@article{wangithi_nyangaresi_srinivasulu_moyo_muzhingi_kawarazuka_2023, title={Consumer willingness to pay a premium for orange-fleshed sweet potato puree products: a gender-responsive evidence from Becker-DeGroot-Marschak experimental auction among low- and middle-income consumers in selected regions of Nairobi, Kenya}, volume={7}, ISSN={["2571-581X"]}, DOI={10.3389/fsufs.2023.1114468}, abstractNote={Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major public health problem affecting people of all ages, particularly women of reproductive age and young children in the Global South. Nutrient-enriched (biofortified) orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) has promising potential as a sustainable food vehicle to combat VAD. Part of ongoing efforts to combat VAD, particularly among the urban poor populations, include the introduction of innovative OFSP puree, which is utilized as a functional and substitute ingredient in widely consumed baked and fried products. In Kenya, the OFSP puree is used to make commercial products that are affordable by low- and middle-income households. However, there is limited knowledge of consumer awareness, willingness to pay (WTP), and/or how gender plays a role in the uptake of these products. Following a multistage sampling technique, this study employs the Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) experimental auction method to assess if men and women consumers—from selected, highly populated low- and middle-income areas of Nairobi County in Kenya—are aware and if they would be willing to pay for OFSP puree products. Integrating gender considerations, we use three of the most widely consumed OFSP puree products, bread, buns, and chapati, and three treatment categories, naive, nutritional information, and OFSP puree substitute products' references prices to deduce the WTP for OFSP puree products among men and women. Results showed limited awareness of OFSP and OFSP puree products among men and women. However, both men and women were willing to pay a premium for the OFSP puree products. The intergender comparison showed that women were more willing to pay a premium for the OFSP puree products than men. Gender, age, education, knowledge of OFSP puree products, income category, availability of nutritional information, and reference pricing stand out as significant determinants of WTP.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS}, author={Wangithi, Charity M. M. and Nyangaresi, Annette M. M. and Srinivasulu, Rajendran and Moyo, Mukani and Muzhingi, Tawanda and Kawarazuka, Nozomi}, year={2023}, month={May} }
 @article{annette_makeda_mukani_tawanda_2023, title={Tailoring business models for small-medium food enterprises in Eastern Africa can drive the commercialization and utilization of vitamin A rich orange-fleshed sweet potato puree}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2391-9531"]}, DOI={10.1515/opag-2022-0168}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={OPEN AGRICULTURE}, author={Annette, Nyangaresi M. and Makeda, Tsegaye and Mukani, Moyo and Tawanda, Muzhingi}, year={2023}, month={Aug} }
 @article{malavi_mbogo_moyo_mwaura_low_muzhingi_2022, title={Effect of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Puree and Wheat Flour Blends on beta-Carotene, Selected Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Bread}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2304-8158"]}, DOI={10.3390/foods11071051}, abstractNote={Partial substitution of wheat flour with orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) purée in bread can increase vitamin A intake among consumers. The study investigated the influence of wheat flour substitution with 20–50% of OFSP purée on proximate composition, color, β-carotene, water activity, and microbial keeping quality. The moisture content, crude protein, crude fat, total ash, crude fiber, and carbohydrate in bread ranged from 28.6–32.7%, 9.9–10.6%, 5.0–5.5%, 1.9–3.2%, 1.4–1.8%, and 79.1–80.9%, respectively. β-carotene, total ash, and crude fiber contents in bread, and Hunter color values a*, b*, chroma, and ∆E significantly increased with the addition of OFSP purée. Total viable counts (TVC), yeast, and molds in bread ranged from 2.82–3.64 log10 cfu/g and 1.48–2.16 log10 cfu/g, respectively, on the last day of storage. Water activity, TVC, and fungal counts were low in sweet potato composite bread as compared to white bread. Total β-carotene in OFSP bread ranged from 1.9–5.4 mg/100 g (on dry weight). One hundred grams of bread portion enriched with 40% and 50% OFSP purée provides more than 50% of vitamin A dietary requirements to children aged 4–8 years. Incorporation of up to 50% OFSP purée in wheat flour produces a relatively shelf-stable, nutritious, and health-promoting functional bread.}, number={7}, journal={FOODS}, author={Malavi, Derick and Mbogo, Daniel and Moyo, Mukani and Mwaura, Lucy and Low, Jan and Muzhingi, Tawanda}, year={2022}, month={Apr} }
