Staple Food Items Research Articles

Women in Cassava Processing and Marketing in North Central Nigeria: Are they any Happier?

Cassava is one of the most important staple food items available in Nigeria. Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava and it’s considered the most important tropical root crop providing food and income to over 30 million farmers, processors and traders. The objective of this study is to ascertain the happiness status of women combining occupation of processing and marketing cassava with family responsibility in north-central Nigeria. This objective is motivated by novelty of such researches in the research area. The findings revealed that women in processing and marketing of cassava in north central Nigeria are happy. The study concludes that happiness question in the study area is influence by the people’s culture where one will hardly said he/she is unhappy. The study therefore, recommends that community leaders and local government authorities encourage women in cassava processing and marketing to always form cooperative societies. This will not only make them a formidable common front but will improve their contributions/supports to families from their cooperatives pool resources.

A long-term study of the impact of the invasive species Eurasian minnow Phoxinus phoxinus on brown trout Salmo trutta production in a high mountain lake, Southern Norway

The shallow Lake Skjerja was originally one of the most outstanding brown trout lakes on the Hardangervidda mountain plateau. During the period 1973–1985, the annual yield was on average 3.35 kg ha-1. In the mid-1980s, Eurasian minnow established a dense population in the lake. Since 1994, 5304 kg of Eurasian minnow have been removed with baited traps, which correspond to an annual mean catch of 177 kg year-1 or 1.12 kg ha-1. The competition for food, in addition to longer food chains, has had a strong negative impact on the brown trout production, with an annual yield reduced to 1.07 kg ha-1, or 32% of the historical catches (1973-1985). The total removed biomass of the two fish species correspond to 65% of the brown trout yield before the invasion of the Eurasian minnow. In Lake Skjerja, the two crustacean species Gammarus lacustris and Lepidurus arcticus, have historically been staple food items for brown trout. Fishing with baited traps on the minnows, and the presence of a large fraction of predatory brown trout, may have reduced the predation pressure on the two crustacean species, and they are still a part ofthe brown trout diet. The availability of fish as food has resulted in a significant increase in the presence of large individuals of brown trout with maximum weights above four kg. Despite reduced annual yield of brown trout, Lake Skjerja is still a popular fish destination with nearly 200 big-sized brown trout (mean annual weight 1065 grams) landed annually. On Hardangervidda, an increase in air temperature has been observed since the 1980s, with a corresponding change in water temperature which may benefit Eurasian minnow. In warm summers, water temperature approaches 14°C which has proved to be near to the upper thermal threshold for Lepidurus arcticus.

Aflatoxin M1 Analysis in Urine of Mill Workers in Bangladesh: A Pilot Study.

Presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in food and feed is a serious problem, especially in developing countries. Human exposure to this carcinogenic mycotoxin can occur through dietary intake, but also through inhalation or dermal contact when handling and processing AFB1-contaminated crops. A suitable biomarker of AFB1 exposure by all routes is the occurrence of its hydroxylated metabolite aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in urine. To assess mycotoxin exposure in mill workers in Bangladesh, we analyzed AFM1 levels in urine samples of this population group who may encounter both dietary and occupational AFB1 exposure. In this pilot study, a total of 76 participants (51 mill workers and 25 controls) were enrolled from the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. Urine samples were collected from people who worked in rice, wheat, maize and spice mills and from controls with no occupational contact to these materials. A questionnaire was used to collect information on basic characteristics and normal food habits of all participants. Levels of AFM1 in the urine samples were determined by a competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. AFM1 was detected in 96.1% of mill workers' urine samples with a range of LOD (40) of 217.7 pg/mL and also in 92% of control subject's urine samples with a range of LOD of 307.0 pg/mL). The mean level of AFM1 in mill workers' urine (106.5 ± 35.0 pg/mL) was slightly lower than that of the control group (123.3 ± 52.4 pg/mL), whilst the mean AFM1 urinary level adjusted for creatinine was higher in mill workers (142.1 ± 126.1 pg/mg crea) than in the control group (98.5 ± 71.2 pg/mg crea). Yet, these differences in biomarker levels were not statistically significant. Slightly different mean urinary AFM1 levels were observed between maize mill, spice mill, rice mill, and wheat mill workers, yet biomarker values are based on a small number of individuals in these subgroups. No significant correlations were found between the study subjects' urine AFM1 levels and their consumption of some staple food items, except for a significant correlation observed between urinary biomarker levels and consumption of groundnuts. In conclusion, this pilot study revealed the frequent presence of AFM1 in the urine of mill workers in Bangladesh and those of concurrent controls with dietary AFB1 exposure only. The absence of a statistical difference in mean biomarker levels for workers and controls suggests that in the specific setting, no extra occupational exposure occurred. Yet, the high prevalence of non-negligible AFM1 levels in the collected urines encourage further studies in Bangladesh regarding aflatoxin exposure.

