Journal articles on the topic 'Oil-For-Food Programme'

Corruption, as a nontraditional form of crime, occurred when power is abused to gain certain favours for individuals or parties at the expense of the rest. Siemens Aktiengesellscahft (Siemens AG) bribery case is the biggest company corruption revealed in history, in which the company had been convicted guilty for giving bribes to governments in many countries, from developing to developed countries. In Iraq, Siemens AG was proved guilty for giving bribes to Saddam Hussein regime during its involvement in United Nation Oil for Food Programme (UN-OFFP) in 2000-2002. This research is conducted to understand causing factors of such action by employing qualitative data for further analysis. Research finding shows that corruption in UN-OFFP involving three institutions: Siemens AS, Saddam Hussein regime, and UN, was occurred due to pragmatism in pursuing economic motive which encouraged by accommodative culture and enabled by weak law enforcement.

Both national authorities and the donor community require methods of locust and grasshopper control that are less insecticide-dependent and more environmentally friendly. The LUBILOSA (LUtte Biologique contre les LOcustes et les SAuteriaux) programme has identified mycoinsecticides, based on aerial conidia of fungal entomopathogens such as Metarhizium, as the most effective biological control technique discovered to date. High (90%) insect mortalities have been demonstrated in the field following the application of oil-based formulations with ultra-low volume spraying equipment normally used for acridid control. The mechanisms of disease transmission in the field are still under investigation and the programme has helped to initiate a re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of the genus Metarhizium. Effective mycoinsecticides can be produced using relatively unsophisticated equipment although the quality of commercial products would need to be carefully controlled. Metarhizium has recently been recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for use in environmentally sensitive areas, and the programme has now entered an implementation phase.

This article is based on the scientific paper: Casadei, E., Valli, E., Panni, F., Donarski, J., Farrús Gubern, J., Lucci, P., Conte, L., Lacoste, F., Maquet, A., Brereton, P., Bendini, A., Gallina Toschi, T., Emerging trends in olive oil fraud and possible countermeasures, Food Control 124: 107902, 2021. The work was developed in the context of the project OLEUM “Advanced solutions for assuring authenticity and quality of olive oil at global scale”, funded by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 Programme (2014–2020, GA no. 635690). The information expressed in this article reflects the authors’ views; the EC is not liable for the information contained therein.

Energy sector has been one o f the most important priorities since reestablishment o f the independence o f Latvia. The deficiency o f energy resources in Latvia has created a need to assess all the possibilities to utilize all the local enrgy resources, including the biological ones, to motivate the trends in the development of energetics in Latvia. Therefore data have been collected, calculations made and possibilities analysed to replace the imported energy resources. From the renewable energy in Latvia there are used the wind, solar, hydraulic and bioenergy. A biofuel programme has been worked out in Latvia. It is envisaged to develop the production of ethanol and rape oil for vehicle engines. For this purpose an arable area of 288 thousand ha is needed. A huge non-utilised reserve in Latvia is methane fermentation of organic agricultural and municipal residue and sewage from food industry. It is calculated that about 170 million m3 biogas can be obtained in Latvia. Implementation of the fuel programme will stimulate Latvia’s economy.

AbstractObjectiveNutritional impact of the Tick front-of-pack labelling programme was evaluated by investigating nutrient changes to the purchased food supply and the nutritional quality of Tick v. non-Tick products. Factors influencing manufacturers’ decisions to develop and license Tick products were also explored.DesignObservational, cross-sectional and change over time data.SettingNew Zealand food supply, 2011–2013.SubjectsForty-five newly licensed Tick products from five food categories were analysed: Edible Oil Spreads, Yoghurt & Dairy Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Ready Meals and Processed Poultry. Four manufacturers of these products were interviewed.ResultsEligible products (31 % of all Tick products in these categories) removed 4·1 million megajoules of energy, 156·0 tonnes of saturated fat, 15·4 tonnes of trans-fat and 4·0 tonnes of sodium from food products sold in New Zealand over three years. In each food category, these Tick products were, on average, 14–76 % lower in energy, saturated fat, trans-fat and sodium than non-Tick products, indicating healthier options. Participating manufacturers reported that international market trends and consumer demand for tasty, healthy foods primarily influenced Tick product development and sales. Tick was used as part of their marketing strategy as it was perceived as a credible, well-recognised logo for New Zealand consumers. Tick was cited as the primary initiative encouraging saturated fat reduction.ConclusionsThe Tick Programme is continuing to encourage manufacturers to make meaningful improvements to the nutritional quality of the New Zealand food supply. Over time, these changes are likely to influence population nutrient intakes and reduce CVD risk factors.

AbstractObjectiveTo assess oil consumption, vitamin A intake and retinol status before and a year after the fortification of unbranded palm oil with retinyl palmitate.DesignPre–post evaluation between two surveys.SettingTwenty-four villages in West Java.SubjectsPoor households were randomly sampled. Serum retinol (adjusted for subclinical infection) was analysed in cross-sectional samples of lactating mothers (baselinen324/endlinen349), their infants aged 6–11 months (n318/n335) and children aged 12–59 months (n469/477), and cohorts of children aged 5–9 years (n186) and women aged 15–29 years (n171), alongside food and oil consumption from dietary recall.ResultsFortified oil improved vitamin A intakes, contributing on average 26 %, 40 %, 38 %, 29 % and 35 % of the daily Recommended Nutrient Intake for children aged 12–23 months, 24–59 months, 5–9 years, lactating and non-lactating women, respectively. Serum retinol was 2–19 % higher at endline than baseline (P<0·001 in infants aged 6–11 months, children aged 5–9 years, lactating and non-lactating women; non-significant in children aged 12–23 months;P=0·057 in children aged 24–59 months). Retinol in breast milk averaged 20·5 μg/dl at baseline and 32·5 μg/dl at endline (P<0·01). Deficiency prevalence (serum retinol <20 μg/dl) was 6·5–18 % across groups at baseline, and 0·6–6 % at endline (P≤0·011). In multivariate regressions adjusting for socio-economic differences, vitamin A intake from fortified oil predicted improved retinol status for children aged 6–59 months (P=0·003) and 5–9 years (P=0·03).ConclusionsAlthough this evaluation without a comparison group cannot prove causality, retinyl contents in oil, Recommended Nutrient Intake contributions and relationships between vitamin intake and serum retinol provide strong plausibility of oil fortification impacting vitamin A status in Indonesian women and children.

Ayurveda, a science of life emphasizes on the maintenance, promotion of health and curing of diseases through Dincharya, Ritucharya and Aahar as well as medicine. As per Ayurveda, Aahar is Mahoshad and edible oils form an essential part of our diet. Olis (Tail) provide Strength and rigidity of skin and also helpful to longevity. The oil plays an important role in our daily life due to constitutive property and essential part of our food. The traditional medicinal system of India mentioned oils for different uses along with part of food like;for Massage, Nasya, Basti, Kavala, Gandusha etc. This article shows a study based on a survey, conducted under Nirogi Rajasthan Programme. This study was done on 1500 people aged above 60 years irrespective of their gender. The Persons were 1022 out of 1500 irrespective of their gender, use non-refined oil on a daily basis. Among these 537 were male and 485 were females. In this Study, we found that people who take non-refined oil on a daily basis have better life expectancy or Longevity. Oils are an important part of our diet either, increase or decrease in its amount leads to many systemic disorders. Alopecia, thrombocytopenia, intellectual disability, Vitamin deficiency disorders caused by Vitamin A, D, E and K are caused by lack of essential fatty acids. However fatty liver, obesity, dyslipidemia, CVD, Hypertension all are caused by excessive amounts of fat in the body. The proper amount of oil consumption and proper metabolism are essential for maintaining health. Good health deals with longevity.

AbstractThis exploratory holo-analysis of the efficacy of Bio-Mos®, (BM), an outer cell wall derivative of a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is part of an empirical modelling research programme comparing the efficacies of potential replacements for veterinary prescription-free pronutrient antibiotics in pig production. The data resource was mined from 128 saccharide publications of which 31/97 on BM (1997 to 2003) provided 69 negatively controlled start-to-finish tests from 10 countries (USA 71%) using 3778 pigs(30·5 per treatment). Respective food intake, live-weight gain and food conversion responses of 0·0075 kg/day (0·99%), 0·0145 kg/day (3·58%) and −0·0526 (3·07%) have coefficients of variation of 511, 163 and 229% and beneficial gain and conversion frequencies of 73 and 68%, 54% jointly. Holo-analytical multiple regression models of BM food intake, live-weight gain and food conversion effects using conventional and less stringent probabilities contain significant independent variables for negative control performances, dosage, discontinuous dosage, test duration, year of test, non-USA test, male, grower-finisher, slatted floor, processed food, antibacterial foods, animal protein food, main vegetable protein not soya bean, added oil/fat food and factorial data, which account for 11 to 68% of variations in response. The models quantify differences in research and praxis and indicate areas for future modelling research on BM dose-response relations, effects of ration ingredient and nutrient contents, other saccharide efficacy comparisons, including lactose, and BM comparisons and interactions with other proposed antibiotic replacements.

Nigeria is the largest rice producing country in West Africa, but also the second largest importer of rice in the world. The current government policy initiatives aim at prioritizing the rice sector and decreasing dependence on import thereby fostering production and supplying agricultural inputs. Nigeria is faced with mounting food import bills for the staple crop that has been consuming huge chunks of foreign exchange, particularly in times of low crude oil revenues, the government, in 2015, created the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), a micro-credit scheme for farmers of identified crops, including rice. Jigawa State is mainly an agrarian area, and is one of the major rice producing zones in the country. Three specific objectives guided the study. One null hypothesis was formulated and tested as 0.05 level of significance. Data for the study was collected through a researcher designed questionnaire. Result was analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistic of binary logic regression was used to test the null hypothesis formulated. Result of the findings shows that there is high level of ABP awareness among smallholder rice farmers in the study area as well as high accessibility of farmers to the facilities provided. Government should give larger financial support to the programme and should be made available in all rice growing states of the federation was among recommendations made.

To investigate the nutritional status of the population of the UK during the Second World War, nutritional surveys were commissioned in 1941. These included surveys of two groups of pregnant women: the first comprised 120 working-class women who were studied in the spring of 1942, and a second group of 253 women in 1944. Both groups were followed up until after delivery. Detailed biochemical assessments were performed on each subject. Our statistical analysis of the haematological data showed that nearly 25 % of women from the 1942 group were deficient in protein, over 60 % were deficient in Fe and vitamin A, and over 70 % had severe vitamin C deficiency. The findings were reported to the Ministries of Health and Food who instigated a food supplementation policy at the end of 1942 that entitled pregnant women in the UK to extra rations of fruit, dairy produce and to a supply of cod-liver-oil tablets. A second group of 253 pregnant women were studied 15 months later which enabled the effects of this programme to be investigated. Supplementation reduced the proportion of women with vitamin A concentrations below the normal range from 63 % to 38 %, and vitamin C from 78 % to 20 %, but protein and Fe concentrations were not increased but actually declined. These findings continued to exert an influence over government food policy for pregnant women until the abolition of rationing in 1954.

