CSIR-Food Research Institute: annual report 2012

Abstract

Food Research Institute (FRI) is tasked to provide technical, analytical services, contract research and consultancy services to governmental agencies, micro-medium and multinational agro-food processing industries and international development agencies. Technologies generated by conducting market-oriented applied research are aimed at meeting the demands of the private sector and socio-economic development. The targeted goal of the Institute for the past year is to assist in poverty alleviation through the creation of opportunities for generating and increasing incomes within the micro, small, medium and large-scale agro-food industries, which also contribute to food security, foreign exchange earnings and the application of cost-effective food processing technologies that are environmentally friendly. The year 2012 saw a new Director for the Institute in the person of Dr. Nanam Tay Dziedzoave, he assumed office on 16th January 2012. Ten long-serving staff either voluntarily or compulsorily retired. They included Dr. P.N.T Johnson, Dr. John T. Manful, Mr David Asiedu and Ms. Christiana Ketsie all of them had served more than 30 years at the institute. About 30 research projects were being executed in 2012. These included Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA), West Africa Agricultural Productivity Project (WAAAP) Alternative Flours Project, WAAPP Yam Processing Project, Improving Post-Harvest Quality and Packaging of Rice, Sorghum Millet and Cassava Products to Enhance Marketability in West Africa, World Food Programme (WFP)-Community Based Cereal Milling and Fortification Programme, Africa Rice Project, Rice Sector Support Project (RSSP), Cassava G-market Project, Gratitude Project, WAAPP 2A, and AFTER Project. Internal research projects carried out included the "Micronutrient enrichment of meals fed to pupils using highly nutritious and low-cost underutilized fish under the school feeding programme in Ghana", "Development of high yielding strains of Pleurotus species through hybridization ", "Growth and yield performance of exotic species and strains of Pleurotus cultivated under Ghanaian conditions part 2", "Growth and yield of three Pleurotus species on rice straw", and "Edible and medicinal mushrooms as functional foods in Ghana". The Institute still maintained its accreditation status to ISO 17025 test methods under the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS). Both the chemistry and microbiology divisions continued to provided analytical services to industry. The Chemistry division analysed 549 samples.The Toxicology Unit of the Chemistry Division analysed 233 samples for aflatoxin against 262 samples for the year 2011. The microbiology division analysed more than 2000samples for clients in 2012 as against 1,728 samples in 2011. Ten research reports, ten journal papers, two conference posters, five consultancies and a numbers of media reports and a book were produced in the year. Major collaborators of the different projects carried out at the Institute included the United Nations-Food and Agricultural Organization (UN-FAO), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Natural Resources Institute (NRI) of the UK, University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, Legon and Agriculture and Industry related CSIR Institutes. The total income for the period amounted to three million, five hundred and fifty four thousand, seven hundred and forty -one Ghana cedis (GH¢3,554,741.00) of which 86% represents income from government sources