Lucy. Njue

• Bachelor of Science, Msc and PhD
• Lecturer at University of Nairobi

Washing carcasses with water at ambient temperature is a common decontamination intervention practiced across many small and medium slaughter facilities (SMS) in Kenya. While carcass washing is primarily done to enhance appearance by getting rid of visible contaminants, when poorly implemented, the intervention has the potential to become a source...

Turkana County, being an arid and semi-arid county is one of the major beneficiaries of the homegrown school feeding program from the government of Kenya. Most of the maize consumed in Turkana county is sourced from other counties as well as neighbouring countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia. Due to the vast distance, high temperatures as well as s...

Malnutrition, hunger, and poverty are still major challenges globally especially in Sub-Saharan Africa affecting most countries like Nigeria. Legumes play key roles in food and nutritional security, health, and income generation. This review highlights status of pulse production and consumption in Nigeria and need for improvement. The study involve...

Exposure of school children to aflatoxin and fumonisin is mainly through diet. In Kenyan public schools, children are given porridge made from maize flour for breakfast, a mixture of maize and beans, also known as githeri for lunch and ugali for dinner. Nixtamalization has proved to reduce mycotoxins in most cereals and not a mixture of maize and b...

Across the globe, millions of school children struggle with hunger, a significant detriment to their attendance and academic performance. Recognizing this, many countries including Kenya have implemented school meal programs to mitigate hunger, improve attendance and academic outcomes and enhance children’s growth through better nutrition. Despite...

Edible grasshopper, Ruspolia ruspolia, has nutritional and cherished cultural and economic importance to people from diverse cultures, particularly in over 20 African countries. It is consumed at home or commercially traded as sautéed, deep-fried, or boiled products. However, there is limited information on the hygiene practices of the vendors and...

Kenyans have been highly affected by aflatoxicosis for a long time because of excessive exposure to high aflatoxin containing maize-based products. Maize has been the staple food in Kenya which is more highly consumed than any other cereal product. Many countries with strict aflatoxin threshold application, have consumers who still consume maize-ba...

Milk has an outstanding nutritional quality but it is also an excellent medium for bacterial growth and an important source of bacterial infection when consumed without pasteurization. This study aimed at establishing the prevalence of Total Viable Count (TVC), Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes contamination on proc...

Good manufacturing practice involves a series of measures to be adopted by the food industries in order to guarantee the safety and conformity of food products to specific regulations. Even though good manufacturing practices are vital systems in food safety and is associated with minimum sanitary and processing requirements for the food industry,...

Nixtamalization has been widely used as a method of reducing aflatoxin contamination in peanuts as well as in calcium enrichment. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of nixtamalization on aflatoxin and nutrient content in peanuts among wholesalers and retailers at Nyamakima Market in Nairobi, Kenya. A representative sample was drawn...

Background A major contributor to the poor meat safety status in Kenya is low level of slaughter hygiene knowledge and practices among slaughterhouse workers. Introduction The study determined knowledge, attitude and practices (KAPs) of workers from 7 small and medium slaughterhouses in Kajiado County on slaughter hygiene and meat safety. Methodo...

Cowpea leaves are highly perishable thus to improve their utilization, there’s need for proper postharvest management. This study sought to determine the physicochemical changes of cowpea leaves during storage. The cowpea leaves were sorted and packaged using three main packaging materials; sacks, modified atmosphere packaging (cling film) and perf...

Food safety management implementation is vital in food industries. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) implementation in maize millers help in identifying aflatoxin hazards, prevent, reduce or eliminate them. Knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards HACCP on aflatoxin determine the safety of the end product from its contamination...

Food safety is key to a health population in the developing countries along the whole value. Maize and its products’ safety from aflatoxin is a concern taking into consideration that they are highly consumed in these countries as their staple food by individuals from different socio- economic levels and upbringings. It’s used to manufacture human f...