Assessing consumer rationality during a pandemic: Panic buying behaviours and its association with online social media discourse

As an unprecedented, shared global experience in crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic witnessed unusual behaviours amongst populations. Large-scale panic buying was observed in numerous countries. Such behaviours can be detrimental to the population's wellbeing and societal functioning. As global pandemics are a relatively rare phenomenon in history, research examining panic buying behaviours during pandemics and actual panic buying behaviours has been scarce. Within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the prevalence of social media has made it possible to monitor panic buying discourse real-time. The present research aims to study the relationship between online public discourse and its relationship with abnormal surges in buying behaviours. We first examined Singapore residents' supermarket purchase patterns based on daily supermarket sales data during Covid-19 and investigated its relationship with parallel social media information on the internet. Analysis involving these two large-scale social media and supermarket datasets revealed distinct purchasing patterns for various types of products such as staple food items and home electronic products. While significant positive correlation was found between purchasing patterns of staple and long-lasting canned foods and online discourse, this was absent for items such as home appliances and entertainment products. The findings point to the potential role of social media data in predicting future abnormal food demand episodes, with implications on food security and crisis management.

Survey and risk assessment of aflatoxins and sterigmatocystin in Japanese staple food items and the evaluation of an in-house ELISA technique for rapid screening

Aflatoxins and sterigmatocystin (STC) are carcinogenic mycotoxins frequently detected in many kinds of agricultural products. An analytical method for the simultaneous detection of these mycotoxins was developed using immunoaffinity chromatography clean-up and LC–MS/MS techniques to assess the health risks associated with the exposure to aflatoxins and STC present in staple Japanese food items. A survey targeting Japanese staple food items, including rice and wheat, was conducted after validating the analytical method by conducting a single-laboratory test. A total of 550 samples were analyzed. Aflatoxins were not detected in all samples, whereas STC was detected in 22.4% of the tested samples. The dietary exposure to STC was estimated based on the results of the survey, and the amount of food intake ranged from 0.11 to 0.67 ng/kg body weight/day. The results obtained following the margin of exposure (MOE) approach revealed that STC in staple food items posed little risk to the general Japanese population. In addition, an ELISA technique for detecting STC in brown rice and wheat samples was developed, as high levels of contamination were observed in these food items. The performance of the developed ELISA technique was evaluated using STC-spiked samples, and the average recoveries were in the ranges of 94.6–121.2% for brown rice and 91.5–117.9% for wheat. The developed two analytical methods based on LC-MS/MS and ELISA techniques were efficiently utilized for assessing the health risks associated with exposure to these carcinogenic mycotoxins.

DEEP RESIDUAL LEARNING FOR RECOGNISING ADULTERATION IN PULSES VIA THERMAL IMAGING

Food is the most essential requirement for sustenance of human life and it is one of the basic necessities of life. For optimal health, we should consume pure, nourishing, and adulterant-free food. Adulteration is the malicious contamination of food products with inferior, less expensive, inedible, or hazardous ingredients. Food adulteration means adding harmful substances to food products to contaminate or adulterate it. Pulses are a significant part of Indian cuisine, serving as a staple food item. Pulses may be adulterated by accidental, commercial, or metallic components, which can be harmful to health, rendering them unsafe for consumption and posing health risks. In order to guarantee the safety and quality of food, it is necessary to analyse pulses for any potential adulteration. In this paper, we propose a method for determining adulteration in Dal (Lentils) using ResNet-50, a deep learning model based on CNN. For this work, thermal images of pure dal and adulterated dal were used to classify the adulterated and unadulterated samples. Experimental results show that the proposed system can achieve high accuracy in detecting adulteration in pulses. The proposed system is also fast and requires minimal human intervention, making it suitable for use in food quality control systems. Key Words: Adulteration, Deep learning, Thermal Images, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Residual Network, Pulses, lentils.