In order to teach suitable feeding and hygiene practices to a group of randomly selected Qashqa'i tribe families with 406 children aged 0–59 months, a culturally appropriate community-based education intervention approach was used. To assess the impact of the intervention on the study group, another group of families with 405 children were randomly selected to serve as the controls. At the beginning of the intervention programme both groups of children had access to a similar diet, consisting of cereals, beans, oil, sugar, milk and yoghurt. Baseline data, age, gender, weight, height and mean arm circumference (MAC), were obtained before the intervention. Using Hubley's behavioural change model, the components of which deal with beliefs, attitudes, subjective norms and enabling factors, the research team studied the behaviour of the family members and tried to change their nutritional behaviour. This was achieved by designing a suitable education programme to be carried out for 12 months. During the programme, families were instructed to follow different methods of food preparation and cooking practices. The final data were collected 3 months after the end of the intervention programme. The results indicated that the children in the study group gained: 1·16 (SD 1·2) kg body weight, 0·033 (SD 0·05) m in height, 0·0067 (SD 0·015) m in MAC, 0·8 (SD 1) in weight-for-age Z-score, 0·97 (SD 1·7) in height-for-age Z-score and 0·28 (SD 1·8) in weight-for-height Z-score by the end of the study. The corresponding values for the control group were 0·42 (SD 1·0), 0·0167 (SD 0·047), 0·0017 (SD 0·012), 0·35 (SD 1·1), 0·56 (SD 1·5) and 0·014 (SD 1·6) respectively and the differences were statistically significant (P<0·05). These findings suggest that educational interventions involving parents and/or other family members who might play a role in the care behaviour and care resources are important in feeding the children energy- and protein-enriched, hygienic, simple and cheap foods. Such practices could improve child growth even under conditions of poverty.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important oilseed crop with well-developed value chains. It is Ethiopia’s most valuable export commodity after coffee (Coffea arabica L.), contributing to socioeconomic development. The productivity of the crop is low and stagnant in Ethiopia and other major sesame growing regions in sub-Saharan Africa (<0.6 t/ha) due to a multitude of production constraints. The objective of this study was to document sesame production opportunities and constraints, as well as farmer- and market-preferred varieties and traits, in eastern and southwestern Ethiopia as a guide for large-scale production and breeding. A participatory rural appraisal (PRA) study was conducted in two selected sesame growing regions and four districts in Ethiopia. Data were collected from 160 and 46 sesame farmers through semistructured questionnaires and focus group discussions. Sesame is grown by all respondent farmers in the study areas for food and as a source of cash. Most respondent farmers (56%) reported cultivating sesame using seeds of unknown varieties often sourced from the informal seed sector. About 83% of the respondents reported lack of access to improved seeds as the most important production constraint, followed by low yield gains from cultivating the existing varieties (reported by 73.8% of respondents), diseases (69.4%), and low market price (68.8%). Other production constraints included insect pests (59.4%), lack of market information (55%), and high cost of seed (50%). The above constraints were attributed to the absence of a dedicated breeding programme, lack of a formal seed sector, poor extension services, and underdeveloped pre- and postharvest infrastructures. The most important market-preferred traits of sesame included true-to-type seed (reported by 36.3% of respondents), white seed colour (28.8%), and high seed oil content (23.8%). The vital farmer-preferred attributes included reasonable market price (reported by 11.3% of respondents), resistance to crop diseases (10.9%), drought tolerance (10.3%), resistance to crop insect pests (9.2%), higher seed yield (8.9%), higher thousand-seed weight (7.2%), higher oil content (6.3%), white seed colour (6.1%), early maturity (6.1%), and good oil qualities such as aroma and taste (5.7%). Therefore, there is a need for a dedicated sesame genetic improvement programme by integrating the above key production constraints and market- and farmer-preferred traits to develop and deploy new generation varieties to enhance the production, productivity, and adoption of sesame cultivars in Ethiopia.

Health is a natural facet of liveliness - both by definition and realization. The Indian rishis (sages and scientists of yore) had attributed the secret of “jivem shardah shatam” - hundred years of vigorous, healthy, happy and creative life - to the total harmony of the mode of living with the Nature and the spiritual inheritance of life. The lifestyle plays an important role in remaining healthy as we recognize the important elements of all health maintenance when it comes to our diet; consuming fresh, whole food and dedication to eliminating high fat and oil food products. In particular, for adolescents who are the future generation, need to be examine their significant aspects of health and healthy lifestyles. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness level of the female adolescents studying in Govt Schools of Dharwad city Karnataka who have under gone Kishori Awareness Program training an initiative of Sarva Shikshan Abhiyan implemented from 2005 to 2013, and also including non-participant to measure the effectiveness of programme. Findings have revealed that an average of 88.71 per cent is aware of the importance and sources of nutrients as compared to the untrained respondents (an average of 28.82%). Besides, both the groups of respondents are well aware of the contents of food timings and good healthy eating practices. The overall awareness of the health and nutrition issues in both the groups of respondents is equally high. However, when classified in to High, Average and Low levels of awareness, high percentage of both respondents have figured in the High level awareness level. As health and nutrition are part of their life from birth till death, even the untrained respondents seem to have acquired information from the family and the school curriculum.

Information on genetic diversity and genetic relationships among taxa of Brassica rapa (n = 10, AA genome) is currently limited. Grown for oil, vegetable and fodder use in Europe and Asia, previous studies have indicated western and eastern groups corresponding to independent centres of origin. This study evaluated patterns and levels of genetic diversity in 93 accessions [includes 25 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) breeding lines (BL)] of B. rapa based on 307 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP), testing subspecific separateness and the affiliation of four previously unassigned AA genome species (B. perviridis, B. purpuraria, B. ruvo and B. septiceps). AFLP data revealed three main clusters (I, II, III) corresponding to European (I), Indian (III), and a mixed Asian/European/Indian (II) purported origins of the taxa, with several subclusters observed in I and II. Mean AFLP polymorphism levels for Asian, European, Indian and AAFC-BL accessions were 79, 74, 66 and 62%, respectively. Few of the subspecies formed unique clusters and some, particularly subspecies chinensis and pekinensis, were assigned to several clusters. AFLP-based genetic distance information can be used by breeders to select diverse genotypes for cultivar development and fingerprinting of genotypes/cultivars. For example, a single AFLP primer pair was sufficient to uniquely identify all breeding lines in the AAFC B. rapa breeding programme.

AbstractThe crisis in Somalia has caused appearance of piracy at sea in the Gulf of Aden and the Western Indian Ocean. Somali pirates have become a threat to economic security of the world because almost 30 percent of world oil and 20 percent of global trade passes through the Gulf of Aden. Solving the problem of piracy in this part of the world have included international organizations, institutions, military alliances and the states, acting in accordance with international law and UN Security Council resolutions. The European Union will demonstrate the application of a comprehensive approach to solving the problem of piracy at sea and the crisis in Somalia conducting naval operation — EU NAVFOR Atalanta and operation EUTM under the Common Security and Defense Policy. The paper discusses approaches to solving the problem of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the crisis in Somalia. Also, the paper points to the complexity of the crisis in Somalia and dilemmas correctness principles that are applied to solve the problem piracy at sea. One of goals is protections of vessels of the World Food Programme (WFP) delivering food aid to displaced persons in Somalia. Republic of Serbia joined in this mission and trained and sent one a autonomous team in this military operation for protection WFP. This paper consist the problem of modern piracy, particularly in the area of the Horn of Africa became a real threat for the safety of maritime ships and educational process of Serbian Autonomous vessel protection detachment. Serbian Military Academy adopted and developed educational a training program against piracy applying all the provisions and recommendations of the IMO conventions and IMO model courses for Serbian Autonomous vessel protection detachment.

New initiatives in agroforestry are seeking to integrate indigenous trees, whose products have traditionally been gathered from natural forests, into tropical farming systems such as cacao farms. This is being done to provide from farms, marketable timber and non-timber forest products that will enhance rural livelihoods by generating cash for resource-poor rural and peri-urban households. There are many potential candidate species for domestication that have commercial potential in local, regional or even international markets. Little or no formal research has been carried out on many of these hitherto wild species to assess potential for genetic improvement, reproductive biology or suitability for cultivation. With the participation of subsistence farmers a number of projects to bring candidate species into cultivation are in progress, however. This paper describes some tree domestication activities being carried out in southern Cameroon, especially with Irvingia gabonensis (bush mango; dika nut) and Dacryodes edulis (African plum; safoutier). As part of this, fruits and kernels from 300 D. edulis and 150 I. gabonensis trees in six villages of Cameroon and Nigeria have been quantitatively characterized for 11 traits to determine combinations defining multi-trait ideotypes for a genetic selection programme. I. gabonensis fruits are rich in vitamin A (67 mg 100 ml−1), while the kernels are rich in fat (51.3%) and contain a polysaccharide that is a food thickener. The fruits of D. edulis are also rich in oil (31.9%) and protein (25.9%). This poverty-reducing agroforestry strategy is at the same time linked to one in which perennial, biologically diverse and complex mature-stage agroecosystems are developed as sustainable alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture. To meet the objective of poverty reduction, however, it is crucial that market expansion and creation are possible. Hence, for example, it is important to determine which marketable traits are amenable to genetic improvement. While some traits (such as fruit and kernel mass) that benefit the farmer are relatively easy to identify, there are undoubtedly others that are important to the food, pharmaceutical or other industries which require more sophisticated chemical evaluation. There is a need, therefore, for better linkages between agroforesters and the private sector. The domestication activities described are relevant to the enrichment of smallholder cacao farms and agroforests. This diversification is seen as being important for the support of the cacao industry.

More than 50 percent of Nigerian total population resides in the rural areas with farming as their major occupation and means economic sustenance. Hence rural areas in Nigeria have the potentials to contribute significantly to the national socio-economic development through sustainable agriculture. However, unlike in the past when Nigerian agricultural sector used to be a strong sustainer of the economy through provision of food for the population and raw materials for the industries, general infrastructural deficit and neglect of the rural communities have diminished the attractiveness of agriculture, leaving it for the poor in the society. This is due, partly to the advent of crude oil in Nigeria and has led to poverty, hunger, malnutrition, and diseases in the rural communities. Nigerian government had however taken a number of measures towards agricultural development; these include River Basin Development Authority, HANCOR Borrowers, and a number of other initiatives. However, a larger percentage of the beneficiaries of these developmental efforts have always been in the urban and peri-urban centres, with minimum or no effect of the initiatives in the rural communities. This paper therefore review Nigerian agricultural development challenges and issues, and proposes rural economic development through sustainable agricultural infrastructure with focus on integrated approach involving the use of renewable energy, post-harvest processing, and agro-training program. This approach takes beneficiaries integration into consideration from design to execution of the programme, thereby ensuring their total commitment. This would improve agricultural productivity for immediate consumption and for industrial use, as well as prevent post-harvest waste, with improvement in the marketing systems of farm produces and rural farmers’ economy and living standards.

