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The purpose of this study is to nutritionally evaluate complementary food formulated from fermented maize, pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) and soybean.

Maize, pigeon pea and soybean were the sole energy and protein sources, respectively. Experimental diets consist of dietary Basal (A), fermented maize–soybean–pigeon pea 70:15:15 (B), fermented maize–soybean 70:30 (C), fermented maize–pigeon pea 70:30 (D) and Nutrend (E) a commercial dietary. A commercial product (Nutrend) manufactured by Nestle Plc was obtained at Orisunmibare central market, Oshogbo, Osun State, Nigeria, and was used as standard diet. The formulated complementary foods were fed to 30 albino rats for 28 days.

The results showed that the average weight gained increased for dietary B, C, D and E (73.8-142.60, 73.8-98.26, 73.8-93.62 and 73.8-91.86, respectively), but diet A caused a decrease from 73.8 to 62.72 g. Protein qualities of dietary samples including biological value (BV; 94.26-98.67), true digestibility (TD; 72.55-80.46), net protein utilization (NPU; 71.72-76.53), protein efficiency ratio (1.63-3.49), feed efficiency (0.16-0.35), net protein ratio (2.49-4) and protein retention efficiency (46.38-61.24).

Protein qualities of dietatry samples determined including biological value (BV), true digestibility (TD), net protein utilization (NPU) among others. The complementary food formulated from maize, pigeon pea and soybean supported animal growth and favourably compared with the standard. Meaning that, the application of multiple plant protein (pigeon pea and soybean) in the formulation of complementary food may be suitable for feeding of infants or children in developing countries to alleviate protein energy malnutrition.

The purpose of this study is to assess the protein (biological) quality of pecan and pine nuts supplemented diets in male Wistar albino rats.

A randomized and controlled study (45 d) was conducted in male Wistar albino rats (n = 60) comprising six groups, namely, control (Cc), control with 1% cholesterol (C_C1), Pecan group (Pe), Pecan group supplemented with 1% cholesterol (Pi₁), Pine group supplemented with 1% cholesterol (Pi₁). Protein quality of supplemented diet/s was assessed in terms of various biological indices.

Pe and Pi groups exhibited normal growth when compared with Cc. Despite showing higher feed and protein intake, Pe and Pi groups exhibited significantly (P = 0.023) lower weight gain than Cc. There was no significant difference between the protein efficiency ratio (3.8 ± 0.2 and 3.7 ± 0.2), apparent protein digestibility (81.5 ± 2.2 and 80.5 ± 2%), true protein digestibility (90.6 ± 1.1 and 88.5 ± 3.5%) and biological value (BV) (75.6 ± 0.9 and 72.6 ± 0.9%) of Pe and Pi groups, respectively. Pe group presented considerably higher net protein utilization (68.5 ± 1.4 vs 64.4 ± 0.8%) and protein retention efficiency (34.8 ± 1.1 vs 31.2 ± 1.3%) than Pi group. Overall, pecan-based diet displayed superior biological quality over pine nut. Antinutrients present in the nuts did not show any major negative effect on the growth, digestibility and bioavailability of the nutrients in rats. BV ranging from 72.6% to 75.6% suggested a satisfactory quality of experimental nut-based diets.

Further investigation of pecan and pine nuts consumption to examine the potential benefits and associated mechanisms of action is warranted which would aid in a better understanding and to establish nutritional recommendations.

Overall, the exploitation of pecan and pine nut flours for the development of value-added food products is favorable from a nutritional point of view.

At the passing of the Fair Trading Act, 1973, and the setting up of a Consumer Protection Service with an Office of Fair Trading under a Director‐General, few could have visualized this comprehensive machinery devised to protect the mainly economic interests of consumers could be used to further the efforts of local enforcement officers and authorities in the field of purity and quality control of food and of food hygiene in particular. This, however, is precisely the effect of a recent initiative under Sect. 34 of the Act, reported elsewhere in the BFJ, taken by the Director‐General in securing from a company operating a large group of restaurants a written undertaking, as prescribed by the Section, that it would improve its standards of hygiene; the company had ten convictions for hygiene contraventions over a period of six years.

