Arthur (Articles)

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    Climate change and the antinutrient–antioxidant puzzle in common bean seeds
    Vorster, Juan; Cominelli, Eleonora; Sparvoli, Francesca; Losa, Alessia; Sala, Tea; Kunert, Karl J. (Wiley, 2026-02)
    Non-proteinaceous and proteinaceous antinutrients in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seeds can negatively affect human nutrition by reducing mineral bioavailability and impairing protein digestibility during digestion, respectively. However, many of these compounds also possess strong antioxidant properties that can help protect the plant from oxidative stress. While strategies to reduce antinutrient levels have been proposed to enhance the nutritional value of beans, less attention has been given to their potential protective functions, particularly under abiotic stress conditions. In the context of ongoing global climate change - marked by more frequent and prolonged drought and heat stress - there is a significant research gap concerning the influence of these environmental stresses on the accumulation and function of seed antinutrients in common beans. This perspective paper reviews current knowledge on the production of antioxidative antinutrients in response to abiotic stress and highlights the dual role of these compounds. It also outlines key research directions needed to better understand how climate-induced stress may alter antinutrient levels, and the implications this may have for both human nutrition and plant resilience. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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    Reflections on the concept of informal social security and communal lifestyle in South Africa
    Tshoose, Clarence Itumeleng; Letseku, Reuben; Van Eck, B.P.S. (Stefan) (Pretoria University Law Press, 2025)
    This article investigates how the notion of informal social security and communal lifestyle has played a significant role in sustaining the livelihood of indigenous people in South Africa. Reflecting on various indigenous informal social security safety methods, the article demonstrates how indigenous communities have used these safety nets and indigenous knowledge systems in their quest to survive against all odds. Informal social security refers to self-organised family, community or informal sector coping mechanisms. The article argues that these tailor-made traditional informal social security practices play an invaluable parallel role in the formal social security systems in South Africa. It is submitted that in many instances, these traditional safety nets serve an important complimentary role to existing formal social security measures for poor communities. The article further contends that this is crucial for poor indigenous peoples' well-being. Through informal social security initiatives, indigent households in South Africa have lessened the scourge of poverty, unemployment, inequalities, floods, and recently also the negative effects of HIV/AIDS and the COVID-19 pandemic. The article concludes by examining the challenges facing indigenous informal social security systems and makes some recommendations regarding these challenges.