Study on Integrated Farming Systems Model Development was conducted by the Livelihood Improvement of Farming Community in Haor area through System approach Project of the Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultral University, Mymensigh worked in Purbo Tethulia village of Moahjganj upazilla, Netrakona district from April 2010 to June 2013 with the financial assistance from the National Agricultural Technology Project, SPGR subproject, Bangladesh Agricultural Council with the following objectives i. Increase productivity of field crops, vegetables, livestock and fishes in a household through the use of appropriate technogies and techniques devised/developed/ designed/refined by the farmers for ensuring household food security and nutritional upliftment and raising income ii. Diversify enterprises, mobilize resources and intensify farming and non farming activities for in situ employment generation iii. Conserve farm environment through efficient mobilization and management of natural resource for sustainable production sysyems iv. Develop human resoures for capacity building of the participants and improve their livelihood through system approach. Research programme was finalized in the Bench Mark Survey Workshop. Farmer selection for different research acivities was done as per plan for defferent five components. The crop and agroforestry component conducted experiments both in the homestead land and crop land. In the homestead area, year round vegetables were intervened through community trial for three years. Production of timber trees like mahogany, lambu and fruit trees like mango, guave, jujube, litchi, lemon papaya and jackfruit was also practiced. Timber trees are now at growing stage and among the fruit trees some like papaya, jujube and lemon are at bearing stage. African dhaincha was introduced around homestead fallow/waste land to protect homestead area from wave thrust and to produce biomass fuel. Field trials on rice, vegetables, spices and oil crops were conducted to intensify and diversify the cropping pattern and as well as to utilize the fallow/ waste land of the research site. Under livestock component, experiments were conducted on rearing of egg producing hen, duck, fattening of animals, milching cow, artificial insemination and chemical evaluation of available feedstuffs. A continuous vaccination programme against common diseases of poultry was maintained throughout the study period. Farmers’ response was very positive towards the experimental results. In the fisheries component, experiment on cage culture in open water, perennial and seasonal pond culture, dry fish and pickle were conducted/done. Among the experiments cage culture in open water proved to be a promising technology and fish pickle was highly appreciated in panel test. For the rural hydrology and mechanization component four studies were conducted. The physico-chemical properties of farm land and homestead soils were determined. Additional application of sulphur and zinc fertilizers were found not required. Both the surface and groundwater characteristics were studied. The maximum flood water depth was found around 3.0 m at farm land. Irrigation facilities developed by installing a shallow tubewell (STW) resulted higher crop production and motivated farmers to install four new STWs by their own capital. All the households (462) of Purbo Tethulia were intervened from the project. The interventions were crop, vegetable, livestock, poultry and fish farming. It was observed that as the number of enterprises increased in the farming systems, the income also increased. The evidence also showed that the training of the beneficiaries increased their knowledge and skill.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 12(2): 325-336, December 2014

Purpose This research considers a current problem statement: mandatory indication of palm oil among the list of ingredients (Regulation No. 1169/2011). The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effects of company choices about palm oil on consumer demand and company performance. Design/methodology/approach The data collection covers two years, 2013 and 2014. Financial data from the AIDA database are matched with information on palm oil certification and replacement. A panel data analysis is conducted to evaluate the impacts of certification and replacement on consumer demand and company performance. Findings Considering consumer demand, positive significances have been found in terms of both palm oil certification and replacement. With regard to performance, there are positive significances only for palm oil replacement. Research limitations/implications The research is a first step in the study of palm oil phenomenon. Furthermore, the study takes into consideration only one specific industry that uses palm oil as an ingredient. Practical implications There is a consumer demand expression for these two kinds of disclosures, considered in terms of both environmental (certification) and health (replacement) issues. However, only palm oil replacement leads to improved performance. Originality/value This study considers the market effects of the labelling programme through a new empirical application related to the palm oil issue. Starting from palm oil concerns, a new way through which an increase in the provision of information to consumers is likely to impact the behaviour of companies is pointed out.

This paper on the role of Fisheries resources in National development is aimed at highlighting the role of Fishery products in Nation building. Fishery products of finned Fish species like Cod, Flounder, Salmon, Catfish, Goldfish, Sea urchins, Shrimps, King crab, Halibut, Mollusk and Echinoderms that come from both capture Fisheries and Aquaculture provide employment, food security, improves welfare, nutrition and a healthy population. Also serve for International trade and foreign exchange in goods like Leather and polishing materials that come from the skin of Cartilagenous Fishes. Ice Fish, dried and canned Fishery products, Salmon roe (egg) and Fish oil used for the manufacture of Soap and Medicinal Oils like the Cod Liver Oil. Fish intake also reduces the condition atherosclerosis thereby combating cardiovascular diseases. However, the Fishery Subsector has some constraints such as by Catch, improper funding, poor input Facilities, Poverty in Fishing Communities, Water barriers, effect of climate change and lack of comprehensive Man power development and training programmes. It is therefore recommended that Government, Donor agencies and international trade unions make effort to increase the educational and capital base of small-scale Farmers; distinguish between Farmed and Wild products, provides Comprehensive Man power and training programmes for all Cadre, providing transportation systems for better appreciation and Productivity in the fishery sub-sector. Laws and by-laws should also be enacted to prevent indiscriminate fishing to avoid over exploitation and extinction of our Aquatic Species.

Various drivers behind the adoption of environmentally friendly practices have been investigated at the farm level in the literature, e.g., farmers’ motivations and attitudes, farms’ structure, and management or policies. Yet, the way in which quality labels and producer organisations influence the adoption of environmentally friendly practices by farmers is still under-researched. We contribute to this topic and present the results of qualitative interviews with producer organisations, conducted in 2019 in two contrasting case studies: the pig sector in Brittany (western France), and the olive oil sector in Crete (Greece). Our study shows that economic actors of food supply chains in these two case studies use European quality labels, a couple of national schemes, and a proliferation of private quality labels (in Brittany’s pig sector). Our interviews reveal that many quality labels, for which agricultural farming systems must comply with a set of rules, are not specifically aimed at improving environmental impacts. In the Cretan olive oil sector, we observe several European public labels. In the French pig sector, many quality labels do not include requirements for practices aiming at improving the environment, but instead focus on other practices that matter for society, namely improving animal welfare. However, advisory services provided by the producer organisations can play a key role in the adoption of environmentally friendly practices. They include research programmes and agronomic events. In Crete, producer organisations are able to offer technical assistance thanks to European support programmes.

AbstractObjectiveTo analyse the association between socio-economic indicators and diet among 2-year-old children, by assessing the independent contribution of parental education and equivalent income to food intake.DesignThe analysis was based on data from a prospective birth cohort study. Information on diet was obtained using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Low and high intake of food was defined according to the lowest and the highest quintile of food consumption frequency, respectively.SettingFour German cities (Munich, Leipzig, Wesel, Bad Honnef), 1999–2001.SubjectsSubjects were 2637 children at the age of 2 years, whose parents completed questionnaires gathering information on lifestyle factors, including parental socio-economic status, household consumption frequencies and children's diet.ResultsBoth low parental education and low equivalent income were associated with a low intake of fresh fruit, cooked vegetables and olive oil, and a high intake of canned vegetables or fruit, margarine, mayonnaise and processed salad dressing in children. Children with a low intake of milk and cream, and a high intake of hardened vegetable fat, more likely had parents with lower education. Low butter intake was associated with low equivalent income only.ConclusionsThese findings may be helpful for future intervention programmes with more targeted policies aiming at an improvement of children's diets.

The importance of agriculture especially in a developing country cannot be over-emphasised. It had been the mainstay of the Nigerian economy since the colonial period. Apart from subsistence farming which catered for the food needs of the local population, Nigeria had exported cash crops in the past.Unfortunately, the blessings of the oil boom have diverted our attention from agriculture in the past decade with the consequent neglect of it. But the dwindling fortunes of oil appear to have induced us to switch our attention once again to agriculture.To this end, some practical steps have been taken by Government to encourage investment in agriculture. These include subsidising fertilisers and seeds for farmers, the establishment of various Agricultural Development Projects, the Communal Farm Programmes and the establishment of various River Basins Development Authorities. Other recent measures include tax relief for agro-allied projects; tax holidays for investors in combined agricultural productions and processing; capital allowances for capital expenditure on plant and equipment for, and equipment leasing to, agriculture; removal of import duties on tractors and other agricultural machinery and equipment and increased foreign equity participation within the framework of the Enterprises Promotion Decree.

Micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) occur as a result of insufficient intake of minerals and vitamins that are critical for body growth, physical/mental development, and activity. These deficiencies are particularly prevalent in lower-and middle-income countries (LMICs), falling disproportionately on the poorest and most vulnerable segments of the society. Dietary diversity is considered the most effective method in reducing this deficiency but is often a major constraint as most foods rich in micronutrients are also expensive and thereby inaccessible to poorer members of society. In recent years, affordable commodities such as staple foods (e.g., cereals, roots, and tubers) and condiments (e.g., salt and oil) have been targeted as “vehicles” for fortification and biofortification. Despite efforts by many countries to support such initiatives, there have been mixed experiences with delivery and coverage. An important but little understood driver of success and failure for food fortification has been the range of business models and approaches adopted to promote uptake. This review examines the different models used in the delivery of fortified food including complementary foods and biofortified crops. Using a keyword search and pearl growing techniques, the review located 11,897 texts of which 106 were considered relevant. Evidence was found of a range of business forms and models that attempt to optimise uptake, use, and impact of food fortification which are specific to the ‘food vehicle’ and environment. We characterise the current business models and business parameters that drive successful food fortification and we propose an initial structure for understanding different fortification business cases that will offer assistance to future designers and implementors of food fortification programmes.

Savanna Africa is characterized by smallholding agricultural systems that produce a mixture of food and cash crops in a single season. Crops can be rotated, intermixed, or grown in specialized plots. In the former rainforests nearer the equator, crops such as cassava and maize are sown in close proximity to cocoa and oil palms, while tea is sometimes grown in specialized plots or in plantations. Traditionally, the cash crops of the savanna have been cotton and groundnuts, with cocoa, oil palm and tea in the forest areas. Various UNCTAD and FAO reports have recently drawn attention to the declining terms of trade for these products and the serious impact this has been having on the African economies concerned through loss of foreign-exchange earnings and the lack of replacement exports. UNCTAD now proposes that this dependence on a few basic exports should be overcome by domestic programmes of diversification and product development sponsored directly by African governments, as well as by international measures to reduce fluctuations in export earnings. This paper questions how these proposals might affect the various systems of smallholder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The technology for fortifying sugar with vitamin A was developed in Guatemala in the mid-1970s, and the Guatemalan government enacted legislation to make fortification mandatory in June 1974. This action was copied by other Central American governments. The fortification programme in Guatemala developed in two stages. In the first (1975–77), the fortification programme was evaluated four times at six-month intervals and was shown to be effective. The sugar industry was responsible for carrying out the programme, but the programme was suspended, mainly because of economic arguments. After 10 years of effort, the programme was restarted in 1989. At this time the programme was combined with an initial mass distribution of vitamin A capsules to pre-school children, which began the first successful social mobilization effort in the area. The programme was evaluated for six months and was shown to be effective in improving the vitamin A status of the Guatemalan population. This sec- ond stage has been active continuously since 1989. With improvements in the technology of fortification, new approaches have been tested, and now it is possible to obtain an excellent sugar doubly fortified with vitamin A and iron, using new iron products of high bioavailability that do not alter the organoleptic characteristics of the sugar and do not produce unwanted colour changes during processing. To avoid the rancidity of premixes, new processes of dry mixing have been developed in which no oil is used, This opens a real possibility for the fortification of sugar with other nutrients. Sugar fortified with vitamin A, iron, and zinc, either alone or in any combination, is commercially available in Brazil, where, under the guidance of the Latin American Centre of Nutrition and Metabolic Studies (CELANEM), the procedures have been developed using iron amino acid chelated minerals.

