Appropriate nutrient is a vital factor influencing growth and immunity. Nutrition is very essential during pregnancy and infancy, which are critical periods for the formation of brain, putting out the foundation for the development of cognitive, cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional skills throughout childhood and adulthood. Certain nutrients have critical role in brain development and their deficiency causes severe life-taking risks. Deficiency of iodine leads to cretinism and other neural disorders while deficiency of iron results into disruptive mental, cognitive, emotional and behavioural functions. Likewise, deficiency of zinc and choline leads to alterations in attention, activity, neuropsychological behaviour and perception and construction of human intelligence respectively. The consequences of inadequate nutritional status during childhood may have long-lasting ill-effects on the health and performance of children during their adult years. Hence, young children need to develop healthy eating habits along with some physical activities at an early stage. It is really essential for children to consume all sorts of nutrients in their daily diet.

In this study, a bacterium producing extracellular milkclotting enzyme was isolated from the soil in Tibetan Plateau, which was identified as Bacillus licheniformis D3.11 using 16S rDNA. Then the milk-clotting enzyme from B. licheniformis D3.11 was purified to 26.25-fold with 18.39% recovery by precipitation in ammonium sulfate and ion-exchange chromatography. The molecular mass of the enzyme was 56.1 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE, and the result of pepstatin A inhibition treatment showed that this enzyme was an aspartic proteas. The enzyme was active in the pH range 5.5–9.5 and was inactivated completely by heating at 60°C for 20 min. The highest level of enzyme activity was obtained at 60°C, pH 5.5. The high level of milk-clotting activity coupled with a low level of thermal stability suggested that the milk-clotting enzyme from licheniformis D3.11 was a potential substitute for calf rennet.

Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a result of progressive deterioration of liver functions for more than six months. Out of all the reported cases of CLD, approximately 20% with compensated cirrhosis and 65%-95% with decompensated cirrhosis have protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM). Proteincalorie malnutrition is a condition wherein cachexia occurs due to nutritional deficiencies in calories and protein. In CLD patient’s malnutrition is an independent predictor of mortality. It is therefore essential to diagnose the presence of PEM and provide appropriate nutritional support in CLD patients with PEM to improve the prognosis.
The nutritional intake of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients is almost similar to that of healthy individuals. For patients with compensated cirrhosis without malnutrition, the ingestion of 1.2-1.5 g/kg(weight) daily protein is suggested. In malnourished patients, 1.0–1.8 g/kg(weight) is suggested, depending on the severity of malnutrition and liver disease. Nutritional supplements provide significant increase in the protein-caloric intake with no modification of hospital diet. They have become an appropriate nutritional source when the diet is insufficient. Commercially manufactured polymeric formulas are considered as the ‘‘standard’’ approach to enteral nutrition. They provide complete nutrition and are made up of mostly intact nutrients, which implies a functional digestive system, and are appropriate for use both in hospitals and home care. In polymeric formulas, protein provides 15 -25% of total energy. Protein content ranges from 30 to 80 g l^¯1, with non-protein calorie: nitrogen ratio between 75:1 and 200:1 kcal g^¯1N
Indian diets are unhealthy in all states and income categories. In addition, Indians consume too many cereals and too few proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Importantly, unlike many other countries, India does not have a problem with excessive animal protein consumption. Indian officials must speed up efforts to make healthier, more sustainable diets more affordable, accessible, and acceptable across the entire food system. Treatment should target on maintaining adequate protein and caloric intake and rectifying nutrient deficiencies. Along with treatment nutritional support is also required to prevent malnourishment, treatment interruption, and improve the quality of life in CLD patients. Nutritional therapy should be designed to encourage consumption of frequent small meals and a late evening snack to reduce protein breakdown. In cases where oral intake is insufficient, early implementation of enteral feeding should be considered. Malnutrition is a potentially reversible condition and when identified early and treated appropriately, can lead to improved outcomes.

The study was conducted in three districts of Sheka zone in southern Ethiopia with the objective of comparing the carcass quality characteristics of indigenous and F1-crosses (indigenous and Sasso) chickens. Six Kebeles were purposely selected from the three districts. A total of 180 households were purposely selected which possess a minimum of 3 adult chickens. While from 180 households 84 households were randomly selected to assess the carcass quality characteristics of local chickens and their F1-crosses (genotype 2 and 3). For the evaluation of carcass quality traits, 84 male chickens were used that were drawn from both indigenous and F1-crossbred chickens. The results indicated that the average values of the breast, thighs, neck, liver and gizzard, all carcass component values of chickens raised in Anderacha and Masha districts were higher (p<0.05) than those of Yeki. The highest breast and gizzard values were observed from Mash chickens and differed (p<0.05) from those of the two districts. The F1-crosses (genotype 2 and 3) were superior in all carcass comments to the local chickens except for dressing percentage which was highest in the local chickens. From the current study it can be concluded that the F1-crosses (genotype 2 and 3) had the highest carcass potentials and could be used as meat or dual-purpose chickens under the smallholder settings. However, care must be taken for unjustified distribution of exotic chicken breeds to prevent genetic dilution.

Interest with collagen due its unique properties and functions has been increased recently. Different sources such as avian, aquatic, bovine, porcine, recombinant, and synthetic are used to produce collagen. It has been utilized in the biomedical devices, pharmaceutical, food and beverage formulations, cosmetic industry, etc. Collagen-based drug delivery systems are used for the treatment of different diseases; whereas use of collagen in food formulations increases nutritive value of the foods with increased stability of emulsions. Collagen has also been applied as protein dietary supplements, carriers, food additive, edible film, and coatings. Collagen-based films and coatings help to preserve quality properties of the biological material and/or food samples. Extensive use of collagen draws more attention on structure, origin of sources, health benefits and current use; thus, structure, sources, functions, and applications of collagen are summarized.

Lactic acid fermentation provides a natural means to improve technological and nutritional quality of foods. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of the bioadhesion of L. plantarum on the microbial quality, the physicochemical proprieties and the antioxidant activity of tomato slices during 7 days of drying. The adhesion of L. plantarum to the tomato slices was explored by enumeration of viable cells, identification and ESEM microscopy. The assessment of adhesion of L. plantarum at different contact times has shown a higher increase in the number of L. plantarum adhering, which improved over 7.5 Log CFU/g DM after 7 days of drying. The ESEM observation showed also that tomato surface was covered by a compact biofilm of L. plantarum approved by microbiological identification. A reduction of the undesirable microorganisms such as total coliform , yeast and fungi was also detected. The physicochemical analyses revealed that L. plantarum adhesion decreased water loss on the tomato slices. Furthermore, after 7 days of drying, treated tomato exhibited a good capacity to preserve the antioxidant contents and consequently their antioxidant activity. Overall, the use of L. plantarum is an efficient approach to increase safety and shelf-Life of dried tomato slices.

Malnutrition is one of the major concerns to most countries
in Africa, particularly in developing countries where there are
shortages in nutritious foods for the young ones. The major nutritional deficiency known is as a result of protein malnutrition in humans. Although animal proteins are superior to plant proteins, their ratio in diets, especially in developing countries, is not likely to change in the immediate future due to inadequate supply and high unit cost (Lopez-Bellido and Fuentes, 1986).

In most parts of our country, potato is an important food and
cash crop and also it has high yielding potential in Southern
Ethiopia however, its production and productivity is low
owing to a number of constraints. Disordered agronomic
practices, like application of low rates of inorganic fertilizers
and inappropriate spacing were among the major problems.
The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of five
rates of blended fertilizer rates (0, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kg
NPS ha-1) and intra-row planting spacing of 20cm, 30cm and
40cm and laid out in a factorial arrangement by randomized
complete block design replicated three times

Calyx senescence of citrus fruit after harvest can contribute greatly to deterioration in quality and reduces the market value, as calyx detachment fruit facilitates fungal attacks. In this study, the effects of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyloxyacetic acid (3,5,6-TPA) on delaying calyx disorders of two citrus varieties were investigated

This study aimed to examine the relationships between fruit and vegetable (FV) and fast food (FF) consumption and immigration-related factors among Hispanics in California. The analysis of data from the 2015 California Health Interview Survey was performed using the Chisquare test and Spearman’s correlation. The sample included 4,959 adults, 311 adolescents, and 969 children, all Hispanics. Significant relationships were found between: parents’ countries of origins and FV consumption, X2 (8, N = 963) = 18.29, p < .05; fathers’ immigration status and FF consumption, X2 (6, N = 351) = 15.40, p < .05; adult immigration status and their FF consumption, X2 (6, N = 4,549) = 41.91, p < .05; father’s length of residence and FV consumption, X2 (8, N = 963) = 26.38, p < .05. The findings of this study can be used to guide public health nutrition policy and interventions.