Chinaza Godswill Awuchi

Kampala International University (KIU)

Across communities worldwide, various new psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to emerge, which worsens the challenges to global mental health, drug rules, and public health risks, as well as combating their usage. Specifically, the vast number of NPS currently available, coupled with the rate at which new ones emerge worldwide increasingly chall...

The burden of foodborne diseases and their associated illness/death is a global concern. Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) and food safety/quality management are employed to combat this problem. With the existing and emerging food safety/quality management concerns, this study aims to evaluate the traditional and modern/novel appr...

This study demonstrated the therapeutic potentials of Cucumeropsis mannii seed oil (CMSO) capable of alleviating BPA-induced dyslipidemia and adipokine dysfunction. In this study, we evaluated the effects of (CMSO) on adipokine dysfunctions and dyslipidemia in Bisphenol-A (BPA)-induced male Wistar rats. Six-week-old 36 albino rats of 100 to 200 g w...

Mycotoxins are toxic fungal metabolites that exert various toxicities, including leading to death in lethal doses. This study developed a novel high-pressure acidified steaming (HPAS) for detoxification of mycotoxins in foods and feed. The raw materials, maize and peanut/groundnut, were used for the study. The samples were separated into raw and pr...

Silica (SiO2), a component of the earth's crust, has been in use for many nanotechnological applications. This review presents one of the newest methods for safer, affordable, and more ecologically friendly production of silica and its nanoparticles from the ashes of agricultural wastes. Production of SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) from different agr...

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a cuisine spice of the Apiaceae genus extensively cultivated in tropical and temperate regions. Due to its commercial significance and considerable pharmaceutical industry uses, Fennel is regarded as one of the world's most important medicinal plants while being one of the oldest spice plants. The aim of the study is...

Especially in tropical and subtropical countries, tuber and root crops have developed into important food crops. Due to its use in food preparation, aesthetics, and medicine, taro (Colocasia esculenta) is ranked as the fifth-most important root crop among them. In comparison, it stores a considerable quantity of starch—even more than potatoes, swee...

Important medicinal and aromatic plants - Africa

Traditional medicine in Africa is a general system of healthcare partly systematized into herbalism and use of medicinal plants and their products. This chapter introduces some important plants used in herbal medicine in Africa and presents their relevance to modern medicine and drug development. Traditional healers in Africa and the medicinal prod...

All across the world, plant-based medicines and therapeutics are receiving increasing attention. Many studies have been performed, with several modern analytical techniques applied to assess the quality of these medicinal plants. Notably, the use of chemometrics in the study of medicinal plants is natural and essential. This study developed an easy...

Microplastics are plastics below 5 mm in length that enter natural ecosystems from several sources, such as fishing industries, clothing, wastewater treatment plants, cosmetics, plastics, shipping and packaging, face masks and hand gloves, manufacturing industries, and industrial processes, as well as truck, motorcycle, and car tires. This chapter...

Nutritional measures and food components such as micronutrients, macronutrients, and food bioactive compounds, boost the immune system to effectively fight COVID-19. Nutrient deficiencies reduce immune functions against COVID-19, while supplementation of specific nutrients improves the immune system against viral disease. Several macronutrients and...

Garcinia gummi-gutta, also known as Garcinia cambogia, has been shown to have excellent properties beneficial against many health conditions. The use of Garcinia cambogia in traditional medicine has involved treating gastrointestinal ailments, intestinal parasites, rheumatism, digestive disturbances, among other ethnobotanical applications. The fru...

Many people suffer from ulcer, a disorder of the digestive tract. Simply put, it's an inflamed break in the skin or the mucus membrane lining the digestive tract. Whenever there is a change in the equilibrium, such as increased aggression or decreased mucosal resistance, ulceration develops. Reasons for this could include drug use, poor diet, stres...

Background: The world is currently battling with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that originated in Wuhan, China late December 2019 and has now become a global pandemic. Objective: From the available scientific evidence, attempt was made to elucidate the possible molecular basis that underlays the severity of this disea...