The aim of present study was to investigate protein, oil and fatty acid composition in 11 maize (Zea mays) genotypes collected from diverse locations in the hills of north western Indian Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir in order to get an idea about the extent of variability in these biochemical traits in the local germplasm. The study revealed significant variation in these quality traits. The protein content among the genotypes ranged from 10.7% to 18.7% while oil content varied between 2.26% and 4.80%. Higher protein content in some of the genotypes especially IC-0617877 (18.7%) and IC-0617880 (17.6%) is noteworthy. The saturated fatty acids of palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), arachidic (C20:0) and unsaturated fatty acids of oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:1) and elaidic (C18:1) were detected and quantified in these genotypes. Considerable variation has been recorded in fatty acid composition; 13.8-33.4% for palmitic acid, 21.5-48.1% for linoleic acid, 19.2-39% for oleic acid, 0.2-2.4% for elaidic acid, 2.5- 8.5% for stearic acid and 0.1-6.6% for arachidic acid. Higher oleic acid content recorded in all the genotypes excepting IC-0617881 is a useful trait. Strikingly, highest oil (4.80%), palmitic acid (33.4%), stearic acid (8.5%) and arachidic acid (6.6%) contents have been recorded in this remarkably cold tolerant genotype with reddish yellow seeds containing moderate protein content of 13.8 %. The appreciable variation in these quality traits could be exploited in breeding programmes for improvement of this crop and opening up new opportunities for its food and industrial end uses.

AbstractObjectiveTo examine educational differences among people who consume foods containing fat in Finland and the Baltic countries.DesignData were collected from cross-sectional postal Finbalt Health Monitor surveys that were carried out in 1998, 2000 and 2002.SettingEstonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania.SubjectsFor each survey, nationally representative random samples of adults aged 20–64 years were drawn from population registers (Estonia,n = 3656; Finland,n = 9354, Latvia,n = 6015; Lithuania,n = 5944).ResultsDifferences were revealed between the countries in the consumption of foods that contain fat. Finnish people consumed butter on bread, high-fat milk, meat and meat products, and vegetable oil for cooking less frequently than people in the Baltic countries. Cheese was most popular in Finland. Educational differences in fat-related food habits were examined by applying logistic regression analysis. A positive association was found between level of education and consumption of vegetable oil used in food preparation. Drinking high-fat milk was associated with low education in all countries. People with higher education tended to consume cheese more often. Educational patterns in the consumption of butter on bread and in the consumption of meat and meat products differed between countries.ConclusionsThe consumption of foods containing fat was related to educational levels in all four countries. The diet of better-educated people was closer to recommendations for the consumption of saturated and unsaturated fats than the diet of people with lower level of education. The educational gradient was more consistent in Finland than in the Baltic countries. These existing educational differences in sources of fat consumed should be taken into account in the development of national cardiovascular disease prevention programmes.

AbstractObjective:Dietary surveys are a valuable tool in nutrition surveillance programmes to monitor the nutritional status of a group or population of a country. The objective of this study was to assess the food consumption pattern in the adult population of the Basque Country (Spain).Design:A cross-sectional nutritional survey was carried out in 1990. Dietary habits were assessed by means of ‘24-h recall’ during 3 non-consecutive days and a food frequency questionnaire.Setting:Population survey in the Basque Country (Spain).Subjects:Random sample of the adult population (25–60 years) in the Basque Country (n=2348).Results:Results draw a food pattern characterized by a high consumption of meat, 163±3.04 g day−1 (mean±SEM), supplied mainly by poultry, butchery products, veal and fish (88±2.68 g day−1). The average consumption of milk and dairy products was 359±5.19 g day−1, although 39% of the sample did consume less than 2 portions from this group of foods daily. Olive oil was the most widely used fat for cooking (4i%), followed by sunflower seed oil (30%). Cereals supplied 21.5% of the average energy intake and the consumption of vegetables and garden products was 159±3.13 g day−1. Only 29% of the group usually had 2 or more portions of vegetables per day. Women consumed higher amounts of chocolate, cookies, sweets and coffee (P < 0.01) than men. Younger adults consumed more meat (P < 0.01), while the older community consumed more fish, vegetables and fruit (P < 0.01). More highly educated people consumed more dairy products, vegetables and butter (P < 0.01). Conversely, less educated people consumed higher amounts of olive oil, pulses and bread (P < 0.01).Conclusions:The dietary pattern observed in the Basque Country, although in keeping with its traditions, is in harmony with the actual dietary trends in Mediterranean countries. In order to satisfy the dietary guidelines suggested by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition, it would be desirable to gradually increase the consumption of vegetables, fresh garden produce, fruit and cereals. At the same time, it would be advisable to decrease the consumption of animal products (whole fat dairy products, meat, added fats) so the proportion of energy intake from fat can be reduced by 5% (3% from saturated fatty acids).

Dynamic electrical thermal analysis (DETA) is considered as a valuable technique for determination of polar polymer structure or changes in the polymer structure as a result of different treatments. Therefore, with this study, we wanted to check whether this technique can indicate structural changes in the PET packaging material in contact with specific media. Positive response give the opportunity to use the study of PET packaging dielectric properties after a programmed contact with some medium, to indicate possible interactions between packaging material and the medium, or packaging and foodstuff. It is also known that official simulants may have some drawbacks as migration of the potential contaminants depends on the interaction between the simulant and packaging and thus the values for measured migration could be exaggerated or too low.The possibility of DETA to indicate structural changes in the packaging material give also the opportunity to adjust the aggressiveness of some medium to the packaging, that is, some solvent, or mixture of solvents with different polarity, and thus to choose the most appropriate simulant – medium which will behave in the same way as the foodstuff.In this study we have chosen several conventional fatty food simulants: olive oil, isooctane, 3% acetic acid, and ethanol, and using the DET analysis we compared the influence of these media and the real foodstuff (mayonnaise) on the structure of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) food containers.

Bioethanol is made from sugar- or starch-containing plants that are also used in food production. In the public perception this has led to an emotional resistance against biofuels, which in real terms is not substantiated. Generally biofuels are a political product. Triggered by the oil crisis in the 1970s, fuel ethanol programmes were first launched in Brazil and in the United States. Concerns regarding energy security and sustainability, together with the option of new markets for surplus agricultural production, have led to similar measures in the EU and other countries in recent years. Accordingly, the industry invested heavily in new bioethanol plants — especially in the US — and created an additional demand for maize and wheat, with some record-breaking prices noted in late 2007. A look back into statistics shows a drastic decline in real prices for decades, which have now simply returned to the level of 30 years ago. The grain used for bioethanol is currently only 1.6% in the EU and is therefore unlikely to be the real driver of price development. The European Commission concludes in its review of agricultural markets that Europe can do both: nutrition and biofuels.

Synthetic controls of crop pathogens are increasingly associated with harm to the environment and human health, and pathogen resistance. Pesticide residues in crops can also act as non-tariff trade barriers. There is therefore a strong imperative to develop biologically based and natural product (NP) biofungicides as more sustainable alternatives for crop pathogen control. We demonstrate the field efficacy, over multiple seasons, of NP biofungicides, NP1 (based on anhydrous milk fat) and NP2 (based on soybean oil), on two major diseases of winegrapes—Botrytis bunch rot (Botrytis) and powdery mildew (PM). The NPs were integrated into a season-long integrated disease management programme that has produced chemical-residue-free wines. Efficacies for Botrytis control on three different varieties were: 63–97% on Chardonnay, 0–96% for Sauvignon Blanc and 46–58% on Riesling; with 65–98% PM control on Chardonnay and Riesling. NP2 exhibited the significant control of Botrytis latent infections, making it a viable alternative to mid-season synthetic fungicides. Disease control was significantly better than the untreated control and usually as efficacious as the synthetic fungicide treatment(s). Yields and wine quality in NP-treated crops were normally equivalent to those in the synthetic fungicide treatments. The results indicate that NP-mediated disease control of Botrytis and powdery mildew can be obtained in the vineyard, without synthetic fungicide input.

Background: Suaeda is a halophytic genus belonging to the Amaranthaceae family and can survive in the high salted marsh areas of the world. Suaeda plants can biosynthesize natural substances with powerful antioxidant activity and are considered as a renewable source of energy, food, and edible oil for a larger number of populations living in the harsh environment with high salinity and drought conditions. These plants also meet folk and alternative medicines' needs. Methods: The review encompasses available scientific literature related to folk medicinal uses of Suaeda plants, their nutritional values, and chemical constituents. In addition, the biological trials applied for the Suaeda plants are also part of the review. The review covers the researches from major science literature search engines and other sites representing scientific literature, i.e., Scifinder, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google. The searches were programmed on the advance options available in the search engines and are latest up to November 2019. The searches were exhaustive and rechecked for accuracy. Conclusion: The study summarizes the uses of Suaeda plants as a remedy for various ailments due to their contents from the polyphenols and flavonoids. The comparatively large amounts of fixed oils, minerals, and vitamins in Suaeda plants have also made them potential renewable sources for foods.

A role of dietary nutrients in relation to insulin resistance has been suggested but conclusive evidence in human beings is lacking. Asian Indians and South Asians are prone to develop insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. In the present paper, data pertaining to nutrient intake, insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk factors in Asian Indians and South Asians have been reviewed. In these populations, several dietary imbalances have been reported: low intake of MUFA, n-3 PUFA and fibre, and high intake of fats, saturated fats, carbohydrates and trans-fatty acids (mostly related to the widespread use of Vanaspati, a hydrogenated oil). Some data suggest that these nutrient imbalances are associated with insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and subclinical inflammation in South Asians. Specifically, in children and young individuals, a high intake of n-6 PUFA is correlated with fasting hyperinsulinaemia, and in adults, high-carbohydrate meal consumption was reported to cause hyperinsulinaemia, postprandial hyperglycaemia and hypertriacylglycerolaemia. Dietary supplementation with n-3 PUFA leads to an improved lipid profile but not insulin sensitivity. Inadequate maternal nutrition in pregnancy, low birth weight and childhood ‘catch-up’ obesity may be important for the development of the metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Even in rural populations, who usually consume traditional frugal diets, there is an increasing prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and the metabolic syndrome due to changes in diets and lifestyle. Nationwide community intervention programmes aimed at creating awareness about the consequences of unhealthy food choices and replacing them by healthy food choices are urgently needed in urban and rural populations in India, other countries in South Asia and in migrant South Asians.

ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of and factors associated with depression among adolescent boys and girls.DesignWe conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study.SettingThis study was carried out in 82 randomly selected clusters (57 rural, 15 non-slum urban and 10 slums) from eight divisions of Bangladesh.ParticipantsWe interviewed 4907 adolescent boys and 4949 adolescent girls.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome measure was ‘any depression’ and the secondary outcome measures were types of depression: no or minimal, mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe.ResultsThe overall prevalence of no or minimal, mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression was 75.5%, 17.9%, 5,4%, 1.1% and 0.1%, respectively. Across most of the sociodemographic, lifestyle and anthropometric strata, the prevalence of any depression was higher among adolescent girls. In both sexes, depression was associated with higher age, higher maternal education, paternal occupation e.g., business, absence of a 6–9-year-old member in the household, food insecurity, household consumption of unfortified oil, household use of non-iodised salt, insufficient physical activity (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 1.24 for boys, 1.44 for girls) and increased television viewing time e.g., ≥121 minute/day (AOR: 1.95 for boys, 1.99 for girls). Only among boys, depression was also associated with higher paternal education e.g., complete secondary and above (AOR: 1.42), absence of another adolescent member in the household (AOR: 1.34), household use of solid biomass fuel (AOR: 1.39), use of any tobacco products (AOR: 2.17), and consumption of processed food (AOR: 1.24). Only among girls, non-slum urban residence, Muslim religion, and household size ≤4 were also associated with depression.ConclusionThe prevalence of depression among adolescent boys and girls is high in Bangladesh. In most sociodemographic, lifestyle and anthropometric strata, the prevalence is higher among girls. In this age group, depression is associated with a number of sociodemographic and lyfestyle factors. The government of Bangladesh should consider these findings while integrating adolescent mental health in the existing and future programmes.

