https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/2727 2026-06-26T22:51:28Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32644 Determination of the nutritional and phytochemical composition of monsonia burkeana (special tea) and its potential anti-proliferative effects on cancer cell lines Ngwenya, Sandile Manzi Traditional medicinal plants have long been used to treat ailments in humans and animals. Africa is rich in such plants, many of which have been studied for bioactivities like anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects, though many remain uncharacterized. Monsonia burkeana (“special tea”) is widely consumed for its health benefits, usually as a decoction. Its antimicrobial properties are known; however, its phytotoxicity and antiproliferative activities remain underexplored. Elucidating these could benefit both traditional medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. This study aimed to investigate the effects of drying methods on the nutritional composition of special tea, identify bioactive compounds in its crude extract, and evaluate antiproliferative activities in cancer cell lines, offering insights for pharmaceutical development and commercial potential. The specific objectives included assessing nutritional composition, profiling bioactive compounds, and testing cytotoxicity against lung, colorectal, and liver cancer cell lines. Samples from Sekhukhune, Lanseria, Brits, and Rietondale were dried using shade, oven, and freeze-drying methods. Nutritional elements were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), phytochemicals profiled using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and anticancer properties evaluated through the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and caspase-3 activity assays. The results demonstrated a consistent elemental composition across all regions, with all 24 elements present in each sample and collection region. NMR analysis identified phenols, alkyls, esters, and ethers, while GC×GC/TOF-MS detected various bioactive compounds, including oxalic acid, β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, phytol, squalene, and vitamin E. LC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of additional key phytochemicals such as castalagin, vescalagin, acutissimin B, epicatechin, citroside, trifolin, 1,6-digalloyl-beta-D-glucopyranose, 5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-{[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxy}-4H-chromen-4-one, and puerarin 4',6''-diacetate. The MTT assay revealed significant cytotoxic activity against lung and liver cancer lines, however, activity against the colorectal cancer cell line was lower compared to that demonstrated against the other two cancerous cell lines. In conclusion, the combination of essential micro- and macronutrients, bioactive phytochemicals, and demonstrated cytotoxic effects against cancer cell lines highlights the medicinal value of M. burkeana plants. The study provides strong evidence that Monsonia burkeana is a promising alternative for cancer treatment. These findings not only validate its traditional use and benefits over the years but also highlight its potential for pharmaceutical applications. 2025-11-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32629 Investigation of egg quality characteristics of Ross 308 broiler breeder chickens Nkune, Achy Poultry products such as chicken eggs and meat continue to have an important economic impact and are important to the growth of a country`s economy. Moreover, poultry products are globally consumed in greater quantities than any other source of animal protein, because they are reasonably priced. Ross 308 broiler chicken is the best breed of chicken nationally which was bred specifically for meat. Poultry breeders focus on egg characteristics in their selection process for reproduction, because poor egg quality results in economic losses during production. This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of egg quality traits, the correlations among these factors, how the egg weight influences egg quality traits, and to estimate the weight of the egg from egg quality traits in Ross 308 broiler breeder chickens. A total of 1000 eggs were purchased from Daybreak Farm in Bela Bela Local Municipality, Limpopo province of South Africa to conduct the study. Eight external traits of egg quality, including egg length, egg width, shell weight, shell index, shell surface area, unit surface shell weight and shell ratio, and five internal egg quality traits such as yolk weight, albumen weight, albumen ratio, yolk ratio and yolk/albumen. The descriptive statistics were used to quantify the egg quality traits, and the correlation between weight and quality traits of egg was investigated using Pearson`s correlation, One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to investigate which egg quality traits are affected by egg weight and stepwise regression analysis was used to come up with best fit model to predict egg weight from egg quality traits. The descriptive statistics revealed that egg weight had a minimum and maximum value of 32.59 g and 98.25, g respectively. Egg length had a minimum value of 46.61 mm and a maximum value of 70.36 mm, and yolk weight had a minimum value of 5.31 g and a maximum value of 34.02 g. One-way ANOVA revealed that egg weight has a substantial effect (p < 0.05) on egg length, egg width, shell weight, shell index, shell surface area, unit surface shell weight, shell ratio, yolk weight, albumen weight, albumen ratio, yolk ratio and yolk/albumen. Pearson’s correlation findings displayed that egg weight had a highly positive, remarkable association (p < 0.01) with egg length, egg width, shell weight, unit surface shell weight, albumen weight, yolk weight, yolk ratio and yolk/albumen. In addition, negative correlation (p > 0.05) was identified between egg weight and shell index, shell ratio and albumen ratio. Stepwise regression findings revealed that the model, including yolk weight, yolk ratio, albumen ratio and albumen weight, was the best-fitted model (R2 = 1.00 and RMSE = 0.05) for estimation of egg weight. The model including yolk weight, albumen weight and yolk ratio was the second best (R2 = 1.00 and RMSE = 0.34). The study concludes that the improvement of yolk weight, yolk ratio, albumen weight and albumen ratio might improve the egg weight of the Ross308 broiler chicken breed. The results of this study may be useful to farmers in considering egg quality traits during breeding to improve the egg weight of Ross 308 broiler breeder chickens. 