Value addition and processed products of three indigenous fruits in Namibia

The objectives of this study were to add value to three popular indigenous fruits found in Namibia namely, Marula (Sclerocarya birrea), Monkey orange (Strychnos cocculoides) and Eembe (Berchemia discolour) into processed food products and to train rural communities on value addition for job creation, income generation and food security. Indigenous fruits are receiving increasing interests from researchers and scholars because of their nutrition and abundance in most African countries. The fruits are important sources of food for rural communities especially at times of food shortage, hunger and other disasters. In addition, they provide enormous health benefits such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They are also known to create jobs and generate income for rural communities. Because of their role in combating food insecurity, nutrition and the problems of seasonality, studies on their value addition were carried out in Namibia. Different types of food products were made from the fruits namely; juice, jam, jelly and muffins (cakes). A pilot study was carried out to determine the levels and preference range of ingredients in the mix to formulate recipes of the products prior to processing and training the community members. The results were subjected to paired preference tests and the best ratio was then used. According to consumer preference test, marula juice was on the lower value (2.3) due to its low pH (3.26). As for jam and jelly; quality, taste and colour were acceptable and preferred. The three products made from monkey orange were all preferred but those from eembe were downgraded (2.31-3.20) due to dark colour and lack of flavour. The microbiological quality of the produced products confirmed their safety characteristics. The products made in this study were shown to be viable, of good quality and good sources of income for rural communities. The fruit flavour from marula and monkey orange can be utilized in the dairy and other soft drink industries for making yoghurts, sour milk, ice cream, juices and jams

Indigenous knowledge of Namibia

Why this book, Indigenous Knowledge of Namibia? Nowadays, indigenous knowledge has gained prominence and attracted public interest due to its numerous applications in science and innovation: biotechnology, health, bioprospecting, pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants, agriculture, food preparation, mathematics, natural resource management, climate change and astronomy. There are many niche players in the field of indigenous knowledge in Namibia and many studies being carried out. Thus, although not all aspects of Namibia's indigenous knowledge are covered in this book, most readers from various walks of life - laypersons, scholars and policy makers - will find this book a very useful companion. The content of this book serves as a good starting point, because 'we cannot go further into the future without looking deeper into the past' (anonymous). Through their laboratory and scientific studies, the authors of this book server as guides through the journey to discover and record the indigenous knowledge of Namibia society. More importantly, their individual and collective works endevour to add value to Namibia's indigenous knowledge. The voyage and value addition are aimed at bringing greater clarity to some of the most perplexing aspects of indigenous knowledge in Namibia. Authors are aware of local communities need to benefit from their indigenous knowledge. That being said, the aim of this book is not to appropriate the indigenous knowledge of local communities, as most indigenous knowledge is already in the public domain

Transcription Analysis of a Lantibiotic Gene Cluster from Bifidobacterium longum DJO10A▿

Bifidobacterium longum DJO10A was previously demonstrated to produce a lantibiotic, but only during growth on agar media. To evaluate the feasibility of production of this lantibiotic in broth media, a transcription analysis of the lanA gene was undertaken. Comparative microarray analysis of broth and agar cultures of B. longum DJO10A revealed that the lantibiotic production, modification, transport/peptidase, and immunity genes were significantly upregulated in agar cultures, while the two-component regulatory genes were expressed equally under both conditions. This suggested that the signal transduction regulatory system should function in broth cultures. Real-time PCR and Northern hybridization confirmed that lanA gene expression was significantly repressed in broth cultures. A crude lantibiotic preparation from an agar-grown culture was obtained, and its antimicrobial spectrum analysis revealed a broad inhibition range. Addition of this extract to broth cultures of B. longum DJO10A induced lanA gene expression in a dose-dependent fashion. Subinoculation using >10% of an induced broth culture maintained lanA expression. The expression of lanA was log-phase specific, being significantly downregulated in stationary phase. Transcription start analysis of lanA revealed a 284-bp 5′ untranslated region, which was proposed to be involved in repression of transcription, while an inverted repeat structure located at bp −75 relative to the transcription start was strategically located to likely function as a binding site for the two-component response regulator. Understanding the transcription regulation of this lanA gene is the first step toward enabling production of this novel and potentially interesting lantibiotic in broth cultures