Introduction

The food and nutrition laboratory was established to support those TFNC programmes that need or require laboratory analysis to describe the findings. These programmes include food storage, food development, food industry and standards, nutrition in institutional services, and medical nutrition research. The laboratory develops and adopts a methodology to carry out analyses of foods for nutrients and contaminants, analyses of body fluids for biochemical parameters of importance for the assessment of nutritional status, and research on nutrient interaction and utilization. The laboratory started full operation in 1976. From that period there has been tremendous progress in the development of human resources and analytical procedures. With the acquisition of the necessary and basic equipment as well as expertise the laboratory is now in position to handle advanced analyses than before.

With its existing facilities the laboratory can offer the following services:

Food Chemistry

Analysis of foods for:

• Proximate composition

• Additives (preservatives, colours, sweeteners, etc.)

• Toxins (aflatoxins, cyano-glucosides, fumosins)

• Minerals (Iron, Iodine, Zinc etc.)

• Vitamins (Beta carotene [carotenoids], retinol, B-vitamins, etc). using the High Pressure Liquid Chromatography - HPLC)

• Anti-nutrients (tannins, phytates etc.)

• Nutrient bio-accessibility

Biochemistry (Clinical Chemistry and related fields)

Analysis of body fluids and different biological materials for nutritional assessment for:

Biochemical parameters for assessing nutritional status

• Blood glucose

• Proteins (albumin, pre-albumin, ferritin, C - reactive protein - CRP, acid glycoproteins – AGP etc.)

• Micronutrient assays – minerals (Iron, Iodine, Calcium, Zinc protoporphyrin etc.) and vitamins (A, B group, C, E)

• Metabolic enzymes (amylase, aspartate and alanine transaminases and alkaline phosphatases)

• Metabolic hormones (TSH, T3, T4)

• Haematological parameters (Haemoglobin, Haematocrit etc.)

Parasitological assessment

Screening for diseases that have an influence on the nutritional status of people

• Malaria parasites

• Intestinal helminthes and

• Schistosomiasis - (urinary and intestinal)

Microbiological analyses
Studies on microbes and pathogenic microorganisms that have an influence on the nutritional status of the people.

Identification of  microbes  such as gonococci, salmonella, shigella, klebsiella spp and other important in food industry as well as in clinical nutrition.

• Gram and Ziehl Nielsen staining

• Serological identification of microbes

• Biochemical identification of microbes

• Culture and sensitivity of microbes

Other services rendered are:

• Development of recipes for use in nutritional intervention trials

• Development of methods for use in nutritional surveys