Since 2002, a range of South African policies have attempted to address the disproportionate burden
of food and nutrition insecurity on the population. Yet malnutrition among the poor has worsened.
This study reviewed policies to examine their implications for food security and the treatment of
malnutrition. Policies enacted between 2002 and 2017 were retrieved from government departments
and the data were thematically analysed. A preliminary analysis shows that policy has aided
production through input provision and capacity building. Taxation, school nutrition programmes
and social grants are some of the food access initiatives, whilst micronutrient supplementation,
breastfeeding campaigns and food fortification are policies specifically focused on nutrition.
However, despite these interventions, food insecurity has remained due to gaps in and contradictions
among policies and the lack of coordination in policy development and implementation, especially
across sectors. To improve food and nutrition security, government must better engage with ideas
about how to address food and nutrition security systemically, and develop the appropriate
coordination mechanisms for a more holistic approach to this challenge.
Key words: food security; nutrition security; policy; food systems; South Africa
Introduction: Infant health and nutrition in South Africa are a priority, as evidenced by the political commitment and policy development history of the last 25 years. Current efforts focus on improving breastfeeding rates, but the action plan for complementary feeding receives less attention and resourcing. A thorough analysis of the current infant feeding situation is required to assist with policy and targeted programmes associated with complementary feeding.
Aim: The aim of this review was to identify and collate all published research in South Africa on the complementary feeding practices of infants and young children, aged 0–24
months.
Methodology: Searches included English-language research published between 2006 and 2017, within PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. All papers included in the review had to meet defined eligibility criteria. Papers older than 11 years were excluded. In total 34 papers relevant to South Africa were identified and included in this review.
Main findings: Early introduction of foods and liquids other than breast milk is a common practice. Maize porridge is a common first food for infants, but there is also a high reliance on commercial infant cereal. Water and other liquids (e.g. tea, herbal mixtures) are commonly given to infants younger than six months. There is little information on the number of meals per day. The diets of many older infants do not meet the criteria for a minimally acceptable diet. Few animal source foods are used in complementary feeding. There are indications that processed meats, soft drinks, sweets and salty crisps are given regularly to older infants between six months and one year.
Conclusion: Complementary feeding practices in South Africa are suboptimal and appropriate action is needed to improve this situation. Further investigation is needed on whether older infants and young children can achieve their required dietary intakes from the food that is available to them. If a change in older infant and young child feeding behaviour is desired, then existing methods and approaches need to change.
Nitric oxide synthase-like activity contributes to the production of nitric oxide in plants, which controls plant responses to stress. This study investigates if changes in ascorbate peroxidase enzymatic activity and glycine betaine content in response to inhibition of nitric oxide synthase-like activity are associated with transcriptional regulation by analyzing transcript levels of genes (betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase) involved in glycine betaine biosynthesis and those encoding antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase and catalase) in leaves of maize seedlings treated with an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase-like activity. In seedlings treated with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, transcript levels of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase were decreased. In plants treated with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, the transcript levels of ascorbate peroxidase-encoding genes were down-regulated. We thus conclude that inhibition of nitric oxide synthase-like activity suppresses the expression of ascorbate peroxidase and betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase genes in maize leaves. Furthermore, catalase activity was suppressed in leaves of plants treated with nitric oxide synthase inhibitor; and this corresponded with the suppression of the expression of catalase genes. We further conclude that inhibition of nitric oxide synthase-like activity, which suppresses ascorbate peroxidase and catalase enzymatic activities, results in increased H2O2 content.
Background: Deficiency of essential minerals is a widespread nutritional disorder in
the world, particularly in developing economies. Poor mineral accessibility from
foods is a major contributing factor to deficiency and associated health problems.
This study investigated the effect of malting on minerals, phytic acid, and physicochemical properties of finger millet varieties. Sorghum was used as external reference. Mineral composition was analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma atomic
emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS).
Results: Data showed that finger millet is rich in macroelements and trace elements.
Malting for 24 hr reduced mineral content of the grains except sodium. Increase in
the minerals was observed beyond 48 hr of malting particularly at 96 hr. Successive
decrease in phytic acid of the grains was not observed with malting time. Malting did
not result in any significant change in the physicochemical properties of the grains.
Conclusion: ICP-AES/MS showed that finger millet contain a variety of minerals in
amounts that were not previously reported, and malting the grain for 72 to 96 hr
positively affected the minerals. Changes in phytic acid suggest that phytate undergoes dissociation during malting rather than a degradation of phytic acid. Potential
exists for utilization of finger millet as functional ingredient to augment important
minerals in weaning, geriatric, and adult foods for health promotion.
