Naturally Fermented Milk From Northern Senegal: Bacterial Community Composition and Probiotic Enrichment With Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

A variety of foods fermented with lactic acid bacteria serve as dietary staples in many African communities; yet, their bacterial profiles are poorly characterized. The integration of health-promoting probiotics into naturally fermented milk products could make a profound impact on human health. Here, we characterize the bacterial community composition of a naturally fermented milk product (lait caillé) from northern Senegal, prepared in wooden bowls (lahals) with a bacterial biofilm to steer the fermentation process. We incorporated a probiotic starter culture containing the most documented probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (generic strain name yoba 2012) into the local fermentation process. Bar-coded 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of lait caillé samples indicated that the bacterial community of lait caillé has high species richness with over 100 bacterial genera; however, few have high abundance. In contrast to the diverse bacterial compositions of other characterized naturally fermented milk products, the composition of lait caillé predominantly consists of the lactic acid bacteria Streptococcus and Lactobacillus, resembling the bacterial composition in regular yogurt. The bacterial community composition of lait caillé varies geographically based on the presence of some genera, including Lactoccoccus, Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacillus, but this trend is not consistent within production communities. The diversity of bacterial communities is much higher in the lahal biofilm than in the naturally fermented milk products, which is in turn greater than in commercial yogurts. Addition of a starter culture with L. rhamnosus yoba 2012 to milk in lahals led to substantial growth of this probiotic bacterium during the fermentation process. Two independent quantitative PCR-analyses specific for L. rhamnosus yoba 2012 indicated a 20- to 60-fold increase in the total number of probiotic bacteria in the first batch after inoculation. A similar increase of the probiotic was observed in a variation of lait caillé prepared with carbohydrate-rich millet granules (thiakry) added prior to fermentation. This study shows the feasibility of integrating health-promoting probiotic strains into naturally fermented foods produced in regions with a high prevalence of malnutrition.

Using cognitive mapping to understand Senegalese infant and young child feeding decisions.

Caregivers make decisions about how to feed their infants and young children based on complex interactions of knowledge, beliefs, and values, as well as assessments of situational determinants, including economic and social constraints and opportunities. Because of the relationship of these factors to the adoption of new feeding behaviours, the development of nutrition interventions for this age group must be grounded in knowledge about the target population. This paper presents the results of a study that used cognitive mapping techniques to gain insight into mothers' knowledge and perceptions of foods for infants and young children and examine their significance for feeding decisions in Saint-Louis, northern Senegal. Guided by mixed-methods protocols from the Focused Ethnographic Study for Infant and Young Child Feeding Manual, in-depth interviews that included qualitative discussions and cognitive mapping techniques were conducted with 46 mothers in rural and peri-urban communities. We explored mothers' perceptions about five dimensions that affect food decision-making-healthiness, convenience, child acceptance, appeal, and modernity-and the relationship of these dimensions to 38 local food items. Data analysis entailed a combination of qualitative thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. In both communities, "healthiness" was the most valued dimension for food decision-making by a large margin, followed by child acceptance, appeal, modernity, and convenience. We explore how different interpretations and definitions of these dimensions, and their relationship to specific local food items, may influence the design and planning of nutrition interventions. The results support the importance of mixed-methods formative research to illuminate the emic perspectives of caregivers.

Results of Applying Cultural Domain Analysis Techniques and Implications for the Design of Complementary Feeding Interventions in Northern Senegal.

BACKGROUND: Designing effective nutrition interventions for infants and young children requires knowledge about the population to which the intervention is directed, including insights into the cognitive systems and values that inform caregiver feeding practices. OBJECTIVE: To apply cultural domain analysis techniques in the context of implementation research for the purpose of understanding caregivers' knowledge frameworks in Northern Senegal with respect to infant and young child (IYC) feeding. This study was intended to inform decisions for interventions to improve infant and young child nutrition. METHODS: Modules from the Focused Ethnographic Study for Infant and Young Child Feeding Manual were employed in interviews with a sample of 126 key informants and caregivers from rural and peri-urban sites in the Saint-Louis region of northern Senegal. Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and qualitative thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Cluster analysis showed that caregivers identified 6 food clusters: heavy foods, light foods, snack foods, foraged foods, packaged foods, and foods that are good for the body. The study also revealed similarities and differences between the 2 study sites in caregivers' knowledge frameworks. CONCLUSIONS: The demonstration of differences between biomedical concepts of nutrition and the knowledge frameworks of northern Senegalese women with regard to IYC feeding highlights the value of knowledge about emic perspectives of local communities to help guide decisions about interventions to improve nutrition.