Gut microbiota-dependent metabolites, in particular trimethylamine (TMA), are linked to hypertension. Maternal 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure or consumption of food high in fructose (HFR) can induce hypertension in adult offspring. We examined whether 3,3-maternal dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB, an inhibitor of TMA formation) therapy can protect adult offspring against hypertension arising from combined HFR and TCDD exposure. Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats received regular chow or chow supplemented with fructose (60% diet by weight) throughout pregnancy and lactation. Additionally, the pregnant dams received TCDD (200 ng/kg BW orally) or a corn oil vehicle on days 14 and 21 of gestation, and days 7 and 14 after birth. Some mother rats received 1% DMB in their drinking water throughout pregnancy and lactation. Six groups of male offspring were studied (n = 8 for each group): regular chow (CV), high-fructose diet (HFR), regular diet+TCDD exposure (CT), HFR+TCDD exposure (HRT), high-fructose diet+DMB treatment (HRD), and HFR+TCDD+DMB treatment (HRTD). Our data showed that TCDD exacerbates HFR-induced elevation of blood pressure in male adult offspring, which was prevented by maternal DMB administration. We observed that different maternal insults induced distinct enterotypes in adult offspring. The beneficial effects of DMB are related to alterations of gut microbiota, the increase in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, the balance of the renin-angiotensin system, and antagonization of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling. Our findings cast new light on the role of early intervention targeting of the gut microbiota-dependent metabolite TMA, which may allow us to prevent the development of hypertension programmed by maternal excessive fructose intake and environmental dioxin exposure.

AbstractObjectives:This review summarises the evidence for the effectiveness of primary care based interventions of diet and physical activity aimed at reducing blood pressure.Background:As blood pressure rises so does the risk of heart disease and stroke. There is a large literature on the effects on blood pressure of changing various aspects of diet either as single nutrient interventions, patterns of food consumption, or the addition of dietary supplements (potassium, magnesium, and fish oil). Controlled trials have been undertaken to assess the relative benefits of lifestyle changes in activity (walking etc) compared with more structured exercise programmes. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that changes in diet and activity under controlled conditions can reduce blood pressure and delay or reduce the need for drug treatment in subjects who are hypertensive. What is less clear is how to achieve these lifestyle changes in the primary care setting as part of routine clinical management.Results:There have been a number of systematic reviews undertaken to evaluate the evidence. The interventions were either delivered alone or in combination with other advice, either with or without aids, and by various practice nurse staff (GP, nurse, Dietitian); follow-up varied from 3 months to a year. Compliance with the advice was generally not measured. The variability in the quality of the studies and interventions made it difficult to draw conclusions: any effects seen tended to be small.Conclusions:Equivocal results (non statistically significant reductions) should not be considered as proof of no effect without careful consideration of the effects of chance, bias and confounding, and without better measures of compliance. There is little debate that, under investigator control, blood pressure can be reduced by changes in diet and activity. Changes to a ‘healthy’ diet (low in total and saturated fat; energy intake balanced with expenditure to maintain or achieve optimal body weight; low in salt; high in fruits, vegetables, legumes; and whole grains) and increases in modest levels of physical activity (walking etc) would be expected to reduce blood pressure by between two and four mmHg. A shift in the population distribution of this order would be expected to have a substantial impact on population mortality patterns and could be achieved cost-effectively in primary care.

The Andoni Rivers, Creeks, and Lagoon have been under stress due to over fishing which has led to the extinction of many fishes and other aquatic species. The extinction of fish has also led to the modification of fishing methods from the previously known methods such as cast net, drag net, hook and line etc to a more sophisticated method like the cover bush, and Oyima in the big Rivers. The shortage of fish in the Rivers has also discourage youths from engaging themselves in fishing rather they choose to involved in crude oil theft, arm robbery, and kidnapping that are anti-people. This study utilizes GIS software and remote sensing technology for aquaculture site selection analysis in Andoni LGA, Rivers State, Nigeria that will create direct and indirect employment opportunities to the men, women, and the youths thereby eradicating youth’s restiveness in the area. The dataset used for the study are 2002 Landsat image, DEM data, and settlements point data. The software used is ArcGIS 10.1 for weighted over analysis and IDRISI TAIGA 16.0 for image classification. The three criteria (land use/ cover, DEM, settlement) were weighted in the weighted overlay tool with percentage of influence for lu/lc 40%, DEM 20%, and settlement 40%. The suitability model for aquaculture ponds was produced with seven (7) classes from not suitable class value “o” to very highly suitable class with value “6”. The very highly suitable class is made-up of 51 polygons with a total area of 278.1 Ha. this represents 1.0% of the total area (32928.4 Ha.), occurring more in the south and few in the northern map position along the Rivers. It was observed that the 51 polygons all have area that can support aquaculture ponds and also the location of it can support fresh and salt water ponds. The class o (not suitable) represents the water body in the study area covering an area of 8099.0 Ha. this represents 29.15% of the land area. It is not suitable because aquaculture cannot be sited in the water body since its serves as the food basket of the people. This study therefore justified that GIS and remote sensing integration can be used for aquaculture site selection because of the spatial components inherent in the criteria. The Local Government Authority should considered aquaculture programmes as key to the eradication of unemployment and youths restiveness through direct investment in the sector.

