Traditional Cooking Practices Research Articles

Implications of Traditional Cooking on Air Quality and Female Health: An In-Depth Analysis of Particulate Matter, Carbon Monoxide, and Carbon Dioxide Exposure in a Rural Community

Indoor air pollution, particularly in rural communities, is a significant health determinant, primarily due to the prevalence of traditional cooking practices. The WHO estimates 4.3 million annual deaths related to household air pollution. This study quantifies indoor pollutants and assesses health impacts and perceptions regarding traditional cooking. Using Extech air quality monitoring equipment, the study measured particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) in 48 rural homes. A survey of 39 women gathered insights on their use of wood for cooking and perceptions of air quality. This dual approach analyzed both environmental and social dimensions. Findings showed fine particulate matter (0.3, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 μm) exceeded safety limits by threefold, while coarser particulates (5.0 and 10 µm) were concerning but less immediate. CO levels were mostly acceptable, but high concentrations posed risks. CO2 levels indicated good ventilation. Survey responses highlighted reliance on wood and poor air quality perceptions demonstrating little awareness of health risks. Common symptoms included eye discomfort, respiratory issues, and headaches. The study emphasizes the need for interventions to reduce exposure to indoor pollutants and increase awareness of health risks to encourage cleaner cooking practices in rural communities.

Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) in Pregnancy : Prevalence and Management

Abstract: - Anemia is a significant public health problem worldwide, particularly among pregnant women. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 18% of pregnant women in developed countries and 56% in developing countries are anemic. In India, anemia during pregnancy affects 45.7% of women in urban areas and 54.3% in rural areas. This review aims to provide an overview of the prevalence, causes, and management strategies of Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) during pregnancy, with a focus on the Indian context. The review highlights that anemia during pregnancy leads to significant health risks, including low birth weight and impaired cognitive and physical development in children. Key factors contributing to anemia include inadequate dietary intake, increased iron demands during pregnancy, and traditional cooking practices that do not promote adequate iron absorption. Management strategies for IDA include dietary modifications to increase iron intake and bioavailability, oral iron supplements, and intravenous iron therapy in severe cases. The review underscores the importance of early and regular antenatal care to monitor and address anemia. Notably, oral iron supplements are recommended to start early in pregnancy and continue with adjusted doses throughout gestation.

Impact of randomly assigned “pay-as-you-go” liquefied petroleum gas prices on energy use for cooking: Experimental pilot evidence from rural Rwanda

The disease burden related to air pollution from traditional solid-fuel cooking practices in low- and middle-income countries impacts millions of people globally. Although the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fuel for cooking can meaningfully reduce household air pollution concentrations, major barriers, including affordability and accessibility, have limited widespread adoption. Using a randomized controlled trial, our objective was to evaluate the association between the cost and use of LPG among 23 rural Rwandan households. We provided a 2-burner LPG stove with accessories and incorporated a “pay-as-you-go” (PAYG) LPG service model that included fuel delivery. PAYG services remove the large up-front cost of cylinder refills by integrating “smart meter” technology that allows participants to pay in incremental amounts, as needed. We assigned three randomized discounted prices for LPG to each household at ∼4-week intervals over a 12-week period. We modeled the relationship between randomized PAYG LPG price and use (standardized to monthly periods), analyzing effect modification by relative household wealth. A 1000 Rwandan Franc (about 1 USD at the time of the study) increase in LPG price/kg was associated with a 4.1 kg/month decrease in use (95 % confidence interval [CI]: −6.7, −1.6; n = 69 observations). Wealth modified this association; we observed a 9.7 kg/month reduction (95 % CI: −14.8, −4.5) among wealthier households and a 2.5 kg/month reduction (95 % CI: −5.3, 0.3) among lower-wealth households (p-interaction = 0.01). The difference in price sensitivity was driven by higher LPG use among wealthier households at more heavily discounted prices; from an 80 % to 10 % discount, wealthy households used 17.5 to 5.3 kg/month and less wealthy households used 6.2 to 3.1 kg/month. Our pilot-level experimental evidence of PAYG LPG in a rural low-resource setting suggests that further exploration of subsidized pricing varied by household wealth is needed to ensure future policy initiatives can achieve targets without exacerbating inequities.