There has been increasing search for the ameliorative properties of seed oils against toxicants. Bisphenol A acts as an estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemical capable of causing male infertility. This study aimed to explore Cucumeropsis mannii seed oil effects against mitochondrial damage in rats using bisphenol A. Forty-eight (48) rats were rand...

Flaxseed and fennel seeds have interesting medicinal and aromatic properties. This study investigated the health properties of Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) and Anethole from flaxseed and fennel seeds on rats fed with high-fat diet. Histopathological changes in the heart and liver were also examined. Sixty rats were divided into two main g...

Lactoferrin is the part of whey proteins, which does not become the part of curd and is lost in the whey. In Objective of the the current study, cheddar cheese investigation was to develop lactoferrin supplemented cheddar cheese. Cheddar cheese was supplemented with lactoferrin at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 0 mg/100 g concentrations (T1, T2, T3, T4 and cont...

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is one of Asia and Africa's popular nutritional and medicinal crops. This unique plant has an outstanding functional properties and nutritional profile. Carob has high sugar content, drought resistance and is very economical. Carob fruit consists of pulp and seed that are rich sources of different bioactive components. Car...

Eggs are good sources of nutrients essential for the growth and development of infants. Introducing of eggs as a weaning food can improve dietary adequacy in infants at risk for protein energy malnutrition (PEM). To evaluate the current objective, seventy-two pups (36 males and 36 females) were used to calculate the impact of various egg protein le...

Oxidation is an integral part of aerobic processes of life. It involves the transfer of electrons or hydrogen via a chemical reaction from a substance to an oxidizing agent leading to the production of free radicals. These free radicals which are highly reactive in turn initiate a chain of reactions that lead to cellular damage. The etiology of ple...

The current review has measured the effect of kafirins in the development of functional foods and its valuable function against different diseases. Kafirins are usually a protein that is mostly present in sorghum. Chemically, kafirin is divided into different categories including α-Kafirin, β-kafirin, and γ-kafirin. Kafirins that are formed in sorg...

Prebiotics-based encapsulation aids in improving the structure of microbeads and the survivability of probiotics. The current study focused on the exploration of a prebiotic-based encapsulation system (alginate-inulin) to improve the viability of probiotics under in vitro and carrier food. Probiotic (L. acidophilus) was encapsulated by the ionotrop...

Nutritionists recommend to consume 3g Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to prevent cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and other lifestyle related disorders. To fulfill the daily requirements of CLA, large proportions of dairy and meat products has to be included in the dietary plan that may have negative impacts such as excessive inta...

Food safety is one of the most important aspects of food manufacturing that needs to be considered in order to avoid any foodborne illnesses for consumers. Some foodborne illnesses are caused by the normal constituent of food itself, not because it is a contaminant but because the person is allergic to it. An allergy is caused by some specific prot...

The food sector has always been a vital source of livelihood, comprising agriculture, harvesting, processing, and transportation. The food industries provide enormous scope and possibilities for research, development, and new technologies. One great invention that has revolutionized the food sector is food nanotechnology. The basic principle of foo...

Ohmic heating is defined as a process of heating any substance using an electric current. The basic principle is the use of electrical energy for heat using an electric conductor. In ohmic heating, heat can be generated within the food product. The transfer of the heat via the solid-liquid interface is not required and the energy is dissipated dire...

The study aimed at providing latest insight into several NPS (synthetic drugs), their associated effects, and their prevalence. The study clearly demonstrates the diversity of existing and new psychoactive substances with their various psychoactive effects, structures, adverse effects, properties, mechanism of actions, psychological and pharmacolog...

Nutraceuticals play wide range of important roles, from health promotion, increasing life expectancy, maintaining body cell integrity, to reducing the risks of many diseases. As consumers continue to be attracted to nutraceuticals, such as superfoods, vegetables, fruits, high-protein foods, eating healthy intertwines with finding the right balance....

In the current study, L. acidophilus was encapsulated in sodium alginate and whey protein isolate, with the addition of antacids CaCO3 or Mg(OH)2. The obtained microgels were observed by Scaning Electron Microscopy. Encapsulated and free probiotics were subjected to vitality assay under stressed conditions. Furthermore dried apple snack was evaluat...

