The use of indigenous ecological resources for pest control in Africa

Reducing the losses from crop pests will help to increase food availability and boost economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the existing crop protection paradigm that relies on synthetic agrochemical pesticides has had only a marginal impact on the productivity of many poor smallholder farmers who constitute a major segment of agriculture in SSA. This is primarily because many of them are not able to afford or access these imported chemicals. A solution to this crop protection problem may be to harness biological resources that are locally available, such as endemic insect natural enemies and indigenous pesticidal plant materials. Two specific examples of this already under development in Africa are the use of the pesticidal plant, Tephrosia vogelii, and the harvesting of the endemic insect baculovirus, Spodoptera exempta nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpexNPV). Both of these can be produced locally and have shown promise in trials as inexpensive and effective tools for pest control in Africa and their use is currently being scaled up and evaluated by African networks of researchers. A focus on these systems illustrates the potential for using locally-available natural resources for improved crop protection in Africa. The consideration of these pesticidal plants and insect natural enemies in the wider context of natural capital that provide valuable ecosystem services (including pest control), will facilitate greater recognition of their true economic and societal worth. While both of these model systems show promise, there are also very significant challenges to be overcome in developing production, supply and marketing systems that are economically viable and sustainable. The regulatory environment must also evolve to accommodate and facilitate the registration of new products and the establishment of appropriate supply chains that share the benefits of these resources equitably with the local communities from which they are harvested.     

Regulations applicable to plant food supplements and related products in the European Union

This paper deals with the current regulatory and legal settings of traditional plant food supplements and herbal medicinal products in the European Union (EU). Marketing of botanicals in foods and food supplements in the EU is subject to several provisions of food law, which cover aspects of safety, production, labelling and product composition, including the use of additives and maximum levels of contaminants and residues. However, due to limited harmonization at the EU level, specific national regulations adopted at a Member State level also apply and mutual recognition is the mechanism through which such products can be marketed in EU countries other than those of origin. Unlike food supplements, marketing of traditional herbal medicinal products is regulated by an ad hoc Directive (i.e. Directive 2004/24/EC) covering in detail all the relevant aspects of these products, including a facilitated registration procedure at national level. However, by distinguishing traditional herbal medicinal products from plant food supplements and establishing selective marketing modalities for these two product categories, the EU has been confronted with implementation difficulties for traditional herbal medicinal products and a lack of homogeneity in the regulatory approaches adopted in different EU Member States. In fact, currently the nature of the commercial botanical products made available to consumers as traditional medicinal products or food supplements, depends largely on the EU Member State under consideration as a consequence of how competent National Authorities and manufacturing companies interpret and apply current regulations rather than on the intrinsic properties of the botanical products and their constituents. When the EU approach is compared with approaches adopted in some non-European countries to regulate these product categories, major differences become evident.     

A review of alternatives to organophosphorus compounds for the control of storage mites

This literature review aims to identify potential alternatives to the use of organophosphorus pesticides for the control of mite pests in stored commodities. Substances including insect growth regulators, inert dusts, botanicals, pyrethroids and other novel materials are discussed with emphasis on their efficacy against important storage mite pests. Their modes of action, together with the advantages and disadvantages of their use within a storage environment, are reviewed including cited efficacy against storage insects. Inert dusts meet criteria required for a product to be an effective replacement for OPs, and may offer the greatest potential. The future of any alternative lies in its ability to be incorporated into an integrated pest management programme.     

