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Elemental composition of teff (a gluten-free grain), maize and wheat: Staple crops in the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley.

ABSTRACT: Teff, maize, and wheat are the major cereals grown in volcanic ash-rich soils of the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) Valley. Teff is a gluten-free cereal native to Ethiopia, used for making a local flat bread called injera, and is getting popularity globally due to its nutritional value (gluten-free and high fiber content). Teff can thus be an alternative diet for the treatment of celiac disease, a lifelong intolerance to gluten. This study aims to assess the distribution of toxic and essential elements in these staple cereals using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and compare with mineral composition of wheat, and maize consumed in the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley. We found significantly higher mean concentrations (in mg/kg) of Mg (1400), Ca (1210), Na (33), Fe (159), Mn (71), Sr (5.6), and Cu (4.8) in teff compared to wheat and maize. Maize had the lowest concentrations of these essential elements. Mean concentrations (in μg/kg) of As (24.7) and Pb (70) in teff were relatively higher compared to wheat and maize, which had similar values of As (4.5) and Pb (8.9). Teff and wheat had similar Cd concentrations (in μg/kg) of 4.8 and 5.4 respectively compared to maize (1.5). Cadmium concentrations were below the Codex standard established for Cd in cereal grains (100 μg/kg). Only one teff sample exceeded the Codex standard set for Pb (200 μg/kg) in cereal grains. This study provides information on nutritional values and food safety of maize, wheat, and teff; the latter is becoming an alternative gluten-free diet for celiac patients in countries where wheat is commonly a staple food.

SUBMITTER: Nyachoti S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8340941 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundKnowledge of the distribution and habitat preference of freshwater snail intermediate hosts can provide information to initiate and set-up effective snail control programmes. However, there is limited research conducted on the factors driving the occurrence and abundance of freshwater snail intermediate hosts in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Hence, in this study, we investigated how environmental and biotic factors influence the occurrence and abundance of the snail intermediate hosts in Ethiopian Rift Valley region.MethodsData on freshwater snails, physico-chemical water quality parameters, physical characteristics of habitat, predators and competitors, and anthropogenic activity variables were collected from 174 sampling sites during the wet season of 2017 and 2018. Generalized linear models were used to identify the main environmental and biotic factors affecting the occurrence and abundance of the snail species.ResultsIt was found that Bulinus globosus (31.7%) was the most abundant snail species followed by Lymnaea natalensis (21.6%), Lymnaea truncatula (15.1%) and Biomphalaria pfeifferi (14.6%). Generalized linear models indicated that physico-chemical parameters (water temperature, turbidity, chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate and ammonia), physical habitat characteristics (water depth, canopy cover, macrophyte cover and substrate type) and biotic factors (abundance of predators and competitors) were found to be the main variables determining the occurrence and abundance of snail species in the Ethiopian Rift Valley region. In terms of anthropogenic activities, human settlement, farming, bathing and swimming, clothes washing, grazing, drainage of land, car washing, boating, fishing and silviculture were also important variables determining the occurrence and abundance of snail species in the region.ConclusionsThe findings reported herein suggest that integrated snail control strategies should be considered to control snails via protection of water bodies from disturbance by anthropogenic activities. In this way, it is possible to reduce the concentration of organic matter and dissolved ions in aquatic ecosystems which are conducive for the presence of snails.

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Elemental composition of teff (a gluten-free grain), maize and wheat: Staple crops in the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley.

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