Relationship between quality attributes of backslopped fermented gari and the sensory and instrumental texture profile of the cooked dough (eba).

Knowledge is scarce on the drivers of textural characteristics of cooked dough prepared from gari (eba). To address this need, quality attributes of backslopped fermented gari (BFG) were correlated with the sensory texture profile analysis (STPA) and instrumental texture profile analysis (ITPA) of the eba produced from six cassava varieties. The results showed that a significant and negative correlation exists between the STPA mouldability of the eba and the sugar (p < .05, r = -0.83) and amylose (p < .05, r = -0.86) contents of the BFG. The STPA stretchability of the eba had a significant negative correlation with the bulk density (p < .05, r = -0.83) and a significant positive correlation with the setback viscosity (p < .01, r = 0.92) of the BFG. A significant and negative correlation exists between the STPA stickiness of the eba and the amylose (p < .05, r = -0.84) contents of the BFG. The ITPA adhesiveness of the eba was significant and negatively correlated with the solubility index (p < .05, r = -0.89) and the ash content (p < .05, r = -0.87) of the BFG. The correlation between the ITPA stretchability of the eba and the peak (p < .05, r = 0.83) and breakdown (p < .05, r = 0.88) viscosities of the BFG was significant and positive, while a significant negative correlation (p < .05, r = -0.83) exist between the ITPA stretchability of the eba and the starch content of the BFG. The information provided in this study may assist the breeders in developing varieties with good textural attributes for eba. Practical applications: This study depicts the relationship between the quality attributes of backslopped fermented gari (BFG) and the sensory and instrumental texture profile of the cooked dough (eba). Both the sensory and the instrumental texture attributes of the eba have correlation with the quality attributes of the BFG. Apart from providing information on the drivers of the textural characteristics of eba, this study may also assist the breeders in developing varieties with good textural attributes for eba.

Influence of adding edible termite flour to Ogi powder: its chemical and phytochemical composition.

Ogi, a traditional staple food made from submerged fermented cereal grains, is high in carbohydrates and low in protein. It is essential to conduct this research because termite flour (TF) addition may affect other quality aspects in addition to increasing protein content. Using 100 g of Ogi powder as a control sample, the chemical and phytochemical content of Ogi developed from blends of Ogi powder (OP) (50-100 g) with termite flour (TF) (10-50 g) was assessed using standard methods. The average proximate composition of the supplemented Ogi powder was 9.89% moisture, 3.87% fat, 2.59% crude fiber, 2.42% ash, 15.82% protein, and 65.41% total carbohydrates. Zinc is 3.19 mg/100 g while iron is 2.03 mg/100 g on average. Phytate (0.12 mg/100 g), oxalate (0.06 mg/100 g), saponin (0.73 mg/100 g), and tannin (0.02 mg/100 g) are phytochemical constituents. Though, supplemented Ogi powder of higher protein, ash, and iron contents than those of the control sample could be achieved by blending 50.0 g of OP with 50.0 g TF, 75.0 g of OP with 58.3 g TF, and 39.6 g OP with 30 g TF. However, blending 52.31% Ogi powder and 43.58% termite flour could produce a supplemented Ogi powder with nutritional and phytochemical constituents than those of the control sample. While the product could help lower the rate of protein-energy malnutrition, the supplemented Ogi powder's amino acid, and carotenoid profiles need to be assessed.

Application of natural and modified additives in yogurt formulation: types, production, and rheological and nutraceutical benefits.

Yogurt, a popular fermented dairy product, is of different types and known for its nutritional and nutraceutical benefits. However, incorporating additives into yogurt has been adopted to improve its functionality and nutraceutical properties. Additives incorporated in yogurt may be natural or modified. The incorporation of diverse natural additives in yogurt formulation, such as moringa, date palm, grape seeds and argel leaf extracts, cornelian cherry paste, mulberry fruit and leaf powder, lentil flour, different types of fibers, lemongrass and spearmint essential oils, and honey, has been reported. Similarly, modified additives, such as ß-glucan, pectin, inulin, sodium alginate, and gelatin, are also added to enhance the physicochemical, textural, sensory, and rheological properties of yogurt. Although additives are traditionally added for their technological impact on the yogurt, studies have shown that they influence the nutritional and nutraceutical properties of yogurt, when added. Hence, yogurts enriched with functional additives, especially natural additives, have been reported to possess an improved nutritional quality and impart several health benefits to consumers. These benefits include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, oxidative stress, and hyperglycemia. This current review highlights the common types of yogurt, the production process, and the rheological and nutraceutical benefits of incorporating natural and modified additives into yogurt.

