A case of transdisciplinarity and collaborative decision making: the co-construction of Gendered Food Product Profiles.

Crop breeding in sub-Saharan Africa has made considerable gains; however, postharvest and food-related preferences have been overlooked, in addition to how these preferences vary by gender, social difference and context. This context is changing as participatory approaches using intersectional gender and place-based methods are beginning to inform how breeding programmes make decisions. This article presents an innovative methodology to inclusively and democratically prioritise food quality traits of root, tuber and banana crops based on engagement with food systems actors and transdisciplinary collaboration. The outcome of the methodology is the Gendered Food Product Profile (GFPP) - a list of prioritised food quality characteristics - to support breeders to make more socially inclusive decisions on the methods for trait characterisation to select genotypes closer to the needs of food system actors. This article reviews application of the methodology in 14 GFPPs, presents illustrative case studies and lessons learned. Key lessons are that the transdisciplinary structure and the key role of social scientists helped avoid reductionism, supported co-learning, and the creation of GFPPs that represented the diverse interests of food system actors, particularly women, in situ. The method partially addressed power dynamics in multidisciplinary decision making; however, effectiveness was dependent on equitable team relations and supportive institutions committed to valuing plural forms of knowledge. Actions to address power asymmetries that privilege particular types of knowledge and voices in decision making are crucial in techno-science projects, along with opportunities for co-learning and long-term collaboration and a transdisciplinary structure at higher level. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

End-user preferences to enhance prospects for varietal acceptance and adoption in potato breeding in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Potato varieties have diverse biophysical characteristics, so it is important for breeders to have the capacity to choose those that meet the preferences of end users, such as mealiness, firmness, and taste, among others. Combining user preferences with descriptive information regarding the sensory characteristics of boiled potatoes can contribute to the improvement of consumer-driven varieties. This study aimed to factor in the preferences of end users to improve the prospects for varietal acceptance, adoption, and discrimination among genotypes in potato breeding. RESULTS: The priority quality traits (traits that play the most significant roles in acceptance and adoption) of the boiled potatoes were determined by evaluating gender and livelihood using the G+ tool. The G+ tool is designed to assess gender impact on roots, tubers and bananas (RTB) traits by serving as a validation check to reflect on important gender-based issues in agricultural food systems in order to reduce harm and promote positive impact. Potato genotypes were differentiated by penetration (textural parameters as measured by standard texture probe) and the procedure was repeatable, as there was no significant difference between the cooking replicates at 40 min of cooking. Instrument-based texture parameters, such as penetration peak force (hardness/firmness) and area (area under the curve, which represents energy needed to penetrate) of boiled potato tubers were significantly associated with sensory attributes such as fracturability and hardness in the mouth. An attempt to differentiate genotypes using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) revealed that the average results observed for the calibration for yellow color (r2 = 0.70), homogeneity of color (r2 = 0.48), moisture in mass (r2 = 0.40), and uniformity of texture (r2 = 0.56) suggested that these parameters could be used for initial breeding screening purposes. CONCLUSIONS: The preferred traits of the boiled potato can be integrated into the potato-breeding program/product profile. Near-infrared spectroscopy shows strong potential to predict potato color and the ability of NIRS models to predict some texture attributes is also promising. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Decision tree scoring system to guide selection for consumer preference in sweetpotato breeding trials.

BACKGROUND: Previously, a lexicon and protocol for quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was established for the Uganda sweetpotato breeding program. The implication of QDA scores for priority sensory attributes on consumer preference should be determined to interpret results efficiently and make decisions effectively. The present study aimed to develop a gender-responsive decision tree to obtain an overall sweetpotato eating quality score to facilitate demand-led targeted breeding selection. It focused on Kamuli and Hoima districts (Uganda) and uses pre-lease advanced clones ('NKB3', 'NKB105', 'NKB135', 'D11' and 'D20'), released varieties ('NASPOT 8' and 'NAROSPOT 1') and landraces ('Muwulu-Aduduma', 'Umbrella'). RESULTS: Including boiled sweetpotato sensory characteristics, namely mealy, sweet taste, sweetpotato smell, firm and not fibrous, in breeding design would benefit end-users, especially women given their role in varietal selection, food preparation and marketing. 'D20', 'NASPOT 8' and 'NAROSPOT 1' were most liked in both districts. 'NKB3' and 'D11' were the least liked in Hoima, whereas 'Muwulu-Aduduma' was the least liked in Kamuli. There was a positive correlation between color and overall liking (r2 = 0.8) and consumers liked the color (average rating ≥ 6 on a nine-point hedonic scale) of all genotypes. Threshold values (average rating on 11-point scales) for consumer acceptability were identified (sweet taste = 6, sweetpotato aroma and flavor = 6, firmness = 3, and mealiness = 4). A regression decision tree tool was created to calculate an eating quality selection index when screening lines in breeding programs using the values. CONCLUSION: Decision trees that include consumer needs and gender considerations would facilitate demand-led breeding and make varietal selection in sweetpotato breeding programs more effective. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Gender mainstreaming in sweetpotato breeding in Uganda: a case study.