Artemisia campestris L. is commonly used in folk medicine due to its antioxidant, antidia-betic, nutritional, and culinary properties. Our study assessed the total phenolics contents, antioxi-dant, and pharmacological activities of various organic extracts prepared from the aerial parts of Artemisia campestris, and its mineral elements and chemical...

The consumption of red wine by most wine drinkers has increased significantly because of the perceived health benefits which are linked to its inherent quality characteristics. In the quest to determine the conformity of Nigeria’s domestic red wine quality with their international counterparts, the quality characteristics of domestic red wines prod...

This review investigates black rice's photochemistry, functional properties, food applications, and health prospects. There are different varieties of black rice available in the World. The origins of this product can be traced back to Asian countries. This rice is also known as prohibited rice, emperor's rice, and royal's rice. Black rice is compo...

The preparation of moi-moi either from cowpea flour (processed by dry-milling) or paste (processed by wet-milling) has evolved from the indigenous processing methods. Feasibly, freezing should enhance the characteristics of the cowpea grain, and when combined with conventional processing, help to improve emergent products. In this current work, the...

Starch is recognized biopolymer because it is abundant in nature. Dietary starches are major energy source for various human civilizations, and it is obvious that they may also contribute to health in very particular ways. Resistant starch has got a lot of interest because of its possible health advantages (similar to soluble fibre) as well as its...

The Federal Republic of Nigeria, a country of southeast West Africa, at the apex of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa on the west coast. Its neighbors include Benin on the west, Niger on the north, Chad on the northeast by Lake Chad, Cameroon on the east and southeast, and the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean on the south. Nigeria is a major energy...

Nanoencapsulation/nanocarrier systems like nanoemulsions, nanoliposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, biopolymeric nanocarriers, nature-inspired nanocapsules, have been shown with the capacity to encapsulate food constituents. To understand the current status of nanoencapsulation of food, the authors examined recently published reviews and deemed fur...

The function of obesity in an insulin-resistant syndrome associated with hyper insulinemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerotic diseased illness is vital. Hunger, body weight and lipid profile investigations thus assess Calotropis procera extract in animal models. Adult Wister rats (180-240g) 8 were used in each experimental group. The im...

Peptide and protein nanostructures have numerous advantages including increasing bioavailability, providing better opportunities for formulation, improving drug release, and helping to reduce toxicity. Numerous protein-derived nanomaterials exist, including gelatin, albumin, casein, gliadin, and legumin. They perform numerous biochemical and biolog...

Global public awareness about fish-based diet and its health/nutritional benefits is on the rise. Fish nutritional profile projects promising bioactive and other compounds with innumerable health benefits for human wellbeing. As various reported researches involving fish/marine-derived molecules reveal promising attributes, and as the position of f...

Whey protein is a mixture of proteins obtained from whey, the liquid milk component that separates during the production of cheese and other dairy products. While the major whey protein components include α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, BSA, and the fraction of proteose-peptone, the minor whey protein components include immunoglobulins, lactoferrin...

Mycotoxins contaminating agricultural commodities like animal, and plant products result in human health complications, some are hidden, visible, chronic, and or acute, and others long-term. To understand the current status, published relevant reviews conducted between 2020-2021 about mycotoxins toxicities involving animals, food, and human showed...

Moi-moi is traditionally made using cowpea variety Vigna unguiculate . It is vital staple food in West Africa due to its palatability and high protein content. The research determined the effect of freezing and soaking time on the gel strength of moi-moi prepared from cowpea. The cowpea varieties were sorted, cleaned, and portioned into two. A port...

This examination aimed to survey the farmers' participation in watershed management and distinguish significant factors deciding the farmers' participation and cooperation in watershed management practices in the investigation territory. Descriptive statistics and econometric models were utilized for investigation purposes to meet the expressed tar...

COVID-19 is a severe respiratory infection caused by coronavirus 2. (SARS-CoV-2). Even while SARS-CoV-2 predominantly affects the respiratory system, it can cause problems for other important organs as well. Multiple novel variations of concern have appeared since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, including the Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.35...