Fruits and vegetables are culturally accepted foods consumed by a majority of people worldwide. Knowledge, attitude and practices of consumers have been found to influence the choice and consumption of foods in many populations. However, little is known on their impact on consumption of foods that are produced using novel farming methods such as hy...

Insects are being considered a sustainable protein food source for the future to forestall the impending world protein shortage, exacerbated by population growth and climate change. The edible grasshopper Ruspolia differens, a high protein insect traditionally consumed in East Africa- particularly in Central Uganda presents an opportunity for local...

Background Konzo is attributed to inadequate cassava processing and consumption of cassava meals with little protein, which is characterized by a neurological disorder that causes paralysis of the lower limbs. However, the exposure to cyanide in the Mwana health zone is still unknown while the prevalence of konzo is assumed to be high compared with...

Meat hazards significantly affect the livelihood systems of meat stakeholders by limiting the growth and development of meat markets, incomes, and employment opportunities. Slaughterhouses are expected to release safe and wholesome carcasses to the public with a level of assurance. The aim of this review was to identify association between slaughte...

The occurrence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk has been widely reported in Kenya, with levels freqently exceeding national and international thresholds. Exposure to aflatoxin increases the risk of hepatic cancers and can also have other negative health impacts in children such as growth impairment and immunosuppression. Anti-mycotoxin agents (AMAs)...

Abstract A bean‐based composite soup flour (CSF) containing red kidney beans, sweet potatoes, amaranth leaves, and carrots was developed using Nutrisurvey software to choose four nutritious CSFs, which were then subjected to sensory evaluation to select the most preferred CSF by mothers with young children. The top‐ranked bean‐based CSF was then an...

The microbial quality of milk is an important parameter in determining its safety. Processes such as pasteurization are meant to ensure milk is safe for consumption; however, postpasteurization activities could lead to milk contamination, hence threatening the health of consumers. This study sought to determine the microbial safety of milk obtained...

Background: Poor milk handling practices due to lack of knowledge or deliberate adulteration compromises the safety of milk and that of the consumer. With the increase of milk vending machines in informal settlements, the knowledge and practices of vendors concerning milk hygiene are critical in determining milk safety. The operation of milk vendin...

Background Animal and human brucelloses have been reported in Rwanda, human brucellosis being linked to drinking inadequately heat‐treated milk. However, information on Brucella detection and prevalence in milk produced in Rwanda is limited. Objectives To determine the sero‐prevalence and risk factors of Brucella in farm bulk milk from zero and op...

No data exist on the nutrient composition of some important Rwandan staples. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutrient content of red kidney beans, sweet potato roots, amaranth leaves and carrot roots. About 6 kg of each raw material were cleaned and conditioned prior to mechanical drying, ground and sieved [60-mesh] into flour and then su...

Street sold foods are a source of inexpensive, nutritious food for many people living both in the urban and rural areas. It is also a major source of income for many people, particularly women by providing self-employment and the opportunity to develop business skills with low capital investment. However, ready-to-eat foods are a source of contamin...

Aim: The main objective of the study is to assess the vendor and environmental hygiene, microbial contamination of deep-fried tilapia sold, and the quality of the oil used in the streets of Kasarani sub-county Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Kasarani Sub-county and The University of Nairobi Department of Food Scien...

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease which is endemic to certain regions of the world including Sub‐Saharan Africa. The aim of this article is to provide a recent and rapid review on brucellosis prevalence in East African Community (EAC) countries. Literature was obtained using Google Scholar search engine and screened for relevancy and fulfilment of...

Prevalent risks in meat value-chains of sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries are increasingly attributed to microbial rather than chemical hazards. Resource constraints and lack of capacity has limited the utilization of risk assessment tools in the instituting of food controls to mitigate the risks. The review sought to bring to light the focus of...

In the recent past, aflatoxin in peanuts and products has been a subject of controversy in Kenya. In the early 2019, some brands of locally manufactured peanut butter were withdrawn from the market shelves on account of containing aflatoxin higher than the national tolerance. It has been established that Kenyan market peanuts contain high levels of...

