European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences

Optimisation of α-Amylase and Amyloglucosidase Enzyme Concentration on Glucose Syrup Characteristics from Purple Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L var. Antin 2)

2024-11-18T15:00:31+01:00

This study investigated the impact of α-amylase and amyloglucosidase enzyme concentrations on purple sweet potato glucose syrup production. The results demonstrated that higher α-amylase levels enhanced total dissolved solids and reduced sugar content during liquefaction, while an optimal amyloglucosidase concentration of 0.8 mL/kg maximized yield and reduced sugar content during saccharification. The resulting syrup exhibited high antioxidant activity and adjustable viscosity. Enzymatic hydrolysis using amyloglucosidase proved superior to acid hydrolysis in producing high-quality glucose syrup. Purple sweet potato glucose syrup emerges as a promising functional natural sweetener with potential health benefits and commercial value.

Effect of Vine Harvesting Frequency on Sweetpotato Root Yield Components and Gross Income in Southern Mozambique

2024-11-13T22:40:41+01:00

Sweetpotato is widely produced by smallholder farmers in Mozambique with average yield of 7.3 t/ha. One of the challenges in sweetpotato production system is inadequate seed during the rainy season resulting in low productivity. The few sweetpotato seed multipliers (Decentralized vine multipliers (DVMs)) resort to several vine harvesting frequency to meet farmers seed requirements at the peak of demand. Repeated vine harvesting contributes to sweetpotato root yield reduction. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of vine harvesting frequency on sweetpotato yield components. Three experiments were set up in three farmers’ fields in Vilankulos district inhambane province in Southern Mozambique in the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 cropping seasons with a sweetpotato variety Esther. The experiments were set up in randomized complete block design with three replications in each farmer’s field. The treatments were no vine harvesting (control), harvesting only once at 8 weeks after planting (WAP), harvesting twice at 8 and 12 WAP, and harvesting three times at 8, 12, and 16 WAP. Total storage root yield, number of roots per plant, root diameter, and root length were measured in each treatment. Results show that storage root yield was significantly higher in control (22.1 t/ha) and harvesting once (17.8 t/ha) compared to harvesting twice (11.8 t/ha) and three times (9 t/ha) (P < 0.05). Additional harvesting from one to two resulted in 33.7% yield decline. Vine harvesting twice resulted in 46.6% storage root yield decline compared to the control treatment. The same observation was noted for the number of roots per plant, where five roots per plant were observed both in no harvesting and harvesting once treatments. A 40% decline in the number of roots per plant was observed when vine harvesting frequency was increased from one to two. No treatment effect was observed on the root diameter. Increasing vine harvesting frequency from one to two or one to three resulted in a 14.7% income loss from sales of both vines and roots. Vine multipliers are recommended to harvest vines for use as planting material only once if they want to benefit from the roots for consumption or commercialization.

Cost-Effective Production of Safe Quail Egg with Medicinal Plant as an Alternative to Antibiotics

2024-10-18T02:30:51+02:00

The study aims to evaluate the effects of Neem Leaf Extract (N LE) and Moringa Leaf Extract (MLE) on Quail’s performance for cost-effective egg production along with their pathogenic microbial load reduction in the gut as an alternative to antibiotics. A 75-day feeding trial on 27-sc-old I 60-layer Japanese quails was taken and distributed randomly into five groups titled T I, T2, T3, T4, and T5 were given basal feed, basal + antibiotic, NLE + MLE (1.2%), NLE + MLE (1.0%), and Neem + Moringa (0.75%) respectively. Live weight showed a significant difference between the T2 and the T I group. T5 showed the best FCR (P < 0.05) (2.52 + 0.03^d) compared to T2 (3.18 + 0.03^a). However, egg production and weight were significant in T5 compared to control and other treatments. In the case of economic profit, the highest gross return (Tk. I 102.00), net return (Tk. 377.40), and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) (1.55) was noted from T5, whereas T4 gave the lowest gross return (Tk. 1040.00) and BCR (I.46). T5 also showed the lowest number of (5.15 + 0.41^C). Salmonella sp. whereas T3 showed the highest number of (8.22 + 0.32^ab) Salmonella sp. So, NLE + MLE (0.75%) can be considered an alternative to antibiotics to produce safe eggs for human consumption, which is also economically beneficial.

The Economic Potential Impact of Climate Change on The Gambia’s Agriculture Sector: A Multi-Market Model Analysis

2024-10-13T11:34:13+02:00

Given the global climate challenges, countries must comprehend how climate change will impact agricultural commodity prices, production and consumption, agricultural trade, and food security. The study used the General Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS), a multi-market model approach, with the base year of 2015, to assess the impact of climate change on the agriculture sector, given three scenarios—hydro-meteorological impact, agricultural productivity impact and their combined total effect. The results show a decline in demand for food across The Gambia. Seed demand will increase, whilst animal feed demand will decline over time. Crop yields for groundnuts (the main cash crop) and rice (the main staple crop) by 2040 will decline by 11.09% and 13.32%, respectively, given the combined total effect. The Gambia will continue to depend on the importation of basic necessities, given its food trade deficits over time. Average food prices will increase by 16.2%; consequently, The Gambia will not be able to attain food self-sufficiency; rather, food insecurity will continually be acute, leading to increased prices and decreased production and consumption. Thus, the government should increase investment in the agriculture sector, especially in crops and livestock that are resilient to adverse climate conditions.

Variability of Iron and Zinc Concentration in Some Rice Germplasms in Nigeria

2024-10-07T10:34:35+02:00

Developing rice (Oryza sativa) varieties high in iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) content is a veritable approach for reversing the increasing trend of micronutrient deficiency affecting sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, including Nigeria. The lack of empirical data on the amount of iron and zinc in rice grains of cultivated varieties hinders breeders’ ability to design effective breeding programs to develop crops rich in vital micronutrients to combat hidden hunger affecting human populations. The objective of this study was to screen available rice germplasms in Nigeria and determine their innate iron and zinc contents as a stepping stone to rice grain quality improvement. This study, therefore, screened sixty-one rice germplasms (48 improved varieties and 13 landraces) for Fe and Zn content. The experiment was carried out in March 2021 at the National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi, Niger State. Samples were prepared and digested, while iron and zinc concentrations were determined with the aid of an Atomic Absorption Spectrometry machine (iCE 300 AA02134104 v1.30). Observations recorded varied significantly for iron and zinc among the various genotypes examined. Many cultivated varieties commonly grown by the farmers exhibited abysmal low Fe and Zn concentrations (FARO-44 (Fe: 4.03, Zn: 4.26), FARO-52 (Fe: 3.43, Zn: 5.09) and FARO-67 (Fe: 3.73, Zn: 4.79). On the other hand, FARO 27 and NGB 00782, with outstanding Fe content of 16.69 mgkg−1, were good sources of Fe, whereas NGB 00791 (16.73 mgkg−1) appeared to be best for Zn. Considering genotypes that combined high content of both Fe and Zn, FARO-16 (Fe: 10.46, Zn: 15.32) and FARO-66 were most suitable for selection as donor parents.