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Four Nigerian wheat flours were purchased in Bauchi and Jos central markets. A preliminary survey of Nigerian bread, using a questionnaire, was carried out within the Bauchi metropolis. The four flours were used to produce bread, the volume index and sensory quality of the products were assessed and the data subjected to analysis of variance, p ≤q 0.05. A very high percentage of those examined (90.2 percent) consume bread, though only 52.2 percent do so regularly. Softness, sweet taste, and the slight brown colour of these bread qualities were given greater preference. The proximate analysis of these wheat flours range from 12.59‐12.81 (moisture), 12.36‐14.20 (crude protein), 1.40‐2.40 (crude fibre), 1.57‐1.72 (lipids), 0.79‐0.81 (ash), 0.34‐0.44 (calcium), 0.07‐0.08 (phosphorous). The volume index of the breads produced are 3.8, 3.6, 3.45 and 3. The sensory quality (colour, texture, flavour) were significantly affected, p ≤q 0.05, by the variety of the wheat flour.

Acha and millet were cleaned, steeped in water, washed and spiced. Dry, granulated sweet potato was added and wet milled to produce a slurry. Two‐thirds of the slurry were gelatinized by the addition of boiled water and allowed to stand for two hours before the temperature was dropped to 50°C. The third part of the fresh slurry was added, mixed and allowed to stand for 12 hours, filtered through a cloth and sweetened by sucrose to produce kunun zaki. The effect of the two grains on the physiochemical properties (viscosity, total soluble solids, total solids, acidity, protein, fat, ash, moisture, carbohydrate and specific density) and sensory (colour, taste, odour, texture) quality were assessed. The physiochemical properties of the two grains were relatively similar. The mean scores for the flavour (odour and taste) are significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) with the acha based kunun zaki being more acceptable.

The pearl millet kernels were sorted, dehulled, wined, grown, sieved (to produce millet flour), mixed with defatted groundnut concentrate (10, 20, … 50 per cent), spiced (2 per cent – ginger, clove and red pepper), conditioned (with water), weighed into 20g pices, molded, steamed for 30 minutes, mashed to a smooth dough, molded back to a ball, coated with maize flour ready for use. The effect of the added groundnut on the physico‐chemical (moisture, protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate) and sensory (flavour, colour, texture) quality were evaluated. There was an increase in the moisture (19.60‐23.90 per cent), protein (12.69‐20.18 per cent), fat (2.27‐2.51 per cent), ash (2.8‐3.18 per cent), but a decrease in the carbohydrate (62.65‐50.23 per cent). Also, there is a decrease in the mean scores of the texture (7.05‐5.45 per cent) but an increase in that of colour (6.50‐7.15 per cent) with an increase in the added groundnut concentrate (0‐50 per cent). The mean score for odour and taste decreased at above the 40 per cent added groundnut concentrate.

Acha (Digitaria exilis staph.) grain was purchased locally from Jos central market in Plateau State of Nigeria. The grain was washed, destoned, oven (cabinet)‐dried, dry milled, sieved and used as acha grain flour to substitute for wheat flour for the production of biscuit. The physical (spread ratio, break strength, weight) and sensory (colour, taste, odour, texture) qualities of the biscuit were determined. The spread ratio increases (5.95 to 7.33), while the bread strength decreases (1.97 to 1.49) with the increase in the acha grain flour percentage. The effects were generally significant at above 30 per cent substitution (p≤0.05).

This paper examined briefly the background to food taboos and food habits. These food taboos and habits have great impact on the health of the Nigerian community. Sometimes, the taboos continue even among the educated members of the society. Most of the foods tabooed in Nigeria work against the least privileged and immunocompromised, i.e. women, pregnant women, children and the elderly. These groups of people are deprived of sometimes the cheapest source of protein. This paper had collected some of these taboos and where possible the reason(s) why the foods are avoided. For some of the foods, the area where the avoidance is rampant is indicated. The list will help agencies and individuals effectively fight these food taboos. Possible solutions were also suggested. Taking or consuming these foods will improve the nutritional status of Nigerians.

To enlighten the food consumers and drug users as to some of their incompatibilities.

Examples from the literature covering compositions of food‐drug, food‐drug interactions, and dietary habits were collected from former works.

Major side‐effects of some diet(food) on drugs include alteration in absorption by fatty, high protein and fiber diets. Drugs such as methateiate, pyrimethamine, isonicotinic acid and asprin alter the transportation of some nutrients. Nutrient supplementations was found to be beneficial.

Possible factors affecting the reactions need to be identified.

It helps food consumers and drug users to avoid using some of these materials and also to adopt nutrient supplementation as a better alternative where possible.

The knowledge helps food technologists, nutritionists, physicians and pharmacists to serve the public better.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the acceptability of an identified staple product enriched with amaranth grain, a traditionally used wild plant familiar to most of the population, after households’ food security status revealed that the majority of them were either at risk or food insecure.