Design and Techno-economic Analysis of an Improved Multipurpose Cooker Stove

In response to the growing concerns surrounding the adverse health and environmental impacts of inefficient and hazardous traditional cooking fuels and stoves, this research aims to design and assess the performance of an improved multipurpose cooker stove. The study focuses on Zambia, a country deeply affected by air pollution and deforestation due to charcoal and firewood production using inefficient cooking stoves called Mbaula. The primary objective is to create an economically viable and environmentally friendly cooking stove that addresses the sustainability challenges of traditional cooking practices. The research is guided by key objectives. The study outlines the design process of the improved multipurpose cooker stove, emphasizing the incorporation of sustainable design principles. The improved multipurpose cooker stove demonstrated a thermal efficiency of 87.49%, significantly higher than the 11.88% thermal efficiency of traditional stoves. This improvement in efficiency is crucial for reducing fuel consumption and maximizing heat transfer during cooking processes. In addition, the research findings showed that the improved multipurpose cooker stove consumed 0.3643 kg/L less fuel compared to traditional stoves. This fuel savings not only reduces the cost of raw materials but also contributes to environmental sustainability by lowering deforestation rates and air pollution. Despite the initial investment cost of the improved cooker stove, the long-term operation costs are lower due to reduced fuel consumption and maintenance expenses. The study's findings and recommendations hold promise for addressing critical challenges related to clean cooking solutions, environmental preservation, and the well-being of households in Zambia and similar contexts.

Did crops expand in tandem with culinary practices from their region of origin? Evidence from ancient DNA and material culture

Grain-cooking traditions in Neolithic China have been characterised as a ‘wet’ cuisine based on the boiling and steaming of sticky varieties of cereal. One of these, broomcorn millet, was one of the earliest Chinese crops to move westward into Central Asia and beyond, into regions where grains were typically prepared by grinding and baking. Here, the authors present the genotypes and reconstructed phenotypes of 13 desiccated broomcorn millet samples from Xinjiang (1700 BC–AD 700). The absence in this area of sticky-starch millet and vessels for boiling and steaming suggests that, as they moved west, East Asian cereal crops were decoupled from traditional cooking practices and were incorporated into local cuisines.

Do Biomass Technology Innovations Improve Subjective Well-Being? Traditional versus Improved Cookstoves in Uganda

This study investigates the dark side of biomass technology innovations on households’ subjective well-being (SWB) in Uganda. The dark side of biomass technology innovations concerns households moving away from the intangible cultural cooking heritages that they have preserved for a long time. These intangible cultural cooking heritages are important to understand as they contribute to policy decisions on sustainable society transformation (sustainability transitions) in the clean cooking energy sector. This study adds to the scarce literature on innovation for well-being and innovation for transformative change, addressing grand societal challenges while considering the well-being of technology users. Principal component analysis was used to generate the subjective well-being variable from the captured traditional household cooking considerations, perceptions, and practices. Linear regression was used to analyze the effect of improved cookstoves (ICSs) and other factors on the subjective well-being of households in Uganda. The results show that using ICSs moves Ugandan households away from traditional ways of cooking, which reduces the well-being they attach to the intangible cultural heritage of traditional cooking. Thus, innovators, entrepreneurs and promoters of clean cooking technologies should consider the well-being of users along with the benefits of bioenergy innovation to accelerate society transformation (sustainability transitions) in Uganda.

Artifact as a Node of Heterogeneous Relationships: A Study with Traditional Natural Packaging in Cooking and Food Preparation Practices in Antioquia, Colombia

This article studies natural food packaging as enabling artifacts of the traditional material culture of Antioquia in Colombia. For this purpose, we consider artifacts as objective nodes that combine design and use intentions, functions, materials, histories, artifactual lineages, and cooperative relationships that stabilize ritualized practices of a human group. We take the example of natural packaging as artifacts that enablers and stabilizers of traditional cooking and food preparation practices. Natural packaging materials are here assumed to be leaves having some favorable property to contain a food product. After providing a theoretical reflection, we analyze the data collected from fieldwork we conducted in two towns in Antioquia, Colombia (Santa Fe de Antioquia and Amagá), as well as from an interview with an expert in the field. Finally, we show that it is possible to postulate an analysis under a relational ontological description of a traditional practice with conceptual categories of the philosophy of technology.