Purpose: In Uganda, sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] is typically a "woman's crop," grown, processed, stored and also mainly consumed by smallholder farmers for food and income. Farmers value sweetpotato for its early maturity, resilience to stresses, and minimal input requirements. However, productivity remains low despite the effort of breeding programs to introduce new varieties. Low uptake of new varieties is partly attributed to previous focus by breeders on agronomic traits and much less on quality traits and the diverse preferences of men and women in sweetpotato value chains. Method: To address this gap, breeders, food scientists, and social scientists (including gender specialists) systematically mainstreamed gender into the breeding program. This multidisciplinary approach, grounded in examining gender roles and their relationship with varietal and trait preferences, integrated important traits into product profiles. Results: Building on earlier efforts of participatory plant breeding and participatory varietal selection, new interventions showed subtle but important gender differences in preferences. For instance, in a study for the RTBFoods project, women prioritized mealiness, sweetness, firmness and non-fibrous boiled roots. These were further subjected to a rigorous gender analysis using the G+ product profile query tool. The breeding pipelines then incorporated these gender-responsive priority quality traits, prompting the development of standard operating procedures to phenotype these traits. Conclusion: Following an all-inclusive approach coupled with training of multidisciplinary teams involving food scientists, breeders, biochemists, gender specialists and social scientists, integration into participatory variety selection in Uganda enabled accentuation of women and men's trait preferences, contributing to clearer breeding targets. The research has positioned sweetpotato breeding to better respond to the varying needs and preferences of the users.

Prioritising quality traits for gender-responsive breeding for boiled potato in Uganda.

Using quantitative, qualitative and sensorial data collected from western (Kabale) and central (Rakai) Uganda, this paper identifies and describes gender-responsive traits preferred in varieties for the boiled potato market. These traits are aggregated into a product profile to support breeding programme design and decision-making that will increase probability of variety acceptance. An interdisciplinary and participatory methodology was used to collect data on socio-economic on trait preferences, processing and organoleptics and finally, to develop a lexicon through a sensorial panel. Characteristics that were important to both men and women, such as red skin and yellow flesh, are linked to market preferences. Women-only preferred characteristics such as big size and mealiness are linked to processing efficiency and eating quality. Besides agronomic traits, breeders must consider factors such as gender roles, social norms, and market preferences traits that guide farmers and other food chain actors in their selection of new varieties.

Development of a food product profile for boiled and steamed sweetpotato in Uganda for effective breeding.

This study sought to understand user preferences of raw, boiled and steamed sweetpotato, a staple food in Uganda. A sequential methodology involving state of knowledge review, gendered food mapping, processing diagnosis and consumer testing was used in Lira and Kamwenge districts. Preferred raw sweetpotato characteristics were large roots (≥ 3 cm diameter) with a sweet taste, smooth skin and hard texture, while mealiness, sweet taste and good sweetpotato smell were important attributes for boiled sweetpotato. Processors, mostly women, highlighted ease of peeling and sappiness of raw roots. There were gender differences in quality characteristic preferences and perceived importance. The released variety, NASPOT 8, had the highest overall liking in Kamwenge and was well liked in Lira. Penalty analysis of consumer data showed that sweetness and firmness were key drivers of overall liking. The results will support breeding programmes in meeting specific end-user product profiles, selection criteria and uptake of new varieties.

Adsorption and degradation of zearalenone by bacillus strains.

Two Bacillus strains; Bacillus subtilis 168 and Bacillus natto CICC 24640 separately adsorbed and degraded zearalenone in liquid media, in vitro. Viable, autoclaved (121°C, 20 min) and acid-treated cells of both strains separately bound more than 55% of zearalenone (ZEN, 20 µg/L) after 30 min and 1-h incubation at 37°C under aerobic conditions, and the amount of ZEN adsorbed was dependent on initial cell volume. In addition, ZEN was degraded by the culture extract of both strains. Degradation by B. subtilis 168 and B. natto CICC 24640 culture extract after 24-h aerobic incubation at 30°C was 81% and 100%, respectively. B. natto CICC 24640 culture extract comprehensively degraded ZEN and, for both strains, no oestrogenic ZEN analogues were present. ZEN degradation was accompanied by carbondioxide emission indicating a decarboxylation reaction. ZEN degradation by the salient B. natto CICC 24640 culture extract varied with initial ZEN concentration, incubation time, temperature and pH. Degradation was enhanced by Mn(2+), Zn(2+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) but impeded by Hg(2+), Cu(2+), Pb(2+), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and 1,10-phenanthroline. The degradation reaction is associated with a metalloproteinase of molar mass in the range 31-43 kDa. Overall, the two generally recognised as safe Bacillus strains can, potentially, be utilised for detoxification of zearalenone in food.