 @article{nakitto_johanningsmeier_moyo_bugaud_kock_dahdouh_forestier-chiron_ricci_khakasa_ssali_et al._2022, title={Sensory guided selection criteria for breeding consumer-preferred sweetpotatoes in Uganda}, volume={101}, ISSN={["1873-6343"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104628}, abstractNote={Prioritizing sensory attributes and consumer evaluation early in breeding trials to screen for end-user preferred traits could improve adoption rates of released genotypes. In this study, a lexicon and protocol for descriptive sensory analysis (DSA) was established for sweetpotato and used to validate an instrumental texture method for which critical values for consumer preference were set. The study comprised several phases: lexicon development during a 4-day workshop; 3-day intensive panel training; follow-up virtual training, evaluation of 12 advanced genotypes and 101 additional samples from two trials in 2021 by DSA and instrumental texture analysis using TPA double compression; and DSA, instrumental texture analysis and consumer acceptability tests on 7 genotypes in on-farm trials. The established sweetpotato lexicon comprising 27 sensory attributes enabled characterization and differentiation of genotypes by sensory profiles. Significant correlation was found between sensory firmness by hand and mouth with TPA peak positive force (r = 0.695 and r = 0.648, respectively) and positive area (r = 0.748, r = 0.715, respectively). D20, NAROSPOT 1, NASPOT 8, and Umbrella were the most liked genotypes in on-farm trials (overall liking = 7). An average peak positive force of 3700 gf was proposed as a minimum texture value for screening sweetpotato genotypes, since it corresponded with at least 46 % of consumers perceiving sweetpotatoes as just-about-right in firmness and a minimum overall liking of 6 on average. Combining DSA with instrumental texture analysis facilitates efficient screening of genotypes in sweetpotato breeding programs.}, journal={FOOD QUALITY AND PREFERENCE}, author={Nakitto, Mariam and Johanningsmeier, Suzanne D. and Moyo, Mukani and Bugaud, Christophe and Kock, Henriette and Dahdouh, Layal and Forestier-Chiron, Nelly and Ricci, Julien and Khakasa, Elizabeth and Ssali, Reuben T. and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Oct} }
 @article{banda_kyallo_entfellner_moyo_swanckaert_mwanga_onyango_magiri_gemenet_yao_et al._2021, title={Analysis of beta-amylase gene (Amy beta) variation reveals allele association with low enzyme activity and increased firmness in cooked sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) from East Africa}, volume={4}, ISSN={["2666-1543"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.jafr.2021.100121}, abstractNote={β-amylase is a thermostable enzyme that hydrolyses starch during cooking of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) storage roots, thereby influencing eating quality. Its activity is known to vary amongst genotypes but the genetic diversity of the beta-amylase gene (Amyβ) is not well studied. Amyβ has a highly conserved region between exon V and VI, forming part of the enzyme's active site. To determine the gene diversity, a 2.3 kb fragment, including the conserved region of the Amyβ gene was sequenced from 25 sweetpotato genotypes. The effect of sequence variation on gene expression, enzyme activity, and firmness in cooked roots was determined. Six genotypes carrying several SNPs within exon V, linked with an AT or ATGATA insertion in intron V were unique and clustered together. The genotypes also shared an A336E substitution in the amino acid sequence, eight residues upstream of a substrate-binding Thr344. The genotypes carrying this allele exhibited low gene expression and low enzyme activity. Enzyme activity was negatively correlated with firmness (R = −0.42) in cooked roots. This is the first report of such an allele, associated with low enzyme activity. These results suggest that genetic variation within the AmyB locus can be utilized to develop markers for firmness in sweetpotato breeding.}, journal={JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH}, author={Banda, Linly and Kyallo, Martina and Entfellner, Jean-Baka Domelevo and Moyo, Mukani and Swanckaert, Jolien and Mwanga, Robert O. M. and Onyango, Arnold and Magiri, Esther and Gemenet, Dorcus C. and Yao, Nasser and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Jun} }
 @article{moyo_ssali_namanda_nakitto_dery_akansake_adjebeng-danquah_etten_sousa_lindqvist-kreuze_et al._2021, title={Consumer Preference Testing of Boiled Sweetpotato Using Crowdsourced Citizen Science in Ghana and Uganda}, volume={5}, ISSN={["2571-581X"]}, DOI={10.3389/fsufs.2021.620363}, abstractNote={Crowdsourced citizen science is an emerging approach in plant sciences. The triadic comparison of technologies (tricot) approach has been successfully utilized by demand-led breeding programmes to identify varieties for dissemination suited to specific geographic and climatic regions. An important feature of this approach is the independent way in which farmers individually evaluate the varieties on their own farms as “citizen scientists.” In this study, we adapted this approach to evaluate consumer preferences to boiled sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam] roots of 21 advanced breeding materials and varieties in Ghana and 6 released varieties in Uganda. We were specifically interested in evaluating if a more independent style of evaluation (home tasting) would produce results comparable to an approach that involves control over preparation (centralized tasting). We compiled data from 1,433 participants who individually contributed to ahome tasting(de-centralized) and acentralized tastingtrial in Ghana and Uganda, evaluating overall acceptability, and indicating the reasons for their preferences. Geographic factors showed important contribution to define consumers' preference to boiled sweetpotato genotypes. Home and centralized tasting approaches gave similar rankings for overall acceptability, which was strongly correlated to taste. In both Ghana and Uganda, it was possible to robustly identify superior sweetpotato genotypes from consumers' perspectives. Our results indicate that thetricotapproach can be successfully applied to consumer preference studies.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS}, author={Moyo, Mukani and Ssali, Reuben and Namanda, Sam and Nakitto, Mariam and Dery, Eric K. and Akansake, Daniel and Adjebeng-Danquah, Joseph and Etten, Jacob and Sousa, Kaue and Lindqvist-Kreuze, Hannele and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Feb} }