Unlocking the potential of solar PV electric cooking in households in sub-Saharan Africa – The case of pressurized solar electric cooker (PSEC)

Many households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) depend on wood-fuel and biomass for cooking, with associated health and negative environmental impacts. Indoor air pollution from these traditional cooking technologies and practices lead to a number of deaths each year. Clean and smokeless cooking technologies are necessary to minimize respiratory related infections associated with traditional cooking technologies. In addition, modern energy cooking services (MECS), which have lower levelized lifecycle cost have a part to play for post COVID recovery and growth in the sub-region. In this study, a novel pressurized solar electric cooker (PSEC) using diodes as the heating element has been constructed and tested in Kumasi city, Ghana. The PSEC comprises 150 Wp solar panel, 3.3 Liter cooking volume, and with the system integrated with PCM for thermal energy storage. From the experiments conducted in this study, the diode-heating element was able to charge the PCM (erythritol) and maintain it at an average temperature of 118 °C to cook rice, which is a common staple food enjoyed in many households in SSA. The result revealed that when the PCM integrated as energy storage medium was fully charged, the PSEC had fast cooking time of 50 min. Financial analysis also revealed that the PSEC has potential cost savings of US$ 575 and US$ 365, compared to cooking with charcoal and grid electricity, respectively, over a 10-year period.

On account of trans fatty acids and cardiovascular disease risk – There is still need to upgrade the knowledge and educate consumers

AimsTrans fatty acids (TFAs) are unsaturated lipids either of industrial origin or naturally occurring in ruminant meat and milk. TFAs generated through food processing (industrial) is the main source in our diet and studies provide converging evidence on their negative effect on cardiovascular health. Since April 2021, the European Commission has put into effect a regulation for TFAs providing maximum 2% of total fat in all industrially produced foods. In light of this development, we review the evidence regarding the health attributes of different types of TFAs, their dietary sources and current intakes, and we describe the history of TFA-related legislative actions in an attempt to anticipate the efficiency of new measures. Data synthesisThe PubMed database was searched including original research (observational and intervention studies), systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Scientific reports of competent authorities and organizations have also been screened. ConclusionsTrans-fat elimination provides a fine example of how evidence has led to the application of horizontal regulatory measures regarding legal food ingredients in order to protect consumers’ health. In EU Member States, TFAs currently provide on average less than 1% of energy (1%E) and intakes marginally exceed recommendations primarily among young adults. Large dietary surveys however provide evidence for additional, less-well known sources of TFAs in the diet. Raising public awareness of “hidden” trans-fat found naturally in foods such as cheese, as well as of the trans-fat generated through traditional cooking practices is needed, if the goal to eliminate trans-fat from the diet is to be met.

Analysis of Household Use of Traditional Fuels and Possible Contribution to Deforestation in Kisii County, Kenya

A large majority of Kenyans still rely on traditional fuels to meet their domestic cooking needs. The demand for traditional biomass is therefore likely to increase in the coming decades as long as they remain the most readily available and affordable in comparison to modern energy options. This research sought to analyze the household use of traditional fuels and its possible contribution to deforestation in Kisii County. The willingness of respondents to adopt alternative biofuels and energy efficient stoves and barriers encountered were also assessed. Two structured questionnaires that contained both open and close-ended questions were administered to 436 households and 40 wood fuel sellers respectively. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were used to analyze the alternative hypotheses of the study. It was established that the use of charcoal was the most prevalent compared to other fuels. Household consumption of traditional fuels contributed to an estimated loss of 39 ha of forest cover per annum. However, since 89.7% of the wood fuel used was sourced from other counties, the loss of biomass did not occur in Kisii County. Given a chance, about 63% of the respondents were willing to adopt alternative biofuels and energy efficient stoves. However, the greatest barrier to the adoption of these alternatives was the high cost of purchase. Other barriers identified included lack of government support and unwillingness to let go of traditional cooking practices. It was recommended that the Kenyan government and other stakeholders should promote local technologies for producing energy efficient stoves to make them more affordable to the populace.

Assessment of Indian cooking practices and cookwares on nutritional security: A review

Food provides us nutrients and the energy required for growth, reproduction, and maintenance. Energy is required to perform all voluntary and involuntary activities like digestion, respiration, circulation, carrying out professional, household and recreational activities. Despite having rich food diversity, we are using only a few items as our staple food. With the adoption of eastern cooking practices and cookwares, risk of both pre-and post-transitional diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, malnutrition, obesity, etc. has increased significantly. Aluminium toxicity and nutrients breakdown has become a common problem in pressure cooking. To overcome this problem, it is important to shift from the modernized cooking methods to our traditional cooking practices, i.e., use of earthen cookwares, clay pots and some selected metal utensils, e.g., copper, iron, brass, etc. It has been shown that earthen, copper, iron, and soapstone cookwares do not leach toxic trace elements into the food and enhance the sensory qualities without decreasing the food nutrients. Adoption of traditional Indian cooking practices (such as fermentation, roasting, germination, etc.), cookwares (such as earthen, copper, iron, soapstone, etc.) and increasing the consumption of healthy diet grains like millets, etc. can easily combat the pre- and post-transition health problems in India, effectively. This review would provide a deep understanding to the people to decide the best cookware and cooking processes that will improve their health and provide ample nutritional value to them.

