The Impact of Health Information and Technological Intervention on Food quality and Safety: Mitigating Mould Contamination in Black Pepper

Last registered on April 30, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Impact of Health Information and Technological Intervention on Food quality and Safety: Mitigating Mould Contamination in Black Pepper
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015771
Initial registration date
April 28, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 30, 2025, 1:13 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Sri Lanka
Region
Matale

Primary Investigator

Name
Samanmalee Amarawansha
Affiliation
University of Hiroshima
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Daisaku GOTO
PI Affiliation
University of Hiroshima
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Niraj Prakash JOSHI
PI Affiliation
University of Hiroshima
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-02-19
End date
2025-10-31
Keywords
Agriculture, Behavior, Other
Additional Keywords
Information, Health, Technology, quality, Safety
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Mould contamination and the presence of mycotoxins in spices like black pepper pose a significant threat to food quality and safety, with serious implications for public health. Mycotoxins, toxic compounds produced by certain fungi, can lead to both acute and chronic health problems, including immune system suppression and cancer. Spices are especially prone to contamination due to their vulnerability during post-harvest handling. To mitigate these risks, proper post-harvest practices are essential. Health information dissemination and the introduction of simple technological introduction, such as moisture management, have the potential to improve these practices by addressing issues like inaccurate moisture assessment, one of the key factors contributing to fungal growth and toxin production. While prior research has largely focused on cereals and grains and produced mixed findings, there is limited understanding of how similar interventions influence food safety behaviors in spice production.
This research aims to examine the impact of health information provision (focused on mycotoxins) and a technological intervention (moisture management) on the adoption of post-harvest practices that reduce mycotoxin risk and mold contamination in black pepper, using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design.
Through this experimental approach, we can bridge the existing gaps and contribute to the development of more effective, evidence-based interventions in the field of post-harvest quality and safety improvement in black pepper.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Amarawansha, Samanmalee, Daisaku GOTO and Niraj Prakash JOSHI. 2025. "The Impact of Health Information and Technological Intervention on Food quality and Safety: Mitigating Mould Contamination in Black Pepper." AEA RCT Registry. April 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15771-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This trial examines the impact of providing health-centric information and introducing moisture management practices as technological interventions on the quality and safety enhancement of black pepper production.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Overview: This randomized controlled trial evaluates the impact of two interventions, provision of health-centric information and moisture management as technological intervention , on the quality and safety enhancement of black pepper.
Treatment Arms:
• Treatment 1 (Health-Centric Information): Participants receive targeted information emphasizing the health risks associated with mycotoxin contamination and practices to mitigate it, in addition to general mycotoxin mitigation information and the standard government post-harvest quality training.
• Treatment 2 (Technological Intervention - Moisture Management): Participants receive information on moisture management designed to reduce mycotoxin risk, measure the moisture content of their dried black pepper production, and take corrective actions if the moisture level exceeds recommended thresholds.This intervention is delivered alongside with general mycotoxin mitigation information and the standard government post-harvest quality training.
• Control Group: Participants receive only the standard government post-harvest quality improvement training without additional information or technological interventions.
Intervention Start Date
2025-02-19
Intervention End Date
2025-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The expected outcomes of this experimental research encompass three key areas. First, it aims to assess behavioral changes among black pepper farmers who have received health information and technological interventions promoting the adoption of post-harvest quality practices that reduce mycotoxin risk. Second, the study seeks to evaluate the prevalence of mould contamination in black pepper following the implementation of the interventions. Lastly, it intends to measure the mould count to gain a more accurate understanding of contamination levels.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study involves providing health information and moisture management as technological interventions as treatments. Then examine the adoption of post-harvest practices that reduce mycotoxin risk through a questionnaire survey. Both a questionnaire survey and laboratory analysis conduct to examine the prevalence of mold-contaminated pepper and the mold count

Experimental Design Details
The study involves 810 black pepper farmers who were randomly selected from a pool of 1,027 willing participants interested in post-harvest quality improvement training. Using stratified randomization based on treatment assignment in a previous Post-Harvest Quality Improvement research study, the farmers were allocated into three groups. Each treatment group consists of 269 farmers, while the control group comprises 272 farmers.
Treatment 1 provides Health-Centric Information on Mycotoxin, and Treatment 2 focuses on Technological Intervention (Moisture Management). It is important to note that both treatment groups receive General Information on Mycotoxin Mitigation, while all three groups receive the Government Training Program on Post-Harvest Quality Improvement.
In the first stage of the research intervention, all three groups received the government training on post-harvest quality improvement. Additionally, Treatment 1 received health-centric information on mycotoxins and leaflet, while Treatment 2 received a brochure on moisture management.
The first evaluation takes place in May, to examine the light berry harvesting. The second evaluation, assessing the adoption of post-harvest practices that reduce mycotoxin risk, occurs in July–August during the main harvesting season. This is followed by the second stage of the research intervention, which is the technological intervention.
The third evaluation is conducted in October and includes both a questionnaire survey and laboratory analysis to examine the prevalence of mold-contaminated pepper and mold count.
Randomization Method
randomization is done by computer generated random number
Randomization Unit
Household
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Household level randomization is done
Sample size: planned number of observations
810 Households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
269 Household Treatment 1, 269 Households Treatment 2, 272 Household Control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Hiroshima, Japan
IRB Approval Date
2025-04-23
IRB Approval Number
HR-LPES-002807
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials