Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Processing and Post-harvest Handling (Food Processing Lab)

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1 Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Processing and Post-harvest Handling (Food Processing Lab) Betty Bugusu Ph.D.,Director

2 Food Processing Lab Goals Overall Goal To develop sustainable market-driven value chains that improve food and nutrition security, reduce losses, and contribute to economic growth for farmers Objectives Improve drying and storage capacity for smallholder farmers Expand market opportunities through diversified processed products that address quality and nutrition Strengthen institutional & human capacities among actors along the value chains, with emphasis on gender sensitive approaches Establish and strengthen public private partnerships to promote technology innovation and adoption Value chains: Cereal, Grain legumes, Nutrient-rich plants Cross cutting themes: Gender and Environment

3 Background: Specific Objectives Drying and Storage Affordable and efficient grain drying Prototype drying technologies Moisture measuring devices Grain storage Hermetic storage (PICS system) Manage mycotoxins in storage Development of supply chain for storage Improved post-harvest handling & logistics field to storage Dissemination/commercializ ation Processing and Nutrition Expand grain markets in urban/rural areas through application of food technology Improve nutritional quality of food products Iron, zinc, and vitamin A Enable a market-pull for food fortification Support entrepreneurism

4 Summary of Technologies and Innovations Drying and Storage Hygrometer - Moisture detection device Aflatoxin reducing innovations Solar dryers: Multipurpose solar dehydrator (45 kg wet maize per batch) Drying trays or baskets (5 kg wet maize per tray) Picosolar crop Dryer (POD) targeting smallholder farmers Processing and Nutrition Incubation centers disseminate food processing and nutrition technologies Entrepreneurship Increased bioavailability of shortfall micronutrients Iron, zinc, Vitamin A (in vitro cell culture studies) Extrusion technology Fortified instant products

5 Low-Cost Moisture Determination Method: Hygrometer-based Cost ~$1.00 Calibrated & tested for grain moisture measurement Has received interest from various stakeholders ranging from traders to venture capitalists for optimizing and adopting

6 Impacts of drying and storage intervention in Southern Senegal Average aflatoxin levels in maize by Intervention group (in ppb) after 3-4 months Training on good post-harvest practices Low cost moisture meter (hygrometer) Cost: $2.00 Plastic tarp for safe drying Cost: $3.25 per 10m 2 Statistically different from control and statistically equivalent at 10% level. Statistically different from all other groups at 5% level. Low cost moisture meter (hygrometer) Cost: $2.50 Aflatoxins are a big problem in our sample o 23% above US legal limit of 20 ppb o 29% above 20 ppb in control group o Biggest effect is adding PICS bag to intervention

7 Solar Dryers Multipurpose Solar Dehydrator Picosolar crop Dryer (POD) Energy saving solar dehydrator & power generator unit Cabinet and meshed hygienic drying trays Capacity kg/day On-farm drying of perishable crops into high quality shelf stable value-added foods Tested on fruits, vegetable, and maize Hygienic drying trays Can be used independently of the multipurpose dehydrator Design Criteria Capacity ~100 kg/day Uses 20 Watt solar panel & 12 Volt battery) Sales price (at scale) ~ $75-100/unit Drying Time 24 hr (daytime only) Version 2: Plastic injection molded nestable trays Battery powered (solar panel optional) with heater

8 Processing Innovations Mechanize Traditional Processes Novel Processing Equipment: Low-cost Extrusion Technology

9 Developing Fortified Instant Cereal Porridges Fortified with Natural Fortificants Mango Carrot Hibiscus Baobab (Bouy) Moringa (Lam)

10 Entrepreneurship: Technology based Incubation Centers Services Offered Training Technical /business skills Process demonstrations Testing learned skills with oversight Exceptional support Business and market consultation Equipment repair Limited facility use Optimized product output Continuous R&D Scale-up support Farmer organizations

11 SENEGAL Working with entrepreneurs New and improved products Training processors in Dakar Equipment fabrication hub KENYA Initiated Incubation Center Training in cereal processing and entrepreneurship Product development NIGER Initiated Incubation Center Fully functional processors Equipment fabricators Job opportunities Incubation Centers: Use and Impacts

12 Purdue-led Incubator Model Diffusion out to remote villages Lebda, B. Faso Rural Incubation Centers Basic food processing technologies Women associations Detailed training processing/nutrition Establishment of rural markets Market access for smallholder farmers Sustainable aspect NIAMEY IC Sherkin Haoussa, Maradi, Niger Central Incubation Center at INRAN Food processing technologies R&D Women association Detailed training processing/nutrition Staff food technologists, economist, nutritionist, communication specialists Tera, Niger Falwell, Niger Gadan Iya, Maradi, Niger

13 What Incubation Center Scale-up Would Look Like And replication in other countries..

14 FPL Capacity Building Progress Long-term: 23 graduate students 14 male and 9 female 16 Ph.D. and 6 Masters Short-term: 4659 Train-the-trainers: 59 - extension agents govt. and NGOs 16 scientists and undergraduate students Farmers and processors Food Processing Incubation Center in Kenya Equipped with food processing equipment Extrusion technology

15 Optimize Nutritional Attributes of Crops: Sorghum/Millet Phytochemicals Macronutrients Satiating (fullness feeling) Extended nutrient delivery to the body Reduces stomach emptying rate May reduce second-meal food intake Potential to use in a promotion campaign for increased use in urban areas Sorghum/millet are healthy foods, not just for poor people

16 Senegal Intervention Summary: Aflatoxin results by treatment group Number of samples (% of samples within each treatment group) Samples analyzed 0 ppb 20 ppb Mean* 1) Control (31%) 70 (29%) ) Training Only (39%) 64 (21%) ) 2 + Hygrometer (40%) 70 (24%) ) 3 + Plastic sheet (34%) 95 (26%) ) 4 + PICS bag (40%) 58 (15%) TOTAL 1, (37%) 357 (23%) *The 134 samples that measured > 100 ppb (the test limit) were calculated at 100 ppb. 1. Aflatoxins are a big problem in stored maize in our sample. o 23% above US legal limit of 20 ppb (27% above Senegal/EU limit of 10 ppb) Statistically different from control and statistically equivalent at 10% Statistically level. different from all other groups at 5% level. 2. Our drying and storage interventions had a significant impact reducing aflatoxin levels. 3. Biggest impact from including PICS bags intervention. o Seems to be a link in farmers minds between good storage technologies and good drying practices.