Antioxidant, enzymes inhibitory, physicochemical and sensory properties of instant bio-yoghurts containing multi-purpose natural additives.

This study aimed to assess the antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, physicochemical and sensory properties of instant bio-yoghurts containing multi-purpose natural additives. Multi-purpose natural additives were formulated with three natural additives (sweet detar seed, ginger rhizome, and hibiscus calyx flours, as a thickener, flavourant and colourant, respectively) blends at proportions derived from the Design Expert. The additives' synthetic counterparts were formulated with sodium carboxymethylcellulose, vanilla flavor, and red colourant at the same proportions. After that, yoghurt was produced and the additives blends were incorporated into it either in aqueous extract or flour form, yielding bio-yoghurts designated multi-purpose natural additive extract-containing yoghurt (MNAE-yoghurt), multi-purpose natural additive flour-added yoghurt (MNAF-yoghurt), and their multi-purpose synthetic additives-containing counterparts (MSAE-yoghurt and MSAF-yoghurt). A commercially-available bio-yoghurt served as a control. All the yoghurts were lyophilized to obtain instant bio-yoghurts. Subsequently, bioactive components (total phenolics, tannins, total flavonoids and saponins), antioxidants and enzymes [alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase, and angiotensin 1-converting enzyme (ACE)] inhibitory activities, as well as proximate, physicochemical and sensory qualities of the bio-yoghurts were determined. The MNAE-yoghurt and MNAF-yoghurt had higher bioactive constituents, total titratable acid levels, and more potent antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties, but a lower pH than their synthetic counterparts and the control. The total phenolics, tannins, total flavonoids and saponins levels of MNAE-yoghurt and MNAF-yoghurt were 14.40 ± 0.24 and 16.54 ± 0.62 mg/g, 1.65 ± 0.04 and 1.74 ± 0.08 mg/g, 4.25 ± 0.03 and 4.40 ± 0.02 mg/g, 0.64 ± 0.01 and 0.66 ± 0.02 mg/g, respectively. Among the natural multi-purpose additives-containing bio-yoghurts, MNAF-yoghurt had higher bioactive constituents and stronger antioxidant and enzymes inhibitory properties. Its α-amylase, α-glucosidase, ACE, and pancreatic lipase IC50 values were 72.47 ± 0.47, 74.07 ± 0.02, 25.58 ± 2.58, and 33.56 ± 29.66 µg/mL, respectively. In contrast, MNAE-yoghurt had the highest protein (13.70 ± 0.85%) and the lowest fat (2.63 ± 0.71%) contents. The sensory attributes of all the bio-yoghurts fell within an acceptable likeness range. Overall, the inclusion of multi-purpose natural additives blends enhanced the instant bio-yoghurts' nutritional, health-promoting, and sensory qualities.

Assessment of biochemical, cooking, sensory and textural properties of the boiled food product of white yam (D. rotundata) genotypes grown at different locations.

Specific biochemical properties and textural attributes determine the final quality and acceptability of yam food products. This study assessed the flour and cooking qualities (boiled yam) of sixteen elite white yam genotypes (D. rotundata) grown in three locations. Fresh yam samples were cut into regular-shaped pieces and boiled using the standard procedure. Sub-samples were oven-dried at 65 °C for 72 h and milled to flour. The biochemical profiling for the yam flour showed, on average, 61.35 ± 5.15% starch, 5.35 ± 0.15% sugar, 1.55 ± 0.24% crude fiber, 1.91 ± 0.31% ash, 5.65 ± 0.66% protein, 0.33 ± 0.02% fat and 34.87 ± 1.94% amylose content. The boiled yam's water absorption and cooking time ranged from 0.35 to 5.17% and 7.00-18 min, with an average of 2.74% and 10.64 min, respectively. The hardness of boiled yam from the sensory assay correlated positively with the hardness of instrumental texture analysis (p < 0.001, r = 0.47). In contrast, the hardness of instrumental texture had a significant negative correlation with the chewiness of sensory profile analysis (p < 0.05, r = 0.37). Likewise, water absorption correlated positively and significantly (p < 0.05, r = 0.43) with the chewiness of the sensory analysis. The study shows that the sensory attributes that determine the acceptability of boiled yam could be determined using instrumental measurements to save time and cost.

