Antiobesity effect of healthy food crops and functional foods: A systematic review of their mechanisms.

Diet is a modifiable risk factor in the prevention and management of obesity, and various foods have the potential to aid in obesity management by modulating different pathways involved in the disease's pathology. We performed a systematic review of literature, using CINAHL, PubMed, and Google Scholar, focusing on the antiobesity potential of foods crops and functional food products, and their mechanisms of action and clinical evidence. Sixty-four articles were identified, of which 41 investigated food crops, while 23 investigated functional products. Food crops, such as cereals, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, seaweeds, legumes, herbs, spices, and cocoa seeds, have antiobesity effects through mechanisms such as altering the metabolism of glucolipids by inhibiting enzymes like α-amylase and α-glucosidase, stimulating the bioenergetics of thermogenic fat, modulating gut microbiota, and inhibiting lipogenesis and storage. In addition, developed functional teas, beverages, and yoghurt have antiobesity effects through similar or different mechanisms, such as enhancing energy expenditure and satiety, suppressing adipogenesis and lipolysis, improving glucose and lipid metabolism, and altering hormonal secretion. This review reemphasized the significance of food in the control of obesity, and highlights the distinct methods these explored foods exert their antiobesity effects. In conclusion, foods are safe and effective means of combating obesity without the side effects of conventional drugs, which can help inform dietary choices, assist professionals in providing more accurate advice, and also lead to better understanding of food and its effect on overall health of the public. This approach will eradicate global diseases, especially if more underutilized and indigenous food crops are extensively researched.

Physicochemical properties, anti-nutritional and bioactive constituents, in vitro digestibility, and techno-functional properties of bioprocessed whole wheat flour.

This study investigated the impact of bioprocessing techniques (germination, solid-state fermentation, the combination of germination, and solid-state fermentation) on the physicochemical properties, anti-nutritional and bioactive constituents, in vitro digestibility, and techno-functional properties of whole wheat grains were investigated. Bioprocessed whole wheat flour (WWF) samples and the raw flour (control) were prepared using standard procedures. Proximate, anti-nutritional, mineral and amino acid (AA) compositions, protein digestibility, antioxidant activities, starch characteristics, and techno-functional properties were studied using standard methods. The bioprocessing methods increased (p ≤ 0.05) the protein (13.37-16.84 g/100 g), total dietary fiber, mineral constituents, resistant starch (7.19-9.87 g/100 g), slowly digestible starch, phenolic content, antioxidant activities (ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity), most AAs, and protein digestibility. Also observed were decreases (p ≤ 0.05) in rapidly digestible starch, phytic acid, tannin, and trypsin inhibitor activity. The adopted bioprocessing techniques modified the thermal, functional, color, and pasting properties of the WWF and resulted in molecular interactions in some functional groups, as revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, compared to the raw flour. The combination of germination and fermentation improved the physicochemical (titratable acidity = 4.93%), protein (16.84/100 g) and starch digestibility (resistant starch = 9.87%), antioxidant (FRAP = 78.90 mg/GAE/100 g), and mineral contents (calcium = 195.28 mg/100 g), modified the pasting (peak viscosity = 90.34 RVU), thermal (peak temperature = 64.82°C), and color properties of WWF with reduced anti-nutritional factors. The combination of these processing techniques could serve as a natural and low-cost technique for the modification of whole wheat functionality and subsequently as an improved functional ingredient during food product development.

Complementary nutritional and health promoting constituents in germinated and probiotic fermented flours from cowpea, sorghum and orange fleshed sweet potato.

