Abdulsudi Issa-Zacharia

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Sokoine University of Agriculture

oodborne infections are a global problem, especially in developing nations. These infections mostly spread in homes, restaurants, and other public places. Thus, promoting food safety knowledge, attitudes, and hygienic behaviors is essential. The aim of this study was to assess the level of food safety knowledge attitude and hygienic practices among...

Foodborne illnesses, a significant global health concern, are primarily attributable to microbial contamination. Inadequate food handling, substandard safety measures, and a lack of awareness exacerbate this issue. This study aimed to evaluate the food safety knowledge of food service workers and the microbial status of food contact surfaces in uni...

Employing over a third of the global workforce, agriculture remains a pivotal yet inherently risky sector. In many regions, family farms expose individuals, including children, to diverse hazards. The physical nature of the work poses musculoskeletal and noise-induced hearing risks, while chemical agents like pesticides and toxins pose potentially...

Recently, the application of exogenous enzymes for meat tenderization has turned the attention of food technologists and meat scientists. This research investigates the synergistic impact of natural tenderizers derived from the combination of papaya peels (P), ginger (G), and garlic (Ga) on the sensory attributes of goat meat such as color, aroma,...

The food industry has extensively explored postharvest microbial control, seeking viable technologies to ensure food safety. Although numerous chlorine-based commercial sanitizers serve this purpose, many are plagued by constraints such as instability and diminished disinfectant efficacy. These issues arise from exposure to organic matter in wash w...

The prevalence of foodborne illness linked to the intake of freshly squeezed juices sold by street vendors is on the rise, despite the widespread use of these beverages by millions of people in developing nations. Hence, a study was undertaken to evaluate the microbiological standard and safety of locally processed and street-vended sugarcane juice...

The increase of heavy metals concentrations in aquatic and terrestrial environments and their toxicity is of global concern. The bioaccumulation of toxic metals in fish poses a serious risk to human health when consumed. This study assessed the quality of Rabbit fish (Signus Sutor) and their associated health risks from four landing sites (namely M...

Maize flour fortification was introduced in Tanzania in 2011 to address the risk of micronutrient deficiency to children, adolescents, and women of childbearing age. Fortified maize flours are processed by small-scale processors who are exempted from mandatory fortification. The current study is aimed at assessing the compliance and stability of fo...

Poultry is the second most consumed meat in the world. In Africa, chicken production and processing are practiced both formally and informally, with smallholders constituting the majority in this sector. Informal practices are vulnerable to the production and processing of chicken, which is easily contaminated by pathogens such as Escherichia coli,...

Micronutrient deficiency affects all groups worldwide and is a major public health issue. It has devastating effects on all ages, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. It causes anemia, night blindness, increased mortality in children and pregnant women, osteoporosis in adults and rickets in children, lower infectious disease resistance, weariness, and...

Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is a public health problem in developing countries in children below five years. Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSP) are rich in β-carotene a pre-cassor for vitamin A. Being a cheap and affordable source, can be utilized by incorporating in staple foods to combat VAD in developing countries. OFSP fresh roots (Ejumla, Jew...

Slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) obtained by electrolyzing 2-6% dilute hydrochloric acid in a chamber without membrane is novel non-thermal sanitizer widely used in the sterilization of foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meat owing to its effective antibacterial activity and low operating costs. Despite the well-documented and validated...

The study aimed to evaluate the handling practices and microbiological contamination of pathogenic bacteria in Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) from Zanzibar, specifically at four landing sites: Malindi, Mazizini, Kizimkazi, and Matemwe. A semi-structured questionnaire and checklist were used to assess hygiene practices by fish handlers, and swabbing met...

This study systematically evaluated the implementation of fortification practices, including quality assurance and quality control, among small-scale processors to ensure regulatory compliance. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in Ubungo district (Dar es Salaam) and Morogoro municipality, Tanzania, involving 38 processors. Data col...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of formulated ready-to-cook pancake (cheela) mix from blends of rice flour supplemented with ripe pumpkin powder with table salt, black salt, garam masala, kitchen king masala and refined oil was kept as constant (base recipe), rice flour supplemented with chickpea flour, rice flour supplemen...

The aim of this study was to formulate highly nutritious infant foods. The nutritional quality of a complementary porridge based on pearl millet, orange-fleshed sweet potato, dates and mixed with Moringa leaf powder was assessed using standard methods. A total of 7 formulations were produced, with compositional proportions calculated on the basis o...

The present investigation involved the development of ginger-flavored bread utilizing a composite flour consisting of wheat and soy. Different amounts of ginger powder (0%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) were employed in the formulation. The evaluation included the determination of antioxidant activity, proximate composition, and sensory attributes through the us...

Introduction: In Tanzania, pork consumption is increasing and become popular in urban areas creating a good market for pigs raised in rural areas. However, little is known regarding the microbial safety of the marketed pork in the country. This study assessed the level of bacterial contamination and contributing factors in pork slaughtered and sold...

The present investigation was carried out to determine the physico-chemical characteristics and effects of processing methods on the nutritional and anti-nutritional quality of soybeans. Soybean seeds were analysed using physico-chemical approaches, in order to obtain a detailed profile on these qualities. The effects of processing methods on the n...

