This paper examines factors determining farmers‘ adoption decision for improved maize varieties in the maize-common bean intercropping practices in two districts of East Hararghe zone, Eastern Ethiopia. It is based on data collected from 129 farm households using structured questionnaire. Descriptive results revealed that adopters of improved maize varieties had better food and nutrition security status. Furthermore, logit model output indicated that the decision to adopt improved maize varieties is influenced by location (district) dummy, education status of the household head, age of the household head, distance from the main road, and the number of plots owned. Major recommendations include improving the rural road infrastructure, educating and training farmers, organizing experience sharing events among farmers, and raising awareness about the food and nutrition security benefits of sustainable agricultural intensification practices like intercropping improved maize with improved common bean varieties.

Cumilla Sadar Dakshin region is highly diverse in respect to land types, topography, agro-ecology, land-use pattern, cropping systems and crop variability & variety. Agricultural development of the region largely depends on the reliable and comprehensive statistics of the existing cropping cultivation and its related system adopted by the farmers. To investigate the homestead vegetable production and its impact on family nutrition, food security, income generation as well as involvement of female members a survey study was conducted at Cumilla Sadar Dakshin during 2019. A total of 150 selected homesteads were surveyed for this purpose through developed questionnaire and focus group discussion. Both primary and secondary data has been collected from different sources to fulfill the objectives of the study. The results of this study indicated that the farmer’s age, marital status, education level, farm size, source of income, women participation etc. Farmer’s knowledge and farming experiences, perception and attitude differs on different demographic conditions like: age, sex, education, farm size, training which significantly influence the adoption of modern technologies provided by different organizations. The results also showed that women contribution in homestead vegetable production is high in medium farmer’s category 41.67% and low in small farmers 36.36% respectively. The highest number of total vegetables was produced by the medium farmer (63,732 kg/year) followed by small (39,445 kg/year) and marginal farmer (25,514 kg/year). This study provides some recommendation which might impacts on betterment of farmers’ occupational and socio-economic condition by establishing proper policy and legislation both in local and national level administration as well as agricultural extension.

Climate impact mitigation through improved agricultural practices is one means by which agricultural productivity increases to meet the growing food demands in the world. This study evaluated the impacts of climate-smart Practices on rural households’ nutrition security. The study used both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data was collected from sample respondents in the 2020/21 production year. Descriptive statistics and econometric models were employed for data analysis. Multinomial logit result indicated that the probability of adopting climate-smart agricultural practices is influenced by the education level of the head, extension contact, livestock holding, membership coop, market information, advice on land management, climate change information, farmers training, climate change perception, and weather road distance. The result from GPS estimation indicated that treatment level two the number of climate-smart practices increases household nutritional status by16%. Likewise, treatment level three and four of the number of climate-smart practices increases the household level nutritional status by 37% and 76% respectively over that of treatment level one of the climate-smart practices and is significant at a 1% statistical probability level. This study has found evidence that the adoption of climate-smart on the households’ nutrition security status. Therefore, the result of this study would be expected to significantly contribute as policy and strategic inputs for policymakers in designing rural livelihood improvement policies and to the beneficiary in enhancing their welfare and living standard.

Pleurotus tuber-regium has been used as fodder and traditionally used as medicinal supplement. The aim of this study was to screen in vitro proximate biochemical composition and nutritional potentiality of P. tuber-regium extract for further in vivo analysis of impact of the extract on serum lipid and testosterone profile of rats. Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol were measured photometrically. Testosterone was measured by chemiluminescence immune assay. P. tuber-regium extract contains different biochemicals such as proteins, carbohydrates, tannins, flavonoids, phenols etc. and showed highly quantified calorific value (297.89±1.92 calori/100g). Acute toxicity test showed no mortality and toxic behavioural symptoms. Significant decrease in total cholesterol (75.52±0.39mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (34.58±1.69mg/dL) and triglyceride (81.31±1.25) were observed in rat group treated with 200mg/kg dose of extract. 400mg/kg dose of extract showed higher efficacy than 200mg/kg dose of extract and significantly decreased total cholesterol (72.25±1.11mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (26.37±1.21mg/dL) and triglyceride (69.42±0.72). The extract showed testosterone enhance efficacy. 400mg/kg dose of extract showed high level testosterone (178.96±0.68 ng/dL) enhance efficacy than 200mg/kg dose (174.64±0.64ng/dL). Due to hypocholesterolaemia and testosterone elevating properties of P. tuber-regium extract, it can be said that, mushroom P. tuber-regium can be consumed as healthy diet supplement to maintain cholesterol level and to maintain good male reproductive health.