A few days ago, in August 2013, a Cochrane Database Systemic Review reported that the existing limited evidence to date on the effect of Mediterranean diet (MD) on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), suggests some favorable effects on risk factors; however, the reduction of CVD event rates was not mentioned [1]. The review included 11 trials (15 papers, 52,044 participants); 7 trials described the intervention as a MD. Clinical events were reported in only one trial [Women's Health Initiative (WHI) 48,835 postmenopausal women with an intervention not described as a MD but increased fruit and vegetable and cereal intake], where no statistically significant effects of the intervention were seen on fatal and non-fatal endpoints during the 8 years of its duration [1]. Since the WHI study was huge and had a great weight in the analysis, it eliminated any other beneficial effect on CVD incidence from other studies. Moreover, in this study the diet used as an intervention was not MD. On April 2013 the results of the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED), a multicenter trial from Spain, were published in New England Journal of Medicine [2]. The study included a total of 7,447 persons (aged 55-80 years) with no CVD at baseline. These were randomized to 1 of 3 diets: a MD supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil, a MD supplemented with mixed nuts or a control diet (advice to reduce dietary fat) [2]. An interim analysis terminated the trial prematurely at 4.8 years. The primary endpoint was the rate of major CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, or CVD death). The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios were 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54 to 0.92) and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.54 to 0.96) for the group assigned to a MD with extravirgin olive oil and the group assigned to a MD with nuts, respectively, vs. the control group [2]. No diet-related adverse effects were reported [2]. Moreover, a post hoc analysis of PREDIMED that will be published in September 2013, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that one of the mechanisms by which MD, particularly if supplemented with virgin olive oil, can exert health benefits is through changes in the transcriptomic response of genes related to CVD risk [3]. These results of the PREDIMED trial confirm that changes in diet can have beneficial effects on CVD risk. However, the study was criticized for mainly 3 reasons. One is that in MD the dietary pattern as an entity is rather more important than the inclusion or avoidance of specific nutrients [4]. Second there were low (in absolute terms) primary composite CVD outcome rates (3.8% and 3.4% in the intervention groups vs. 4.4% in the control group) and a minor absolute risk difference (range 0.6 to 1%), thus limiting the importance of the study findings [5]. Furthermore there were statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups: men (+5.7%), obese persons (+4.7%), diuretic use (+3.5%), and oral hypoglycaemic use (+3.2%) in the control group than in the intervention group [5]. And third there was a complete lack of policy implications [6]. The PREDIMED trial was neither a pure test of a Mediterranean-style diet nor a pure test of extra- virgin olive oil or nuts. All the above make the interpretation of the PREDIMED trial similarly difficult to that of the Lyon Diet Heart Study [7], which tested provision of a margarine rich in alpha-linolenic acid on top of brief advice to consume a MD in high CVD risk patients with astonishing results [7]. Policymakers [8] and Great Scientific Organizations, like Mayo Clinic [9], already recommend consumption of a Mediterranean-style diet on the basis of a body of evidence from observational and interventional studies, in antithesis to the findings of the Cochrane Database Systemic Review [1]. On the other hand, the policy implications of the PREDIMED trial related primarily to the supplemental foods [2] and not MD itself, thus, we probably have to go both back and elsewhere to find evidence base for the benefits of MD and if these are related in any degree to blood pressure (BP) reduction. The Seven Countries Study showed that the risk and rates of heart attack and stroke both at the population and at the individual level were directly and independently related to the level of serum total cholesterol (TC). It demonstrated that the association between TC level and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk from 5 to 40 years follow-up is found consistently across different cultures [10,11]. The Seven Countries Study started in 1958 in former Yugoslavia. In total, 12,763 men, 40–59 years of age, were enrolled as 16 cohorts, in 7 countries, in 4 regions of the world (United States, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Japan); 1 cohort is in the United States, 2 cohorts in Finland, 1 in the Netherlands, 3 in Italy, 5 in the former Yugoslavia (two in Croatia, and three in Serbia), 2 in Greece (1 in Crete and 1 in Corfu), and 2 in Japan [10]. The Seven Countries Study has continued, with high levels of participation, for more than 50 years.􀀁The initial and objective data on CVD health in relation to the MD originated from the Seven Countries Study [10]. CHD deaths in the United States and Northern Europe greatly exceeded those in Southern Europe, even when controlled for age, TC and BP levels, smoking, physical activity, and weight [12]. After further investigation, the importance of the eating pattern characterized as the MD became clear [12,13]. What exactly is meant by "Mediterranean diet" today, and its benefits, is detailed by other researches during the last 20 years [14,15]. During the 90's, for the first time, the concept of a food pyramid and the need for an adherence to MD score were born [14-16]. As a result of the Seven Countries Study, the MD has been popularized as a "healthy" diet. Nevertheless, it has not replaced the "prudent" diet commonly prescribed to coronary patients [17]. The Crete cohort of the Seven Countries Study had the lowest rates of deaths from CVD [10]; even the 25 year mortality was lower than others (for example vs. the Italian cohort) [18]. This was attributed to the entire lifestyle of Cretans including a variation of MD, the Cretan-type MD. Many investigators during the last 20 years would rather refer to the Cretan-type MD rather than plain MD, which is a rather abstract definition [19-22]. The 40 years’ CVD mortality in the Corfu cohort showed that participants also benefited from the long-term adoption of a nutritional pattern (close to the Cretan-type) of MD, the presence of physical activity, optimism, and a positive psychological profile [23]. During the last 15 years, and before the economic crisis, Greeks adopted a more western way of life. Nevertheless, several aspects of the traditional Greek way of life and diet, suggest that a relatively high consumption of vegetables and fruits or olive oil and bread, remained well-established among large segments of the Greek population, and may explain why a population with a few healthy habits still enjoys one of the longer life expectancies among the 16 cohorts of the Seven Country Study 40 years after its initiation [23]. The Working Group on Epidemiology and Prevention of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) coordinated in 2003 information from 12 European cohort studies, including 205,000 persons, and assessed the 10-year CVD mortality rates. This gave birth to the SCORE (Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation) project [24]. The European Society of Cardiology encouraged the creation of local SCORES for each country, based on the original SCORE and local data. Indeed the HellenicSCORE (equations and charts) present the calibration of the risk by age group and sex, based on mortality data, as reported by the National Statistical Services of Greece and prevalence data regarding smoking, TC and BP levels, as reported by the ATTICA study [25]. This was very successfully tested in the ATTEMPT Study [26]. The predicated rates of CVD were verified in a survival study with a nearly 4-year follow-up in patients with metabolic syndrome and randomization to intensive versus moderate risk factor treatment [27]. In the meantime the MD score (MedDietScore) was developed, according to the adherence to MD [28].􀀁The weekly consumption of the following 9 food groups: non-refined cereals(whole grain bread and pasta, brown rice, etc.), fruits, vegetables, legumes, potatoes, fish, meat and meat products, poultry, full fat dairy products (like cheese, yoghurt, milk), as well asolibe oil and alcohol intake, were included [28]. The inclusion of dietary evaluation (MedDietScore), as well as other sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, increases the accuracy and reduces estimating bias of CVD risk prediction models [29]. Thus, we have a country adjusted integrated system that can predict CVD risk. It was clear, during the use of HellenicSCORE and MedDietScore, that a better adherence to MD was related to a lower CVD risk. On the contrary, aging, central fat, hypertension (HTN), diabetes, inflammation, low social status and abstinence from a MD seem to predict CVD events within a 5-year period; actual data from the ATTICA study [30]. All these put the adoption of MD at a high position among CVD risk factors, for good and for bad, according to the degree of adoption (MedDietScore). However, does MD affect the level of BP? Is HTN one of the factors to increase CVD risk if the adherence to MD (MedDietScore) is low? There is some evidence on this issue. It has been suggested by a review on the dietary influences on BP that there is more than enough evidence from observational and clinical studies that diets low in saturated fats and sodium and rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber, with adequate amounts of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, are effective in the prevention and treatment of HTN alone or as an adjunct to pharmacologic therapy [31]. Such dietary combinations are provided by the MD [31]. The association of adherence to the MD with the incidence of HTN was evaluated among 9,408 men and women enrolled in a dynamic Spanish prospective cohort (SUN) study during 1999- 2005 [32]. The adherence to MD was associated with reduced mean values of systolic BP [moderate adherence, -2.4 mm Hg (95% CI: -4.0, -0.8); high adherence, -3.1 mm Hg (95% CI: -5.4, -0.8)] and diastolic BP [moderate adherence, - 1.3 mm Hg (95% CI: -2.5, -0.1); high adherence, -1.9 mm Hg (95% CI: -3.6, -0.1)] after 6 years of follow-up [32]. These results suggest that adhering to a Mediterranean-type diet could contribute to the prevention of age-related increase in BP [32]. In the ATTICA Study the mean value of the MedDiet Score was 25.5 (±3) for men and 27 (±3) for women (p<0.001). The prevalence of HTN was 36.6% in men and 23.7% in women (p<0.001) [33]. Diet score was 23.5±6.4 in hypertensive and 26.8±6.6 in normotensive individuals (p<0.001). The sensitivity of defining people with HTN was higher than for any other CVD risk factor, suggesting that the adoption of MD reduces the risk for HTN [33]. In an elderly population of Cyprus, another Mediterranean Country, 60% of men and 58% of women have HTN, along with other classical CVD risk factors [34]. A 10-unit increase in the MedDietScore was associated with 21% lower odds of having one additional risk factor, including HTN, in women (p< 0.001) and with 14% lower odds in men (p=0.05) [34]. The results of the CARDIO2000 study [35] point out that the adoption of MD by physically active subjects seems to significantly reduce the coronary heart disease (CHD) events and prevent, just about, the one-third of acute CHD syndromes, in controlled subjects with HTN [35]. This supports the idea that MD combined with physical activity provides substantial protection from acute coronary events in patients with HTN [35]. Other data from the SUN Study also [36] suggest that there is an inverse relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and the prevalence of nonpreviously diagnosed HTN in a Mediterranean population with a very high intake of both fat (paradoxically) and plantderived foods [36]. There was a 77 % reduction in the prevalence of HTN for those with the higher consumption of both fruit and vegetables compared with those at the lower quintiles of both food groups [36]. This inverse relationship was also evident when considering BP as a continuous variable, with a mean systolic BP and diastolic BP of 2.2 mmHg lower for those with the highest consumption of fruit and vegetables compared with those with the lowest intake [36]. The study concludes that in a Mediterranean population, with an elevated fat consumption, a high fruit and vegetable intake is inversely associated with BP levels [36]. From the same (SUN) study it was reported that there is an inverse association between fiber or fruit/vegetable consumption and weight gain, thus emphasizing the importance of replacing some dietary compounds by such foods and fiber-rich products, which may help to avoid weight gain [37]. This brinks about the issue of MD and obesity, mainly central, which is the key clinical manifestation of metabolic syndrome (MetS); this includes HTN. Data suggest that the prevalence of MetS has dramatically increased during the recent years, especially in Western Countries and South East Asia [38]. More than one third (35 %) of adults in the U.S. could be characterized as having the MetS, which translates to nearly 84 million U.S. adults affected by MetS [38]. Unfortunately the prevalence of MetS in Mediterranean Countries is high (one forth of the adult population), although definitely lower than that in U.S. [39,40]. It has been shown by prospective cohort studies, cross-sectional studies and clinical trials that adherence to the MD was associated with reduced risk of the MetS and its individual components also, in particular waist circumference, triglycerides levels, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), BP levels and glucose metabolism [38,41]. These effects of MD increase life expectancy in patients with MetS [42]. On the other hand, Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, have experienced a rapid social-economic change in the last 15 years and recently an economic crisis; both having negative impacts on healthy eating. These community changes affect nutritional habits and there is a tendency to abandon the traditional healthy MD [43]. However, if we continue to try at the elementary school level, things might be better than they look. A study aiming to examine the long-term effects of the "Cretan Health and Nutrition Education Program" on BP, examined several parameters: BP, dietary, anthropometrical and physical activity data nearly 10 years after the original study (at baseline year 1992-1993, and follow-up examination at year 2001-2002) [44]. The findings of the study revealed that the increase over the 10- year period in systolic BP and diastolic BP was higher in the control group than in the MD intervention group (P=0.003 and P<0.001 respectively). These facts are encouraging, indicating favorable changes in BP, micronutrients intake, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity over a 10-year period and 4 years after program's cessation [44]. We just have to keep trying to establish MD at an early age. In brief, MD reduces CVD risk and this action could be at least in part attributed to the reduction of BP and MetS. Given that the complete adoption of MD is practically impossible, a high degree of adherence is desirable. This could substantially reduce adverse CVD events as well as the incidence of acute coronary syndromes, by one third, If combined with a high level of physical activity. A high adherence to MD also reduces the prevalence of MetS, a part of which is HTN, and diminishes its clinical consequences, improving life expectancy. It is more effective if MD is adopted early in life.