Germination and fermentation are age-long food processes that beneficially improve food composition. Biological modulation by germination and probiotic fermentation of cowpea, sorghum, and orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and subsequent effects on the physicochemical (pH and total titratable acidity), nutritional, antinutritional factors and health-promoting constituents/properties (insoluble dietary fibres, total flavonoid and phenolic contents (TFC and TPC) and antioxidant capacity) of the derived flours were investigated in this study. The quantification of targeted compounds (organic acids and phenolic compounds) on an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system was also done. The whole cowpea and sorghum were germinated at 35 °C for 48 h. On the other hand, the milled whole grains and beans and OFSP were fermented using probiotic mesophilic culture at 35 °C for 48 h. Among the resultant bioprocessed flours, fermented sorghum and sweet potato (FSF and FSP) showed mild acidity, increased TPC, and improved ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power. While FSF had better slowly digestible and resistant starches and the lowest oxalate content, FSP indicated better hemicellulose, lowest fat, highest luteolin, caffeic and vanillic acids. Germinated cowpea flour exhibited reduced tannin, better lactic acid, the highest crude fibre, cellulose, lignin, protein, fumaric, L-ascorbic, trans-ferulic and sinapic acids. The comparable and complementary variations suggest the considerable influence of the substrate types, followed by the specific processing-based hydrolysis and biochemical transitions. Thus, compositing the bioprocessed flours based on the unique constituent features for developing functional products from climate-smart edibles may partly be the driver to ameliorating linked risk factors of cardiometabolic diseases.

Impact of germination on the techno-functional properties, nutritional composition, and health-promoting compounds of brown rice and its products: A review.

Rice is a popular grain and forms part of the daily diet of people throughout the world. However, the consumption of rice and its products is sometimes limited by its high glycemic index due to its high starch content, low protein content and quality, and low bioavailability of minerals due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors. This has partly stimulated research interest in recent times toward the use of bioprocessing techniques such as germination as cheap and natural means to improve the nutritional quality, digestibility, and health properties of cereals, including rice, to partially achieve nutrition and food security in the developing regions of the world. This review highlights the impact of germination on the nutritional quality, health-promoting properties, and techno-functional characteristics of germinated brown rice grains and their products. The review demonstrated that germinated rice grains and their products have improved nutritional quality and digestibility, modified functional properties, and showed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, and anti-cardiovascular activities. Germination appears to be a suitable bioprocessing method to improve the nutritional quality and bioactive constituents and modify the techno-functional properties of rice grains for diverse food applications and improved global nutrition and food safety.

Analysis of the bacterial and fungal populations in South African sorghum beer (umqombothi) using full-length 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

There is a need to profile microorganisms which exist pre-and-post-production of umqombothi, to understand its microbial diversity and the interactions which subsequently influence the final product. Thus, this study sought to determine the relative microbial abundance in umqombothi and predict the functional pathways of bacterial and fungal microbiota present. Full-length bacterial 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequencing using PacBio single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) technology was used to assess the microbial compositions. PICRUSt2 was adopted to infer microbial functional differences. A mixture of harmful and beneficial microorganisms was observed in all samples. The microbial diversity differed significantly between the mixed raw ingredients (MRI), customary beer brew (CB), and optimised beer brew (OPB). The highest bacterial species diversity was observed in the MRI, while the highest fungal species diversity was observed in the OPB. The dominant bacterial species in the MRI, CB, and OPB were Kosakonia cowanii, Apilactobacillus pseudoficulneus, and Vibrio alginolyticus, respectively, while the dominant fungal species was Apiotrichum laibachii. The predicted functional annotations revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences in the microbial pathways of the fermented and unfermented samples. The most abundant pathways in the MRI were the branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis super pathway and the pentose phosphate pathway. The CB sample was characterised by folate (vitamin B9) transformations III, and mixed acid fermentation. Biotin (vitamin B7) biosynthesis I and L-valine biosynthesis characterised the OPB sample. These findings can assist in identifying potential starter cultures for the commercial production of umqombothi. Specifically, A. pseudoficulneus can be used for controlled fermentation during the production of umqombothi. Likewise, the use of A. laibachii can allow for better control over the fermentation kinetics such as carbohydrate conversion and end-product characteristics, especially esters and aroma compounds.

The Optimisation of Bitter Gourd-Grape Beverage Fermentation Using a Consolidated Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Approach.

