stress. HDDS and food security measured using energy intake do not always agree. Preferably, HDDS and energy intake data should be used together to assess food security.

Sweet blue lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) seed as a substitute for concentrate mix supplement in the diets of yearling washera rams fed on natural pasture hay as basal diet in Ethiopia

In the mixed crop-livestock farming system of Ethiopia where crop residues are the major feed resources and concentrate supplement feeds are not common, home-grown legume protein sources can help to minimise the feed problem. A 69-day feeding experiment on sheep was conducted to evaluate the potential of sweet blue lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) cultivar Sanabor seed as a substitute for commercial concentrate supplement. Thirty yearling male intact Washera sheep with initial body weight of 21 ± 1.38 kg (mean ± SD) were used. The design was a randomised complete block design with six replications. The five experimental supplement feeds were 453 g concentrate (T1), 342 g concentrate + 74 g lupin seed (T2), 228 g concentrate + 147 g lupin seed (T3), 116 g concentrate + 219 g lupin seed (T4) and 290 g lupin seed (T5) in dry matter basis to supplement around 100 g crude protein per day per animal. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) in total dry matter, crude protein, ash and organic matter intakes among treatments. The average daily body weight gain for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 was 91, 79, 79, 87 and 74 g/day, respectively, and this difference was not significant (P > 0.05). It was concluded that blue lupin seed has a potential to substitute the commercial concentrate supplement feed in Ethiopia.

Dental caries and its determinants among recent immigrants from rural Ethiopia.

Adults (35-45 yr old) and children (5 and 12 yr old) recently arrived in Israel from rural areas in Ethiopia were examined. Caries levels were low: e.g. DMFT = 0.31 among 12-yr-olds, and 1.27 amongst adults. The 5-yr-olds were 86.8% caries-free, while 12-yr-olds were 81.8% and adults 54% caries-free respectively. According to interview data, the diet in Ethiopia had been based on local agricultural products and was almost sugar-free. The mean total count of salivary bacteria, as determined on blood agar, was 3.4 x 10(8); mean count of Streptococcus viridans, on mitis salivarius, was 6.7 x 10(7); and mean count of S. mutans, as determined on mitis salivarius with bacitracin, was 1.7 x 10(7). These levels were all high and were not significantly different from a control group of 20 Israelis. The mean number of lactobacilli, on Rogosa agar, was 2.75 x 10(4), which was significantly higher than among the controls (3.6 x 10(3). Salivary pH levels were generally similar between the Ethiopian group and the controls. Salivary flow was significantly higher for the Ethiopians (1.93 ml/min) than for controls (1.16 ml/min). Low levels of caries in this population can be attributed to an almost sugar-free diet and high salivary flow, but not to the composition of oral microflora.

The Transition Between Hunting and Gathering and the Specialized Husbandry of Resources: A Socio-ecological Approach [and Comments and Reply

The Transition Between Hunting and Gathering and the Specialized Husbandry of Resources: A Socio-ecological Approach [and Comments and Reply

The role of wild plants in the native diet in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is rich in indigenous oral plant lore. The use of wild plants in the native diet, in religious ceremonies as well as for magic and medicinal purposes is commonplace and widespread. This tradition is the result of depressed agricultural production due to primitive agricultural methods, frequent natural calamities such as desert locust and army worm infestation, frequent tribal fueds, etc., resulting in chronic food shortages for the rural agricultural population on the one hand, and the rich floristic wealth of the country on the other. Ethiopians possess a sound knowledge about proper diet and their problem is often the lack of an adequate and constant food supply. The knowledge, tradition, and opportunity of using wild plants (fruits, leafy vegetables, starchy roots, etc.) as supplements to their diets is thus wide. In general, wild plants are consumed more by young rural males than older ones in times of peace, and more are consumed by all ages and both sexes in periods of famine, wars and at the height of the dry season each year.