Global Research in Environment and Sustainability

Development of a Juice Made from Local Produce (Case Study: Pineapple Enriched with Carrot Extracts)

2026-07-11T12:36:11+01:00

Introduction: Many institutions consider the consumption of fruits and vegetables to be a major public health issue due to their ability to help the body prevent certain serious diseases. Their production is steadily increasing in developing countries. Despite its agricultural potential, the DRC remains a net importer of food products, even though they are locally available. The overall objective of the study is to develop a production process for a pineapple- and carrot-based juice blend using locally grown produce in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Materials and Methods: The materials consisted of carrots and pineapples, which served as the raw materials. We began by sorting, washing, and peeling the carrots and pineapples to ensure the raw materials met specifications, followed by cutting, grinding, and pressing to extract the raw juices while separating the solid residues. The juices were then filtered to improve their physicochemical stability, then mixed and homogenized to standardize their composition. Finally, controlled pasteurization (74 °C, 15–30 min), hot filling, cooling, and labeling ensured the food safety and shelf life of the finished product. Results: The nutritional value of Carottana juice is 103.77 kcals per 100 g. Carbohydrates: 22.3 g, Protein: 1.82 g, Fat: 0.81 g. This juice is rich in vitamins A, B, C, and E. In this formulation, the most abundant vitamins are vitamins A and C. It is also rich in sodium, followed by potassium, calcium, and manganese. Conclusion: This study led to the development of a local production technology for the Carottana cocktail made from carrots and pineapples grown in Lubumbashi. Thus, the objective of adding value to local agricultural resources through simple, safe, and nutritious food processing has been achieved, opening up opportunities to reduce imports and promote the consumption of local juices in the DRC.

Key Plant Pests in Palestine and Middle East Region

2026-07-23T17:57:30+01:00

The Middle East’s arid and semi-arid agricultural systems face significant economic threats from arthropod pests, including insects and acarine (mite) species. This document provides a taxonomically organized overview of the region’s most damaging insect pests—such as the Sunn pest (Eurygaster integriceps), Red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), Tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta), and cotton whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)—alongside major acarine pests, including the date palm dust mite (Oligonychus afrasiaticus), wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella), and two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). Emphasizing integrated pest management (IPM), the text highlights cultural, biological (parasitoids, predatory mites such as Phytoseiidae, entomopathogenic fungi), monitoring (pheromone traps), and selective chemical control strategies. Special attention is given to climate-adapted management, resistance challenges, invasive species, and the conservation of beneficial mites to reduce reliance on broad-spectrum pesticides and ensure sustainable crop production across staple cereals, date palms, citrus, and vegetables.

Assessment of Farming Households’ Food Security Status and their Determining Factors in some selected Local Government Areas of Kaduna State

2026-08-24T20:10:03+01:00

The study assessed the farming households’ food security status and their determining factors in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed in the data collection where 360 respondents were administered questionnaires with the help of enumerators. Descriptive statistics was used to assess the socioeconomic characteristics while Logit Regression Model was used for the determinants. From the data, it was revealed that 39 years was the average year while the household size averaged 13 persons. It also revealed an average experience of 27 years among the farming households, educational attainment varied among the farming households with 29.3% attaining primary, 24.8% secondary, 17.5% tertiary, 12.4% with no formal education and 16% had quaranic education. The data revealed that the farming households were dominate by male with 89.3%. The study also revealed that 54.8% of the farming households to be food insecure while 45.2% to be food secure having fell below the security line of N23,963.47. The study additionally revealed that the coefficient of income had a positive relationship in determining food security status and significant at 10%, education was negatively significant at 5%, membership with positive value and significant at 10%, farm size was negative and significant at 5% while access to credit was found to have a positive influence on food security status of the farming households and met the a priori expectations.