The present study adopted a response surface methodology (RSM) approach validated by artificial neural network (ANN) models to optimise the production of a bitter gourd-grape beverage. Aset of statistically pre-designed experiments were conducted, and the RSM optimisation model fitted to the obtained data, yielding adequately fit models for the monitored control variables R2 values for alcohol (0.79), pH (0.89), and total soluble solids (TSS) (0.89). Further validation of the RSM model fit using ANN showed relatively high accuracies of 0.98, 0.88, and 0.82 for alcohol, pH, and TSS, respectively, suggesting satisfactory predictability and adequacy of the models. A clear effect of the optimised conditions, namely fermentation time at (72 h), fermentation temperature (32.50 and 45.11 °C), and starter culture concentration (3.00 v/v) on the total titratable acidity (TTA), was observed with an R2 value of (0.40) and RSM model fit using ANN overall accuracy of (0.56). However, higher TTA values were observed for samples fermented for 72 h at starter culture concentrations above 3 mL. The level of 35% bitter gourd juice was optimised in this study and was considered desirable because the goal was to make a low-alcohol beverage.

Effect of variety and malting conditions on proteolytic activity, free amino nitrogen, and soluble protein contents of two maize varieties (Atp-Y and Coca-sr): amylolytic activity and physico-chemical and functional properties of optimal sample.

Introduction: The utilization of sprouted meals in beer production and enhancing the physicochemical properties of supplementary foods is widespread in Africa. This work aimed to determine the influence of soaking, germination, maturation and variety conditions on the physicochemical properties, proteolytic activity, free amino nitrogen (FAN) and soluble protein contents of Coca-sr and Atp-Y maize varieties. Methods: To achieve this, the central composite design (CCD) was used for the optimization of five parameters, namely soaking time (18-42 h), plant salt concentration (0.5-1.2%), soaking temperature (25-41°C), sprouting time (80-195 h) and ripening time (17.50-42 h), and following dependent variables were investigated: proteolytic activity, FAN content and soluble protein. Optimal samples flours obtained were then subsequently subjected to physicochemical and functional analysis. Results: The analysis of results showed that the linear, interactive and quadratic effects of the factors significantly (p<0.05) affected the proteolytic activity, FAN and soluble protein contents of both varieties. The direction of each factor's variation and its effects were not similar in the two varieties. The optimal malting conditions were 7.31 h soaking with 1.678% vegetable salt at a temperature of 34.65°C followed by sprouting for 245.59 h and maturation for 0.765 h for the Atp-Y variety. For the Coca-sr variety, it requires 1.608 h of soaking with 1.678% vegetable salt at a temperature of 51.93°C followed by 273.94 h and 58.73 h for sprouting and ripening time respectively. The meals of Coca-sr produces using these optimal conditions showed a significantly (p<0.05) higher proteolytic activity, FAN and soluble protein content. The amylolytic activity was more pronounced in the Atp-Y variety, as was the content of essential amino acids. The above optimal conditions reduced the content of anti-nutrients (phytates, saponins, oxalates, condensed and hydrolysable tannins), improved the availability of minerals (Ca and Mg), reduced the pH, mass density, water retention capacity and swelling rate. Conclusion: As a result, the optimal flours of these two maize varieties could be applied in the formulation of supplementary foods, bakery products and beer by industrialists.

Nutritional and physicochemical changes in two varieties of fonio (Digitaria exilis and Digitaria iburua) during germination.

Germination is a cheap and effective bioprocessing technique used for improvement of the nutritional, physicochemical and health-promoting properties of seeds. The benefits of germination on two fonio varieties (Digitaria exilis and Digitaria iburua) have not been studied. This study investigated the nutritional and physicochemical changes in two varieties of fonio germinated for 24, 48 and 72 h at 28 °C. The antioxidant, protein and starch digestibility, functional, pasting, and thermal properties were also determined. Germination over time (24, 48, 72 h) significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the protein, ash, total dietary fiber, majority of the amino acids, minerals, protein digestibility, resistant starch, total phenolics and antioxidant activities while phytic acid, tannin, saponin and digestible starch contents decreased in both varieties. Germination significantly increased water and oil absorption capacity, and slightly modified pasting and thermal characteristics while bulk density decreased in both varieties. The principal component analysis revealed germination time to be the key determinant in the physicochemical, nutritional, and techno-functional characteristics of fonio rather than variety, with raw and 24 h germinated grains having similar attributes. The study established that germination improved the nutritional, antioxidant, and techno-functional properties of Digitaria exilis and Digitaria iburua, which can serve as novel food ingredients for product development.

