Browsing by Author "Mongi, Richard John"

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    Community involvement in the mass capture of Red-billed Queleas Quelea quele adjacent to protected areas: the case of Chemba District, Dodoma, Tanzania
    (National Inquiry Services Center (NISC), 2023) Mmbaga, Naza Emanuel; Mongi, Richard John; Kilonzo, Mhuji Bukheti; Katalambula, Leonard Kamanga
    The mass capture and utilisation of Red-billed Queleas Quelea quelea as a source of food is practiced in different African countries. The current study sought information on the trapping methods and techniques used by local communities in Chemba District, Tanzania, taking into account the respondents’ age, gender and occupation. It also captured the economic contributions and challenges associated with trapping queleas across the three study villages. Semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and direct observations were used. Male respondents and adult farmers were found to participate most in quelea trapping. Queleas were used both as a source of food and income. Both a modern method (i.e. mist-netting) and traditional local trapping methods (e.g. grass basket traps and sticky tree resin) were reported to be used, but the combination of the modern and local methods was the most effective. Reported challenges included poor trapping techniques, scarcity of markets, and chemical spraying as a quelea control measure. Based on the results, we recommend detailed research on improving mass-trapping techniques and developing a marketing strategy to promote sales of the captured birds. As a long-term measure, these will contribute to improve both the livelihoods of local people and the ecological health of the communities.
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    Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania
    (PLOS ONE, 2022) Mongi, Richard John; Meshi, Eugene Benjamin; Ntwenya, Julius Edward
    Antimicrobial residues (ABs) in foods contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, which is becoming a major public health concern around the world. Understanding food production practices concerning antimicrobial use and consumer awareness on the possibility of ABs in foods is necessary for developing mitigation strategies. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the production practices and awareness among eggs and Chinese cabbage consumers in Dodoma city. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire and checklist to collect data on awareness and production practices from 420 consumers, 30 chicken egg farmers, and 30 Chinese cabbage farmers in eight city wards. About 42% of consumers of eggs and Chinese cabbages were not aware of the likelihood of antimicrobial residues in these foods. The awareness was significantly influenced by the consumer’s educational level (p = 0.001) and geographical location (p = 0.045), with educated and urban consumers being 7.7 and 1.6 times more informed than their uneducated and peri-urban counterparts. Furthermore, the majority of chicken farmers raised more layers than broilers, and they all used antimicrobial drugs, mainly tetracycline and its variants, to treat and prevent diseases. The findings also revealed that many vegetable producers utilized wastes from animals treated with antimicrobials as manure to amend the soil. In a view of the findings, a considerable number of egg and Chinese cabbage consumers in Dodoma city were unaware on the likelihood of antimicrobial residues in these foods from their production practices. All chicken farmers utilized antimicrobial drugs mainly tetracycline and its derivatives, for the treatment and prevention of diseases while vegetable producers used wastes from animals treated with antimicrobials as soil manure. Therefore, initiatives to inform farmers and consumers about the possibility of antimicrobial residues in these foods and their related public health risks upon long-term consumption are strongly advised.
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    Physicochemical properties, microbial loads and shelf life prediction of solar dried mango (Mangifera indica) and pineapple (Ananas comosus) in Tanzania
    (Elsevier, 2023) Mongi, Richard John
    Background: Solar drying seems to be a feasible technique for preserving and extending the shelf life of perishable fruits all year round in developing nations like Tanzania. However, there have only been a few studies on the effect of solar drying on the microbiological load and shelf-life stability of dried fruits. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of solar drying techniques on the physicochemical properties, microbial loads, and shelf life of dried mango and pineapple. Methods: Fruits were properly cleaned, peeled, cut into 5 mm-thick slices, and dried in cabinet mixed-mode and tunnel dryers for 3 and 2 days respectively. The dried samples were packaged in high- and low-density polyethylene bags and stored at 28 ◦C for six months before being analyzed for moisture, aw, pH, and total bacterial and fungal loads using standard methods. Shelf life was predicted by kinetic reaction and regression analysis methods. Results: Tunnel-dried samples had significantly (p < 0.05) lower moisture (14.0 ± 0.00–15.1 ± 0.36 g/100 g), water activity (0.45 ± 0.1–0.47 ± 0.01), pH (3.5 ± 0.15–3.6 ± 0.17), total plate count (TPC) (3.4 ± 0.09 log10 CFU g􀀀 1) and fungal loads (3.0 ± 0.1–3.1 ± 0.1 log10 CFU g􀀀 1) than cabinet-dried samples with higher values. The TPC values in all samples were below the maximum allowable limits (5 log10 CFU g􀀀 1), but the fungal loads were slightly above the limits (3 log10 CFU g􀀀 1). There were no coliforms in any of the samples. Additionally, shelf lives of 38.2–41.5 and 33.2–34.6 months were predicted for tunnel-dried and cabinet-dried samples respectively in terms of microbiological stability. Conclusion: Solar drying improves the physicochemical qualities, reduces microbial load, and extends the shelf life of dried fruits; hence, its application for fruit preservation combined with further studies to establish drying and storage conditions that would reduce the fungal loads to safe lower levels are recommended.