A review of cassava semolina (gari and eba) end-user preferences and implications for varietal trait evaluation.

The purpose of this review is to support breeders and food scientists by examining research carried out on end-user preferences for gari and its derived dough product, eba, in Africa. The review focused on gari regarding the physical and chemical composition of raw cassava roots, methods of storage, the composition of gari with or without enrichment, and the sensory evaluation of gari and eba. The primary sensory attributes identified to describe gari are colour, taste, texture, aroma and flavour. Texture attribute of importance is crispiness for uncooked gari, and hand feel before consumption for eba. There was a significant correlation between the sensory characteristics of gari and the starch and cyanogenic potential (CNP) contents of the raw roots. Hence, the correlation of the end-user preferences with the chemical composition of the cassava roots could be helpful to breeders in refining selection criteria and developing high-throughput screening methods.

Understanding cassava varietal preferences through pairwise ranking of gari-eba and fufu prepared by local farmer-processors.

Within communities in Osun and Imo States of Nigeria, farmer-processors grew and processed a diverse set of improved and landrace cassava varieties into the locally popular foods, gari, eba and fufu. Local and 15 main varieties were grown in a 'mother and baby trials' design in each state. Mother trials with three replications were processed by farmer-processors renown in their community for their processing skills. Baby trials were managed and processed by other farmer-processors. The objective was to identify food quality criteria to inform demand-led breeding to benefit users, especially women, given their key roles in processing. Farmer-processors evaluated the overall quality of fresh roots and derived food products through pairwise comparisons. Improved varieties had higher fresh and dry root yield. Overall, landraces ranked first for quality of gari and eba, but several improved varieties were also appreciated for good quality. Landraces in Osun had higher gari yield and a higher swelling power compared to improved varieties. Colour (browning), bulk density, swelling power, solubility and water absorption capacity were the criteria most related to food product ranking by farmer-processors. Evaluation of varieties under farmer-processors' conditions is crucial for providing guidance to breeders on critical selection criteria.

Genome of the African cassava whitefly Bemisia tabaci and distribution and genetic diversity of cassava-colonizing whiteflies in Africa.

The whitefy Bemisia tabaci, a species complex consisting of many morphologically indistinguishable species divided into distinct clades, is one of the most globally important agricultural pests and plant virus vectors. Cassava-colonizing B. tabaci transmits viruses that cause cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). Half of all cassava plants in Africa are affected by these viral diseases, resulting in annual production losses of more than US$ 1 billion. Here we report the draft genome of the cassava whitefly B. tabaci Sub-Saharan Africa - East and Central Africa (SSA-ECA), the super-abundant population that has been associated with the rapid spread of viruses causing the pandemics of CMD and CBSD. The SSA-ECA genome assembled from Illumina short reads has a total size of 513.7 Mb and a scaffold N50 length of 497 kb, and contains 15,084 predicted protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that SSA-ECA diverged from MEAM1 around 5.26 million years ago. A comprehensive genetic analysis of cassava-colonizing B. tabaci in Africa was also conducted, in which a total of 243 whitefly specimens were collected from 18 countries representing all major cassava-growing regions in the continent and genotyped using NextRAD sequencing. Population genomic analyses confirmed the existence of six major populations linked by gene flow and inferred the distribution patterns of these populations across the African continent. The genome of SSA-ECA and the genetic findings provide valuable resources and guidance to facilitate whitefly research and the development of strategies to control cassava viral diseases spread by whiteflies.

Assessment of heavy metals and microbial contamination of gari from Liberia.

