Fruit In Africa Research Articles

Ameliorative effect of ethanolic extract of Carica papaya leaves on hyper-cholesterolemic rats: The egg yolk induced model

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading killers in the world today, and hyperlipidemia is one of the main risk factors. The prevalence of hyperlipidemia is rising dramatically worldwide and is mostly felt in poorer nations. The majority of communities and individuals in Africa are known to turn to ethnomedicine for their medical requirements. The tropical plant Carica papaya, which is grown for its edible, ripe fruit in Africa, was used in folk medicine for treatment of cardiovascular issues as well as a number of serious illnesses. This study assessed the anticholesterolemic property of the ethanolic extracts of Carica papaya leaves, adapting the egg yolk-induced hyperlipidaemia model in Wistar albino rats. This study prepared egg yolk to induce hyperlipidaemia in the Wistar rats, then treated some groups with the extract of Carica papaya leaves, and other groups with the standard drug Fenofibrate. The Wistar rats in the control group were given 2% acacia instead of egg yolk. The total cholesterol, triglycerides, as well as biological and haematological parameters, were determined. The Carica papaya leaves extracts significantly (p<0.05) decreased the total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels at all doses administered, but the extract and the standard drug had no significant effect on HDL cholesterol. An inverse relationship between the Carica papaya leaves extract doses and the cholesterol levels was observed placing the efficacy in the order of 100 mg/kg > 250 mg/kg > Fenofibrate (2.29 mg/kg) > 500 mg/kg. With the potential efficacy of Carica papaya leaves extract in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and, as a result, cardiovascular diseases, more research on bioactive molecule isolation/characterisation for pharmaceutical use or incorporation into functional food products for CVD management is required.

Optimized pressurized hot water extraction, HPLC/LC-MS characterization, and bioactivity of Tetrapleura tetraptera L. dry fruit polyphenols.

Despite the global preference for green extraction methods in the recovery of plant bioactives, Tetrapleura tetraptera fruit polyphenols (TTP) are yet to receive considerable attention. For the first time, pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) of TTP was optimized for total phenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) using the Box Behnken design of response surface methodology. Predictor variables were time, temperature, and liquid-to-solid ratio. An optimum solution with a desirability of 0.805 was selected and parameters were 43min, 220°C, and 60ml g-1 liquid-to-solid ratio, yielding TPC of 8.92mg gallic acid equivalent per gram of sample on dry weight basis (GAE g-1 dw-1 ) and AA of 70.35%. Purified, optimized TTP were characterized and quantified using HPLC/LC-MS. PHWE mainly extracted rutin (379.04µg g-1 ), cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (chloride) (299.55µg g-1 ), naringenin 7-O-glucoside (240.11µg g-1 ), p-coumaric acid (177.28µg g-1 ), isorientin (150.43µg g-1 ), and gallic acid (118.06µg g-1 ) whereas cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (chloride) (83.27µg g-1 ), protocatechuic acid (61.37µg g-1 ), rutin (28.03µg g-1 ), and gallic acid (22.62µg g-1 ) were mainly extracted by hot water extraction, which was a control. PHWE-obtained TTP showed higher cellular antioxidant activity, cytotoxicity in human liver cancer cell lines (HepG2), and antimicrobial property against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis than control. The potential mechanisms underlying the biological activities of some of the major polyphenols extracted were briefly discussed. Considering the wide use of the T. tetraptera (TT) fruit in Africa in foods and medicine, the use of more efficient green extraction methods such as PHWE is recommended. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study serves as a baseline for optimizing pressurized hot water extraction, purification, identification, and quantification of Tetrapleura tetraptera polyphenols (TTP) and their biological activities, being the first of its kind. The varied biological effects shown can be exploited further for applications of TTP as nutraceutical agents and preservatives in foods in different forms. Also, the high amounts of gallic acid and other phenolic acids and flavonoids confirmed in this study make TTP good candidates for the development of metal-phenol network nanoparticles to enhance adequate solubility and distribution in food systems in light of the above proposed applications.