Chronic diseases progress slowly and generally cause symptoms in middle age onward. It is widely known that there is a close link between diets and chronic diseases in human. Foods which have specific target functions and preventive impacts on human health as well as their basic nutritional effects are defined as functional foods. These foods may decrease risk for chronic diseases due to having health preventive impacts on human health. Milk is an useful baverage for during childhood and adolescence because of its macro and micro nutrients. Milk composition is affected by mainly genetic, nutrition, season, lactation stage etc. Therefore, there are some differences in milk components between organic and conventional milk because of especially heredities of herds and nutrition. Seasonal variations in pasture, amount of grains and forages (fresh or conserved) cause changes in milk fatty acid composition of organic and conventional milk. Furthermore, organic production regulations limit the use of starch-based concentrates and supplements; therefore, some nutrients’ concentrations (protein, thiamine, vitamin B1 and B2, I etc) in organic milk may be expected to be lower than those of conventional milk. In this paper, organic and conventional milk components have been reviewed in term of functional milk.

Global olarak beslenme gibi yaşam tarzındaki hızlı değişim ile birlikte insülin direnci ve diyabet prevalansı hızla artış göstermiş ve günümüzde Tip II diabetes mellitus (Tip II DM) epidemik bir sorun haline gelmiştir. Yaşam tarzı müdahalelerinden en önemlisi olan diyetin düzenlenmesi ise tip II DM’nin ortaya çıkmasının engellenmesinde, geciktirilmesinde, komplikasyonların oluşmasında ve önlenmesinde önemli bir role sahiptir. Son yıllarda yapılan çalışmalarda Tip II DM gelişimine neden olan patolojik faktörler arasında yer alan insülin aktivitesi ve insülin sekresyonunun diyabet nedenini belirlemek açısından tek başına yetersiz kaldığı ele alınmaktadır. Buna ek olarak diyabet etiyolojisinde multi-faktöriyel nedenlerin, insülinin yanı sıra farklı reseptörlerin yer aldığı ve bu durumu genetik çalışmaların desteklediği bilinmektedir. Bu reseptörlerden biri olan CD36 reseptörü ise, kardiyovasküler sağlık ve hastalıklar, kanser, diyabet, insülin direnci, tat alma duyusu ve besin seçiminde önemli rol oynamaktadır. Yapılan çalışmalarda yüksek kan CD36 düzeylerinin tip II DM patogenezinde yeni bir belirteç olarak katkı sağlayabileceği yer almaktadır. Ayrıca güncel veriler CD36 reseptörünün yağlı besin seçimi açısından farklı tat ve kokularda görev alabildiğini göstermektedir. Bu derlemede CD36 reseptörü ile insülin direnci ve diyette yağlı besin seçimi arasında ilişki incelenmiştir.