Green gram (Vigna radiata) is considered the chief legume in Pakistan. Thus, current study was conducted to examine the ameliorating effect of phytohormones pre-treatments under salt stress on proteome profile of green gram by sodium-dodecyl-sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The soluble green gram seedlings proteins were resolved on 4% stacking and 12% resolving gels. The SDS-PAGE resolved 24 polypeptide bands ranging from 200 to 17kDa. Among these, 12 out of 24 bands of proteins were essentials house-keeping or growth proteins of green grams. While, 120, 114.6, 51.8, 29.1, and 22.8 kDa bands were over-expressed under 50 to 350mM salt with phytohormones treatments. The others 104.5 kDa, 99.8 kDa, 95.3 kDa, 91.0 kDa, 55 kDa, 46 kDa, and 17kDa bands were related to the GAᴣ, IAA, and SA induced tolerance. Overall 120 kDa, 114.6 kDa, 104.5 kDa, 99.8, 95.3 kDa, 51.8 kDa, 29.1 kDa and 22.8kDa bands were first time identified in the current study. The information retrieved from NCBI protein database, the resolved peptides were principally belonging to 7S and 8S vicilin, 2S, 8S, 11S, and 16.5S globulins. It is determined that seed priming with SA enhanced tolerance in green gram by rapidly synthesizing stress alleviating peptides.Key word: Cluster analysis, dendrogram, mungbean, salt stress, SDS-PAGEINTRODUCTIONVarious world-wide health concerning organization recommended the use of high graded plant protein such as legumes to prevent the risk of metabolic disorder (Hou et al., 2019). Legumes are most important protein crop on the earth. Among the legumes, the green gram is the major pulses. Its seeds are rich in superior quality storage protein, which account 85% of the total protein while, another 15% have not been broadly studied (Yi-Shen et al., 2018). The soluble storage protein comprises of 60% globulins, 25% albumin and 15% prolamins. Globulins are further divided into 3.4% basic-type (7S), 7.6% legumin-type (11S), and 89% vicilin-type (8S) (Mendoza et al., 2001; Itoh et al., 2006). Other than proteins, the green gram seeds also contain starch, fiber, phenolic compound, saponins, vitamins, calcium zinc, potassium, folate, magnesium, manganese and very low in fat that made it meager man’s meat (Hou et al., 2019). It is also a good source of green manure and fodder (El-Kafafi et al., 2015). Its root has ability to fix 30 to 50 Kg/ha atmospheric nitrogen in the soil which is essential for maintaining soil fertility (Chadha, 2010). The green gram is the valuable and the major Rabi pulse crop of Pakistan. Its cultivation area in 2016-2017 was about 179,000 hectares with seed yield of 130,000 tones. In comparison during 2017-2018, it was cultivated on 161,800 hectares land with 118,800 tones seed yield (GOP, 2018). One of the reasons of this 9% decrease in both land and productivity is the shortage of irrigated land due to soil salinity. The salinity induce oxidative bust in the mungbean cells, caused by responsive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical. The ROS create hindrance in various metabolic processes of plant via interacting with macromolecules like proteins (Alharby et al., 2016). However, phytohormones like gibberellic acid (GAᴣ), indole acetic acid (IAA), and salicylic acid (SA) take part in the biosynthesis of salt tolerance proteins under salinity. These salt tolerance proteins acclimate plants under salinity stress. Application of biotechnology plays a significant role in agriculture (Khan et al., 2017). Therefore, production of particular proteins under salt stress is a specific response of cell which can be analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). SDS-PAGE is the simple, valid, and cost-effective biochemical marker (Mushtaq et al., 2018). This marker has been widely used to determine the extent of evolutionary variations in crops (El-Kafafi et al., 2015).OBJECTIVES The present study was directed first time with the aim to investigate the toxic effect of sodium chloride (0-350 mM) and stress acclimation by pre-treatment of GAᴣ, IAA, and SA on the proteome profile of NM-92 cultivar of a Pakistani green gram.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe present study was replicated thrice in the plant laboratory of Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, and University of Karachi. The seeds of mung bean cultivar NM-92 were acquired from National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad. These freshly collected 15 seedsˉ1 treatment / replication were divided into two sets. The first was named as sodium chloride (SC) stress treatments were imbibed in sterile distilled water (DW) whereas, second set soaked in gibberellic acid (GAᴣ) (BDH Chemicals, England), indole acetic acid (IAA) (Fluka, Switzerland), and salicylic acid (SA) (J.T. Baker, Holland) in the separate beaker for 24 hours under dark condition. After 24 hours, given ample time to both the sets at room temperature. After recovery, all 20 treatments were sown in the 150 X 30 mm sized petri-dishes containing 0, 50, 150, 250, and 350 millimolar (mM) sodium chloride solution (Fisher Scientific, UK) for 72 hours.Protein extraction: Protein extraction was done by taking 0.3g of seedlings in an ice chilled mortar and crushed by adding 600µL 0.2 M Tris-HCl buffer having pH 7.5 contained 5% SDS (w/v) and 5% 2-mercaptoethanol (v/v). The homogenate was incubated at 0oC for 30 min., boiled in the water bath for 3 min. at 100oC. Samples were centrifuged in Heraeus Biofuge D-37520, Germany for 30 min. at 8000 rpm. The protein supernatant was saved at below 0°C for quantitative and qualitative determination with minor modifications. The total soluble protein content of the samples was estimated via “Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) standard curve” and explicit in µg protein milligramˉ1 fresh weight of mung seedlings.Bovine serum albumin standard curve (2000 μg/mL): Total protein standard curve was made by dissolving 0.05g of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) in 25mL of distilled water. Ten serial dilutions were made from 0.1 mL to 1mL by BSA solution then performed Lowry. A standard curve of total proteins was plotted by taking BSA absorbance at Y-axis and 2000 μg BSA / mL at X-axisSample preparation for SDS-PAGE: For qualitative assessment of total proteins; the 35μL of saved protein supernatant was combined with 15μL of sample diluting buffer (SDB). The SDB was made up of 0.0625 M Tris-HCl pH 6.8 with 2% of SDS, 10% of glycerol, 0.003% of bromophenol blue dye and 5% of 2-mercaptoethanol. Boil the 50μL protein SDB supernatant at 100oC in water bath for 3 min., centrifuged at 6000 rpm for 4 min. The supernatant was loaded on SDS-PAGE gel with the given formulae. The SDS- PAGE: Total proteins were fractionated via SDS-PAGE with 4% stacking and 12% resolving gel. The resolving gel of 12% was made by taking 6mL solution A, 1.8 mL 3 M Tris 1 M HCl buffer pH 8.8, 144μL 10% SDS, 5.74 mL sterile distilled water, 720μL 1.5% ammonium persulphate (APS) in deionized water and 10μL TEMED. While, stacking was composed of 1.25mL of solution A, 2.5mL of 0.5M Tris 1M HCl buffer pH 6.8, 100μL 10% SDS, 1.8 mL of distilled water, 500μL 1.5% APS and 12μL TEMED. Solution A was prepared by conjoining 30% acrylamide and 0.8% N, N’-methylene-bisacrylamide in deionized water. To avoid polymerization in the beaker; the prepared solution was quickly poured into the 3 mm thick gel plates after adding TEMED. The stacking was lined over resolving gel, then combs were inserted between the gel plates of SCIE-PLAS TV-100 separation system, UK, and allowed to polymerize for ½ an hour. After polymerization gel was placed in the tank which were filled with Tris-Glycine buffer (electrode buffer) pH 8.4 then combs were removed. The electrode buffer contained 0.3% Tris, 1.41% Glycine and 0.1% SDS in 2000mL d/w. The gel was pre-run for 15 min. at 60 volts and 120 mA currents. The prepared SDS-PAGE samples were loaded in wells with BlueStepTM Broad Range Protein Marker, AMRESCO, USA as standard and run at 60 volts & 120 mA for about 45 min. When samples entered in resolving gel, and then gave 100 volts and 200 mA currents for around 2.5 hours. Furthermore, electrophoresis was carried out at a constant watt.The Gel was washed with 30% ethanol on Uni Thermo Shaker NTS-1300 EYELA, Japan at the constant shaking for 30 min. Then gels were placed in 10% glacial acetic acid in 50% methanol solution (Fixative) for 24 hours. SDS Gel was stained until protein bands were visible thereat placed as 5% of Methanol in 7.5% acetic acid glacial solution to destain the bands background. SDS-PAGE stain composed of 0.125% coomassie brilliant blue R-250 dissolved in 40% of Methanol and 7% acetic acid glacial solution. The stain was stirred on Magnetic stirrer & hot plate M6/1, Germany for 6-10 hours before used. Photographs were taken by Sanyo digital camera VPC-T1284BL and bands were scored through numbering pattern. Gels preserved in 10% acetic acid solution at 4°C.Interpretation of bands and data analysis: The total soluble protein bands relative mobility calculated by below formulae and Dendrogram was constructed via SPSS v. 20Where,F=(Migrated distance of protein band)/(Migrated distance of dye front)Slop=(Log MW of protein marker lower limit band–log〖MW of protein marker upper limit band )/(RF protein marker lower limit band –RF of protein marker upper limit band)RESULTS:The total soluble proteins extracted from green gram were perceived by SDS-PAGE Blue StepTm broad range biochemical markers. The protein-based marker was used to evaluate the toxic effect of sodium chloride along with pre-treatments of GAᴣ, IAA, and SA on proteome assay. In the current work, seedlings total soluble proteome resolved 24 polypeptide bands ranging from 200 to 17.1 kDa were recognized by using SDS-PAGE. The figure 1 showed Dendrogram assay, which classified the 20 treatments of SC, GAᴣ, IAA and SA into two major clusters where, the cluster I was the largest one (figure 1). Cluster I consisted of 15 treatments that further divided into I-A, and I-B. The pre-treatments of SC50+SA, SC150+SA, SC250+SA, and SC350+IAA were grouped together into C-1 of sub-cluster I-A. The C-2 of sub-cluster I-A, pre-treatment SC350+SA was most diverse among 20 treatments. The C-1 treatments showed 99% homology when compared with each other while, it was 97% similar with C-2. The sub-cluster I-B comprised another 10 treatments, SC0+GAᴣ, SC50+GAᴣ, SC150+GAᴣ, SC250+GAᴣ, SC350+GAᴣ, SC0+IAA, SC50+IAA, SC150+IAA, SC250+IAA, and SC0+SA that were also 99% similar for total proteins. Sub-cluster I-B pre-treatments was exhibiting 94% homology with the sub-cluster I-A. The second cluster was the smallest one that was divided into two sub-clusters, II-A and II-B. The II-A was comprised of SC50, SC150, and SC250 while, sub-cluster II-B consisted of SC0 and SC350. Within each sub-cluster, pre-treatments expressed 99% homology whereas, II-A was 97 different from II-B. Furthermore, cluster I showed 75% similarities with cluster II (figure 1). The seedlings storage proteome profile of green gram was shown in table 1.The results showed that 120kDa, 114.6 kDa, 51.8 kDa, 29.1 kDa and 22.8 kDa proteins bands were not induced at 0 mM SC, GAᴣ, IAA, and SA. The table 1 depicted the presence of 120 kDa and 114.6 kDa bands only at 350 mM SC level with all phytohormones treatments. Similarly, 51.8 kDa protein bands were appearing at 150SC, 250SC and 350SC stress with phytohormones. Based on the information collected from the NCBI protein database, this peptide was related to the 8S globulin alpha subunits. The two other, 7S globulins sub-units having 29.1kDa and 22.8 kDa molecular weights bands were synthesized under 50mM, 150mM, 250mM, 350mM SC stress with phytohormones. Concerning protein polypeptide of molecular weight 104.5 kDa, 99.8 kDa, 91.0 kDa, 55.0 kDa, and 46.0 kDa, those were induced by GAᴣ, IAA and SA at 0 to 350 mM SC. While, 17kDa protein band was appearing in SA, and IAA treated samples and 95.3kDa band was only present in SA treatment. Other 12 protein bands were present in all treatments proved as house-keeping proteins of green gram (table 1).DISCUSSIONThe SDS-PAGE profiling for proteome is the reliable and applied biochemical approach that has been used as biochemical marker in various crop differentiation, and characterization. In the current study, first time SDS-PAGE was utilized to investigate the impact of GAᴣ, IAA, and SA pre-soaking on green gram under salt toxicity. The salt toxicity adversely affects all seed, seedling, and plant metabolic process (Parveen et al., 2016). At salt toxicity, the endogenous GAᴣ, IAA, and SA levels markedly decrease (El-Khallal et al., 2009). In such condition, exogenous application of GAᴣ, IAA, and SA enhance seedlings survival rate by increasing synthesis of seed storage proteins. Likewise, our Dendrogram characterization based on 20 treatments showed significant diversity under 0 to 350 mM SC stress. The salicylic acid treatments were grouped together except SC0+SA treatment, exhibiting a close relationship, which proved its acclimating role under salt stress. These findings will help plant breeder toward enhancing food quality and quantity of green gram in future breeding programme on saline sodic land.The SDS-PAGE assay revealed 200. kDa, 109.4 kDa, 77 kDa, 68 kDa, 49 kDa, 38 kDa, 33 kDa, 26 kDa, 24 kDa, 22 kDa, 21 kDa and 19 kDa fractions as essential green gram proteins. Among these, 68 kDa, 49 kDa, 33 kDa, 26 kDa, 24 kDa and 21 kDa peptides were seed biotinylated isoform protein (Riascos et al., 2009), putative NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit H (Gostinčar et al., 2019), heat shock protein 33 (Hamidian et al., 2015), globulin protein, seed coat / maturation protein (Dhaubhadel et al., 2005), and protein for dimerization. While, 22 kDa proteins belonged to the class of prolamin alpha zein Z1C1_2, Z1C1_4, and Z1C1_8 precursors, and 19kDa peptide was related with Z1A1_2, Z1A2_2, and Z1B_6 precursors (Miclaus et al., 2011). Further, the 91 kDa peptide is sucrose synthase SS1 protein, and 77kDa protein is the NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (Wang et al., 2004). Also, the phosphatase-associated two other proteins having 46 and 55 kDa molecular weight were reported earlier in Mucuna pruriens. Hameed et al. (2012) and Malviya et al. (2008) found 55 and 46kDa peptides as 7S vicilin small sub-units and 17kDa as 11S globulins sub-unit in the studied Vigna radiata. Some other molecular weight proteome such as 68 kDa and 49kDa are 7S vicilin, 33kDa is 8S vicilin, 38 and 26kDa 8S globulins, 24kDa 11S globulins, and 22kDa 16.5S globulins. These proteins required for germination and seed establishment of green gram plant (Hameed et al., 2012).The vast accumulation of 23kDa and 22kDa peptides under salt stress by salicylic acid, were reported previously in the mangrove Bruguiera parviffora and Zea mays (El-Khallal et al., 2009). Correspondingly, El-Kafafi et al. (2015) reported the presence of 115kDa, 23kDa, and 22kDa bands in the salt tolerant lines of green gram. These proteomes induced under salt stress may play a pivotal part in the stress acclimation and osmotic adjustment. Similarly, the induction of 104 kDa and 100kDa MW polypeptide by SC stress in the salt tolerant genotypes of green gram indicated the functional role of phytohormones in various metabolic and defense response El-Kafafi et al. (2015); Alharby et al. (2016), El-Khallal et al. (2009), Qados (2010). Ali et al. (2007), Alharby et al. (2016), and El-Kafafi et al. (2015) observed 17kDa, 26kDa, 33kDa and 77kDa bands involving in salt tolerance and can be considered as a positive biochemical marker for salt stress. Further, 26 kDa MW peptide also functions as osmotin under the salt stress that involved in enhancing the accumulation of glycine betaine and proline in the cells. Hence, proteome assay of green gram showed that GAᴣ, IAA, and SA could regulate the expression of salt stress proteins that are anticipated to play a crucial part in the salt tolerance mechanism. Likewise, the involvement of phytohormones in the induction of changes in the proteome profile pattern was attributed to their part in managing cell division by regulating some genes of apical meristems.CONCLUSIONFinally, the results revealed the presence of the ten new bands with MW of 200kDa, 120 kDa, 114.6 kDa, 109.4kDa, 104.5kDa, 99.8kDa, 95.3kDa, 51.8kDa, 29.1kDa and 22.8kDa have not reported previously under salt stress with phytohormones treatments in green gram. Furthermore, it was observed that phytohormones alleviate the negative impact of salt stress on green gram by enhancing synthesis of salt defense polypeptides. Hence, higher accumulation of proteins was observed in salicylic acid treated seedlings. Thus, present work recommended the pre-soaking of phytohormones to overcome the toxic impact of sodium chloride on green gram. Further research is needed on a biomolecular level to reveal the mechanism of signalling pathways under sever salt stress.CONFLICT OF INTERESTBoth authors have declared that no disagreement of interest regarding this research.REFERENCES Alharby, H. F., E. M. Metwali, M. P. Fuller and A. Y. Aldhebiani, 2016. The alteration of mRNA expression of sod and gpx genes, and proteins in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) under stress of Nacl and/or ZnO nanoparticles. Saudi journal of biological sciences, 23(6): 773-781.Ali, A., M. Mageed, I. Ahmed and S. Mariey, 2007. Genetic and molecular studies on barley salt tolerance. In: African crop science conference proceedings. pp: 669-682.Chadha, M., 2010. Short duration mungbean: A new success in South Asia. Asia-Pacific association of agricultural research institutions.Dhaubhadel, S., K. Kuflu, M. C. Romero and M. Gijzen, 2005. A soybean seed protein with carboxylate-binding activity. 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Puglia region is the most important producer of organic olives in Italy. The study aims at assessing the economic sustainability of a selected organic olive oil farm by adopting and testing the methodology based on a scientific approach designed by CIHEAM Bari, with the aim of a group of experts from national and international research organisations, used in the Programme "Agricoltura&Qualità of Puglia Region. SWOT-analysis of quality schemes system in Puglia has been drawn. The case study concerns a traditional organic farm producing olive oil, table olives, and almonds in Puglia region. The SWOT analysis highlights that Puglia has not a fully functioning system to ensure the sustainability. However, the results prove the feasibility of the methodological approach to assess the economic sustainability. The farm is economically sustainable and can use the Economic sustainability logo, in addition to the organic and PDO logos. Per hectare, almond is the most profitable crop with higher revenue, the variable costs are higher in table olives and inputs are higher in olives for oil. The growing interest in sustainability is an important opportunity to develop the agri-food sector.