Introduction

Introduction

Panic Buying, Product Substitution and Channel-Shifting Behaviour During Pandemic

The present study attempts to investigate the impact of the locational restriction imposed by the government, restricted mobility of the people and supply disruption at the customer interface arising out of COVID-19 on panic buying, product substitution and channel-shifting behaviour of consumers. A questionnaire survey was carried out to seek responses from Indian consumers on the items representing the above components on a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 425 usable responses were analysed using the structural equation modelling considering locational restriction and supply disruption at the customer interface as exogenous variables, difficulty in accessibility as a mediating variable, and panic buying and product substitution as endogenous variables. Further, the channel-shifting behaviour of consumers was investigated for different channels across different product categories during the lockdown. The study reveals that supply disruption at the customer interface has a significant influence on product substitution and panic buying behaviour. It was also observed that there has been a significant decrease in the use of traditional retail chains for staple food items post lockdown. The insights drawn from the study are useful for managers in designing appropriate channel strategies when faced with disruptions caused by a pandemic.

Functional and Nutraceutical Based Applications of Phytochemicals from Major Cereal Grains

Cereals are the staple food item of Indian dietary and are good sources of calories, protein, micronutrients, dietary fiber and resistant starch, coupled with low glycemic index. Due to all these properties they play a vital role in managing all the metabolic diseases. Whole grain cereals are associated with several health benefits than their processed or refined fractions. Cereals are rich sources of bioactive compounds, polyunsaturated fats like omega-3, linolenic acid, soluble and insoluble fibre, and resistant starches. The presence of phytochemicals in cereals such as phenolic acids, flavones, anthocyanins, lignans, and phytosterols makes them ideal for the formulation of functional foods and nutraceuticals due to their antioxidative, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic activities. Millets are three to five times nutritionally superior in comparison to widely promoted rice and wheat in terms of macro as well micro nutrients and are considered to be the least allergenic crops and are rich sources of proteins, calcium, phosphorus, iron. A cereal based formulation forms an important part of folk medicine since prehistoric times in China and India due to their nutritive and pharmalogical value and are used in Ayurvedic and Unani system of medicines for treatment of various ailments. Barley acts as a functional food due to its content of so many healthpromoting components that have shown positive health effect such as β- glucan. The beta-glucans have been approved in many countries as health benefitting soluble fiber due to its role in lowering postprandial blood glucose and the risk of cardiovascular diseases by reducing LDL cholesterol content. The bioactive compounds with widely variations in their chemical structures, properties and functions are often produced in small quantities either as primary metabolites or secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, polyphenols, vitamins, and alkaloid. These compounds are used for the formulation and fortification of functional foods and pharmaceuticals.

IMPACT OF SIDEROPHORE PRODUCING RHIZOBACTERIA ON GROWTH AND IRON CONTENT IN POTATO

Iron deficiency is a prevalent nutritional disorder that has a significant impact on a large population worldwide. Malnutrition can potentially be mitigated through the implementation of biofortification, a method aimed at enhancing the micronutrient content of staple food items. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) possess the capacity to enhance the iron concentration in consumable plant tissues by enhancing its availability through various mechanisms. A controlled experiment was conducted to evaluate the capacity of five bacterial isolates (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5, Z6) to promote plant growth and enhance the bioavailability of iron (Fe) in potato plants. The iron was administered via a solution that consisted of iron sulphate. The study's results demonstrate that the utilization of PGPR led to a notable enhancement in multiple growth parameters of the plants, encompassing plant height, root length, root fresh and dry weights, shoot fresh and dry weights, and iron content, in comparison to plants that did not undergo PGPR inoculation. The application of FeSO4 led to a significant increase in the concentration of Fe, with a respective rise of 100% and 173% observed in the grain and shoot, in comparison to the control group. The application of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) in combination with iron led to a substantial improvement in the levels of iron in both grain and shoot tissues. Specifically, there was a notable increase of 78.64% in grain iron content and a 63.24% increase in shoot iron content, as compared to the control group. The results of this study suggest that the utilization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can augment the absorption of iron (Fe) by plants in the presence of supplementary Fe in the soil. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of microbial assisted biofortification in potato tuber holds promise for addressing micronutrient deficiency in human populations, particularly in regions with limited access to resources.

