Browsing by Author "Ampek Tumuhimbise, Gaston"

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    Amaranth Leaves and Skimmed Milk Powders Improve the Nutritional, Functional, Physico-Chemical and Sensory Properties of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Flour
    (Foods, 2019) Ampek Tumuhimbise, Gaston; Tumwine, Gerald; Kyamuhangire, William
    Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and under nutrition are major public health concerns in developing countries. Diets with high vitamin A and animal protein can help reduce the problem of VAD and under nutrition respectively. In this study, composite flours were developed from orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), amaranth leaves and skimmed milk powders; 78:2:20, 72.5:2.5:25, 65:5:30 and 55:10:35. The physico-chemical characteristics of the composite flours were determined using standard methods while sensory acceptability of porridges was rated on a nine-point hedonic scale using a trained panel. Results indicated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in protein (12.1 to 19.9%), iron (4.8 to 97.4 mg/100 g) and calcium (45.5 to 670.2 mg/100 g) contents of the OFSP-based composite flours. The vitamin A content of composite flours contributed from 32% to 442% of the recommended dietary allowance of children aged 6–59 months. The composite flours showed a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in solubility, swelling power and scores of porridge attributes with increase in substitution levels of skimmed milk and amaranth leaf powder. The study findings indicate that the OFSP-based composite flours have the potential to make a significant contribution to the improvement in the nutrition status of children aged 6–59 months in developing countries.
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    Effect of Salt on the Sensory and Keeping Quality of Orange Fleshed Sweetpotato Crisps
    (Food and Nutrition Sciences, 2013) Ampek Tumuhimbise, Gaston; Orishaba, Joanita; Atukwase, Abel; Namutebi, Agnes
    The study was carried out to determine the effect of salt on the sensory, nutritive and keeping quality of OFSP crisps. Crisps were made by deep frying slices of approximately 3.5 mm thickness treated with, 2% and 4% table salt. A con-trol with no salt treatment was prepared alongside the treated ones. Two varieties of OFSP; Ejumula and Kakamega were used in the study. After deep frying, the crisps were cooled to room temperature, packed in paper-lined high den-sity polythene pouches and stored in a dark cupboard at room temperature for three months. During the storage period, the crisps were analyzed for proteins, fat and carotenoid content. Changes in sensory attributes were analyzed using a semi-trained panel. Results indicated that freshly prepared crisps treated with 2% salt had the highest acceptability mean scores for all attributes while there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between crisps made from either Ejumula or Kakamega variety. Carotenoid content decreased with increase in salt concentration in both OFSP varieties. Shelf-life studies showed that the decline in sensory attributes started after 2 months of storage. The study shows that OFSP crisps treated with 2% salt are more acceptable and reasonably stable during storage.
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    Provitamin A Crops: Acceptability, Bioavailability, Efficacy and Effectiveness
    (Food and Nutrition Sciences, 2013) Ampek Tumuhimbise, Gaston; Namutebi, Agnes; Turyashemererwa, Florence; Muyonga, John
    Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is the world’s commonest cause of childhood blindness. More than half of these cases occur in developing countries. Animal sourced foods though good sources of vitamin A are too expensive for poor rural people. Crops biofortified with provitamin A offer a convenient and accessible source of vitamin A. The other micro- nutrient programs of fortification and supplementation require more expensive inputs. Biofortification programs have developed crops that are rich in provitamin A. These crops include: maize, golden rice, cassava and orange fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP). With exception of golden rice, the rest of the biofortified crops have received considerable accep-tance among the communities. Both animal and human studies have shown that provitamin A from biofortified crops is highly bioavailable and have capacity to improve vitamin A status. After several years of research and promotion, it is time to fully commercialize provitamin A crops by encouraging farmers to start their large scale production and con-sumption.
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    Simple Food Group Diversity as a Proxy Indicator for Iron and Vitamin A Status of Rural Primary School Children in Uganda
    (Food and nutrition sciences, 2013) Acham, Hedwig; Ampek Tumuhimbise, Gaston; Kikafunda, Joyce K.
    Children in resource poor settings are at a high risk of inadequate iron and vitamin A intake when diets lack diversity and are dominated by staple foods. Yet comparative information on diet quality among school children is scarce. The objective of the study was to assess the potential of simple food group diversity to serve as a proxy indicator of iron and vitamin A status among rural school children in Uganda. A cross sectional correlation model of associations between Food Group Diversity (FGD) and iron and vitamin A status was used. We analyzed 8 schools in Kumi District, Uganda, randomly selected from the 34 schools that participated in the main part of the study. Our sample included primary school children, aged between 9 - 15 years (n = 172). Food group diversity and food variety (FV) were calculated from both a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a 24-hour dietary recall. The FGD and FVS were tested against iron (as serum ferritin) and vitamin A (as serum retinol) status. The FGD (based on FFQ data) was 9.6 (±1.9). There was a posi-tive correlation between 24-hour recall and FFQ for consumption of cereals (Corr. Coef = 0.28; p < 0.05), which was also the most highly consumed group (98.9% & 86.9% by FFQ and 24-hour recall; respectively). Consistent with other studies, increase in the number of food groups significantly increased serum ferritin and serum retinol measures (p < 0.001). Presence of at least one food item in the “roots & tubers”; “cereals”; and “pulses/nuts”, significantly increased serum ferritin and serum retinol concentrations (p < 0.01). We speculate that simple food group diversity may reflect intake and serve as a simple indicator of iron and vitamin A status among school children. Strategies aimed at increas-ing dietary diversity in the community may benefit the families of these children and improve their micronutrient status.