Gravity Modeling of South Africa's Fruit Exports to Selected West African Countries

Exports are important drivers of economic growth and development. This study analyzed the factors influencing South Africa’s fruit exports to West African countries. The gravity model approach was used to analyse the data with panel data covering 1994 to 2016. The results showed that the model in its fixed effect panel data explained 60.5 percent of the fluctuations in South Africa’s fruits exports to West Africa. The results also indicate that imports’ GDP, population and South Africa’s production capacity had a positive association with South Africa’s fruit exports. On the other hand, the results indicated that importer’s Foreign Direct Investment, Ad-Valorem Equivalent, and inflation had negative impact on fruit exports. Therefore, the results suggest that South Africa should focus on its GDP and on countries with a growing GDP.

An Investigation of Blending Inculturation and Liberation approaches towards new evangelization in Contemporary Africa

In the endeavour towards propagating the Good News, there seems to be a dangerous categorization of Inculturation and liberation approaches as if they are dichotomized entitiesthat impacts negatively on Christianity’s Kerygma (proclamation) and Didache (catechesis). The paper assumes that an intrinsic combination of these two main approaches would result in a holistic mode of evangelization that would fruitfully inspire and significantly empower contemporary people in Africa to embrace the Gospel in their entire concrete existence while taking them separately would result in impoverished ministry. One may thus hypothesize that a merger of the two approaches would greatly influence the way agents of the Gospel accomplish Christ’s mandate to effectively propagate Christianity, in corroboration with the Holy Spirit, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the remotest parts of the world (Acts 1:8), including today’s Africa. Such an assertion merits investigation at erudition level since it has been either ignored or handled superficially. Going by the assumption that Inculturation approach and liberation perspective in significant ministering of the Gospel have an indispensable affinity and actually, not just factually, necessarily imply one another (Nyamiti,2005:3-5) the study endeavours to verify that the merger has the potentiality of bringing about a holistic more effective evangelization mode that would bear abundant fruits in Africa in accordance with respective people’s socio-religio-cultural realities and signs of the times. Based on the above, the study will be guided by questions like: What is the perception and engagement of Inculturation approach in evangelizing service? How does the Christian Church understand and utilize liberation approach in the role of evangelization? How does the merger of Inculturation and liberation approaches make evangelization more significant in contemporary Africa? In what manner can the integrated model in Christian ministry be applied by the contemporary agents of evangelization in Africa to maximize the benefit to contemporary recipients in their historical concrete life situations? The paper will thus give a brief historical theological setting on the subject then scrutinize the nature and engagement of Inculturation approach in the evangelization ministry. It will also explore the perception and employment of liberation approach towards evangelization endeavour. This will be followed by a brief discussion on the blending of Inculturation and liberation orientations as a more fruitful mode of evangelization. Inculturation theory together with general and special revelation theory will guide the study.

Post‐harvest disinfestation of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in mango using hot‐water treatments

AbstractMango, Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae), is one of the most important fruits in Africa, providing household nutrition and economic development opportunities for millions of growers across the continent. In Kenya, over 80% of mango production is carried out by smallholders who produce this crop for both the domestic and the export markets. Despite its importance, mango production is hampered by several constraints, including infestation by fruit flies, especially the exotic Bactrocera dorsalis. In addition to its direct damage to fruits, the high quarantine status of the pest restricts the export of fruits and limits access to lucrative markets, impacting negatively on export earnings. To facilitate access to export markets, post‐harvest management measures such as hot‐water treatment are required to ensure quarantine security. Internationally, this level has been set as either 99.99% (Probit 8.7) or 99.9968% (Probit 9). In developing a protocol, the development of immature life stages of B. dorsalis in ‘Apple’ mango was established. Using this information, infested mangoes harbouring the different immature life stages were subjected to a hot‐water treatment of 46.1°C for four different times, and the egg mortality and larval mortality were determined. The third‐instar life stage was the most heat tolerant, followed by second‐ and first‐instar larvae and the egg stage, respectively. The immersion time of 81.47 min (95% CL 75.77–87.18) was established as the time required to achieve 99.99% security level. In the validation experiment, there were no survivors from the 51,101 third‐instar individuals treated in ‘Apple’ mango weighing 400–500 g. Furthermore, there were no survivors from the 44,651 third instars exposed to 46.1°C for 68 min. These results provide sound evidence that the shorter treatment duration is an effective post‐harvest disinfestations treatment against B. dorsalis, and should facilitate access to export markets for mango fruits from Africa.