Application of a generative adversarial network for multi-featured fermentation data synthesis and artificial neural network (ANN) modeling of bitter gourd-grape beverage production.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have in recent times found increasing application in predictive modelling of various food processing operations including fermentation, as they have the ability to learn nonlinear complex relationships in high dimensional datasets, which might otherwise be outside the scope of conventional regression models. Nonetheless, a major limiting factor of ANNs is that they require quite a large amount of training data for better performance. Obtaining such an amount of data from biological processes is usually difficult for many reasons. To resolve this problem, methods are proposed to inflate existing data by artificially synthesizing additional valid data samples. In this paper, we present a generative adversarial network (GAN) able to synthesize an infinite amount of realistic multi-dimensional regression data from limited experimental data (n = 20). Rigorous testing showed that the synthesized data (n = 200) significantly conserved the variances and distribution patterns of the real data. Further, the synthetic data was used to generalize a deep neural network. The model trained on the artificial data showed a lower loss (2.029 ± 0.124) and converged to a solution faster than its counterpart trained on real data (2.1614 ± 0.117).

Germinated Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) flour as an ingredient in wheat bread: Physicochemical, nutritional, and sensory properties of bread.

Wheat flour (WF) was substituted with germinated Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) flour (GBF) at different proportions (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%) and used in the preparation of bread. The dough mixing, pasting, and gelatinization properties of the blends were evaluated as well as the nutritional quality, in vitro starch digestibility, phytochemical constituents, antioxidant potential, color, texture, and sensory properties of breads. All the wheat dough containing GBF had higher water absorption capacity, gelatinization temperatures, dough development time, low peak, and setback viscosities. The composite breads had significantly higher dietary fiber, minerals, protein digestibility, corrected amino acid scores, resistant starch, slowly digestible starch, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activities and caused significant reduction in rapidly digestible starch content. The addition of up to 15% GBF had no significant impact on the specific volume of wheat bread. Substitution of WF with GBF influenced color and texture properties of bread. Wheat bread supplemented with 20% GBF had significantly higher scores in taste, aroma, and overall acceptability. This study demonstrated the potential of GBF as a functional ingredient in bread making. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study provides a suitable possibility of partial substitution of wheat flour with germinated Bambara groundnut, to develop functional and acceptable bread. The dough mixing and pasting results in this study would add to knowledge on the dough handling characteristics as there is limited information regarding the mixing properties of wheat dough with germinated Bambara groundnut.

Dataset of metabolites extracted from African walnut (Tetracarpidium conophorum) using two different solvents.

A variety of walnut known as Tetracarpidium conophorum is widely cultivated in several parts of Africa for its edible nuts. These nuts have been reported for their huge antioxidant, anti-obesity, and anti-depressant potentials, but remain underutilized due to their poor storage and preservation. This is why the nuts are mostly cooked and consumed as snacks whenever in season. This data article reports the untargeted metabolite profile of boiled and dried African walnut extracted using two different mixtures of solvents. The raw nuts obtained from a local market in Osun State, Nigeria, were processed by cooking for 20 min, deshelled, diced, dried at 60 ± 2 °C for 6 h, and stored until further analysis. The dried walnut samples were extracted with acetonitrile/methanol/water (40:40:20 v/v/v) and methanol/water (80:20 v/v) as solvents, before being analysed by gas chromatography high-resolution time of flight mass spectrometry (GC-HRTOF-MS) system. Data obtained from the analysis were further classified into different compounds, including alcohols, esters, hydrocarbons, phytosterols, vitamins, and many more. Their retention time, observed ion mass-to-charge ratio, molecular formula, and average peak areas were also reported. These data thus serve as a source of metabolites comparison for other walnuts, may be useful for the identification of functional compounds available in this neglected food crop, and encourage its utilization in developing functional foods.

