The acceptability of ‘Star Yellow,’ a Cameroonian functional food that could curb the spread of the COVID-19 via feces

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite the World Health Organization’s publication of different measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, new cases are reported daily. These protective control measures put in place assumed that transmission of COVID-19 was mediated essentially through droplets released from the nasal and respiratory secretions of infected persons. Recent scientific evidence however puts forward the occurrence and shedding of active COVID-19 virus in stools of infected persons. The present study tested the acceptability of an improved version of the ‘Yellow soup’ which contains ingredients/spices with known antibacterial/antiviral properties. (Figure presented) Methods: Star Yellow was made by using a palm oil/limestone base to which was added spices /ingredients rich in zinc and known for their antiviral/antibacterial activity. Sensory evaluation of the resulting mixture was done by a taste panel comprising habitual eaters of ‘Yellow soup’ using a hedonic scale of 1 to 5. Results and Conclusion: Sensory assessment of Star Yellow showed a mean acceptability of 77.4% compared to 54.8% obtained for the commercial Yellow Soup served in restaurants. This indicates the acceptable taste of Star Yellow and opens up potential new avenues of research in the control of SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission via feces.