China’s Soft Power in Tanzania: Opportunities and Challenges

In recent years, China has embraced the idea of soft power with ever more keen interest. Today, soft power is Beijing’s key strategy in international politics, albeit not in the way the concept is understood and applied in the West. However, this strategy can hardly be said to have yielded fruit in Africa despite China’s growing visibility and presence over the last two decades. This article aims at probing this issue by examining how China’s soft power is manifested in Tanzania. In an attempt to show that soft power is not entirely a new practice in international politics, the article first applies a historical perspective to illustrate that it has been part and parcel of Chinese diplomacy, long before the term was coined by Joseph Nye in 1990. The article then analyzes Chinese activities in Tanzania and how they have shaped perceptions of Tanzanians of China in the era of globalization. These activities are structured in line with three traditional sources of soft power as postulated by Nye, namely culture, political values and foreign policy. As a supplement to Nye’s definition, however, elements of hard power are also included in the article, such as the use of economic inducements to produce, bolster and wield soft power. In general, China has made headway in its soft power ambitions by gaining positive reviews in Tanzania. While the current achievement is crucial as an initial step, there is still a long way to go for China in consolidating its soft power. Although China has earned admiration in some quarters of Tanzanian society, it is still premature to assume that in the long run Beijing will continue to enjoy increasing soft power in the country. Indeed, in some cases, such admiration only exists in verbal recognition. In the meantime, activities that damage China’s image have further complicated matters and undermined China’s soft power in Tanzania.

A historical perspective of the link between economic recessions and agricultural trade performance: The case of South Africa’s fruit and wine exports

ABSTRACTThe recent global recession, caused by the financial crisis of 2008–2009, resulted in a significant drop in global merchandise trade. However, international trade in agricultural and food products seemed more resilient. This poses the question as to what extent recent and previous economic recessions have had an effect on the trade flows of these specific products. An understanding of this connection will assist the agricultural sector to pro-actively strategize for future economic downturns in their respective export markets. Hence this study uses South Africa's exports of fresh fruits and wine as a case study and applies an import demand model to analyse the relationship between export flows, several demand factors and economic shocks in its traditional export markets over the last 28 years. The results reveal that change in real per capita income is a much more significant determinant of import demand for South Africa's fruit and wine than the incidence of an economic recession. Contrary to general perceptions, economic downturns even positively affected the import demand for wine and apples.

CONTRIBUTION TO MANGO VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT IN BENIN - A PRODUCER PERCEPTION SURVEY

Mango (Mangifera indica L., Anacardiaceae) is a popular fruit in Africa because of its high nutritional and economic value. However, smallholders in Benin, a West African country, are currently unable to take advantage of this potential because of various constraints along the value chain. A survey with 150 mango producers in three agro-ecological zones revealed that producers estimate losses for grafted mangoes are 46% and for local mangoes 68%. They perceive phyto-sanitary problems (mainly fruit fly infestations) as well as poor access to markets as the main causes. Mango production in Benin is concentrated in the Northern Guinean Savannah (NGS) zone, and mostly done on small scale (80% ?3 ha) with no use of purchased inputs (extensive). Profitability is relatively low, varying from minus 60 to 80 USD/ha in NGS and slightly higher in the other zones. The distance of the orchard to the road (remoteness) shows a negative trend regarding the profit per kg mango produced, which demonstrates high transaction costs. In order to reduce mango losses and increase profitability, an integrated approach is needed, both addressing phyto-sanitary problems as well as poor market access. The development of alternative and innovative value chains can contribute to filling the resource gaps at producer level. (Resume d'auteur)

The coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis, in Benin and Tanzania: occurrence, damage and associated acarine fauna

The coconut mite Aceria guerreronis (Eriophyidae) is considered the most important pest of coconut fruits in Africa; however, quantitative knowledge about its distribution and abundance is lacking. We conducted four diagnostic surveys-three in Southern Benin and one along the coast of Tanzania-to determine the distribution of A. guerreronis and the severity of its damage to coconut fruits, as well as the diversity and abundance of other associated mites and potential natural enemies. Aceria guerreronis was found in all visited plantations with the percentage of damaged fruits varying considerably among plantations-67-85% in Benin and 43-81% in Tanzania. Overall, 30-40% of the fruit surfaces were damaged by A. guerreronis. Damage severity increased with fruit age and negatively affected fruit weight of 7- to 12-months-old fruits. Aceria guerreronis was by far the most abundant mite on coconut fruits but its abundance depended on fruit age. The highest densities of A. guerreronis were observed on 3- to 4-months-old fruits. Neocypholaelaps sp. (Ameroseiidae) was the most abundant mite on inflorescences. Three species of predatory mites (Phytoseiidae)-Neoseiulus baraki, N. neobaraki and N. paspalivorus-were the most commonly found predatory mites beneath the coconut bracts in association with A. guerreronis. Neoseiulus neobaraki was the prevailing predator in Tanzania while N. paspalivorus was the most frequent predator in Benin. Other mites found beneath the bracts were the herbivore Steneotarsonemus furcatus (Tarsonemidae) and the detritivore and fungivore Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acaridae).

Antifungal effects of pawpaw seed extracts and papain on post harvest Carica papaya L. fruit rot

Increasingly, public debate on ban of use of synthetic chemicals for pest control has been unabated, due basically to the hazards posed by such chemicals to the ecosystem and environment. Biological control using natural products presents as alternative and a viable means of control of pests. Effects of extracts from Carica papaya. L (seed and papain) on mycelial reduction of the most occurring fungal pathogen causing pawpaw fruit rot were investigated. Different fungi isolated were Rhizopus spp, Aspergillus spp and Mucor spp. The aqueous seed extract and papain exhibited remarkable mycelial inhibition with mean zones of inhibitions between (0.23 - 1.73 mm). Using ANOVA at 5% (P < 0.05) there seem to be no significant difference in activity between the extracts (aqueous seed extract and papain).The importance of these findings is hinged on non- chemical means of shelf life elongation of harvested pawpaw fruit in Africa.

Music Therapy in Africa: Seeds and Songs

The seed of Music Therapy has been planted in African soil. Some water the seed, some are not convinced that it is necessary to have such a seed in this particular garden and others are unaware that the seed has been planted at all. My vision is that music therapy grows, flourishes and produces much fruit in Africa. My vision for Voices is that it plays a key role in that growth.

Soil Properties Required by Some Southern Africa Fruit Trees as Assessed by Discriminant Analysis

Some indigenous fruit trees, in the drylands of southern Africa are worthy of interest because of their adaptation to environmental conditions prohibitive for traditional crops. Their fruits or their derivatives are traditionally used as an additional income by rural population, but little information is available about the properties of the soils that support their growth, although this information is necessary if the trees are subjected to sustainable domestication. Several soil properties are, however, to be considered as a whole and discriminant analysis provides a helpful tool to individuate the best conditions for the tree growth. Thirty-five soil samples were taken in areas where the trees naturally grow and produce, and the analytical data of the surface layer were used to relate soil properties to tree species. Four groups of trees were well separated using two discriminant functions that takes into account both the fertility characteristics (pH, organic C, N, texture, and properties of the exchange complex) and the Fe contents and distribution among the oxide forms. The discriminant functions allow a very acceptable reclassification of the data (more than 80% of cases correctly reclassified) and the classification coefficients were used to build an empirical equation that may help to identify the most suitable tree to be introduced at a new site.