The Implications of Food Security on Sustainability: Do Trade Facilitation, Population Growth, and Institutional Quality Make or Mar the Target for SSA?

This study examines the impactful role played by trade facilitation (TF) in promoting or hindering food security in a panel of 34 sub-Saharan countries for the period 2005–2019. The empirical evidence is based on the Two-Step Dynamic System Generalized Method of Moments estimator, employed to account for econometric concerns bothering on unobserved heterogeneity and potential endogeneity inherent in the variables used. The empirical findings show that the nature of TF procedures, which are inefficient, negatively impact food security in SSA. These effects are evident on the availability and accessibility dimensions of food security as well as their composite index. While it is noted that this result runs counter to the established a priori of positive signs on the one hand, it however portrays the reality of the economic phenomenon in SSA on the other/hand. In balance, the present TF regime can best be described as anti-food security as suggested by the prevailing burdensome procedures involved in exporting and importing staple food items. The functional roles of population growth and institutional quality are empirically enhanced divergently. Going forward, we recommend that for food sufficiency and Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved quickly, governments within the region would need to finetune the underlying modalities of the present TF regime

Ethnoarchaeological Study on Salt-Fermented Fish in the Upper Mun River Valley, Northeast Thailand

Salt-fermented fish is a staple food item in the traditional diets of Northeast Thailand. Rural households make fermented fish by using local salt resources to preserve seasonal fish supplies, allowing them to ferment and store surplus fish for the dry season. Evidence suggests that this food preservation strategy predates modern dietary practices, and was important in the prehistoric foodways of Northeast Thailand. Using ethnoarchaeological methods, we examine and compare contemporary fermented-fish production, which relies heavily on locally made salt, with archaeological data for these same prehistoric food items and industries. Ethnographic data is compared to archaeological data from the site of Ban Non Wat and the greater Upper Mun River Valley of Northeast Thailand during the Iron Age, which demonstrates a significant increase in the procurement and production of fish and salt resources, and rice cultivation, during the 1st millennium AD. It was also a period of significant social and environmental change, with a marked climatic shift towards distinct wet and dry seasons favoring the exploitation of and reliance on seasonal supplies of fish and salt, as is done today. From this evidence, we establish a correlation between ancient and modern fish and salt production, procurement, preparation, preservation, and consumption practices.

Use of Social media by small women entrepreneurs of India for growing their business

With the increasing education level, social awareness, change in attitude and need for more household income have encouraged more and more women to start their own businesses. Online business has been showing a rapid increase in our country in recent times. During the pandemic time, more and more people became aware of the online business platforms. The e- business portals like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, Jabong, etc. became more popular business platforms due to the situation where people preferred to stay inside homes. Swiggy, Zomato, Grofers, Jio Mart, Big basket and others became popular in supplying food staple items during the pandemic time. The increasing presence and growth of such platforms inspired many people to start such online business locally also. Fresh vegetables supply, cooked food services, staple food items and even more items were sold locally through the online platforms. Increasing use of smart phones by women in India made them aware of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter etc. These platforms have been working as the social networking platforms and are also being used to grow online business by the big businesses as well as by the small local businesses also. My paper is an effort to understand the role of these online social media platforms in the growth of business.

Effect of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) Powder on The Physico-chemical and Sensory Characterization of Dry Noodle

Dry noodles are a staple food item among Asian population. Generally, it contains a low-fat and a high-carbohydrate level, however it lacks other nutrients, such as protein and dietary fiber. The addition of spirulina into dry noodles may increase both protein and dietary fiber. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of spirulina fortified in the dry noodle on physico-chemical and sensory properties. The method used in this study was experimental with a completely randomized design (CRD) using 4 replications. The spirulina powders added into dry noodles were 0%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%, 5.5%, 6% and 6.5%. The results showed the addition of spirulina in dry noodles had a significant effect (p<0.05) on nutritional values, such as protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate and dietary fiber. In addition, physical properties of fortified noodles, including cooking loss, elongation and tensile strength were also significant differences. For sensory attributes, noodles fortified with different concentrations of spirulina showed significant effects in appearance, aroma, color, taste and texture. A selected dry noodle fortified with 6% of spirulina based on the physico-chemical and sensory characterization. The fortified dry noodle can contribute to improving nutritional profile that may be beneficial on health.