 @article{malavi_abong_muzhingi_2021, title={Effect of food safety training on behavior change of food handlers: A case of orange-fleshed sweetpotato puree processing in Kenya}, volume={119}, ISSN={["1873-7129"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107500}, abstractNote={Sweetpotato purée processing is new to Kenya and a rapidly growing value addition activity among informal, small, and medium-sized food enterprises (SMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Inadequate knowledge of food safety and poor hygiene practices by food handlers, low level of compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and microbial contamination are major food safety challenges in orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) purée processing in Kenya. The extent of food safety training in enhancing food safety in rural-based SMEs and food processing environments has not been fully investigated. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of food safety training on food safety knowledge and hygiene practices of food handlers and in control of microbial contamination in OFSP purée processing in Kenya. Pre- and post-food safety training assessments were conducted to determine food handler's (N = 14) knowledge and practices on food safety. Food, water, and swab samples (n = 62) from the processing environment were collected before and two months after the training and analyzed for food hygiene indicator microorganisms. The findings indicate a significant (p < 0.05) improvement in overall food safety knowledge and practices of food handlers after the training. Poor knowledge scores were exhibited on aspects of cross-contamination, cleaning, and sanitation but these significantly (p < 0.05) improved after the training. Similarly, microbial counts on food equipment surfaces, installations, personnel hands, and in the final product (OFSP purée) significantly (p < 0.05) declined to acceptable levels after the food safety training. Total counts, yeasts and molds, S. aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, and total coliforms counts in the packaged OFSP purée were 2.6, 1.8, 1.5, 1.9, and 1.2 LOG CFU/g respectively hence suitable for its current application as an ingredient in baked products. The findings from this study indicate food safety training as an appropriate tool for improving food handler's knowledge and hygiene practices as well as enhancing microbial safety and quality of processed foods in SMEs if necessary food safety support resources are provided.}, journal={FOOD CONTROL}, author={Malavi, Derick Nyabera and Abong, George Ooko and Muzhingi, Tawanda}, year={2021}, month={Jan} }
 @article{mbogo_muzhingi_janaswamy_2021, title={Starch digestibility and beta-carotene bioaccessibility in the orange- fleshed sweet potato puree-wheat bread}, volume={86}, ISSN={["1750-3841"]}, DOI={10.1111/1750-3841.15620}, abstractNote={AbstractVitamin A is essential for vision, human health, growth, immune function, and reproduction. Its deficiency leads to anemia, xerophthalmia, and growth reduction in children. Foods enriched with naturally occurring carotenes have the potential, in this regard, and orange‐fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) stands out tall as it is rich in β‐carotene (βC), a provitamin A carotenoid. In view of developing OFSP‐based functional foods to address the vitamin A deficiency (VAD) issues, herein, OFSP puree‐wheat composite breads have been prepared at 10% to 50% OFSP puree concentrations and bioaccessibility of βC has been estimated. The total βC is found to be 4.3, 9.2, 16.5, 23.3, and 33.6 µg/g in 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% OFSP bread, respectively. The corresponding calculated retinol activity equivalents (RAE) are 30.9, 66.4, 119.5, 170.4, and 246.2 RAE/100 g. The efficiency of micellarization of all‐trans‐βC, 13‐cis βC, and 9‐cis βC after simulated oral, gastric, and small intestinal digestion are 1.4% to 6.4%, 1.4% to 7.2%, and 1.1% to 6.9%, respectively. The amount of micellarized βC correlates linearly with the OFSP concentration in the bread. Furthermore, in vitro starch digestion decreases with significant reduction in the Rapidly Digestible Starch (RDS) amount coupled with increase in the Slowly Digestible Starch (SDS) and Resistant Starch (RS) fractions. Overall, OFSP‐wheat composite bread holds adequate amount of provitamin A carotenoids. The amount of bioaccessible βC coupled with altered starch digestion of the OFSP wheat breads highlight their usefulness as novel functional foods that could address the VAD as well as glycemic issues toward improving human health.}, number={3}, journal={JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE}, author={Mbogo, Daniel and Muzhingi, Tawanda and Janaswamy, Srinivas}, year={2021}, month={Mar}, pages={901–906} }
 @article{chilungo_muzhingi_truong_allen_2019, title={Effect of processing and oil type on carotene bioaccessibility in traditional foods prepared with flour and puree from orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes}, volume={54}, ISSN={["1365-2621"]}, DOI={10.1111/ijfs.14106}, abstractNote={Summary}, number={6}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY}, author={Chilungo, Sarah and Muzhingi, Tawanda and Truong, Van-Den and Allen, Jonathan C.}, year={2019}, month={Jun}, pages={2055–2063} }