Latest ILRI research outputs |
- Creating novel approaches to mitigate aflatoxin risk in food and feed with lactic acid bacteria - mold growth inhibition and aflatoxin binding
- Kenyan milk consumers' behaviour and perceptions of aflatoxin
- Smallholder pig producers and their pork consumption practices in three districts in Uganda
- Vaccination as a way forward? A case study on how a poultry vaccination intervention influences poultry keeping in Kenya
- Smallholder dairy farming in Tanzania: Farming practices, animal health and public health challenges and opportunities
- Food safety trade-offs
- Theileria parva infection seroprevalence and associated risk factors in cattle in Machakos County, Kenya
- Optimum crossbreeding systems for goats in low-input livestock production system in Kenya
| Posted: 30 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT Creating novel approaches to mitigate aflatoxin risk in food and feed with lactic acid bacteria - mold growth inhibition and aflatoxin binding Ahlberg, S.H.; Joutsjoki, V.; Korhonen, H.J. |
| Kenyan milk consumers' behaviour and perceptions of aflatoxin Posted: 30 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT Kenyan milk consumers' behaviour and perceptions of aflatoxin Walke, M.; Mtimet, N.; Baker, D.; Waithanji, E.; Lindahl, J.; Hartmann, M.; Grace, D. Aflatoxin contamination in food is a human health threat in many developing countries. This study examines Kenyan milk consumers' behaviour related to, and perception of, aflatoxin contamination. The study considered two groups of respondents: raw milk consumers mainly located in peri-urban areas of Nairobi, and processed milk consumers located in urban areas. Results indicate that practically all raw milk consumers and the majority of processed milk consumers boil the milk before its consumption believing that the product is completely safe after boiling. Aflatoxin awareness is very high for the urban milk consumers and relatively high for the peri-urban ones. In both groups, almost half of the respondents who had heard about aflatoxin believe, or know, that it can be transferred into milk. Most respondents, however, did not know how to avoid aflatoxin-contaminated milk. Given the credence characteristic of aflatoxin consumer education and awareness raising programs alone will not be able to solve the problem. Efforts along the whole value chain and at the level of government are needed to reduce the use of aflatoxin spoiled feed and secure aflatoxin safe milk at the consumer level. |
| Smallholder pig producers and their pork consumption practices in three districts in Uganda Posted: 26 Oct 2014 05:00 PM PDT Smallholder pig producers and their pork consumption practices in three districts in Uganda Roesel, K.; Ouma, E.A.; Dione, M.M.; Pezo, D.; Grace, D.; Alonso, S. Pig production is thriving in Uganda and the demand for pork is increasing, therefore offering potential for smallholder farmers for increased income through pig production. A multi-disciplinary value chain assessment conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute aimed to identify constraints and opportunities for pig producers as well as shortcomings in the safety of pork products in three districts in Uganda. Tools from participatory research were used to assess pork consumption habits as well as knowledge, attitudes and practices on pork safety among 295 pig producers. Pork is widely popular and mostly consumed well-cooked. However, practices such as roasting may lead to the ingestion of undercooked pork, and accompanying dishes such as raw vegetables may lead to cross-contamination of the meat causing food-borne diseases. The scarcity of data on zoonotic pig pathogens, such as erysipelas, salmonellosis, brucellosis and pork-borne parasites calls for further research. |
| Posted: 30 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT Vaccination as a way forward? A case study on how a poultry vaccination intervention influences poultry keeping in Kenya Lindahl, J.F.; Wyatt, A.; Young, J.; Young, M.; Alders, R.; Bagnol, B.; Msyoki, D.; Alonso, S.; Grace, D. Poultry is important for many poor smallholders, but infectious diseases, such as Newcastle disease, can drastically reduce the poultry population in a village and affects the food security and the livelihood of many farmers. Newcastle disease vaccination can reduce the spread of disease, but may be hard to access for smallholders if there is not a supportive system in place. In this paper, a district in Kenya is studied where there has been support for vaccination. It is shown that households in villages which had support were more likely to vaccinate, had more chickens and also know better the basic principle of a vaccine. The vaccinators themselves also reported that vaccination had improved the poultry keeping and the knowledge of the farmers. It is concluded that a supportive system is beneficial for increased vaccination. |