2026-04-28T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32625 Determinants of biogas adopton and its impact on livehoods: evidence from Domboshava, Zimbabwe Chawarika, Admire This study investigates the socio-economic determinants of biogas technology adoption among livestock farmers in Domboshava, Zimbabwe and examines its impact on rural livelihoods. Despite Zimbabwe's potential for renewable energy technologies, biogas adoption remains limited, particularly in rural areas facing persistent energy poverty. This research addresses key knowledge gaps regarding technology uptake barriers and livelihood outcomes in developing country contexts. The study employed a mixed-methods targeting randomly selected 368 respondents, however 370 livestock farming households were interviewed and formed the basis for the analysis utilizing descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression, multinomial logistic regression and multiple linear regression for analysis. Qualitative methods, comprising institutional mapping and stakeholder analysis, were employed to complement the quantitative findings, drawing on data from 25 key informant interviews. Socio-economic variables included gender, age, education, remittances, asset ownership, non-farm income, land size, livestock units, energy costs, access to credit and extension services. A composite livelihood index was developed to measure multidimensional welfare outcomes. Analysis using binary and multinomial logistic regression revealed that off-farm income, land size, access to credit, gender, livestock units, energy costs, and extension services significantly influenced biogas adoption, while energy costs and livestock ownership were relatively weak predictors. Similarly, farmers’ plans to adopt biogas were strongly affected by income, land size, credit access and the availability of information. Multiple linear regression further indicated that biogas adoption significantly enhances household livelihoods, particularly in terms of energy security, income diversification and overall welfare. Based on these findings, the study proposes a tailored institutional framework that emphasizes coordinated roles for government, NGOs, financial institutions and local communities to promote biogas adoption and its contribution to sustainable livelihoods. Policy recommendations include targeted financial mechanisms, improved extension services, gender-sensitive strategies and cross-sectoral coordination. These insights offer valuable guidance for scaling renewable energy solutions and advancing sustainable rural development in Zimbabwe and Africa. 2025-08-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32520 Antidiabetic, antioxidant activities and metabolomics profile of amaranthus caudatus and amaranthus hypochondriacus De Villiers Snyman, Niel Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder caused by efficient insulin utilization by the body. Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common underlying causes of high mortality rates among adults and children in the world. Diabetes can be treated by using oral antidiabetic medicines. The main aim of this study was to to assess and compare the metabolomic profiles and antidiabetic activities of Amaranthus caudatus and A. hypochondriacus. In this study, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) was used to chemically profile the untargeted metabolites of Amaranthus caudatus and A. hypochondriacus leaves. Thirty-one (31) compounds were reported, with most of the annotated compounds being similar across both Amaranthus species. Alanine, leucine, trehalose, trigonelline, and chlorogenic acid, to name just a few, were annotated in both Amaranthus species. Trigonelline has been found to be high in concentration in A. caudatus and low in concentration in A. hypochondriacus. Another compound that was annotated in this study, chlorogenic acid (CA), was higher in A. caudatus than in A. hypochondriacus. The antidiabetic activity of this study demonstrated that methanol extracts of both A. caudatus and A. hypochondriacus leaves had moderate α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. According to the IC50 values of α-glucosidase, acarbose (positive control) had an IC50 value of 1.274 mg/mL, which was lower than any of the plant extract values. The IC50 value of the plant extracts against α-glucosidase ranged from 6.71 mg/mL (A. hypochondriacus green variety) to 8.39 mg/mL (A. caudatus), respectively. Only the A. hypochondriacus (green variety) extract showed activity against α-amylase with the IC50 value of 4.32 mg/mL, which was higher than acarbose (positive control), which demonstrated an IC50 value of 0.23 mg/mL. This study demonstrated that A. caudatus and the two varieties of A. hypochondriacus, A. hypochondriacus red (AHR) and A. hypochondriacus green (AHG), respectively, have considerable antioxidant activity as evidenced by the ABTS radical scavenging assay. The methanol extracts showed dose-dependent inhibition of free radicals. The IC50 values of A. caudatus, A. hypochondriacus red variety and A. hypochondriacus green variety were 0.06 mg/mL, 0.03 mg/mL and 0.04 mg/mL, respectively, when tested using the ABTS radical scavenging assay. Vitamin C (positive control) showed an IC50 value of 5.5 μg/mL. 2025-05-01T00:00:00Z