Background: Maternity clinics serve as critical entry points for preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV through antenatal screening, counseling, and referral. Despite the enactment of the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act (Republic Act No. 11166), variations in the delivery of HIV testing and MTCT prevention services persist across health facilities, particularly at the local level. Objective: This study described the awareness, attitudes, and practices of nurses and midwives in maternity clinics regarding HIV testing and MTCT prevention in selected municipalities of Leyte, Philippines. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 90 nurses and midwives from public and private maternity clinics in Ormoc City, Baybay City, Albuera, Inopacan, and Hindang. Data were collected using a validated and pilot-tested questionnaire with acceptable to excellent internal consistency (KR-20 = 0.706–0.894). Analysis was limited to frequencies, and percentages. Results: Overall awareness of MTCT prevention (90.56%) and government HIV laws and policies (94.89%) was high. Attitudes toward HIV-positive pregnant women were mixed: while 61.11% reported feeling at ease in providing care, 91.11% perceived occupational risk. Regarding practices, 65.56% of clinics reported implementing routine HIV testing for pregnant women, with lower uptake of repeat testing and partner testing. Public clinics were more likely to offer HIV testing than private clinics. Reported constraints included financial limitations (41.11%) and legal or regulatory concerns (35.56%). Conclusion: Although maternity clinic staff demonstrated high awareness of MTCT prevention and HIV policies, inconsistencies in testing practices and residual attitudinal concerns were observed, particularly across facility types. These findings provide baseline descriptive evidence that may inform local planning, monitoring, and strengthening of MTCT prevention services.
Background: Cinnamomum mercadoi is a Philippine native cinnamon species with promising bioactive properties. Despite extensive research on the majority of cinnamon varieties, studies regarding the potential of C. mercadoi as a functional food ingredient have not been fully established, particularly in terms of its techno-functional performance in food systems. Objectives: This study developed and characterized microencapsulated C. mercadoi extract using maltodextrin and gum arabic materials, focusing on their functional, physicochemical, and sensory properties. Methods: Microencapsulation was performed via spray drying, employing different wall materials to stabilize the bioactive compounds. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity were determined to assess the retention of cinnamon’s endogenous functional constituents. Physicochemical properties, including moisture content, water activity, solubility, bulk density, and wettability, were analyzed to assess storage stability and applicability in food matrices. Sensory acceptability was evaluated by a trained panel based on color, aroma, texture, taste, and general acceptability, thereby identifying the most desirable formulation. Results: The optimized formulation achieved a TPC of 5.71mg GAE/g and strong antioxidant capacity (72.8% inhibition; 187.1mmol TE/g), indicating effective preservation of bioactive compounds. Significant interactions among carrier ratios and drying temperature influenced moisture content, water activity, solubility, and bulk density. Moisture content ranged from 6.85% to 10.15%, while water activity values (0.40–0.66) suggested favorable storage stability. The powders exhibited good solubility and wettability, supporting compatibility with liquid food systems. Sensory evaluation of selected treatments showed no significant differences (p>.05) in color, aroma, taste, and overall acceptability, with mean hedonic scores corresponding to “like moderately”. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the technological feasibility of producing stable, antioxidant-rich microencapsulated cinnamon extract suitable for functional foods and nutraceutical applications.
Background: Leptochloa chinensis is a major weed in rice that can significantly affect rice due to its competitive nature and difficulty to control, even with herbicides such as metamifop. The use of surfactants can enhance the efficacy of metamifop against L. chinensis. Objectives: A screenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of metamifop applied with nonionic surfactant (NIS) for the control of L. chinensis and the crop response of rice. Methods: L. chinensis and rice (NSIC Rc 222) plants were treated with 37.5, 56.25, and 75 g ai ha-1 metamifop in combination with 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1% v/v NIS when plants were 10 to 13 cm in height. Results: Results showed that the addition of NIS significantly enhanced metamifop activity against L. chinensis, increasing control by 24-40% compared to the herbicide alone. However, phytotoxicity symptoms were observed with injury levels increasing at higher herbicide rates (up to 12% at 75 g ai ha-1) and higher NIS concentrations (up to 13% at 1% v/v NIS). However, symptoms were transient and rice plants exhibited near-complete recovery by 21-28 days after treatment (DAT). Biomass reductions were minimal and rice demonstrated compensatory growth, recovering from early stress regardless of treatment. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the efficacy of metamifop against L. chinensis can be substantially improved by the addition of NIS, particularly at 0.1-0.25% v/v.
Background: Shelf life is strongly influenced by respiration rate; higher respiration accelerates carbohydrate degradation and cellular damage. Strategies to suppress respiration commonly involve combining low-temperature storage with additional physical treatments, often increasing production costs. Consequently, alternative postharvest approaches are needed to regulate respiration efficiently. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of intermittent warming on respiration rate and selected quality attributes of the GP3 pineapple clone. Methods: GP3 pineapple fruits were stored for 8 days under two temperature regimes: (1) constant storage at 7 °C and (2) storage at 7 °C followed by transfer to room temperature on day 3 for 3 days. Observations included respiration rate, fruit temperature, internal browning, electrolyte leakage, total phenolic content, ascorbic acid, weight loss, shell color index, mold incidence, shell dehydration, soluble solid content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), and SSC/TA ratio. Results: Intermittent warming significantly reduced respiration rate (p = .01). Importantly, the temperature-shift treatment did not induce detrimental changes in measured fruit quality parameters during the 8-day storage period. Although transferring fruit to room temperature temporarily increased weight loss, no significant differences were observed after two additional days of storage. Conclusion: These findings suggest that intermittent warming may serve as a cost-effective postharvest strategy to modulate respiration without compromising fruit quality.
Background: Fruit yogurt often undergoes physical and chemical deterioration due to the instability of its texture. Adding natural-based stabilizers, such as fermented sweet potato flour, was investigated as a potential approach for yogurt stabilization. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding different concentrations (0%, 0.5%,1%, 1.5%, 2%, and 2.5% w/w) of fermented sweet potato flour on the physicochemical and sensory properties of salak pondoh fruit yogurt and to determine their best treatment during storage. Methods: Yogurt samples were prepared with varying concentrations of fermented sweet potato flour and analyzed for physicochemical properties, including pH, acidity, water-holding capacity, total soluble solids, viscosity, and syneresis. The growth of lactic acid bacteria was also evaluated. Sensory analysis was conducted to assess overall acceptability. The samples were stored and evaluated over 21 days at 5oC. Results: Significant differences were observed in the physicochemical properties of yogurt supplemented with fermented sweet potato flour. Improvements in viscosity and water-holding capacity and reductions in syneresis were noted with increasing concentrations. Likewise, the growth of lactic acid bacteria increased with higher levels of supplementation. Fermented sweet potato flour at 2.5% resulted in the lowest syneresis without affecting physicochemical properties or overall acceptability. Additionally, yogurt supplemented with 2.5% flour maintained good quality during 21 days of storage. Conclusion: Fermented sweet potato flour at 2.5% can be used as an effective natural stabilizer in salak pondoh fruit yogurt, improving its quality and storage stability.