Chloroquine (CQ) and its analog hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are popular antimalarial drugs that also exhibit wide range of activities against other diseases such as cancer, diabetes, HIV, and microbial infections, among others. They are also reported to possess antioxidant properties. The popularity of these drugs skyrocketed with the emergence of cor...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease characterized by higher leukocyte numbers, acute respiratory distress, and elevated levels of plasma proinflammatory cytokines. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, begins its pathogenesis by the binding of the virus to the h...

This study evaluated the in vitro antioxidant properties, antibacterial and antifungal activities and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties, and identifying the phenolic compounds in Cistus salviifolius. The methanolic leaf extract showed the highest antioxidant activity with 6.1±1.60 µg/ml IC50 value using DPPH  and 55.5±0.20 µg/ml using Reducing...

Active, intelligent, improved, and smart packaging used for foods and nutraceuticals are presented in this chapter, with emphasis on nanotechnological applications. There are many nanomaterials, including nano-clay, titanium nitride nanoparticle, nano-titanium dioxide, nano zinc oxide, and silver nanoparticle, used in active, intelligent, and smart...

Today, there has been a boost in the food industry as 3-dimensional (3D) printing of additive manufacturing technologies. 3D printing foods helps to improve the nutritional content of food, thereby improving the health of the consumers. This chapter emphasizes on 3D printing in the food industry. First it explains how the global food industry is em...

In Iran and other parts of Western Asia, the oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) fruit is processed in the dried powdery form, and in recent times, increasingly applied/sprinkled in fruit juices such as those made from oranges (Citrus sinensis L.). To our best knowledge, the effectiveness of oleaster fruit extract in fortifying the orange juice ha...

Mycotoxins are well established toxic metabolic entities produced when fungi invade agricultural/farm produce, and this happens especially when the conditions are favourable. Exposure to mycotoxins can directly take place via the consumption of infected foods and feeds; humans can also be indirectly exposed from consuming animals fed with infected...

Research is a deliberate and systematic inquiry or investigation to establish a fact. Research could focus on any desired discipline like science, education, economy, administration, etc. Resources (e.g. humans, funds, equipment etc) are essential in any research, especially impactful research. Research forms an essential part of development for in...

Today’s generation is relying not only on nutrition and satisfying their hunger but also find nutritional properties in their foods. For satisfying the demand of consumers’ overall health benefits, the concept of functional foods come into existence. Health benefits of probiotic drinks gives a new pace to traditional drinks. Probiotics are live str...

The physicochemical, antioxidant, and polyphenolic attributes of microencapsulated freeze‐dried kinnow peel extract powder using maltodextrin as wall material were investigated. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant content of fresh peel extract were 24.51 mg GAE/g, 9.12 mg Quercetin/g, and 81.53% scavenging activity, respectively. The mal...

Developments in technology, chemistry, and physics have led to novel chemical and analytical techniques, and also expanding the techniques already in use. Hyphenated techniques are formed from technological coupling of different analytical techniques, such as separation technique, usually chromatography, and detection technique, usually spectroscop...

Our study evaluated the in vitro antioxidant properties, antibacterial and antifungal activities, anti-inflammatory properties, and chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs), total phenol, and total flavonoid of wild Mentha pulegium L. This study also determined the mineral (nutritional and toxic) elements in the plant. The EOs were extracte...

Emerging novel functional materials and technologies for decontaminating mycotoxins

This short communication presents the significance of food wastes as important sources of renewable energy. Biomass (biofuel) from wood, forest waste, waste from yards, farm waste, and energy crops has been used as important source of fuel for the production of heat or electricity. In general, food wastes have been used in the generation of electri...

Agricultural activities, climate change, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are interconnected processes which occur at global scale almost in all regions of the world, with climate change having adverse effects on agriculture, while agriculture also contribute to emissions and climate change. This review presents the expected changes in agricultur...

This study evaluated the antimicrobial and therapeutic properties of plant extracts and silver nanoparticles. The silver nitrate nanoparticles developed from plant extracts like Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), Spearmint (Mentha spicata), Neem (Azadirachta indica) (TSNLs) leaves have shown strong applications as the agent for stabilizing the TSNLs extra...