Seasonal and Geographical Impact on the Mycotoxigenicity of Aspergillus and Fusarium Species Isolated from Smallholder Dairy Cattle Feeds and Feedstuffs in Free State and Limpopo Provinces of South Africa.

This study evaluated the impact of seasonal and geographical variations on the toxigenicity of Aspergillus and Fusarium strains previously isolated from smallholder dairy cattle feeds and feedstuffs sampled during summer and winter in the Free State and Limpopo provinces of South Africa (SA). In total, 112 potential toxigenic fungal species were obtained and determined for their capability to produce mycotoxins on solid Czapek Yeast Extract Agar (CYA); followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Our result revealed that 41.96% of the fungal species produced their respective mycotoxins, including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), and zearalenone (ZEN), with higher levels of AFB1 (0.22 to 1045.80 µg/kg) and AFB2 (0.11 to 3.44 µg/kg) produced by fungal species isolated from summer samples than those in winter [(0.69 to 14.44 µg/kg) and (0.21 to 2.26 µg/kg), respectively]. The same pattern was also observed for AFB1 and AFB2 in Limpopo (0.43 to 1045.80 µg/kg and 0.13 to 3.44 µg/kg) and Free State (0.22 to 576.14 µg/kg and 0.11 to 2.82 µg/kg), respectively. More so, ZEN concentrations in summer (7.75 to 97.18 µg/kg) were higher than in winter (5.20 to 15.90 µg/kg). A similar observation was also noted for ZEN in Limpopo (7.80 to 97.18 µg/kg) and Free State (5.20 to 15.90 µg/kg). These findings were confirmed via Welch and Brown-Forsythe tests with significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher mycotoxin levels produced by fungal strains obtained in samples during summer than those in winter. In contrast, the concentrations of mycotoxins produced by the fungal species from both provinces were not significantly (p > 0.05) different.

Structure, in vitro starch digestibility and physicochemical properties of starch isolated from germinated Bambara groundnut.

This study investigated the effect of germination time (0, 24, 48 and 72 h) on the physicochemical characteristics, in vitro starch digestibility and microstructural changes in Bambara groundnut starch. The starch yield, lightness (L*) value, amylose content and resistant starch contents of isolated starches decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with increasing germination time. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that starch from raw and germinated Bambara grains were smooth with no evidence of starch degradation and were mainly oval shaped, with some granule's irregular and kidney shaped. Water absorption capacity (1.33-1.90 g/g), swelling power (2.12-16.53 g/g), solubility index (1.14-13.04 g/g), and dispersibility (75.92-86.47%) greatly increased as germination timed increased. Germination did not alter the X-ray diffraction pattern (Type-A) but increased the relative crystallinity of the starches. The peak gelatinization temperatures (73.23-73.91 °C) of starch from germinated Bambara were significantly higher than native starch (72.81 °C). Native starch and starch from germinated Bambara grains had substantially high proportion of resistant starch (approx. 73%) and high pasting temperatures (approx. 88 °C). Conclusively, germination significantly changed starch structure at molecular level and impacted functionality.

The potential role of Piper guineense (black pepper) in managing geriatric brain aging: a review.

Brain aging is one of the unavoidable aspects of geriatric life. As one ages, changes such as the shrinking of certain parts (particularly the frontal cortex, which is vital to learning and other complex mental activities) of the brain may occur. Consequently, communications between neurons are less effective, and blood flow to the brain could also decrease. Efforts made at the biological level for repair become inadequate, leading to the accumulation of ß-amyloid peptide in the brain faster than its probable degradation mechanism, resulting in cognitive malfunction. Subsequent clinical usage of drugs in battling related brain-aging ailments has been associated with several undesirable side effects. However, recent research has investigated the potential use of natural compounds from food in combating such occurrences. This review provides information about the use of Piper guineense (black pepper) as a possible agent in managing brain aging because of its implications for practical brain function. P. guineense contains an alkaloid (piperine) reported to be an antioxidant, anti-depressant, and central nervous system stimulant. This alkaloid and other related compounds are neuroprotective agents that reduce lipid oxidation and inhibit tangles in the brain tissues.