Mycotoxins in botanicals and dried fruits: A review

Botanicals are used in many countries for medicinal and general health-promoting purposes. Numerous natural occurrences of mycotoxins in botanicals and dried fruits have been reported. Aflatoxins or ochratoxin A (OTA) have been found in botanicals such as ginseng, ginger, liquorice, turmeric, and kava-kava in the USA, Spain, Argentina, India, and some other countries, while fumonisins have been found in medicinal wild plants in South Africa and in herbal tea and medicinal plants in Turkey. Zearalenone was identified in ginseng root. Dried fruits can be contaminated with aflatoxins, OTA, kojic acid, and, occasionally, with patulin or zearalenone. One main area of concern is aflatoxins in dried figs; bright greenish yellow fluorescence under ultraviolet light is associated with aflatoxin contamination. OTA in dried vine fruits (raisins, sultanas, and currants) is another concern. There are also reports of aflatoxins in raisins and OTA in dried figs, apricots, dried plums (prunes), dates, and quince. Maximum permitted levels in the European Union include 4 µg kg^-1 for total aflatoxins in dried fruit intended for direct consumption and 10 µg kg^-1 for OTA in dried vine fruit. This review discusses the occurrence of mycotoxins in botanicals and dried fruits and analytical issues such as sampling, sample preparation, and methods for analysis. Fungal contamination of these products, the influence of sorting, storage, and processing, and prevention are also considered.     

A Comparison of Canadian and Colombian Food Inspection Systems

This article compares food inspection systems of Canada and Colombia. The Canadian Processed Products Establishment Inspection Manual (PPEIM) for products of plant origin is used as a model. The Canadian food inspection system has the advantage of including specific regulations per product type, making the establishment inspection more precise. Colombia lacks a sound health risk model to establishment inspection. The Canadian Health Risk Assessment Model might serve as a basis for building a health risk model. In Canada, establishment registration is mandatory and is a requisite for food product marketing. In Colombia, establishment inspection is mandatory but not requisite for product registration and marketing. Colombian regulations should be reviewed to make the food inspection system stronger and more soundly based on preventive dispositions, specifically establishment inspection as a prerequisite for product registration and marketing.

In Canada, specificity of inspection instruments such as the PPEIM increases food safety. In Colombia, the Food Processing Establishment Check List (FPECL) is not specific about product or process type. There is no specificity in regards to the control process, making this inspection instrument weak when inspecting different process types. In Colombia, there is a need for guide instruments such as a manual to support the FPECL assessment criteria used during establishment inspections. In Colombia, the FPECL does not include inspection of a recall system and process records.     

Standardized methods for testing the quality attributes of plant-based foods: Milk and cream alternatives

The food industry is creating a diverse range of plant-based alternatives to dairy products, such as milks, creams, yogurts, and cheeses due to the increasing demand from consumers for more sustainable, healthy, and ethical products. These dairy alternatives are often designed to mimic the desirable physicochemical, functional, and sensory properties of real dairy products, such as their appearance, texture, mouthfeel, flavor, and shelf-life. At present, there is a lack of systematic testing methods to characterize the properties of plant-based dairy alternatives. The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate existing methods and recommend a series of standardized tests that could be used to quantify the properties of fluid plant-based milk alternatives (milk and cream). These methods could then be used to facilitate the design of milk alternatives with somewhat similar attributes as real dairy milk by comparing their properties under standardized conditions. Moreover, they could be used to facilitate comparison of the properties of milk alternatives developed in different laboratories.     

South Africa: A case study for voluntary GM labelling

South Africa is the only country in Africa growing genetically modified (GM) crops, yet, consumer knowledge of biotechnology is limited and labelling regulations regarding consumer preference is lacking. In the absence of mandatory GM labelling, voluntary GM labelling is being used as a marketing strategy to attract discerning consumers. The aim was to detect and quantify the GM content in food products in South Africa, specifically labelled to indicate an absence of genetic modification. Of the products labelled ‘GMO-free’, ‘non-GM’ and ‘organic’, it was found that 31% had a GM content above 1.0% and 20% a GM content above 5.0%. Product batches differed by up to 40% in terms of GM content. In the absence of specific regulations, voluntary GM labelling is not providing discerning consumers with the choice intended. Thus, unregulated GM labelling is not a viable alternative to a regulated approach in terms of consumer protection.     