Aims: The aim of the present study was to determine the postharvest handling knowledge and practices among food handlers on mycotoxigenic molds contamination in maize based diets in School Meals Program in Salima District, Malawi. Study Design: This was cross-sectional study with qualitative and quantitative component. Place and Duration of Study:...

Food safety problems pose a great threat to the health of consumers with the greatest burden in developing countries. Street-vended foods play a key role in providing many urban dwellers with cheap, nutritious, and accessible food, but when prepared in an unhygienic and unregulated environment, they could contribute to increased food safety burden....

Aim: To determine the food safety risks of consumption of street-vended poultry products, to evaluate the determinants of microbial safety and the risk rank of these products. Study Design: A cross-sectional survey was done in the Korogocho and Kariobangi North slums among the consumers and vendors to assess their food safety knowledge and practice...

Background: During processing of banana, peels are discarded which are valuable source of potassium, dietary fiber with percentages up to 40-50% protein, 8-11% lipids, and 2.2- 10.9% fatty acids. Therefore a high value nutrition baking flour can be made using dried ripe banana peels and reduce disposal of the banana peel. Objective: This study was...

This study aimed to determine the incidence of aflatoxin contamination of maize meal in the North-Kivu province of D.R.C. The study was conducted in the Beni, Goma and Butembo, the major cities of the North-Kivu province of D.R.C. A multi-stage sampling was applied in all the cities. A total of 30 samples of maize grains were collected. In each cit...

Background: A lot of health hazards have been associated with artificial preservatives including: hyperactivity in children, breathing problems such as asthma and bronchitis, weakening of heart tissues, obesity since some contain fatty acids especially in processed foods and gastrointestinal disorders. Sulfite is a common preservative in fruits and...

Background: Food consumption has been changing during the past decade and need for instant formulation is being increased. The potential of growth of convenience foods in Kenya is vastly untapped. Objective: This study was to develop a dehydrated instant ox tail soup mix supplemented with mushroom and Moringa leaves and other vegetables to enhance...

Background: Senna didymobotrya grows naturally in East Africa and is commonly used to treat microbial infections by African communities due to the presence of various phytochemicals such as alkaloids, terpenoid, anthraquinones, tannins, saponins, phenols and flavonoids. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the crude...

Background: Dairy production in Kenya is important and dominated by small-holder farmers who market their produce through small-scale traders in the informal sector. Method: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of aflatoxin (AFM1) in informally marketed milk in peri-urban Nairobi, Kenya, and to assess knowledge of milk traders on aflatoxins...

Meat is a major source of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Meat preservation methods commonly used to inhibit growth of pathogensand spoilage microorganisms in meat include heat treatment, preservative salts, irradiation, drying, refrigeration and smoking, however, there is little information available on the novel application of garlic extra...

This study was undertaken to identify antimicrobial compounds in garlic grown in Laikipia County. Bioactive compounds and their structures were identified in garlic extract using GC-MS, (30 m × 0.25 mm × 0.2 μm film thicknesses) cm. The compounds identified were these compounds, with sulfur group, have previously been shown to have antimicrobial ac...

This study was undertaken to evaluate toxicological effects of garlic ethyl acetate extract and subsequently determine the LD50 to establish the safety of the extract in Sprague Dawleys’ Rats as per OECD guidelines 423. All rats, three per set, were sequentially administered with garlic ethyl acetate extract, first in a single dose of 300mg/kg, 200...

Background: meat is a major source of food and raw material for a number of industries, yet a lot of meat is wasted each year due to deterioration as a result of spoilage by micro-organisms such as Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Moraxella, Bacillus, Campylobacter, Escherichia, Listeria, Closridium, Salmonella and Staphylococcus species. Objective: To...

Meat contains high nutrients that make it get spoilt readily and currently used preservatives like soluble nitrites are carcinogenic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Onion (Allium cepa L.) and Garlic (Allium sativum L.) juice as alternative preservatives. Efficacy of the single preservatives an d their combinations was determi...