Physicochemical properties, in vitro digestibility, antioxidant activity and consumer acceptability of biscuits prepared from germinated finger millet and Bambara groundnut flour blends.

The formulation of new food products with high nutritional quality and functionality is gaining global attention. The physicochemical properties, in vitro digestibility, antioxidant activity and consumer acceptability of biscuits produced from germinated finger millet (GFM) (Eleusine coracana) and Bambara groundnut (GBGN) (Vigna subterranea) flour blends were investigated. As the proportion of GBGN flour increased in the biscuit samples, protein, in vitro protein digestibility (80.52-89.20 %), slowly digestible and resistant starch, total phenolic content and antioxidant activities increased significantly, while rapidly digestible starch, starch hydrolysis index, glycemic index and phytic acid decreased. Addition of GBGN also positively influenced the physical attributes of the biscuits. The blending of 80% GFM with 20 % GBGN resulted in a biscuit with acceptable sensory qualities such as taste, aroma, appearance, crunchiness, and overall acceptability. This study showed that GFM and GBGN flour blends could serve as functional ingredients to produce better products.

Variability in metabolites produced by Talaromyces pinophilus SPJ22 cultured on different substrates.

BACKGROUND: Several metabolites released by fungal species are an essential source of biologically active natural substances. Gas chromatography high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-HRTOF-MS) is one of the techniques used in profiling the metabolites produced by microorganisms, including Talaromyces pinophilus. However, there is limited information regarding differential substrates' impacts on this fungal strain's metabolite profiling. This study examined the metabolite profile of T. pinophilus strain SPJ22 cultured on three different media, including solid czapek yeast extract agar (CYA), malt extract agar (MEA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA) using GC-HRTOF-MS. The mycelia including the media were plugged and dissolved in 5 different organic solvents with varying polarities viz.: acetonitrile, dichloromethane, hexane, 80% methanol and water, and extracts analysed on GC-HRTOF-MS. RESULTS: The study revealed the presence of different classes of metabolites, such as fatty acids (2.13%), amides (4.26%), alkanes (34.04%), furan (2.13%), ketones (4.26%), alcohols (14.89%), aromatic compounds (6.38%), and other miscellaneous compounds (17.02%). Significant metabolites such as acetic acid, 9-octadecenamide, undecanoic acid methyl ester, hydrazine, hexadecane, nonadecane, eicosane, and other compounds reported in this study have been widely documented to have plant growth promoting, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and biofuel properties. Furthermore, T. pinophilus grown on PDA and MEA produced more than twice as many compounds as that grown on CYA. CONCLUSION: Thus, our result showed that the production of essential metabolites from T. pinophilus is substrate dependent, with many of these metabolites known to have beneficial characteristics, and as such, this organism can be utilised as a sustainable and natural source for these useful organic molecules.

Dataset on effect of decolourisation on metabolomic profile of Moringa oleifera leaf powder.

Moringa leaf has been widely used in the enrichment of staple foods due to its high nutritional value and hypoglycaemic, immune boosting, antiviral, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. However, the acceptability of these products is generally low due to the green colour imparted by the colour of Moringa leaf. Decolourisation of the leaves may improve the acceptability of the food products. The decolorisation process may not only change the chlorophyll concentration of the Moringa leaves but also its other chemical components. The data set describes the effect of decolourisation on the metabolites present in Moringa leaf powder. The raw and decolourised samples were extracted with methanol/water (80:20 v/v) and analysed using a gas chromatography-high resolution time of flight-mass spectrometer (GC-HRTOF-MS). The metabolites identified were classified based on their functional group into acids, alcohols, aldehydes, amides hydrocarbons, phenols, phytosterols, vitamins and others. The data presented can be useful in identifying functional compounds available in Moringa-based foods and understanding the effect of decolourisation on the metabolite profile.

3D food printing improves color profile and structural properties of the derived novel whole-grain sourdough and malt biscuits.