The pathophysiological processes involved in neurodegenerative diseases have not been clearly defined. Nevertheless, a significant aspect of the proof focuses directly on the function of several mechanisms of inflammation. The immune system is represented in the central nervous system by the microglial cell capable of detecting harmful or foreign p...

The massive research interest in whey has strengthened its position among coagulated milk products. Previously conducted reviews demonstrate that whey-derived functional foods provide a cascade of beneficial applications that promote health and wellbeing, and in managing numerous chronic diseases. To improve the understanding about how whey protein...

Overall, the effects of total ochratoxins on the nutritional content and functional characteristics of grain flours were investigated in this research. The milling process was used for the grains cowpea, sorghum, maize, peanut, rice, millet, and acha. They were able to identify the proximate composition, functional characteristics, and total Ochrat...

Eumycetoma is a fungal disease mostly of humans and usually cause Madurella mycetomatis, Trematosphaeria grisea, Curvularia lunata, etc. and characterized by chronic granulomatous (grainy) features and affects mostly the limbs, chest walls, abdominal walls, and/or head. It is endemic disease in Africa, South America, Central America, and India. Mad...

The sufferings from diseases spread by ectoparasites throughout the globe are making it a burning issue affecting human health individually and collectively. Insecticides rampantly being used against those ectoparasites are paving way for bigger problems like toxicity, resistance, residual concerns about their long-term effects on the environment,...

Helminthiasis is a common infestation in children, caused by Ascaris, Trichuris , and hookworm, residing commonly in the gastrointestinal tract, but also the liver and various other organs in severe cases. Herbal medicines are used worldwide for the treatment of helminthiasis, there are fewer or no side effects as compared to well-known synthetic m...

Mycotoxins like aflatoxins, ochratoxins, patulin, citrinin, deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins, trichothecenes, etc., produced by molds (Aspergillus avus, A. parasiticus, Penicillin spp, etc.) could occupy such grains as peanuts, millet, sunower, cassava, beans, sesame, sorghum, maize, etc. In order to either eliminate and or reduce the levels of myc...

Fungal growth and the production of mycotoxins are influenced by several factors. Environmental conditions such as temperature, water activity, and humidity affect mycotoxin production and fungal growth. Other factors such as pH, fungal strain, and substrate also play roles. Common mycotoxins include aflatoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, sterigma...

This review focuses on the environmental pollutants and contaminants of emerging concern in Africa. There is increasing reports and identification of ecotoxicological impact of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), such as plastic, pharmaceutical products, modern pesticides, and personal care products, in terrestrial and aquatic environment with...

The prevalence of obesity, cancer, and diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. It is important to understand the causes of these diseases to better understand their required prevention and treatment. Obesity is considered a heterogenic disease caused by several factors, especially consistent intake of high-calorie foods with little o...

Obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of fats in the adipose tissues. Accumulation of excess fat releases a large number of adipokines that can cause obesity and diabetes mellitus due to irregularity between demand and the production of insulin. Obesity affects many organs and influences the heart, liver, intestines, respiratory organs...

Determining a protein structure is a vital approach to understand the function of the protein, which is important in nutrition, nutraceuticals, drug development, food sciences, biosciences, drug delivery, etc. The Iterative Threading ASSembly Refinement (I-TASSER) algorithm is used for automated prediction of protein structure and function. I-TASSE...

Nanoparticles are of great importance in development and research because of their application in industries and biomedicine. The development of nanoparticles requires proper knowledge of their fabrication, interaction, release, distribution, target, compatibility, and functions. This review presents a comprehensive update on nanoparticles’ toxic e...

Aflatoxin B1 is released by A. flavus and A. parasiticus. It is well known strong carcinogenic substance with median lethal dose (TD50) of 3.2 μg per kg a day in rat model. Mechanism of AFB1 carcinogenicity has been defined. The carcinogenicity of AFB1 differs from species with certain species, e.g. monkeys and rats, reportedly mostly susceptible c...

The research focused on the biochemistry and nutrition of carbohydrates, with more emphasis on the recent research developments and discoveries. A carbohydrate is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen-oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water). The carbohydrates are technically hydrates of ca...