Research has long been associated with human life. In the effort to make a living, many experts who have contributed to the modernization of traditional research methods by conducting various research activities. In this process, professionals, from farmers to senior researchers, have done their part by developing plants that can tolerate or resist to disease. The growing population, climate change and plant disease are having a devastating effect on food security. In particular, it is essential to increase food production by producing high yielding crops of good quality, that may ensure food security. Recently, different gene- editing technologies have been developed. These techniques have been applied in many research fields and their development has provided economic benefits to farmers. Agrobacterium-mediated and biolistic methods are very important techniques for transforming genetic materials in plants. Genome- editing technologies are recent and highly applied in plant research to improve genes associated with yield, disease resistance and drought resistance. For example, Zinc-finger Nucleases (ZFNS), Transcription Activator-like Effector Nucleases (TALEN), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats system (CRISPR/ Cas9) methods are now widely applied by researchers and are playing a positive role in increasing production and productivity. Of the gene- editing technology, CRISPR/ Cas9 is widely applied in plant breeding programme as it is easy to use and cost-effective. In this review, we mainly focus on peanut plant, which is an important oil-bearing allotetraploid crop. Therefore, peanut gene editing-technology could increase the oleic acid content in edible peanut oil. Thus, genome editing and gene transformation technologies are extensively explored in this review.

The prevalence of obesity, overweight and type 2 diabetes are increasing in all regions of Europe. Obesity is already commonplace, affecting 10–20% of men and 10–25% of women, and by 2010 approximately 31 million of the population will require treatment for diabetes and its related complications, including the ‘metabolic syndrome’ (a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors). Associated health and social welfare costs are expected to rise to economically unsustainable levels in Europe as a direct result of these trends. Effective strategies are needed to tackle this major public health problem and to decrease dependence on medical management. These issues are the focus of LIPGENE (FOOD-CT-2003-505944), funded by the European Commission, which will investigate the interactions between dietary constituents and the genome in the development of chronic diseases, such as the metabolic syndrome, and will utilise new technologies to identify novel solutions. The LIPGENE consortium comprises twenty-five research centres across Europe. Features of the 5-year work programme include a major human nutrition intervention study in eight European cities, development of a sustainable vegetable oil product naturally rich in long-chain n-3 fatty acids, and identification of a protocol for feeding dairy cows that will result in milk with a more favourable fatty acid composition. Other work packages will provide a detailed economic analysis of the current and future healthcare costs associated with the metabolic syndrome, and an analysis of consumer attitudes. There is also a dissemination programme associated with the project that features conferences, workshops and associated publications.

Climate change is an emerging threat to food & nutritional security. It adversely affects crop production by altering the gene expression patterns of genes encoding for growth, development, and crop yield. Further, carbon emissions during crop production processes coupled with rapid urbanization & industrialization, and deforestation drive aggravate the climate change problem. Therefore, innovative adaptive measures must be developed in terms of climate-resilient interventions for enhancing productivity by minimizing expanding carbon footprints. In this investigation, we developed molecular models of different components (biotin carboxylase (BC), biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), and carboxyl transferase (CT)) of an important enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) of Brassica rapa which play a vital role in carbon sequestration in fatty acids and regulation of fatty acid metabolism. We successfully built molecular models of BC, BCCP, CT-α, and CT-β having sufficient degree of reliability and stereochemical quality scores as obtained from the structure validation using PROCHECK, ProSA, Verify3D, and ERRAT. Further, we did a set of molecular docking studies with models of BC, BCCP, and CT (CT-α, CT-β) with their ligands (ATP, biotin, acetyl coenzyme-A) to know the active site residues involved in catalysis reaction using AutoDock-Vina. Our findings on the molecular architecture of different components of ACC in Brassica rapa and ligand binding sites of component proteins from the molecular docking studies will help in two different ways. Firstly, structural information of model would facilitate designing of site-directed mutagenesis based functional genomic studies for comprehending the putative role of ACC in fatty acid biosynthesis, regulation of ACC by light & other molecular players reported in other species such as CTI & PII proteins. Further, functional haplotype markers can be designed using active site information of ACC in Brassica rapa to improve oil content by amalgamating desired set of available genomic variations present in different cultivars and landraces using the molecular breeding programme and genome editing tools. Such findings are potential drivers for minimizing carbon footprints by sequestering carbon in carbon skeletons of fatty acids in minimal input requiring oil-producing crop plants (Brassica rapa).

ABSTRACT Background There is a variety of specialized nutritious foods available for use in programs targeting undernutrition, but evidence supporting the choice of product is limited. Objectives We compared the cost-effectiveness of 4 specialized nutritious foods to prevent stunting and wasting in children aged 6–23 mo in Burkina Faso. Methods Four geographic regions were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 intervention arms: Corn-Soy Blend Plus (CSB+) programmed with separate fortified vegetable oil (the reference food), Corn-Soy-Whey Blend (CSWB; a new formulation) with oil, SuperCereal Plus (SC+), and ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF). We compared the effects of each intervention arm on growth (length-for-age z score (LAZ), weight-for-length z score (WLZ), end-line stunting (LAZ &lt; −2), and total monthly measurements of wasting (WLZ &lt; −2). Rations were ∼500 kcal/d, distributed monthly. Children were enrolled in the blanket supplementary feeding program at age ∼6 mo and measured monthly for ∼18 mo. Average costs per child reached were linked with effectiveness to compare the cost-effectiveness of each arm with CSB+ with oil. Results In our sample of 6112 children (CSB+, n = 1519; CSWB, n = 1503; SC+, n = 1564; RUSF, n = 1526), none of the foods prevented declines in growth. Children in the SC+ and RUSF arms were not significantly different than those in the CSB+ with oil arm. Children in the CSWB with oil arm experienced higher end-line (measurement at age 22.9–23.9 mo) stunting (OR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.46, 2.94) and more months of wasting (incidence rate ratio: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.51). CSB+ with oil was the least-expensive ration in all costing scenarios ($113–131 2018 US dollars/enrolled child) and similar in effectiveness to SC+ and RUSF, and thus the most cost-effective product for the defined purposes. Conclusions CSB+ with oil was the most cost-effective ration in the prevention of wasting and stunting in this trial. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02071563.

Abstract Objectives To estimate cost-effectiveness of 4 specialized nutritious foods (SNF) for Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) treatment in children under five in Pujehun District, Sierra Leone Methods In a cluster randomized trial, a mobile supplementary feeding program was set up at 29 peripheral health units to treat children with MAM (mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) ≥11.5 cm and <12.5 cm without bipedal edema) with 1 of 4 iso-caloric rations: Corn Soy Blend Plus w/oil (CSB + w/oil, reference), Corn Soy Whey Blend w/oil (CSWB w/oil), Super Cereal Plus w/amylase (SC + A), or Ready to Use Supplementary Food (RUSF). All foods were procured from U.S. except locally produced RUSF. Unlike RUSF and oil provided in commonly programmed specifications, CSB + , CSWB, and SC + A were produced in experimental package size or formulation at small scale. Caregivers picked up rations bi-weekly until children reached an outcome or up to 12 weeks. Collected from accounting records and study instruments using activity-based costing with ingredients, data on 10 components from implementer perspective (start-up, supply chain, and programming) were summarized into cost per enrolled child in 2018 USD for each arm. Other stakeholders’ costing perspectives will also be analyzed. To assess cost-effectiveness by arm, cost per recovered child = cost per enrolled child/graduation rate. Predicted means of crude graduation rate (% of children reaching MUAC ≥12.5 cm in 12 weeks) with 95% confidence intervals were estimated from unadjusted mixed-effect model to construct crude cost-effectiveness ranges. Future analyses will be based on adjusted modeling and realistically estimated product costs at scaled production. Results Children (N = 2681) received similar number of bi-weekly rations by arm. Product and international freight were top drivers of cost differences across arms. Crude graduation rate was not statistically different by arm. Cost per enrolled child ranged from $86 in RUSF to $94 in SC + A. Cost per recovered child was $137 ($130 - 145) in RUSF, $142 ($134 - 151) in CSB + w/oil, $146 ($138 - 155) in SC + A, and $149 ($140 - 160) in CSWB w/oil. Conclusions Crude cost-effectiveness to treat MAM considering only implementer cost was similar across 4 SNFs. Funding Sources Office of Food for Peace, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development.

Wild tree species play an important role in the diet of the people. However, few studies tried to assess the food products of those wild tree species in Sahel region. This study focuses on identifying the contribution of Adansonia digitata process products through the survey and sensory evaluation due to nutritional value and increase of income to the population. The A. digitata is used in Africa as food and traditional pharmacopeia. Its leaves are excellent sources of nutrients. The A. digitata pulp rich in vitamins is used to make juice and jam. The seeds are processed into virgin oil. The sensory evaluation at Sahara Sahel Foods revealed that A. digitata pulp juice as the highest overall accepted product and its jam the less. The survey at both Zinder city and Baban Tabki village showed that the A. digitata products are more useful in the villages than in the city with 65% and 35% appreciations respectively. These products are an aftertaste for the local population to increase their income and improve their nutritional status as well as health status. This study provides a baseline data about A. digitata food products in Zinder region, which could play a crucial role in the conservation of the A. digitata. This study recommends the use of A. digitata trees in the national tree plantation programmes in Zinder region.