In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the lack of modern and high throughputanalytical tools coupled withlimited capability to conduct comprehensive nutritional analyses, food chemistry, food safety and product development studies delays progress inmany projects. Outsourcingthese analytical services is not a sustainable solution sinceit isa time-consuming exercise often associated with negative financial implications. Additionally, for fresh samples which require analysis soon after harvest, packaging them and sending them outside the country for analysis could potentially affect their integrity and ultimately the results obtained leading to erroneous conclusions being reached.For International Potato Center (CIP), these issues hinderedtimely progresscritical to the development of processed products using orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP)as an ingredient for nutritional improvement in SSA.
Since the establishment of FANEL in 2014, our main objective is to strengthen thefood and nutritionalevaluation laboratory within sub-Saharan Africa, equipped with advanced analytical toolsoperated by knowledgeable andwell-trained staff, that will in turn train fellow colleagues.An advanced lab for food safety,specializing in mycology, already existed at the Biosciences for east and central Africa (BecA) facility, on the ILRI campus in Nairobi, Kenya. There was, however, a need to expand this capacity to include nutritional evaluation, food compositional analysis, food product development,food safety analysis and post-harvest research. The nutritional research laboratory needs to operate efficiently, cost-effectively usingstandard operating proceduresvalidated by international organizations and working according tointernational standards. The laboratory will have a strong capacity building component, bringing in scientists from National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and graduate students from local and regional universities in partnership with the BecA ILRI Hub or CIP.
The Food and Nutritional Evaluation Laboratory (FANEL) is housed and hosted within the Nutrition and Food Safety Platform, Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Campus in Nairobi, Kenya. BecA is an essential partner for FANEL which financially supports the research activities of hosted students and NARS visiting fellows through the BecA Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund(ABCF) fellowship. CIP,through FANEL, collaborates with local, regional and international universities such as University of Nairobi (Food Science and Nutrition department), Pan African University (PAU), Jomo Kenya University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Greenwich University’s Natural Resources Institute in the UK, James Hutton Institute (UK),North Carolina State University, South Dakota State University (SDSU) and Tufts University in the USA. FANEL is also working collaboratively with other CGIAR centers such as the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and Bioversity Internationalon programs such as Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB).In addition, FANEL engages private sector and NGO partners on collaborative projects in processing and product development of OFSP in SSA such as Euro-Ingredients Ltdand Organi Ltdboth based in Kenya.
Capacity building is a crucial determining factor to the success of FANEL. FANEL is an innovation platform where brilliant and motivated students convergeand explore their ideas in food science, nutrition, technology and post-harvest management. FANEL thrives as a hub for collaboration between disciplines (breeding, food science, biochemistry and engineering), crops (sweetpotato, cassava, potato, plantains etc.) and themes such as gender, economics, post-harvest processing and storability.
Derick Malavi (Research Associate in FANEL) attended a hands-on mineral analysis using ICP-OES in Maize Quality Laboratory, CIMMYT in Mexico. New methods have since been developed in FANEL enabling quantification of minerals in different food samples from our partners and other clients.The ICP-OES was upgraded to include an autosampler which enables high-throughput analyses of up to 100 samples within a short period of time. This has greatly improved our capacity to quantify the mineral composition of different samples.
Mr. Luka Wanjohi, the SASHA data manager worked together with the FANEL scientists to improve the functionality of FANEL-FLOW, an on-line system available via a web browser, to help improve information and workflows management within the FANEL. Some of the functionalities that were improved in include the ability to select multiple analyses for the same sample and generation of reports indicating number of analyses done within a particular time frame. About 1810 analyses have been done between January and June 2019. New tabsfor exporting files indicating the progress of sample analysis have been added in the system. We are working on enhancing the system by creating features for generating financial reports, bulk printing of labels and creation of a module that will allow import of samples using a CSV/Excel file.
FANEL successfully registered for proficiency testing of our protocols with LGC Standards, an accredited proficiency testing laboratorybased in the UK. The test samples were received and all members of the FANEL team participated in carrying out the analyses. The protocols which were reviewed are those for Vitamin C, carotenoids, minerals, crude fibre, moisture, fats, total sugars, proteins and ash. Results were uploaded on time on the LGC portal and we are currently waiting for the results. This is an initiative to validate our test methods.
The implementation of the food safety laboratory, starting with a food safety workshop which is scheduled for December 2019. We are currently awaiting the results of the proficiency testing for our analytical protocols through LGC Standards, UK. We are also geared towards accreditation of the FANEL laboratory by the end of the 2019.
Sweetpotato Knowledge Portal provides all their is to know about Orange Fleshed Sweetpotato
Food and Nutritional Evaluation Laboratory (FANEL) 