Table of Contents

“Discover how Kenya’s Lake Victoria fisherfolk are benefiting from hybrid solar-biomass dryers to reduce postharvest losses and aflatoxin contamination in omena fish. Learn about JKUAT’s USAID-funded project and its impact on food security and economic empowerment.”

Fisherfolk along the shores of Kenya’s Lake Victoria will soon benefit from a new research initiative that will improve the postharvest drying of silver cyprinid fish, locally known as omena. The project, seated at the Department of Food Science and Technology at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), also aims to valorise value-added products and boost the supply chain.

The project, to the value of about KES60 million (just under US$0.5 million) started in January 2025 and will run for three years. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the American Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish at the Mississippi State University, is providing the funds, JKUAT News reported on 21 January 2025. The recent freeze of US aid has not yet halted the project, but it might be delayed, University World News was told in February.

According to the report, the research should improve economic empowerment and food security of communities living on the banks of the Lake Victoria basin. Omena (Rastrineobola argentea) is a staple food for low-income communities.

The initiative involves the installation of “improved hybrid solar-biomass dryers to facilitate prompt drying of landed omena irrespective of the prevailing weather”, JKUAT News reported. “About 15 beaches are targeted for installation of solar dryers in Migori, Homa Bay, Kisumu, Siaya, and Busia counties.”

The research activity, called ‘Scaling Postharvest Technologies for Kenyan Inland Fisheries’ is led by Professor Nelson Ojijo of the Department of Food Science and Technology at JKUAT. Ojijo also headed a related pilot project in Kisumu and Busia counties between 2021 and 2024, funded by the European Union through the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa.

Aflatoxin poisoning

The pilot was aimed at finding a way to combat aflatoxin contamination in food, thus reducing postharvest loss and ensuring good health and improved livelihoods for East African communities. These toxins are produced by fungi (Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus), which are abundant in warm and humid regions of the world.

The toxins are common in crops such as maize, peanuts, cottonseed, tree nuts and can also occur in fish when they are not safely stored after harvest. This includes omena. Studies conducted in Kenya revealed that aflatoxin levels in omena exceed the maximum allowable levels.

A study conducted in Kenya and published in the Journal of Food Quality in September 2020, revealed that aflatoxin levels in omena exceed the maximum allowable levels. Omena intended for fish feed production was contaminated the most (46.93g/kg). The fish intended for human consumption also contained levels of aflatoxins exceeding permissible levels (19.42g/kg) as set by the East Africa standard for food safety.

JKUAT’s project, AIRTEA, aimed to combat the elevated levels of aflatoxins. According to Ojijo, prolonged consumption of foods contaminated with aflatoxins poses significant health risks that include stunted growth in infants, liver cancer and reduction in cognitive abilities.

Consumption patterns

“In 2004, there were about 317 cases, and 125 deaths reported in the then Makueni District after people consumed aflatoxin-laden maize meal,” Ojijo told University World News. “This is a case of acute aflatoxicosis. The aflatoxin LD50 rate [the dosage level that causes 50% of an exposed group to die] for animals is between 0.5mg/kg and 10mg/kg of the animal’s weight.

“The severity of the situation led to the establishment of a dedicated department called Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa by the African Union, to educate people on the dangers of aflatoxins and develop strategies for countries to be able to manage aflatoxins in produce like cereals or fish.”

Ojijo said: “The Lake region communities traditionally consumed more omena but, nowadays, its consumption is nationwide with packaged dried or deep-fried products appearing in supermarkets everywhere. The consumption patterns have changed rapidly due to postharvest value-added processing, changing incomes and food habits, and increased accessibility due to growing numbers of supermarket and open-air outlets.” This means that more people could be exposed to contaminated omena.

Ojijo explained that high moisture content in cereals and fish (caused by prolonged drying times or moisture absorption during storage) is a key factor in the growth of aflatoxins.

“In fish, the toxins occur when the fish takes too long to dry, especially during damp weather. Prolonged drying allows for the rapid growth of the fungi on the fish and subsequent aflatoxin formation. The optimal conditions for fungal growth are temperatures of about 37°C with humidity above 85%, conditions that are typical at the beaches on the Lake Victoria shores,” he said.

Solutions found

JKUAT’s solution to this problem, through AIRTEA, is a process that begins by soaking fresh omena in a hypertonic solution (water mixed with high concentrations of salt and vinegar), followed by spreading the fish on racks inside a hybrid solar dryer.

“We have designed, fabricated and installed a total of four hybrid solar-biomass dryers at the two project sites in Dunga Beach, Kisumu, and Marenga Omena Beach in Port Bunyala, Busia. The solar dryers are intended to dry omena to safe residual moisture content (ie, below 12%) within two hours,” Ojijo said.