Genome-wide analysis of the Thaumatin-like gene family in Qingke (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum) uncovers candidates involved in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses.

Thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) participate in the defense responses of plants as well as their growth and development processes, including seed germination. Yet the functioning of TLP family genes, in addition to key details of their encoded protein products, has not been thoroughly investigated for Qingke (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum). Here, a total of 36 TLP genes were identified in the genome of Qingke via HMM profiling. Of them, 25 TLPs contained a signal peptide at the N-terminus, with most proteins predicted to localize in the cytoplasm or outer membrane. Sequence alignment and motif analysis revealed that the five REDDD residues required for β-1,3-glucanase activity were conserved in 21 of the 36 Qingke TLPs. Phylogenetically, the TLPs in plants are clustered in 10 major groups. Our analysis of gene structure did not detect an intron in 15 Qingke TLPs whereas the other 21 did contain 1–7 introns. A diverse set of cis-acting motifs were found in the promoters of the 36 TLPs, including elements related to light, hormone, and stress responses, growth and development, circadian control, and binding sites of transcription factors, thus suggesting a multifaceted role of TLPs in Qingke. Expression analyses revealed the potential involvement of TLPs in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. Taken together, the findings of this study deepen our understanding of the TLP family genes in Qingke, a staple food item in Tibet, which could strengthen future investigations of protein function in barley and its improved genetic engineering.

Eco-Efficiency Analysis to Improve Environmental Performance of Wheat Production

Though increasing food supply in order to meet the rising demand for nutrition is a global social imperative, reducing the dependence on imports of essential food commodities is both an economic and a geo-political imperative for national governments. However, in light of the Sustainable Development Goals, although Zero Hunger (SDG2) and Good Health and Well-Being (SDG3) can be ensured within a country when the inhabitants are well-nourished and staple food items remain affordable to one and all, oftentimes, there are trade-offs in the process, with the environmental dimensions—SDGs 13 (Climate action), 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on Land). In this paper, using a combination of Environmental-Life Cycle Assessment (E-LCA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), the authors have evaluated the eco-efficiency of 169 wheat cultivation systems in the Golestan province in the north of Iran. Benchmarking performance based on the best-performing wheat farms and optimizing (decreasing essentially) the consumption of resources, will enable an average reduction of between 10% and 16% in global warming, acidification, eutrophication, and non-renewable energy usage of the wheat cultivation systems in the case study region. The authors recommend the use of this combination not only for wheat cultivation in other regions of the world, but also for other agricultural systems.

Impact of farming system practices on weeds in arable farmlands in University of Port Harcourt and environs, Rivers State-Nigeria

Crop production involves the combination of various farming systems practices to produce food and cash crops and at the same time have a reasonable control over weed infestation without course to soil health. Weeds are part of agroecosystems community and are neighbors to our crops and the soil. The work was aimed to investigate the weeds that are common in the sites chosen. A simple reconnaissance weed enumeration survey was adopted for the twenty-two (22) arable farmlands by walk through the farms within and round the boundaries. This was investigated between June 2020 as wet season and in January, 2021 as dry season respectively. A total of 154 weed species were recorded for both wet and dry seasons. The wet and dry seasons had 113 and 120 weed species made up of 37 and 36 families respectively. It revealed 168 broad leaved, 32 grasses and 26 sedges, composed of annual and perennial weed species. All the farms were continuously cultivated and mixed cropped, with 27 crop species identified and recorded. The farmers most preferred crops are Manihot esculenta Crantz being a tuberous crop and Zea mays L., grain cereal with 90.91% each from the overall percentage of individual crop species recorded from farmers who planted them on their farmland (Table 1) respectively, and been staple food items in most part of Nigeria, while the least cropped species are (Amaranthus hybridus L., and Solanum lycopersicon L., Ocimum. americanum L., and Solanum sp.) with 4.54% each respectively which are vegetables to supplement peoples ‘diet. Farming systems methods has a tremendous influence on weed species composition in arable farmlands either during the cropping season (wet) or off the season (dry). Some activities are very peculiar within crop production for example bush clearing, and burn, soil tillage in any form or pattern and weed removal either culturally, biological or chemically due impact on weed species in arable farmlands in short or long term and therefore, its impact on crop species and the environment should be minimized and sustained.