Carcinogenic effects of indoor black carbon and particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10) in rural households of India

Biomass is one of the prime domestic energy sources in the kitchens and about 60% of households are still using biomass and kerosene for cookingin India. These traditional cooking practices are incompetent as the use of biomass in traditional cookstove produces an enormous amount of carbonaceous aerosols that lead to indoor and outdoor air pollution. Emissions of various pollutants like black carbon (BC), PM10 and PM2.5 from burning of biomass cause serious health impacts like respiratory illness, lung cancer, watering of eyes, coughing, asthma and heart problems especially in women due to higher rate of inhalation of these fine particulate matters during the cooking period. Quantification of BC, PM2.5 and PM10 emissions from a different type of biomass in various types of kitchen arrangements and its associated impacts are poorly examined in India. Hence, daily concentrations of BC, PM2.5 and PM10 were monitored from different types of biomass user's households during January 2018 to December 2019 to assess indoor air quality by using aethalometer and nephelometer (pDR-1500) in three districts (Sitapur, Patna and Murshidabad) of Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) where approximately, 96% of rural families rely on biomass cooking. The highest mass concentrations were observed in biomass user's households and cow-dung cake users due to low calorific value. About 30.13% of PM10 and 35.89% of PM2.5 data exceeded the national ambient air quality standard on a daily basis in biomass user's households. A cancer risk assessment was also conducted in terms of mass concentration of these pollutants. The lifespan danger from exposure to BC was 4.33 × 10-7 in indoor for non-ventilated kitchens, 2.63 × 10-7 in indoor for ventilated kitchens, 3.98 × 10-7 in outdoor for separated kitchen, 3.22 × 10-7 for semi-open kitchen and 1.78 × 10-7 for open kitchen. The vulnerability assessment for cancer mortality under exposure of pollution was estimated to be highest for the age group of more than 50years whereas lowest for the age group of 0-4years for all kinds of kitchens in the study area.

Factors Affecting Vitamin C Status and Prevalence of Deficiency: A Global Health Perspective.

A recent review of global vitamin C status has indicated a high prevalence of deficiency, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, as well as in specific subgroups within high-income countries. Here, we provide a narrative review of potential factors influencing vitamin C status globally. The in vivo status of vitamin C is primarily affected by dietary intake and supplement use, with those who supplement having a higher mean status and a lower prevalence of deficiency. Dietary intake can be influenced by cultural aspects such as traditional cooking practices and staple foods, with many staple foods, such as grains, contributing negligible vitamin C to the diet. Environmental factors can also affect vitamin C intake and status; these include geographic region, season, and climate, as well as pollution, the latter partly due to enhanced oxidative stress. Demographic factors such as sex, age, and race are known to affect vitamin C status, as do socioeconomic factors such as deprivation, education and social class, and institutionalization. Various health aspects can affect vitamin C status; these include body weight, pregnancy and lactation, genetic variants, smoking, and disease states, including severe infections as well as various noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Some of these factors have changed over time; therefore, we also explore if vitamin C status has shown temporal changes. Overall, there are numerous factors that can affect vitamin C status to different extents in various regions of the world. Many of these factors are not taken into consideration during the setting of global dietary intake recommendations for vitamin C.

Facilitators and barriers to improved cookstove adoption: a community-based cross-sectional study in Northwest Ethiopia