我国保健食品的市场准入制度及对未来产品研发的启示和展望

近年来我国社会经济持续稳定发展，国民收入水平不断提升，随着居民健康意识不断增强，人们对保健食品的期待也越来越高。目前我国对于保健食品的重要市场准入制度包括注册和备案，本文对现行的法规文件进行了分析解读，同时深入分析了近期保健食品技术审评中发现的申请注册保健食品常见问题，最后对于未来研发保健食品的申请者提出了建议，以期研发出更多的满足人民日益增长对健康品质需求的产品，并为促进大健康产业创新发展、提高上市产品质量提供监管依据。     

Nutritional properties and health aspects of pulses and their use in plant-based yogurt alternatives

Plant-based yogurt alternatives are increasing in market value, while dairy yogurt sales are stagnating or even declining. The plant-based yogurt alternatives market is currently dominated by products based on coconut or soy. Coconut-based products especially are often low in protein and high in saturated fat, while soy products raise consumer concerns regarding genetically modified soybeans, and soy allergies are common. Pulses are ideally suited as a base for plant-based yogurt alternatives due to their high protein content and beneficial amino acid composition. This review provides an overview of pulse nutrients, pro-nutritional and anti-nutritional compounds, how their composition can be altered by fermentation, and the chemistry behind pulse protein coagulation by acid or salt denaturation. An extensive market review on plant-based yogurt alternatives provides an overview of the current worldwide market situation. It shows that pulses are ideal base ingredients for yogurt alternatives due to their high protein content, amino acid composition, and gelling behavior when fermented with lactic acid bacteria. Additionally, fermentation can be used to reduce anti-nutrients such as α-galactosides and vicine or trypsin inhibitors, further increasing the nutritional value of pulse-based yogurt alternatives.     

Control of the Market for a Natural Fibre

Woolgrower organisations in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Uruguay directly control wool fibre quality and specification. The quality of end products is also controlled through the IWS Woolmark programme. Moreover, woolgrower organisations make important contributions to the control of design and wool textile processing, in order to provide consumers with attractive, value-for-money wool products.

For the last twenty years, wool prices have been controlled through reserve price schemes, but these have now been abandoned due to changes in markets for wool arising from political and economic events far beyond the influence, let alone control, of woolgrowers. This exemplifies the difficulty, if not impossibility, of control of prices, as well as of production volumes, which are inextricably-linked.

With regard to wool end products, control (i.e., direction and regulation) of price and supply would infringe individual freedom of choice and in textiles is impossible, not least because purchasing decisions are frequently emotionally, rather than rationally, based. However, demand (i.e., price times volume) for wool end products can be influenced by promotion and woolgrowers have achieved high demand for these by influencing consumers to exhibit a strong preference for wool products in the premium sectors of the textile market. This is a key factor in allowing wool to command a price of 3 times that of competitive fibres.     

Future scenarios for a sustainable water sector: a case study from Switzerland

Uncertainties about the long-term prospects of urban water management systems have increased substantially over the past decade due to an increasing variety of regulations, technologies, and demand structures. In Switzerland, this uncertainty is mirrored by growing difficulties of utility managers and (waste)water scientists to agree on shared strategies: Water professionals demand support for pressing management problems, while researchers fundamentally question the longer-term sustainability of the established water management system. To reestablish shared orientation, we conducted a foresight study for the Swiss (waste)water sector in 2004. Based on interviews with 29 experts from Swiss water management and research to collect 56 drivers of change, a team of 17 experts developed three scenarios: (A) regional mergers of water utilities leading to enhanced professionalism in the sector, (B) consequent material flows management leading to a radically restructured urban water management system, and (C) generalized financial crisis leading to a breakdown of centralized utility services. These scenarios helped identifying shared research priorities. We conclude that scenario analysis is a powerful tool for framing long-term strategies, defining priorities, and integrating different interests in the multidisciplinary contexts of sustainability science, which are marked by high uncertainties and concern a wide range of stakeholder groups.     

