The 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses: what contribution to the development of the Water Charter for the Volta Basin?

In 2007, the six riparian countries of the Volta Basin adopted the Convention on the Status of the Volta River and the Establishment of Volta Basin Authority (Volta Basin Convention). This legal framework is strongly inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UNWC). However, the Volta Basin Convention merely states the major international river management principles without specifying either the terms or the procedures for their implementation. This article examines the potential contribution of the UNWC provisions to the development of a water charter.     

Phenolic profile and carbohydrate digestibility of durum spaghetti enriched with buckwheat flour and bran

The potential of common buckwheat flour (Supreme) and bran (Farinetta) in improving upon the phenolic and antioxidant properties of durum spaghetti was investigated. The cooking quality and carbohydrate digestibility of products were also studied. Significantly large increments of between 114 and 522% for total phenolic content (TPC), 50 and 242% for total flavonoids content (TFC), and over 359% for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity were recorded for uncooked experimental spaghetti samples over the control. Farinetta contributed more phenolic and antioxidant compounds than Supreme flour. Processing and cooking resulted in decreases in phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Cooking losses of up to 8.8% were recorded for the experimental samples and were higher in Farinetta-substituted products. These were generally higher than that of the control (6.3%). The introduction of buckwheat increased carbohydrate digestibility of products, but at the same time, resulted in an overall lower amount of reducing sugars after 120 min of in vitro hydrolysis. Results show that the phenolic and antioxidant properties of durum spaghetti fortified with buckwheat milling fractions can compare favourably with those of 100% whole buckwheat soba pasta, and at the same time, maintain a higher cooking quality due to the presence of semolina.     

Management of Freshwater Bodies in Ghana

Abstract

Until recent times, there was an incorrect perception in many developing countries, including Ghana, that considerable water resources were available. Faced with increasing population, intensification of agricultural, mining, and industrial activities together with natural events, the demand on both the quantity and quality of Ghana's water resources is now becoming a major concern. The population of Ghana increased from 6.7 million in 1960 to 8.6 million in 1970 to 12.3 million in 1984 to 18.9 million in 2000. The increasing population in Ghana contradicts sharply with the observed decline in rainfall amounts in many parts of the country, the rising temperatures nation-wide, and the pollution of water bodies from both natural and human activities. The freshwater bodies of Ghana are thus vulnerable and must have to be efficiently managed and utilized to sustain the socio-economic growth of the nation. Towards this objective, recommendations and suggestions have been made in terms of a joint participatory approach between local communities and state agencies in addition to suggestions for enactment of policies, education, and enforcement of laws.