BackgroundAmong the environmental risk factors, household air pollution exposure from traditional cooking practices is one of the biggest killers globally, which mainly impacts developing countries where many families rely on traditional cooking practices. Although improved cookstove adoption is central to tackle this public health issue, the efforts to disseminate cookstove technologies have faced challenges, and the adoption rates are reported to be very low in many developing countries including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the magnitude and identify potential factors that may act as facilitators or barriers to adoption from users’ point of view.MethodsAs part of the wider stove trial project, a cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 5830 households under randomly selected clusters. The required data were collected through face-to-face interviews, and a backward stepwise logistic regression analysis technique was applied to evaluate the effect of potential predictor variables on adoption using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) as measures of effect.ResultsThe prevalence of adoption was found to be 12.3% (95% CI 11.5–13.2), and households headed by females (AOR 1.96; 95% CI 1.24–3.10), private house ownership (AOR 4.58; 95% CI 3.89–6.19), separate cooking location (AOR 1.84; 95% CI 1.49–2.78), fuel purchasing (AOR 2.13; 95% CI 1.64–2.76), health benefit (AOR 1.76; 95% CI 1.15–2.70), optimistic social interaction (AOR 1.81; 95% CI 1.46–2.26), traditional suitability (AOR 1.58; 95% CI 1.28–1.95), stove use demonstration experience (AOR 2.47; 95% CI 1.98–3.07), cheap price (AOR 2.48; 95% CI 1.91–3.21), availability (AOR 1.81; 95% CI 1.5–1, 2.17), fuel-saving benefit (AOR 1.63; 95% CI 1.18–2.24), and more durable stove (AOR 1.71; 95% CI 1.30–2.26) of cookstove played a significant role as facilitators to adoption. In addition, lower educational level of head (AOR 0.31; 95% CI 0.23–0.42) and fuel processing requirement (AOR 0.55; 95% CI 0.44–0.70) of cookstove were found to be barriers for adoption.ConclusionsExtremely lower improved cookstove adoption was observed due to household- and setting-related, cookstove technology-related, user knowledge- and perception-related, and financial- and market development-related factors. Therefore, to gain successful adoption, implementers and policymakers should consider those important factors in the implementation of clean cooking solutions to the community.

Furan and Methylfurans in Foods: An Update on Occurrence, Mitigation, and Risk Assessment.

The acceptance of many foods is related to traditional cooking practices, which create taste and texture and are important to digestibility, preservation, and the reduction of foodborne illnesses. A wide range of compounds are formed during the cooking of foods, a number of these have been shown to lead to adverse effects in classical toxicological models and are known as food processing contaminants (FPC). It is essential that the presence and effects of such compounds alone and in combination within the diet are understood such that proportionate risk management measures can be developed, while taking a holistic view across the whole value chain. Furan and alkylfurans (principally 2- and 3-methylfuran) are highly volatile FPC, which are formed in a wide range of foods at low amounts. The focus of research to-date has been on those foods, which have been identified to be most consequential in terms of being sources of exposure, namely jarred and canned foods for infants and young children (meals and drinks) and coffee (roast and ground, soluble). This report presents (i) new industry data on the occurrence of furan and methylfurans in selected food categories following previous coffee studies, (ii) the most salient parameters that impact furan formation, and (iii) aspects of importance for the risk assessment.

Traditional cooking practices and preferences for stove features among women in rural Senegal: Informing improved cookstove design and interventions

Nearly half the world’s population burns solid fuel for cooking, heating, and lighting. The incomplete combustion of these fuels is associated with detrimental health and environmental effects. The design and distribution of improved cookstoves that increase combustion efficiency and reduce indoor air pollution are a global priority. However, promoting exclusive and sustainable use of the improved stoves has proved challenging. In 2012, we conducted a survey in a community in rural Senegal to describe stove ownership and preferences for different stove technologies. This report aims to describe local stove and fuel use, to identify household preferences related to stove features and function, and to elicit the community perceptions of cleaner-burning stove alternatives with a focus on liquid propane gas. Similar to many resource-limited settings, biomass fuel use was ubiquitous and multiple stoves were used, even when cleaner burning alternatives were available; less than 1% of households that owned a liquid propane stove used it as the primary cooking device. Despite nearly universal use of the traditional open fire (92% of households), women did not prefer this stove when presented with other options. Propane gas, solar, and improved cookstoves were all viewed as more desirable when compared to the traditional open fire, however first-hand experience and knowledge of these stoves was limited. The stove features of greatest value were, in order: large cooking capacity, minimal smoke production, and rapid heating. Despite the low desirability and smoke emisions from the traditional open fire, its pervasive use, even in the presence of alternative stove options, may be related to its ability to satisfy the practical needs of the surveyed cooks, namely large cooking capacity and rapid, intense heat generation. Our data suggest women in this community want alternative stove options that reduce smoke exposure, however currently available stoves, including liquid propane gas, do not address all of the cooks’ preferences.