A two-phase non-experimental, quantitative survey design with purposive sampling was used to explore the variety of foods consumed and the food security status of lower skilled (n=63) and higher skilled (n=81) income-earning households. During the second phase, recipe development and sensory acceptance of bread enriched with grain amaranth (n=91) were determined. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data.

Food insecurity was evident among the majority of the lower skilled income households while nearly one in four households in both groups were at risk to become insecure. Daily consumption of chicken and maize meal was evident in lower income households while the frequency in higher income households were significantly less. Bread was found to be the most consumed food product among all households (p=0.001; r=0.455). Supplementation of wheat flour with amaranth flour, a nutritious traditionally familiar wild plant, to support households’ food consumption was investigated. Results from sensory evaluation panels revealed that both bread samples with different percentage of amaranth flour (15 and 25 per cent) were acceptable.

The most important contribution of this study is the re-introduction and incorporation of a traditional food, amaranth, into a modern frequently consumed food to support households’ nutritional and monetary demands to ultimately contribute to general well-being and household food security.

The purpose of this paper is to examine food taboos/habits and dietary patterns of pregnant women in Kenya.

In all, 205 individual 24-h recall interviews were conducted face to face to collect information on pregnant women dietary intake. Women focus group discussions were conducted in seven villages in Kakamega County to determine which foods are avoided during pregnancy and the reasons for avoiding them.

The concept of “baby becoming big” was common advice to pregnant women to reduce intake of large amounts of starchy or high caloric foods. Restriction on the consumption of some parts of cow and chicken and consumption of eggs was widespread. Women with the highest education had significantly higher intake than women with lower education: energy (1,718 vs 1,436 kcal, p = 0.007), protein (45 vs 38 g, p = 0.03), vitamin C (59 vs 39 mg, p = 0.000), calcium (275 vs 222 mg, p = 0.04) and iron (8.5 vs 7.2 mg, p = 0.03). Multivariate binary logistic regression showed that participants with higher education were more likely to reach estimated average intake for energy (OR = 2.82, 95 per cent CI = 1.2-6.5) and vitamin C (OR = 4.1, 95 per cent CI = 1.5-11.0) than women with lower education level.

The observed link between reduced intake of nutrients and low education levels suggests that education is a possible intervention strategy. Incorporating nutrition education in school curriculum and improving knowledge on nutrition among women with low education may help overcome unhealthy food taboos in pregnant women.

This review provides an overview of the applications of Bambara groundnuts in various food products. The genetic diversity, physical properties and chemical compositions of the crop are also elucidated.

This paper critically reviewed the physicochemical properties and applications of Bambara groundnuts from recent literature.

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is a drought-tolerant crop from West Africa that contains not only carbohydrates and fats but is also high in protein. The cultivars of Bambara groundnut can be distinguished by the colours of seeds, which range from red, blue-eye, brown and black-eye. Bambara groundnuts contain carbohydrate (57–67%), protein (15–25%), fat (4–8%), fibre (1.4–1.5%) and ash (2.9–4%). As a percentage of protein, the essential amino acids, lysine, methionine and cysteine are relatively high in Bambara groundnuts. Meanwhile, linoleic, palmitic and linolenic acids are the fatty acids present in this crop.

Several studies have shown that Bambara groundnuts can be used as fat substitutes, emulsifiers, water binders, bulking agents and thickeners due to its water and oil absorption properties, gelling, pasting, emulsifying and foaming abilities. Bambara groundnuts are used in the development of many intermediate or final products like flour blend, cookies, bread and fermented milk. It has a positive impact on the overall proximate, functional, mineral and amino acid profiles of the food products.

Despite its high nutrient density, Bambara groundnuts are an underutilised legume due to unavailability and lack of knowledge among consumers on its benefits. There is a need to promote the use of Bambara groundnuts as a future food.

Given the diversity which exists among various groups of consumers, the purpose of this paper is to explore students' consumption of non‐alcoholic beverages in Nigeria.

Three focus groups and 20 in‐depth interviews were conducted with students in three universities located in Lagos, Nigeria.

Initial findings indicate that these students' consumption of non‐alcoholic beverages is influenced in many ways. Nevertheless, the most striking of these influences are found to be convenience of purchase, along with availability, price, health concerns, and culture/social reasons.

The main contribution of the study lies in the relevance of segmentation, targeting, and positioning activities of business organisations in respect of marketing of non‐alcoholic beverages. Based on the findings, the empirical study will serve as a valuable input to marketers in their planning, analysis, and implementation of appropriate marketing strategies to students vis‐à‐vis the highlighted influences on their consumption of this category of food. It will thus serve as a tool for creating competitive advantage in this prevailing volatile business environment.