https://journalafsj.com/index.php/AFSJ/issue/feed 2026-09-17T10:25:58+00:00 Asian Food Science Journal [email protected] Open Journal Systems <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Asian Food Science Journal (ISSN: 2581-7752)</strong> aims to publish high quality papers (<a href="https://journalafsj.com/index.php/AFSJ/general-guideline-for-authors">Click here for Types of paper</a>) on all aspects of Food research. By not excluding papers based on novelty, this journal facilitates the research and wishes to publish papers as long as they are technically correct and scientifically motivated. The journal also encourages the submission of useful reports of negative results. This is a quality controlled, OPEN peer-reviewed, open-access INTERNATIONAL journal.<br /><br />This is an open-access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.</p> https://journalafsj.com/index.php/AFSJ/article/view/920 2026-09-08T11:13:29+00:00 Jelili Akorede Quadri [email protected] Arowosaye Mariam Damilola Yetunde Jumoke Osinowo Bilikisu Tunrayo Edun

<p>Adequate maternal nutrition is essential for the health and well-being of both the mother and the developing fetus. However, poor dietary diversity and malnutrition remain important nutritional challenges among pregnant women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study assessed dietary habits, dietary diversity, and nutritional status among pregnant women in urban and rural areas of Oyo State, Nigeria.</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending selected health facilities in Ogbomoso North and Orire Local Government Areas of Oyo State. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, 24-hour dietary recall, and food frequency assessment. Dietary diversity was assessed using the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) indicator, while nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric measurements. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests, with statistical significance set at p &lt; 0.05.</p> <p>Dietary diversity among the respondents was moderate, with a substantial proportion failing to meet the minimum dietary diversity for women. Cereals and starchy staples were the most frequently consumed food groups, while consumption of animal-source foods, fruits, and green leafy vegetables was relatively low. Dietary diversity was significantly associated with educational level, household income, and occupation (p &lt; 0.05). A significant association was also observed between dietary diversity and pre-pregnancy BMI among urban (p = 0.003) and rural (p = 0.024) respondents. Significant associations were further observed between dietary diversity and respondents’ description of their weight before pregnancy in both urban and rural areas (p &lt; 0.001).</p> <p>The study revealed inadequate dietary diversity among a considerable proportion of pregnant women, alongside the coexistence of undernutrition and overweight/obesity. The significant associations between dietary diversity, socio-demographic factors, and pre-pregnancy nutritional status highlight the need for strengthened maternal nutrition education, improved access to affordable nutrient-rich foods, and promotion of diverse diets during pregnancy.</p>

2026-09-08T00:00:00+00:00 Copyright (c) 2026 Author(s). The licensee is the journal publisher. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. https://journalafsj.com/index.php/AFSJ/article/view/921 2026-09-17T10:25:58+00:00 Parthraj Kshirsagar [email protected] Ujwala Bangar Swati Bhutekar Divya Bankar Sandeep Pai

<p>Jaggery is an unrefined sweetener that retains several biochemical and mineral constituents and can serve as a matrix for value addition using plant-derived ingredients. This study prepared sixteen jaggery formulations using sugarcane juice alone or in combination with grape juice, black plum, beetroot, mango, turmeric, cardamom, and honey. The samples were evaluated for pH, electrical conductivity, total carbohydrate, ascorbic acid, total phenolic content, DPPH radical-scavenging activity, and mineral composition using SEM–EDS. The formulations showed acidic pH values ranging from 3.68 to 4.45. Total carbohydrate content ranged from 246 to 966 mg/g, while ascorbic acid ranged from 520 to 1740 mg/100 g. Total phenolic content varied from 24.22 to 68.84 mg/g, and DPPH activity ranged from 0.317 to 0.727 µM. SEM–EDS analysis identified macroelements including calcium, sodium, sulphur, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, together with microelements including zinc, iron, copper, manganese, and molybdenum. The distribution of these constituents varied among the formulations, indicating compositional differences associated with the ingredient combinations used. Overall, the findings show that plant-based value addition produced jaggery formulations with diverse physicochemical, biochemical, antioxidant, and mineral profiles. The results provide a compositional basis for further evaluation of these formulations as value-added jaggery products.</p>

2026-09-17T00:00:00+00:00 Copyright (c) 2026 Author(s). The licensee is the journal publisher. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.