The dryer, developed in collaboration with agricultural engineers from JKUAT, has drastically reduced omena drying time which usually took eight hours, thus curbing fungal growth and preventing aflatoxin formation and contamination. The dryer is especially handy during cloudy and wintry weather.

“In addition, we have developed certain pre-drying treatments such as washing in potable water and soaking for predetermined intervals in hypertonic solutions and marinades to reduce the moisture content and microbial load in the landed omena before committing the batches to the solar dryers. The marinades also enhance the flavour appeal of the dried omena samples,” he added.

Training sessions

The fishing communities the ‘Scaling Postharvest Technologies for Kenyan Inland Fisheries’ research targets, will learn techniques to reduce postharvest losses and improve the quality of the product. This will expand market opportunities, according to JKUAT News. “These training sessions will also ensure proper use and maintenance of the drying structures.”

The multidisciplinary collaboration team includes Dr William Achia (Georgia Southern University, USA), Dr Peter Oduor-Odote and Dr Cyprian Ogombe Odoli (Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), and Dr Geoffrey Ochieng’ Otieno and Dr Florence Gatwiri Kiburi (JKUAT).

The project will also support the establishment of small- to medium-scale businesses focused on producing and marketing value-added silver cyprinid products through multi-stakeholder partnerships.

https://farmerstrend.co.ke/trending/hybrid-solar-dryer-initiative-set-to-boost-supply-of-silver-cyprinid-fish/https://farmerstrend.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot-2024-06-01-at-19-42-32-Solar-Dryer-Catalogue-BioAfriq-Energy-2024-with-prices-Solar_Dryer_Catalogue_N_-_BioAfriq_Energy_2024_with_prices-1-.pdf.pnghttps://farmerstrend.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot-2024-06-01-at-19-42-32-Solar-Dryer-Catalogue-BioAfriq-Energy-2024-with-prices-Solar_Dryer_Catalogue_N_-_BioAfriq_Energy_2024_with_prices-1-.pdf-150x150.png2025-02-16T10:16:55+00:00FarmersTrend# Trendingaflatoxin contamination,aflatoxin prevention,African fisheries,climate-resilient technology,economic empowerment,fish consumption patterns,fish contamination,fish drying advancements,fish drying advancements Kenya,fish drying benefits,fish drying benefits Africa,fish drying best practices,fish drying best practices Kenya,fish drying case study,fish drying case study Africa,fish drying challenges,fish drying challenges Kenya,fish drying efficiency,fish drying efficiency Africa,fish drying equipment,fish drying equipment Kenya,fish drying future,fish drying future Africa,fish drying impact,fish drying impact Africa,fish drying innovations,fish drying innovations Kenya,fish drying methods,fish drying methods Africa,fish drying optimization,fish drying optimization Africa,fish drying process,fish drying process Africa,fish drying racks,fish drying research,fish drying research Africa,fish drying solutions,fish drying solutions Africa,fish drying solutions Kenya,fish drying strategies,fish drying strategies Kenya.,fish drying success stories,fish drying success stories Kenya,fish drying sustainability,fish drying sustainability Kenya,fish drying systems,fish drying systems Kenya,fish drying techniques,fish drying techniques Kenya,fish drying technology,fish drying technology Africa,fish drying time,fish drying trends,fish drying trends Kenya,fish feed production,fish health risks,fish marinades,fish market opportunities,fish moisture content,fish nutrition,fish processing training,fish quality improvement,fish storage solutions,fish supply chain,fish value chain,fisherfolk empowerment,Food security,fungal growth prevention,hybrid solar dryers,hypertonic solution,JKUAT research,Kenya fish exports,Kenya fish industry,Kenya fisheries,Kenya food habits,Kenya food safety,Kenya inland fisheries,Kenya marine research,Lake Victoria,microbial load reduction,multidisciplinary collaboration,omena fish,Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa,postharvest drying,postharvest losses,postharvest technologies,Rastrineobola argentea,silver cyprinid,small-scale businesses,solar-biomass dryers,sustainable agriculture,USAID-funded project,value-added processing'Discover how Kenya’s Lake Victoria fisherfolk are benefiting from hybrid solar-biomass dryers to reduce postharvest losses and aflatoxin contamination in omena fish. Learn about JKUAT’s USAID-funded project and its impact on food security and economic empowerment.'Fisherfolk along the shores of Kenya’s Lake Victoria will soon benefit from a...FarmersTrendjohn doefarmerstrend@gmail.comAdministratorFarmers Trend Ltd.