Production of mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA)-loaded emulsions as chemical barriers to control sunscald in fruits and vegetables

BACKGROUND

Sunscald is a physiological disorder that occurs in many horticultural products when exposed to excessive solar radiation and high temperatures. Traditionally, sunscald is controlled using physical barriers that reflect radiation, however this practice is not always efficient. A possible alternative would be the use of chemical barriers, such as mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), which protect aquatic organisms against ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Thus, this study aimed to develop a lipid-based emulsion containing MAAs for using in the preharvest of horticultural products.

RESULTS

Emulsions were developed using 10% (w/v) of corn oil (CO) and soybean oil (SO), carnauba wax (CW), and beeswax (BW) as lipid bases (LBs). The emulsion containing CW and ammonium hydroxide was the most stable, resembling commercial wax. Therefore, this formulation was used as the basis for the incorporation of the commercial product Helioguard™ 365, a source of MAA, in concentrations of 0%, 1%, 2%, and 4% (v/v). The MAA incorporation resulted in little modifications in the stability of the emulsion, providing an increase in the absorbance with peaks in the UV-B ranging from 280 to 300 nm.

CONCLUSION

The lipid-base emulsion containing MAAs could be used as a chemical barrier to control sunscald in horticultural products. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

The role of mHealth in chronic disease management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background

The burden of non-communicable diseases has been increasing in Sub-Saharan Africa, mainly due to the adoption of behavioral risk factors by the population. At the same time, there has been an exponential growth in the information and communication technologies sector, which has attracted interest in the development of mobile health strategies (mHealth) through the potential use of mobile phones in the management of chronic conditions such as hypertension.

Methods

It was performed a systematic review of the literature using scientific databases (Cochrane, B On, Science Direct, and Google Scholar). Inclusion criteria included: quantitative and qualitative studies developed between 2010 and 2018 in Sub-Saharan African countries, with adult participants of both sexes, diagnosed with hypertension, with access to mobile phones and attending primary health care or outpatient appointments.

Results

Five studies were selected for review (four from South Africa and one from Ghana). However, only two studies managed to obtain results which proved that the use of text messages was efficient and accepted during hypertension treatment, as well as it could allow understanding the factors that influence and hinder therapeutic adherence. Those results were supported by information from a randomized trial (use of clinical comparators as evaluation of blood pressure values during a follow-up period of 12 months) and a qualitative study (self-reported changes in the knowledge and health behavior of 15 participants from focus groups and individual interviews).

Conclusions

There's still a lack of evidence available proving that mHealth can be efficient and feasible in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, it was possible to present a conceptual framework, adapted from the literature, which identifies potential strategies for the use of mHealth in areas of prevention and management of chronic diseases in the region.

Key messages

Provide guidance to improve research about the adoption of mHealth in low and middle-income countries. Promote the potential of this type of technology as a model for mutual health education.