Cassava is a staple mostly eaten in the form of gari, after rice in Liberia. The local method of gari processing often leads to product contamination, thus, a study was done to assess the heavy metals and microbial contamination of gari in eight counties of the country. A total of sixty-one gari samples were collected and packaged in an airtight polyethylene bag for analyses, using standard methods. Results depict that the mean of the heavy metals in the gari samples is iron (Fe) 43.87 ppm, copper (Cu) 0.94 ppm, zinc (Zn) 5.49 ppm and aluminum (Al) 257.45 ppm. Yellow gari had the highest Fe (64.90 ppm), Cu (1.25 ppm) and Zn (7.85 ppm) content, but with the least Al content (87.15 ppm). The Fe content was lower in groundnut-fortified gari (42.93 ppm), and the Cu (0.70 ppm) and Zn (3.50 ppm) content were lower in groundnut-moringa-fortified gari. The samples and counties have no significant statistical effect (p > .05) on the heavy metals composition of the products. No microbial growth was observed in groundnut-fortified and groundnut-moringa-fortified gari but with coconut-fortified gari having the highest total fungi count of 800 CFU/g. The major fungi identified in the gari samples are Penicillium and Aspergillus spps., but with their counts within the regulated level. Therefore, the gari consumed in Liberia are safe except for the high Fe and Al content, which needs to be addressed with the use of unpainted stainless steel materials as food contact surfaces.

Occurrence of Regulated Mycotoxins and Other Microbial Metabolites in Dried Cassava Products from Nigeria.

Dried cassava products are perceived as one of the potential sources of mycotoxin ingestion in human foods. Processing either contributes to the reduction of toxins or further exposes products to contamination by microorganisms that release metabolic toxins into the products. Thus, the prevalence of microbial metabolites in 373 processed cassava products was investigated in Nigeria. With the use of liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the constituent analysis, a few major mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1 and G1, fumonisin B1 and B2, and zearalenone) regulated in food crops by the Commission of the European Union were found at concentrations which are toxicologically acceptable in many other crops. Some bioactive compounds were detected at low concentrations in the cassava products. Therefore, the exposure of cassava consumers in Nigeria to regulated mycotoxins was estimated to be minimal. The results provide useful information regarding the probable safety of cassava products in Nigeria.

Effect of water yam (Dioscoreaalata) flour fortified with distiller's spent grain on nutritional, chemical, and functional properties.

It was envisaged that the inclusion of treated distiller's spent grain (DSG) to yam flour might increase its nutritional value, with the aim of reducing nutritional diseases in communities consuming yam as a staple. Hence, yam flour was fortified with DSG at 5-35%. The effects of this fortification on the nutritional, chemical, and functional properties of yam flour were investigated. The result showed a significant increase (P ≤ 0.001) in fat, ash, protein, total amino acids, total dietary fiber, and insoluble dietary fiber contents of the blends as DSG increased except for starch and soluble dietary fiber contents, which decreased. The functional properties showed a significant (P ≤ 0.001) reduction with DSG inclusion. The inclusion of DSG increased both the tryptophan and methionine contents of the blends. Therefore, the DSG fortified yam flour could contribute to quality protein intake in populations consuming yam as a staple, due to its indispensible amino acid content.

Effect of storage on the chemical composition, microbiological load, and sensory properties of cassava starch-based custard powder.

The effect of storage on the chemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of cassava starch-based custard powder (CbCP) blends as mixture of yellow-fleshed cassava root starch (YfCRS) (90-98%) and whole egg powder (WEP) (2-10%) was investigated. These were prepared using central composite rotatable design, and separately packaged in polyvinyl chloride plastic can and stored in storage box (30 ± 2°C). The chemical and microbiological analyses of the stored CbCP were evaluated at 3 weeks intervals, while the sensory property was determined at 6 weeks interval for 24 weeks. The result showed that the protein, fat, and the total-ß-carotene contents of the CbCP decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.001) after storage while moisture content and microbiological load increased. All the CbCP sensory attributes were accepted at the end of storage, except taste and color. The CbCP gruel prepared from 94% YfCRS: 0.34% WEP and 90% YfCRS: 2% WEP blends were the most acceptable after storage.