Production, acceptability, nutritional and pasting properties of orange-flesh sweet potato, cowpea and banana flour mix.

Promoting the intake of foods rich in vitamin A is key to combating the increase in vitamin A deficiency. This research focused on the utilization of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (a tuber-based food), cowpea (a pulse), and ripe bananas (a fruit) for the production of flour mix as a means to reduce Vitamin A deficiency in children. Different ratios of sweet potato-cowpea-banana (PCB) mix, resulting in 8 different blended samples, were optimized. The flour mix was evaluated for its overall acceptability, vitamin A content, beta-carotene, and other nutritional and functional properties. The panelists rated the sweet potato-cowpea banana blends labeled PCB8 (60% OFSP, 30% cowpea, 5% ripe banana flour, and 5% sugar) as most preferred and acceptable with average scores of 8.96 points for color, 8.75 points for flavor, 8.88 points for appearance, 8.33 points for taste, 8.07 points for texture, and 8.39 points for overall acceptability on a 9-point hedonic scale. The vitamin A and beta-carotene contents ranged 7.62 to 8.35 mg/100 g and 0.15-0.17 mg/100 g for all blends. A significant difference in the functional properties of the flour mix were observed with an increase in the ratio of sweet potato flour addition. Findings from this study show that the flour mix PCB4 (65% sweet potato, 30% cowpea, and 5% ripe banana flour) was acceptable (8.15) and is recommended based on its vitamin A content (8.35 mg/100 g), nutritional properties, and functional properties. The study showed that locally available food commodities have good nutritional value that will help reduce vitamin A deficiency in children.

Fermented Gluten-Free Multi-Grain Cereal Paste Development: The Role of the Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) as a Dietary Supplement.

Vitamin A deficiencies is a becoming persistent among young children and a growing concern to parents in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in crisis-affected areas. Fermented cereal paste from maize, millets, and sorghum grains are significant food for young children. Thus, the study focuses on food fortification using orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) as fortifier as studies have confirmed the presence of nutrients that can help meet the Vitamin A dietary requirement. The cereals were soaked ambient temperature (27 ± 1°C) for 72 hours and were blended with OFSP (90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50), and the formulated products were studied for Vitamin A, ß-carotene, proximate composition, physicochemical, functional properties, and storage. Application of OFSP as forticant increased the Vitamin A (4.98-6.65 mg/100 g), ß-carotene (0.10-0.17 mg/100 g) and the calorific value (222.03-301.75 kcal) of the gluten-free multi-grain cereal paste. The addition of OFSP also increased the ash content (1.41%-3.35%), crude fiber (2.56%-4.225%), carbohydrate (39.83%-48.35%), total solid content (55.20%-60.87%), and water absorption capacity (112.20%-137.49%) of the formulated cereal samples. The fortified fermented paste was objectively stable throughout on the shelf from the storage studies. The study deduced that addition of orange-fleshed sweet potato to fermented mixed cereal paste as a fortifier can help increase the nutritional quality of the complementary food.

Optimum Boiling Duration and Its Effect on Nutritional Quality and Acceptability of Mechanically Dehulled Unfermented Locust Bean Seeds.

Most locust bean processing is still carried out locally in Africa. Dehulling is one of the major challenges encountered in traditional processing of locust bean seeds. Boiling time prior to dehulling is vital for nutritional status of locust bean. Hence, this study explored the influence of boiling duration before dehulling on the nutritional quality of mechanically dehulled locust bean seeds. The samples were subjected to four different boiling durations (1∼4 h) and the resulting effects on the overall acceptability, proximate composition, mineral content, and pH were evaluated. Locust beans boiled for 2 h and dehulled at the speed of 398 rpm gave the highest crude protein content, crude fiber, crude fat, and ash content. The pH ranged from 5.48 to 5.77, while boiling improved the mineral content ranging from 0.25∼0.48 mg/100 g (potassium), 16.80∼28.00 mg/100 g (calcium), 3.85∼6.73 mg/100 g (sodium), and 40.00∼52.40 mg/100 g (magnesium). The tedious labour during dehulling of locust bean seeds can be reduced at 398 rpm dehulling speed without adversely affecting the slightly acidic status and nutritional quality; thus enhancing quality and overall acceptability. Adoption of boiling raw locust bean seeds for 2 h under pressure prior to dehulling is a valuable procedure to eliminate long hours of boiling and tedious labour during local and industrial production.