Provitamin A carotenoid content of different cultivars of edible pandanus fruit

As part of an overall study to identify vitamin A-rich foods, a study was carried out in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to provide information on production, acquisition, consumption and cultural acceptability of edible pandanus cultivars, Pandanus teetorius, and to identify their carotenoid content. Samples of five pandanus cultivars were collected and analyzed for alpha- and beta-carotene by HPLC. The results showed that the two cultivars with yellow fruit coloration contained low levels of carotenoids, while the orange fruits, which were also well liked as a food in the community, contained higher levels at maxima of 190 mug/100 g and 393 mug/100 g for alpha- and beta-carotene, respectively. Common patterns of intake when the fruit is available show that pandanus can provide a large proportion of estimated requirements of retinol equivalents. Local people were generally unaware that pandanus had health benefits, although the food was very popular. Nevertheless, key informants report that production had greatly decreased in recent years. To reverse this trend, those acceptable cultivars high in carotenoid content should be promoted both for their general enjoyment and their health benefits. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Further analyses on Micronesian banana, taro, breadfruit and other foods for provitamin A carotenoids and minerals

Few Micronesian foods have been analyzed for nutrient content. Information is needed on locally grown, culturally acceptable foods that could be promoted to alleviate, vitamin A deficiency in the Federated States of Micronesia. Using an ethnographic approach that included key informant interviews and observation, Micronesian cultivars with potential for high-carotenoid content according to their coloration were identified. These cultivars of banana, giant swamp taro, breadfruit and other foods were analyzed for alpha- and beta-carotene using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and for nine minerals using inductively coupled plasma (ICP). A wide range of provitamin A carotenoid levels was found in banana, taro, and breadfruit cultivars, some containing very high levels (beta-carotene content from 515 to 6360 mug/100 g in banana, 260 to 1651 mug/100 g in taro, and 295 to 868 mug/100 g in breadfruit, edible portion). Other cultivars contained moderate levels, but as they can be eaten in large quantities, they may contribute significantly to vitamin A status. The taro samples contained very high levels of zinc (mean 5.9 mg/100 g) and significant levels of other minerals (mean content of calcium was 120 mg/100 g). These staples with cultural acceptability and high availability potentially could play a role in vitamin A, micronutrient, and chronic disease programs in the Pacific. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pacific pandanus fruit: an ethnographic approach to understanding an overlooked source of provitamin A carotenoids

Commonly recommended plant sources of provitamin A, such as dark green leafy vegetables, are not acceptable in many population groups. The objective of this study was to identify other indigenous foods that may be effectively promoted to alleviate vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and to gather information relevant to identification, production, acquisition, and consumption of foods relevant to a food-based VAD prevention strategy in the Federated States of Micronesia. An ethnographic study on edible pandanus cultivars, involving key informant interviews and observation was carried out. Analyses revealed a great range in carotenoid content. Several orange-coloured pandanus cultivars, all highly acceptable, contained high levels of carotenoid, almost meeting daily requirements in usual consumption patterns, whereas light yellow-coloured cultivars contained low levels. Availability has decreased substantially in recent years due to increased consumption of imported foods and general neglect of indigenous foods. High-carotenoid pandanus should be promoted for general enjoyment and health benefits.

Snakes and cats in the flower bed: Fast detection is not specific to pictures of fear-relevant animals

The observation that snakes and spiders are found faster among flowers and mushrooms than vice versa and that this search advantage is independent of set size supports the notion that fear-relevant stimuli are processed preferentially in a dedicated fear module. Experiment I replicated the faster identification of snakes and spiders but also found a set size effect in a blocked, but not in a mixed-trial, sequence. Experiment 2 failed to find faster identification of snake and spider deviants relative to other animals among flowers and mushrooms and provided evidence for a search advantage for pictures of animals, irrespective of their fear relevance. These findings suggest that results from the present visual search task cannot support the notion of preferential processing of fear relevance.

Plant-based immunocontraceptive control of wildlife - "potentials, limitations, and possums"

Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), originally introduced from Australia, are spread over 90% of New Zealand and cause major economic and environmental damage. Immunocontraception has been suggested as a humane means to control them. Marsupial-specific reproductive antigens expressed at high levels in edible transgenic plant tissue might provide a safe, effective, and cheap oral delivery bait for immuno-contraceptive control. As proof of concept, female possums vaccinated with immunocontraceptive antigens showed reduced fertility, and possums fed with potato-expressed heat labile toxin-B (LT-B) had mucosal and systemic immune responses to the antigen. This demonstrated that immunocontraception was effective in possums and that oral delivery in edible plant material might be possible. Nuclear transformation with reporter genes showed that transgenic carrot roots accumulate high levels of foreign protein in edible tissues, indicating their potential as a delivery vector. However, prior to attempts at large scale production, more effective immunocontraceptive antigen-adjuvant formulations are probably required before plant-based immunocontraception can become a major tool for immunocontraceptive control of overabundant vertebrate pests. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attentional bias to pictures of fear-relevant animals in a dot probe task

Attentional bias to fear-relevant animals was assessed in 69 participants not preselected on self-reported anxiety with the use of a dot probe task showing pictures of snakes, spiders, mushrooms, and flowers. Probes that replaced the fear-relevant stimuli (snakes and spiders) were found faster than probes that replaced the non-fear-relevant stimuli, indicating an attentional bias in the entire sample. The bias was not correlated with self-reported state or trait anxiety or with general fearfulness. Participants reporting higher levels of spider fear showed an enhanced bias to spiders, but the bias remained significant in low scorers. The bias to snake pictures was not related to snake fear and was significant in high and low scorers. These results indicate preferential processing of fear-relevant stimuli in an unselected sample.

Of snakes and flowers: Does preferential detection of pictures of fear-relevant animals in visual search reflect on fear-relevance?

Previous research in visual search indicates that animal fear-relevant deviants, snakes/spiders, are found faster among non fear-relevant backgrounds, flowers/mushrooms, than vice versa. Moreover, deviant absence was indicated faster among snakes/spiders and detection time for flower/mushroom deviants, but not for snake/spider deviants, increased in larger arrays. The current research indicates that the latter 2 results do not reflect on fear-relevance, but are found only with flower/mushroom controls. These findings may reflect on factors such as background homogeneity, deviant homogeneity, or background-deviant similarity. The current research removes contradictions between previous studies that used animal and social fear-relevant stimuli and indicates that apparent search advantages for fear-relevant deviants seem likely to reflect on delayed attentional disengagement from fear-relevance on control trials.

Cutting management of multipurpose tree legumes: effects on green herbage production, leaf retention and water-use-efficiency during the dry season in Timor, Indonesia

Edible herbage production and water-use-efficiency of three tree legumes (Leucaena leucocephala cv. Tarramba, L. pallida x L. leucocephala (KX2) and Gliricidia sepium), cut at different times of the year (February, April, June and uncut) were compared in a semi-arid area of Timor Island, Indonesia. Cutting in the early and mid dry-season (April and June) resulted in higher total leaf production (P< 0.05) and water-use-efficiency (P< 0.05), than cutting late in the wet-season (February) or being left uncut. For the leucaena treatments removing leaf in the early to mid dry-season reduced transpiration, saving soil water for subsequent regrowth as evidenced by the higher relative water contents of leaves from these treatments. This cutting strategy can be applied to local farming conditions to increase the supply of feed for livestock during the dry season.