Defection, recruitment and social change in cooking practices: Energy poverty through a social practice lens

Around the world, more than two thirds of the population persist with traditional cooking practices that are deeply embedded within cultural and social norms. This paper discusses insights from a qualitative study on how changes emerge and unfold in these socially embedded energy practices. The research draws on social practice theory to help make sense of the motivations and social processes behind shifting away from a traditional and social norm, and adopt alternative, modern energy practices. Insights are drawn from primary data collected across two study phases in 2015 and 2016 from the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Findings suggest the importance of energy poverty interventions to integrate and consider both intrinsic and extrinsic incentives, practice leadership and positive relations between communities and the institutions that provide support. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of these findings for the design of policies and interventions aiming to inspire a social change amongst the energy impoverished.

Factors associated with sustained use of improved solid fuel cookstoves: A case study from Kenya

Improved solid fuel cookstoves have been a focus of development efforts to address health and environmental problems caused by traditional cooking practices in Kenya. However, a review of Kenya's experience in promoting improved solid fuel cookstoves shows that the focus has been on (increasing) production and dissemination of improved cookstoves, overlooking the fact that some of the disseminated cookstoves are used less regularly or even abandoned. This study examines factors that influence the usage rate of improved solid fuel cookstoves, drawing on a survey of cookstove users conducted in Kenya through a project implemented by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The results show that sustained use of improved solid fuel cookstoves over time is significantly predicted by awareness creation activities and reputation of the new cookstoves among community members. These insights suggest that cookstove-disseminating organisations should pay attention to these two factors to ensure sustained use of improved solid fuel cookstoves in Kenya and perhaps other developing countries.

In-Use Emissions and Estimated Impacts of Traditional, Natural- and Forced-Draft Cookstoves in Rural Malawi.

Emissions from traditional cooking practices in low- and middle-income countries have detrimental health and climate effects; cleaner-burning cookstoves may provide “co-benefits”. Here we assess this potential via in-home measurements of fuel-use and emissions and real-time optical properties of pollutants from traditional and alternative cookstoves in rural Malawi. Alternative cookstove models were distributed by existing initiatives and include a low-cost ceramic model, two forced-draft cookstoves (FDCS; Philips HD4012LS and ACE-1), and three institutional cookstoves. Among household cookstoves, emission factors (EF; g (kg wood)−1) were lowest for the Philips, with statistically significant reductions relative to baseline of 45% and 47% for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO), respectively. The Philips was the only cookstove tested that showed significant reductions in elemental carbon (EC) emission rate. Estimated health and climate cobenefits of alternative cookstoves were smaller than predicted from laboratory tests due to the effects of real-world conditions including fuel variability and nonideal operation. For example, estimated daily PM intake and field-measurement-based global warming commitment (GWC) for the Philips FDCS were a factor of 8.6 and 2.8 times higher, respectively, than those based on lab measurements. In-field measurements provide an assessment of alternative cookstoves under real-world conditions and as such likely provide more realistic estimates of their potential health and climate benefits than laboratory tests.

Thermal Resistance of Clostridium difficile Spores in Peptone Water and Pork Meat

The thermal resistance of four strains of Clostridium difficile spores (three hypervirulent and one nonhypervirulent) in peptone water (PW) and pork meat was evaluated individually at 70, 75, 80, 85, and 90°C using two recovery methods (taurocholate and lysozyme). PW or meat was inoculated with C. difficile spores and mixed to obtain ca. 5.0 log CFU/ml or 4.0 log CFU/g, respectively. The D-values of C. difficile spores in PW ranged from 7.07 to 22.14 h, 1.42 to 3.82 h, 0.35 to 0.59 h, 4.93 to 5.95 min, and 1.16 to 1.76 min at 70, 75, 80, 85, and 90°C, respectively, for the four strains using the taurocholate method. The D-values of the respective C. difficile spores were greater (P ≤ 0.05) using the lysozyme method, especially at higher temperatures (85 and 90°C). Greater thermal resistance of C. difficile spores was observed in meat than in PW using the lysozyme method. Hypervirulence of the C. difficile strains was not associated with greater thermal resistance in meat. The z-values for C. difficile spores in meat were between 6.21 and 7.21°C, and they were 11.24 and 12.12°C using the taurocholate and the lysozyme recovery methods, respectively. The D- and z-values of C. difficile spores were greater in both PW and pork than the values reported in the literature. C. difficile spores can survive traditional cooking or thermal processing practices and potentially grow in cooked, ready-to-eat products. The use of effective methods to recover heat-injured spores is necessary to obtain accurate thermal destruction parameters for C. difficile spores.