Price Volatility and Transmission: A case study of paddy and redgram markets in Karnataka

Price volatility of major agricultural commodities has attracted major attention in the last few years in India as well as in the world food markets. It is often observed that price changes of major staple food items have negative impact on the welfare of the producer farmers as well as consumers. This study tries to explore the nature and causes of the price changes of paddy and redgram in Karnataka. The secondary data of paddy and redgram prices from major markets were compiled and analysed using volatility index and co-integration techniques. Data from major markets by considering time series data for about two decades from2000-2018 were used to understand the trends, volatility and transmission. It was discovered that, prices were not particularly unpredictable, retail prices were more erratic than farm harvest prices, wholesale prices, and minimum support prices in Paddy whereas in redgram, farm harvest prices were comparatively erratic than other prices. The volatility may be related to agricultural production’s intrinsic instability as a result of unexpected and unpredictable exogenous shocks such as weather and poor price and income elasticities. And study on price transmission would help to know, how the prices have transmitted from one market to other market and reveals the relationship between prices over time between the markets considered.

Effect of iron-fortified rice on the hemoglobin level of the individuals aged more than six months: A meta-analysis of controlled trials.

Fortification of staple food items with iron is a potential strategy to address anemia for a larger population. We reviewed studies to assess the impact of iron-fortified rice (IFR) on hemoglobin levels of individuals more than six months of age. We included studies assessing the effectiveness of IFR (with or without other micronutrients) conducted in any part of the world available in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, clinicaltrials.gov, International database of prospectively registered systematic reviews in health and social care (PROSPERO), unicef.org, and who.int databases and published from January 1, 1990 to April 1, 2019 (PROSPERO registration number: RD42020139895). We extracted the changes in hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and serum transferrin levels among the participants. Finally, data from 15 trials and their 21 subsets were analyzed. Mean difference in hemoglobin was 0.53 g/dl (95% CI: 0.26, 0.80, P < 0.001, I2 = 84%) in the IFR group compared to the control group. In the subgroup analysis after removing studies with small sample size and high risk for bias, a mean difference of 0.44 g/dl (95% CI: 0.20, 0.69, P < 0.001, I2 = 82%) was observed. No significant effect on serum ferritin or transferrin levels was observed. From this review it can be concluded that fortification of rice with iron can be adopted as an intervention to improve hemoglobin levels, especially in countries where rice is the major part food of staple diet. Research is needed on an optimal iron compound for fortification and the acceptance of IFR.

Qualitative exploration of the dynamics of women's dietary diversity. How much does economic empowerment matter?

This study qualitatively examined dietary diversity among married women of reproductive age who engaged in two socio-economic activities to explore the dynamics of food availability, access, costs and consumption. Qualitative in-depth interviews. The food groups in the Minimum Dietary Diversity for women were used to explore women's dietary diversity. IDI were used to develop a roster of daily food consumption over a week. We explored food items that were considered expensive and frequency of consumption, food items that women require permission to consume and frequency of permission sought and the role of economic empowerment. Data analysis followed an inductive-deductive approach to thematic analysis. Rural and peri-urban setting in Enugu State, Nigeria. Thirty-eight married women of reproductive age across two socio-economic groupings (women who work only at home and those who worked outside their homes) were recruited in April 2019. Economic empowerment improved women's autonomy in food purchase and consumption. However, limited income restricted women from full autonomy in consumption decisions and access. Consumption of non-staple food items, especially flesh proteins, would benefit from women's economic empowerment, whereas staple food items would not benefit so much. Dietary diversity is influenced by food production and purchase where factors including seasonal variation in food availability, prices, contextual factors that influence women's autonomy and income are important determinants. With limited income, agency and access to household financial resources coupled with norms that restrict women's income earning, women continue to be at risk for not achieving adequate dietary diversity.