The present study examined the influence of malting on the phenolic composition of two cultivars of finger millet using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometer. Total polyphenols and antioxidant activities of the grains were also evaluated using sorghum as an external reference. Catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, taxifolin, and hesperitin were isolated flavonoids, whereas protocatechuic acid was the phenolic acid detected in finger millet malt. Increases in the content of catechin, epicatechin, and protocatechuic acid were observed for 72 h and 96 h for brown finger millet and sorghum malt. Complete loss of taxifolin and hesperitin were observed with the malting period for finger millet cultivars. A similar loss was noted in the proanthocyanidin A1/A2 and catechin content of sorghum with malting time. The grain malt exhibited 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl,2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging and iron reducing activities. Increased ABTS and iron reducing activity with malting time were observed for the finger millet cultivars. The study demonstrates the presence of hesperitin in finger millet, and also shows that 72 h and 96 h of malting enhanced the catechin, epicatechin, and protocatechuic acid content, in addition to the antioxidant activity of the grain
Increased biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA) occurs in plants in response to water deficit, which is mediated by changes in the levels of reactive oxygen species such as H2O2. Water deficit and ABA induce expression of some RD22-like proteins. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of water deficit and exogenous ABA (50 µM ABA applied every 24 hours for a total of 72 hours) on H2O2 content in Zea mays (maize) and to characterise genes encoding two putative maize RD22-like proteins (designated ZmRD22A and ZmRD22B). The expression profiles of the two putative maize RD22-like genes in response to water deficit and treatment with ABA were examined in leaves. In silico analyses showed that the maize RD22-like proteins share domain organisation with previously characterized RD22-like proteins. Both water deficit and exogenous ABA resulted in increased H2O2 content in leaves but the increase was more pronounced in response to water deficit than to exogenous ABA. Lignin content was not affected by exogenous ABA, whereas it was decreased by water deficit. Expression of both RD22-like genes was up-regulated by drought but the ZmRD22A gene was not influenced by exogenous ABA, whereas ZmRD22B was highly responsive to exogenous ABA.
In this study, the descriptive sensory attributes, oral processing characteristics of and subjective satiety responses for extrusion cooked cassava-soy porridge with wheat bran at 0, 100 and 200 g/kg addition levels were determined. Fifteen subjects (23–47 years, mean BMI 22.6 kg/m2) consumed 250 g of each porridge type over 8 breakfast meals while being video recorded. Oral exposure time and number of bites, and eating and bite rates were determined. Subjects rated hunger, fullness and desire to eat before meal, post meal and periodically over 3 h post consumption. A separate panel profiled the descriptive sensory attributes of the porridges. The addition of wheat bran increased visually perceived viscosity and presence of visible particles. The porridge with 200 g/kg wheat bran was eaten with more bites and at a slower rate thus, having longer oro-sensory exposure. Also, the porridge with 200 g/kg wheat bran led to greater reduction in subjective reported hunger compared to the other porridges. Wheat bran as a source of dietary fibre has the potential to be incorporated as a component of extruded starch-rich foods to produce instant products which can promote satiety.
Bambara groundnut seed is an indigenous legume with good protein quality. However, the cooking time (3 h) has contributed to its under-utilisation. In this study, the effects of pre-soaking bambara groundnut seeds with or without dehulling (whole and dehulled), followed by infrared heating (130 °C, 0, 5, 10 and 15 min) on their cooking characteristics were studied. As infrared heating time increases (0, 5, 10 and 15 min), soluble pectin increased and cell wall separation was enhanced in the grains. Water absorption during soaking and cooking (whole and dehulled) were higher in infrared heated samples compared to untreated. The rate of water absorption during cooking (95 °C) was higher in pre-soaked whole and dehulled bambara groundnut after infrared heating treatment for 15 min compared to untreated seeds. Further, the cooking times of untreated whole (162 min) and dehulled (41 min) was reduced to about 60 min and 30 min respectively after infrared heating of pre-soaked seeds for 15 min. With or without dehulling, infrared heating especially at 15 min can produce bambara groundnut seeds with short cooking time limiting energy demand in both urban and rural communities in Africa.
Copper (Cu) is an essential plant micronutrient. Under scarcity, Cu2+ is reduced to Cu+ and taken up through specific high-affinity transporters (COPTs). In Arabidopsis, the COPT family consists of six members, either located at the plasma membrane (COPT1, COPT2, and COPT6) or in internal membranes (COPT3 and COPT5). Cu uptake by COPT proteins has been mainly assessed through complementation studies in corresponding yeast mutants, but the mechanism of this transport has not been elucidated. To test whether Cu is incorporated by an electrogenic mechanism, electrophysiological changes induced by Cu addition were studied in Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutant (T-DNA insertion mutants, copt2–1 and copt5–2) and overexpressing lines (COPT1OE and COPT5OE) with altered expression of COPT transporters were compared to wild-type plants. No significant changes of the membrane potential (Em) were detected, regardless of genotype or Cu concentration supplied. In contrast, membrane depolarization was detected in response to iron supply in both wild-type and in mutant or transgenic plants. Similar results were obtained for trans-plant potentials (TPP). GFP fusions of the plasma membrane COPT2 and the internal COPT5 transporters were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes to potentiate Cu uptake signals, and the cRNA-injected oocytes were tested for electrical currents upon Cu addition using two-electrode voltage clamp. Results with oocytes confirmed those obtained in plants. Cu accumulation in injected oocytes was measured by ICP-OES, and a significant increase in Cu content with respect to controls occurred in oocytes expressing COPT2:GFP. The possible mechanisms driving this transport are discussed in this manuscript.