Browsing by Author "Marshall Keyster"

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    Consumer awareness, utilization, and acceptance of orange-fleshed sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) value-added food products in Elgeyo Marakwet county, Kenya
    (Enviro Research Publishers, 2024) Juliana Jepkemoi Cheboi; Marshall Keyster; George Abong
    Sweet potatoe is a crucial crop for food security. promoted in Kenya due to its reported health benefits and resilience to drought. The benefits and application of the sweet potato with orange flesh (OFSP) in Elgeyo Marakwet County have, however, not been established. The current research sought to establish knowledge, method of utilization, and acceptability of specialty products made from OFSP. Information on sweet potato knowledge and use was gathered from 201 smallholder farmers in Endo ward, Elgeyo Marakwet County, using a multi-stage sampling technique. Promotion of recipes of OFSP value-added products was undertaken among 30 selected farmers through practical demonstration and a farmer participation approach. The evaluation was undertaken through semi-structured questionnaires and scoring sheets for the preferred products and reasons to support their preferences. The results indicated that 82.6% of farmers in Elgeyo Marakwet are aware Compared to other crops, sweet potatoes are easier to grow and more suited to difficult climates (80.1 %). They were also aware of the advantages OFSP has for health (61.7%) and as a household food security crop (79.1%). However, 89.1% of the farmers have inadequate knowledge and skills in value addition. The majority of the farmers (70%) boil the sweet potatoes while 30% make snacks out of the OFSP. Consumer knowledge, utilization, and acceptability are influenced by demographic factors such as gender, education levels, size of land, and occupation. Products made with OFSP puree are the most preferred over wheat justifying its uses to produce acceptable and nutritious chapati, mandazi, and yogurt as part of diversification from the current practice of simply eating the boiled roots. These results suggest that increased efforts are required to educate farmers about the nutritional advantages of cultivating and consuming OFSP. to boost agricultural value addition and boost the amount of vitamin A in households’ diet.
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    The effect of exogenous DIM on Brassica napus and its role in response to heavy metal stress
    (University of the Western Cape, 2017) Roode, Enrico Carlo; Marshall Keyster
    Brassica napus is a plant that is used for human and animal consumption. This plant is also used for phytoremediation due to its relatively higher level of heavy metal tolerance. In South Africa, mining is one of the main drivers of the economy. One of the major negative environmental impacts of mining is heavy metal contamination. Soil metal content can rise to levels that are quite high and can even have a negative impact on the yields of B. napus crop. The glucosinolate-myrosinase system of B. napus is a system that is used as defence against biotic stressors. Indole glucosinolate breakdown products have been proven to enhance the antioxidant capacity of plants. Some have also shown growth promoting properties in plants. We studied the effect of exogenous DIM on B. napus and it role in Zr induced heavy metal stress. Germination percentages revealed that DIM increased germination, Zr application decreased germination and the DIMZr treatment reversed the negative impact of Zr application on B. napus. The effect of treatments on the biomass of B. napus was assessed by determining the dry weights. Results show that exogenous DIM improves biomass. Zr application decreased biomass and DIM-Zr treatment ameliorated the effect of Zr application.