A review of the analytical methods coupled with chemometric tools for the determination of the quality and identity of dairy products

There is an increasing demand of the consumers and actors of the food industry sector to have means of measurement allowing the characterisation of raw materials or food. Dairy products (milk, ice cream, yogurt, butter, cheese, etc.) are in considerable demand, command premium prices and are, therefore, vulnerable to economic adulteration. Authenticity of these products is an important issue for food processors, retailers, regulatory authorities and consumers. It is also valuable for ensuring fair competition and as a mean of protecting consumers against fraud due to mislabelling. Conventional chemical methods are not able to determine the regional provenance of dairy products unambiguously. Therefore, alternative techniques such as spectroscopic techniques i.e., near infrared (NIR), mid infrared (MIR), front face fluorescence spectroscopy (FFFS), stable isotope and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-coupled with chemometric tools have many potential advantages as tools for the evaluation of the identity of such products. This review article discusses the potential of destructive and non-destructive techniques for the determination of the quality and the authenticity of dairy products.     

SHORT SHELF-LIFE MILK PRODUCTS*

The paper discusses the principles of marketing short-life milk products showing the importance of date marking and the need for effective refrigeration as an essential in food freshness. The future of cream with its microbiological quality and increasing popularity is examined together with the legal requirements and standards involved in its marketing, and tables illustrating the manufacture and regulations are shown. Prevention of yeast fermentation in fruit yoghurt by the use of sorbic acid giving an improvement in shelf-life at a higher temperature is described and the need for further research in suitable cultures stressed. (Editor's summary).     

Mass spectrometry-based approaches to assess the botanical authenticity of dietary supplements

Dietary supplements are legally considered foods despite frequently including medicinal plants as ingredients. Currently, the consumption of herbal dietary supplements, also known as plant food supplements (PFS), is increasing worldwide and some raw botanicals, highly demanded due to their popularity, extensive use, and/or well-established pharmacological effects, have been attaining high prices in the international markets. Therefore, botanical adulteration for profit increase can occur along the whole PFS industry chain, from raw botanicals to plant extracts, until final PFS. Besides the substitution of high-value species, unintentional mislabeling can happen in morphologically similar species. Both cases represent a health risk for consumers, prompting the development of numerous works to access botanical adulterations in PFS. Among different approaches proposed for this purpose, mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques have often been reported as the most promising, particularly when hyphenated with chromatographic techniques. Thus, this review aims at describing an overview of the developments in this field, focusing on the applications of MS-based techniques to targeted and untargeted analysis to detect botanical adulterations in plant materials, extracts, and PFS.     

THE EFFECT OF EEC REGULATIONS ON THE MARKETING OF MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS IN THE UK

The effect on the dairy industry of membership of the EEC and the distinction between its regulations and directives as set out in the Treaty of Rome are described. Over 3,000 regulations were issued in 1974, 250 of which dealt with milk and dairy products and a list of the main regulations is given in an appendix. The advantages of price reviews more than once a year and possible seasonal milk pricing are discussed. The marketing field is described and the need for products with the greatest earning potential stressed. Developments in liquid milk markets are shown and their importance in the United Kingdom emphasized. Possible standardization in the liquid milk market, and the difficulties involved in the operation of milk marketing boards is considered. {Editor's summary).     

A Review of Clean-Label Approaches to Chilli Paste Processing

Consumer demand for clean-label food products is increasing. Moreover, the production of ready-to-cook products have begun to include clean-label efforts. Dried chilli, the raw material for chilli paste, is susceptible to contaminants such as mould dirt and pesticides that must be removed to maintain the safety and quality of products. In this review, trends related to processes involved in chilli paste production are highlighted. Improvements in preservation technology and the potential for using a clean-label approach to produce premium-quality chilli pastes were explored. Ultrasound washing and high-pressure processing could be combined as part of a hurdle technique for processing chilli pastes that align with consumer values. Ultrasound washing disinfects and removes dirt pesticides and chemical residues present on dried chillies. High-pressure treatments inactivate microorganisms and enzymes, which could extend the shelf-life of chilli pastes. Additionally, organic acid and garlic can be used as natural preservatives to improve the formulation without using artificial ingredients. This clean-label concept can be integrated into the hurdle strategy to produce chilli paste that fulfils the consumer demand for a safe, naturally nutritional product with an extended shelf-life.     

Phytosanitary irradiation in ports of entry: a practical solution for developing countries

The advantages of using ionising irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment have been demonstrated commercially in the past two decades and several countries currently use the technology for commercial treatments to meet plant quarantine requirements. Although many countries have expressed interest in using phytosanitary irradiation (PI) and it provides a viable alternative for overcoming a wide range of phytosanitary restrictions for numerous fresh products, the use of PI for fresh fruits and vegetables faces economic obstacles due to the sizeable initial investment required to build an irradiation facility. Projecting the market demand for irradiated products to justify the investment in treatment facilities is a business challenge limited by the potential for all countries to invest in this technology, especially developing countries. A recent change in import regulations by the United States allows for treatment upon entry, thus removing the immediate need for treatment facilities in the exporting country. This change makes it possible for exporting countries to explore and develop new markets prior to investing in treatment facilities at the origin. This paper discusses the economic potential of products that could be shipped to the United States for irradiation from selected countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa.     

Sampling: the weak link in the sanitary quality control system of agricultural products

To ensure a high level of consumer protection, the European Union has in the past years published several regulations setting very low limits for a given number of food contaminants (pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals) in many agricultural products (cereals, oilseeds, dry fruits, coffee, spices, etc). These new regulations regarding the sanitary quality of agricultural products, compel both economic operators and officials of different EU member states to set up sampling plans and rigorous analyses aimed at checking whether a product lot complies with the required standards prior to its release on the market. While the laboratory analysis management today is outstanding thanks to the validated and efficient detection methods and procedures available for quality assurance in laboratories (accreditation), this is not necessarily true of the sampling operation, which seems to be the weak link in the sanitary control system for agricultural products. The sampling operation is often the main source of error when assessing the sanitary quality of a lot of agricultural commodities, with both commercial (downgrading of the product) and sanitary (marketing of a product which poses a health risk for the consumer) consequences. Therefore, it is essential for the operators involved to be aware of the significance and difficulties of the sampling operation, which requires important equipment and human resources. Furthermore, drawing up specific standards and guidelines, as well as setting up quality assurance procedures, at the level in charge of carrying out this delicate and important operation, are necessary.     

Free amino acids in botanicals and botanical preparations

ABSTRACT:  Numerous studies were carried out about aminoacidic composition of vegetable proteins, but information about the free amino acid pool and the role of these substances is very incomplete. The aim of this paper was to contribute to the scarce knowledge concerning the composition of free amino acids in botanicals and botanical preparations widely used as food, in dietary supplements, and in pharmaceutical products. This work studied the composition of free amino acids, identified the major components of 19 species of plants, and evaluated the influence of different types of extraction on the amino acid profile. Amino acids were determined using an automatic precolumn derivatization with fluorenylmethyl-chloroformate and reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence and ultraviolet detection. The amounts of total free amino acids varied widely between plants, from approximately 12 g in 100 g of Echinacea pallida extract to less than 60 mg in the same amount of Coleus forskohlii, Garcinia cambogia , and Glycine max. In 13 plants arginine, asparagine, glutamine, proline, and γ-aminobutyric acid were the free amino acids found in preponderant quantities. The levels of free amino acids above the quantification limit in 36 assayed samples of botanicals, extracts, and supplements are shown.     

Training realisation and training demand in the Rioja wine sector in Spain

Training has been identified as an effective tool in the development of human resources, especially in the current context of change. This work aims to analyse the realisation and demand on training courses in the Rioja wine sector in Spain. A representative sample of companies in the sector was interviewed using a questionnaire. Two types of analysis were conducted: univariate and a factorial analysis of variance. These analyses allow using a hypothesis test in which three independent variables are controlled – zone, ownership, and winery size. The results show that the realisation and demand for training are focused on topics related to wine production, and not on marketing. No significant differences were found regarding the realisation and demand for training and the independent variables.