Street vended foods have gained popularity due to economic benefits. However, they have been recognized as a potential hazard to public health as a result of poor hygienic practices. The study was conducted to assess the hygienic practices and microbiological quality of street vended fruit salads vended in Morogoro Municipal, Tanzania. A total of 3...

Objective: This review analyzed the microbiological safety of bushmeat consumed in Africa over the past decades. Methodology: Previous Studies mainly focused on large animals like antelopes and smaller ones like grasscutter. Most microbes studied were similar to those in domestic animal meat, except for rare pathogens such as Salmonella spp, E.coli...

This study examined the effect of dietary supplementation of DHA-enriched micro algae diet on physical and technological properties of dairy milk fat in terms of the dynamic crystallization and melting behaviour. Two dairy cows were subjected to feeding regime of DHA-enriched micro algae diet and control diet. The experiment was carried out during...

Functional and Sensory Quality of Complementary porridge made from Moringa Leaf Powder blended with Pearl millet, Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato, Dateswas evaluated using standard methods. The Pearl millet grain flour, Moringa leaf powder and dates were blended in ratios of 90:2.5:7.5 [PmMD1], 95:2.5:2.5 [PmMD2], 88:3:9 [PmMD3] respectively. Also, Pea...

A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2022 to explore the pig farming practices and assess their compliance with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and their associated constraints in Mpwapwa and Mbulu districts. A total of 136 pig farmers were randomly chosen from purposively selected wards for interview using a structured...

A study of developing solar dried fruit (5%) flavoured yoghurts using three types of fruits was conducted to determine acceptability and shelf life of developed products. A total of six samples namely banana, mango, pineapple, banana/mango, banana/pineapple and mango/pineapple were used as flavours in yoghurts. They were added either as fruit piece...

Proteolysis of UHT milk during storage is one of the problems affecting the dairy industry worldwide. Native enzymes have been implicated as being the main cause of spoilage of such milk. In the current study, reverse phase high pressure chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was used to detect proteolysis by native enzymes in high temperature heated milk...

Native enzymes play a significant role in proteolysis of milk during storage. This is significant for heat resistant native enzymes. Plasmin is one of the most heat resistant enzymes found in milk. It has been reported to survive several heat treatments, causing spoilage during storage. The aim of this study was to assess susceptibility of high tem...

The sanitization efficacy of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) against food pathogens on selected fresh ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables and sprouts was evaluated and compared to sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution. RTE vegetables and sprouts were dip-inoculated with Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella spp. and dip-treated with SAEW, Na...

The proximate and mineral compositions of cocoyam (Colossian esculenta L. and Xanthosoma sagittifolium L.) grown along Lake Victoria Basin in Tanzania and Uganda were analyzed. C. esculenta and X. sagittifolium samples were significantly (p < 0.05) different in terms of their proximate composition and mineral contents regardless of their country of...

Antimicrobial effect of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW: pH 5.6 ± 0.1, 20.5 ± 1.3 mg/L available chlorine concentration; ACC) against indigenous aerobic mesophiles and inoculated Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. on fresh strawberry was assessed. The antimicrobial effect of SAEW was compared with that of strong acidic electrolyzed water...

In the current study, the effectiveness of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) on an in vitro inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Salmonella spp. was evaluated and compared with other sanitizers. SAEW (pH 5.6, 23mg/l available chlorine concentration; ACC; and 940mV oxidation reduction potential; O...

The sanitization potency of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) on pure cultures of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) was evaluated. The potency was compared with that of strong acidic electrolyzed water (StAEW) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution. SAEW (ca. pH 5.8 and 21 mg/l available chlorine concentrati...

Over the past few years, food safety has become and continues to be the number one public concern. Considerable progress to strengthen food safety systems has been achieved in many countries, highlighting the opportunities to reduce and prevent food-borne disease. However, unacceptable rates of food-borne illness still remain and new hazards contin...

In the present study, slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW: pH 5.6 ± 0.21, 22 ± 1.4 mg/L available chlorine concentration; ACC) was evaluated for decontamination of Japanese mustard green (Brassica japonica) from Escherichia coli (E. coli) and its effectiveness was compared to that of sodium hypochlorite solution (NaOCl solution: pH 9.8±0.01, 1...

The stability of Slightly Acidic Electrolyzed Water (SAEW) on storage was evaluated. SAEW samples of known initial Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP, mV), pH and available chlorine concentration (ACC, mg/L) were stored at and ACC were respectively maintained at 900-1000mV, 5-6.5 and 10-30mg/L. SAEW was further evaluated for its microbial inactivat...

Two experiments with rumen-fistulated dairy cows were conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6 n-3)-enriched diets or diets provoking a decreased rumen pH on milk fatty acid composition. In the first experiment, dietary treatments were tested during 21-d experimental periods in a 4 x 4 Latin square design. Diets...

Despite numerous nutritional interventions that have taken place in Tanzania, the Country still experiences a high rate of child malnutrition. Millions of children suffer from one or more forms of malnutrition resulting in stunting, underweight, wasting and anemia. The growth of children often declines with the introduction of complementary foods a...

Complementary foods in most developing countries are based on staple cereal or root crops. Although, commercial foods of high quality are occasionally available, they are often expensive and therefore unaffordable by low-income rural households. Different approaches are needed to offer families the opportunity to feed their infants on improved form...