Modification processes can change the physicochemical and structural properties of native starch, thereby increasing its industrial applications. Finger millet starch (FMS) was modified with casava starch (CS), guar gum (GG) and xanthan gum (XG) modifiers at the ratios of 95:5%, 90:10%, 80:20% and 75: 25%, for each of the modifier. The proximate and mineral compositions of the modified starch were determined using standard methods. Atomic absorption spectrometry method was used to quantify the mineral contents of the modified starch. Proximate contents of the modified FMS starch varied according to the type of the modifier and FMS/modifier ratios. Concentrations of carbohydrate in CS (66.97±0.03%), GG (64.42±0.05%) and XG (64.64 ± 0.01%) FMS modified starches were highest at 10%, 25% and 5% of the modifier contents repectively. The highest levels of fat in GG (8.91±0.02%), XG (7.89±0.01) and ash (3.55±0.02%) in CS modified starches were recorded when the quantity of the modifiers were increased to 25%. Fatty acid levels in the modified starches varied in the order of XG (7.74±0.03%) at 20% > GG (7.13±0.02%) at 25% > CS (5.14±0.20%) at 10%. At 25% modifier contents, levels of mineral element were highest in the modified CS and GG starches. Modifications decreased Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn, and Cu contents, while the concentrations Na, K, Ca and P increased. The modified starches can be used for production of some foods for specific health purposes.

The data in this study was provided from 400 households in the Kucukcekmece District of Istanbul Province in 2011. Unclustered Proportional Sampling Method was used to determine the sample size of the study. The primary objective of this study was to identify the most suitable type of milk for consumers. In determining the most appropriate type, four criteria were taken into account. These criteria are hygiene, shelf-life, nutritional content, and price. Based on the data, milk consumption was 30.2 L per annum per capita in Istanbul Province. The households consist of about 3.7 individuals, and they give importance to hygiene by 26.4 percent, shelf-life by 26.7 percent, nutritional content by 29.6 percent and price by 17.2 percent. 55.3 percent of the households prefer UHT (long of shelf-life Tetra Pac packaged milk which heat-treated range of 135-150°C in a short period of 2-4 seconds) milk, 28.5 percent prefer Pasteurized milk, and 16.2 percent prefer Raw milk. Also, while households gave more importance to price and nutrient content at the raw and pasteurized milk, shelf life and hygiene content at UHT milk. Considering these criteria, the most suitable type of milk for the consumers was UHT milk. As a result, the national companies marketing pasteurized milk in the research area need advertisement works that inform the consumers regarding pasteurized milk.

A total of 42 Turkish peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) samples were analysed for their total free amino acid, β-carotene, lycopene, and flavonoid contents, and the total phenols, glucose, fructose and sucrose in the peanut samples were determined as nutrition aspects. The average values of the total free amino acid, beta-carotene, lycopene, glucose, fructose and sucrose were determined to be 14.4 µmol g−1, 14.4 µg (100 ml)−1, 14.4 µg (100 ml)−1, 1.07 mg g−1, 0.52 mg g−1 and 2.74 mg g−1, respectively. The results reveal that the consumption of Turkish peanut samples is safe and that they contain health-enhancing nutrients.

The main purposes of the study were to determine the attitude of farmers towards Thai Koi farming in a selected area of Mymensingh district. Attempt was also made to identify the problems faced by the farmers in Thai Koi farming. Data were obtained from randomly selected 70 Thai Koi farmers of Shaiod and Ahmedpur villages in Kheruajani Union under Muktagachha Upazila of Mamensingh district during April, 2015. Attitude of the farmers was measured in respect of different aspects of Thai koi production. A three-point rating scale was used to indicate the Thai koi farmers’ response against each statement. The possible score for each respondent could range from 15 to 45 and observed score ranged from 31 to 41. It is evident that ‘I believe that Thai koi farming in pond can supply protein and nutrition to the family members ranked first as a statement in attitude scale of Thai Koi farmers. Second is ‘I like Thai Koi farming because it has higher growth rate than that of other local Koi’. Most of the Thai Koi farmers had highly favourable attitude. Among the problems, ‘high sensitivity to disease of Thai Koi’ got the highest problem confrontation score and stood the first ranked problem and other problem were ‘High price of Thai koi feed’, High price of drugs’ and ‘High price of farm labour’ etc. Farmers suggested from their experiences that there should have need-based spot training on effective management of Thai Koi farming. In achieving this target, Department of Fisheries and allied NGOs may play a crucial role.