Presentation of foods is essential to promote the acceptance of diversified and novel products. This study examined the color profile, browning index (BI), and structural properties of 3D-printed and traditional biscuits from whole-grain (WG) sourdough and germinated flours. The processed flours and composite/multigrain flours comprising cowpea sourdough (CS) and quinoa malt (QM) were used to prepare the snacks, and their structural characteristics were determined. Compared with the traditional biscuits, the 3D-printed biscuits showed considerable distinction in terms of consistent structural design and color intensities. The in-barrel shearing effect on dough biopolymers, automated printing of replicated dough strands in layers, and expansion during baking might have caused the biscuits' structural differences. The composite biscuit formulations had a proportional share of CS and QM characteristics. The 80% CS and 20% QM printed biscuit had a low redness and BI, increased cell volume, average cell area, and total concavity. The 60% CS and 40% QM printed snack showed improved lightness and yellowness, increased average cell elongation, and less hardness. The 3D-printed composite biscuits may be recommended based on their unique structural characteristics. Such attributes can enhance the acceptability of printed foods and reinvent locally prepared meals as trendy, sustainable, and functional foods.

Physical and nutritional properties of black monkey orange fruit and seeds: A preliminary analysis for food processing.

Strychnos madagascariensis is an underutilized South African fruit-bearing tree, with the pulp being the primary consumable component. However, the seeds hold the potential as a food source due to their high nutrient composition. The aim of this study was to determine the physical properties of S. madagascariensis fruit and seeds to aid in food processing equipment development. Fruit physical properties were determined at four progressive ripening stages, as well as the seed physical properties and mineral composition. The pulp contributed the most towards fruit composition across stages of ripeness (c 50%), followed by the rind (c 30%) and seeds (c 20%). Furthermore, significant variations in seed physical properties were observed at progressive maturity stages. The seeds showed significantly greater mineral compositions in unripe-green fruit in comparison to fruit at progressive ripening stages. The data provided may serve as a basis for the development of processing procedures and equipment and suggests that seeds of unripe-green fruit hold greater nutritional benefits.

Physicochemical Properties and Bacterial Community Profiling of Optimal Mahewu (A Fermented Food Product) Prepared Using White and Yellow Maize with Different Inocula.

Mahewu is a fermented food product from maize, commonly consumed in Southern Africa. This study investigated the effect of optimizing fermentation (time and temperature) and boiling time of white maize (WM) and yellow maize (YM) mahewu, with the use of the Box-Behnken-response surface methodology (RSM). Fermentation time and temperature as well as boiling time were optimized and pH, total titratable acidity (TTA) and total soluble solids (TSS) determined. Results obtained showed that the processing conditions significantly (p ≤ 0.05) influenced the physicochemical properties. pH values of the mahewu samples ranged between 3.48-5.28 and 3.50-4.20 for YM mahewu and WM mahewu samples, respectively. Reduction in pH values after fermentation coincided with an increase in TTA as well as changes in the TSS values. Using the numerical multi-response optimisation of three investigated responses the optimal fermentation conditions were observed to be 25 °C for 54 h and a boiling time of 19 min for white maize mahewu and 29 °C for 72 h and a boiling time of 13 min for yellow maize mahewu. Thereafter white and yellow maize mahewu were prepared with the optimized conditions using different inocula (sorghum malt flour, wheat flour, millet malt flour or maize malt flour) and the pH, TTA and TSS of the derived mahewu samples determined. Additionally, amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used to characterise the relative abundance of bacterial genera in optimized mahewu samples, malted grains as well as flour samples. Major bacterial genera observed in the mahewu samples included Paenibacillus, Stenotrophomonas, Weissella, Pseudomonas, Lactococcus, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Massilia, Clostridium sensu stricto 1, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Sanguibacter, Roseococcus, Leuconostoc, Cutibacterium, Brevibacterium, Blastococcus, Sphingomonas and Pediococcus, with variations noted for YM mahewu and WM mahewu. As a result, the variations in physicochemical properties are due to differences in maize type and modification in processing conditions. This study also discovered the existence of variety of bacterial that can be isolated for controlled fermentation of mahewu.