Knowledge, Attitudes, and Hygienic Practices of Boiled Hypocotyls (Borassus aethiopum Mart) Vended in the Streets of Cotonou City and Its Outskirts, Benin.

In Benin, the boiled hypocotyl (Borassus aethiopum Mart) is one of the most common street foods consumed for its therapeutic properties. However, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of boiled hypocotyl food sellers are poorly known despite the high contamination potential of these street foods. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of boiled hypocotyls food vendors in the streets of Cotonou and its outskirts. The approach used concerned the process of good hygiene and production. Face-to-face interviews of 300 hypocotyls vendors and producers from Cotonou, Sèmè, Ouidah, and Abomey-Calavi were conducted. Concurrently, 200 samples of boiled hypocotyl were collected among study vendors. Results showed that all of the interviewed population (100%) of this activity are women. They are generally illiterate and 75% of them have never been to school. Additionally, 76.7% of street boiled hypocotyls sellers interviewed were mobile. The microbial profile of the boiled hypocotyls showed the lack of control and poor understanding of hygiene rules. The processes management also revealed two diagrams processes. The conditions in which hypocotyls vendors operate are largely unacceptable from a food safety point of view and an effort should be made to provide them with adequate infrastructure including potable water. In view of the socioeconomic impact of hypocotyl activities in Benin and their role in the unexpected arrival of food-borne diseases, vendors should be regularly trained in order to prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses.

Effect of processing method on physico-chemical and functional properties of two fonio (Digitaria exilis) landraces.

In West Africa, landraces or local varieties of fonio are processed into many products by women using small processing units and marketed locally as well as exported to Europe and the United States. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of processing methods, namely parboiling, precooking and roasting on the physico-chemical and functional properties of two mainly preferred fonio landraces (Iporhouwan and Namba) by consumers. Results showed that the physico-chemical characteristics and most functional properties were significantly (P < 0.0001) affected by the processing methods. The lowest brightness (L*) values were obtained for parboiled fonio for the two landraces. However, parboiled fonio presented the best biochemical composition as compared to the dehusked, milled, precooked and roasted fonio samples. The protein contents of parboiled fonio samples were 6.06 % and 7.24 % for Iporhouwan and Namba landraces respectively. The values of peak viscosity, trough viscosity, breakdown, final viscosity and setback, were significantly higher for dehusked and milled fonio than for precooked, parboiled and roasted fonio with respect to both landraces. The milled fonio showed highest peak viscosity (2,668.5 cP) which was similar for the both tested landraces.

Indigenous knowledge on landraces and fonio-based food in Benin.

Fonio is a traditional cereal cultivated in many West African countries, where farmers are often the guardians of a rich diversity of landraces or traditional varieties. An investigation conducted in northwest of Benin on indigenous knowledge about fonio landraces and fonio-based traditional foods allowed us to inventory 35 landraces identified by the farmers. Ipormoa, Namba, Icantoni or Kopognakè or Icantoga and Iporhouwan landraces were good to cook paste and couscous and easy to dehusk. Besides, Ipormoa and Iporhouwan landraces had interesting agronomic characteristics. Paste, porridge, and couscous were the main fonio-based foods consumed by farmers in northwest of Benin.

In vitro antiplasmodial properties of Flacourtia flavescens Willd. (Flacourtiaceae) and Rytigynia canthioides (Benth.) Robyns (Rubiaceae).

The present study was conducted to investigate the in vitro antimalarial activity of Flacourtia flavescens Willd. (Flacourtiaceae) and Rytigynia canthioides (Benth.) Robyns (Rubiaceae). These two plants are used in Benin folk medicine to treat malaria and fever. Antimalarial activity was assayed on fresh clinical isolates of chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum using the in vitro semi-microtest. The results revealed that the IC(50) varied from 1.55 to 22.36µg/ml. F. flavescens hydro methanol extract was more active than R. canthioides. The study demonstrated scientific rationale behind the traditional usage of these plants, however further bioactivity guided phytochemical analyses are necessary to identify the active principles.