| Posted: 26 Oct 2014 05:00 PM PDT Smallholder dairy farming in Tanzania: Farming practices, animal health and public health challenges and opportunities Alonso, S.; Toye, P.; Msalya, G.; Grace, D.; Unger, F. |
| Posted: 21 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT Food safety trade-offs Grace, D. |
| Posted: 15 Oct 2014 05:00 PM PDT Theileria parva infection seroprevalence and associated risk factors in cattle in Machakos County, Kenya Wesonga, F.D.; Gachohi, J,M.; Kitala, P.M.; Gathuma, J.M.; Njenga, M.J. The principle objective of this study was to estimate the infection seroprevalence and identify risk factors associated with Theileria parva infection in cattle on smallholder farms in Machakos County, Kenya. A total of 127 farms were selected by a proportional allocation approach based on the number of farms in four divisions in the county previously selected by stratified random sampling method. Subsequently, a total sample of 421 individual animals was randomly selected from the farms. Information on animal and relevant individual farm management practices was gathered using a standardized questionnaire. Prevalence of serum antibodies was determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Multivariable logistic models incorporating random effects at the farm level evaluated the association between the presence of T. parva antibodies and the identified risk variables. The overall estimation of T. parva antibodies in the county was 40.9 % (95 % confidence interval of 36.1, 45.7 %). Seroprevalence to T. parva was significantly associated with animal age, vector tick infestation in the animal, tick control frequency, and administrative division. Further analyses suggested a confounding relationship between administrative division and both breed and grazing system and the T. parva seropositivity. Random effects model yielded intra-farm correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.18. The inclusion of farm random effect provided a substantially better fit than the standard logistic regression (P = 0.032). The results demonstrate substantial variability in the T. parva infection prevalence within all categories of the cattle population of Machakos County of Kenya, where East Coast fever is endemic. |
| Optimum crossbreeding systems for goats in low-input livestock production system in Kenya Posted: 31 Dec 2013 04:00 PM PST Optimum crossbreeding systems for goats in low-input livestock production system in Kenya Mbuku, S.M.; Okeyo, A.M.; Kosgey, I.S.; Kahi, A.K. The aim of the current simulation study was to maximise the amount (kg) of high value meat arising from surplus males and females per kilogram of the goat population and, maximise weight gains to turnoff age. Subsequently, the study aimed to decrease turnoff age, maximisation of reproduction rates and minimisation of the mature weight of does in the low-input livestock production system in Kenya. Three crossbreeding systems and a synthetic breed development were evaluated, namely; (a) straight breeding system that utilised pure Small East African goat (SEAG) where parental lines were maintained to generate the desired terminal crosses, (b) three-breed crossbreeding system that utilised SEAG as pure breed, Galla goat (GG) as the first cross sire breed, and Improved Boer goat (IBG) as the terminal sire, (c) two-breed rotational crossbreeding system where the SEAG and IBG were purebreds, and (d) synthetic breed development system utilising SEAG X IBG. The HotCross crossbreeding simulation software was used to assess the predicted performance of the different goat breed crosses under conditions of agro ecological zones (AEZ) V and VI. A model was developed to compare these crossbreeding systems, and showed the optimum numbers required in each stage of a cross to maximise production. In the AEZ V, it was found that the three breed terminal system gave 18.2 kg (76%) improvement over straightbreds per doe mated per year. The multi-breed composite realised 20.4 kg (86%) improvement over pure SEAG. In the AEZ VI, it was found that the three breed terminal system gave 10 kg (64%) improvement over straightbreds per doe mated per year. The multi-breed composite realised 14.6 kg (94%) improvement straightbreds per doe mated per year. The two breed rotation was worse than the multi-breed composite in both environments. This implies that in low-input livestock production system, a multi-breed composite may be the crossbreeding system of choice, so long as supportive infrastructure is put in place. |
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