The purpose of this paper is to nutritionally evaluate the potency of complementary food produced by mixing different sources of vegetable and animal protein together.

Maize (carbohydrate), peanut (groundnut) and crayfish (Euastacus spp) were the sole energy and protein sources, respectively. Diet 1 (Basal); diet 2 (groundnut‐fermented‐maize (ogi) 1:9); diet 3 (crayfish‐ground‐nut‐ogi, 1:1:9); diet 4 (crayfish‐ogi, 1:9); diet 5 control (Nutrend). The formulated complementary diets were fed to 30 albino rats. A commercial product (Nutrend) manufactured by nestle plc was obtained at a local supermarket, Ile‐Ife, Nigeria and was used as standard diet.

The result showed the growth rate (non‐protein diet) decreased from 37.962‐36.910; and the growth rate (protein diet) increased from 37.270‐54.544, 37.770‐82.662, 37.900‐78.570, and 37.636‐80.521 for diets 1 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. Protein efficiency ratio (PER), for diets 1 2, 3, 4 and 5 were nil, 1.45, 3.30, 3.15, and 2.94, respectively. Net protein ratio (NPR), for diets 1 2, 3, 4 and 5 were nil, 0.85, 2.78, 2.59, and 2.45, respectively. The average nitrogen retained in various organs of experimental animals, such as liver, kidney and muscle of the diets 1 2, 3 4 and 5 were 35.52, 33.55, 33.58: 48.32, 48.40 48.68: 55.70, 53.20, 56.08: 52.30, 50.48, 54.65: and 56.76, 44.63, 56.80, respectively. The formulations compared to control were found superior in terms of growth rate, PER, NPR and ensure optimum nitrogen content in the liver, kidney and tissues.

The paper's findings show that the complementary food formulations which are not expensive, locally available, and affordable, could be produced from plant and animal sources and may be suitable to eradicate protein energy malnutrition (PEM).

Freshly‐blanched soybean seeds, mixed with grains of freshly‐harvested green field maize were combined, in ratios of 5:1 (A), 4:1 (B), 3:1 (C); 2:1 (D), 1:0 (E) and 0:1 (F), to prepare soy‐corn milk. Dried flakes of soy‐corn milk were analysed for their in vitro digestibility (IVD) and assessed on the performance of rats fed with the test materials. Protein content of the blends increased with the increased amount of soybean in the blend. The IVD of Blend C (88 per cent) was superior to the IVD of all other test blends but was similar to that of casein (90 per cent). Highest weight gain, feed intake, estimated nitrogen intake, PER, BV and NPU were associated with Blend C, and values reported for this blend compared favourably with a casein diet. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of searching for a means of combating malnutrition.

The first published report that hydrocarbons were subject to microbial degradation appears to be that of the Japanese botanist Miyoshi in 1895. He observed that certain alkanes were attacked by the fungus Botrytis Cinerea. The first reports of microbial oxidation of methane, the simplest alkane, were made about 10 years later by Kaserer (1905), and Sohngen (1905). According to the recent review of Quayle (1967), the ability to utilise hydrocarbons is widespread amongst micro‐organisms. The ability to grow on methane appears to be a more restricted property although Whittenbury, Phillips and Wilkinson (1970) have recently isolated more than 100 strains of methane utilising bacteria.

Ever since the Second World War there has been great scientific interest in the potential of microorganisms to grow rapidly and produce quantities of protein which can be processed and used as food, either for farm animals or for man himself. In the 1950s petroleum was regarded as the ideal source of energy and carbon for microorganisms, particularly for bacteria. Nowadays, because of the rapid increase in the price of oil, more scientists are working on biotechnical processes in which microfungi synthesise proteins from a variety of starches and sugars.

The purpose of this paper was to analyse the present status of the information available on rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.)] cultivars with respect to its nutritional and functional characteristics. It is one of the non-conventional and under-utilized beans of South and Southeast Asia. In northeastern regions of India, it is an important crop for shifting cultivation or kitchen garden which is consumed as vegetable (tender pod) and pulse. The information gaps filling could be useful for several work proposals and for consumers and cultivators to know the nutritional strength and varied usability of the grain which in-turn can help in its commercialization.

The approach to information collection was emphasized on nutritional strength of the grain compared to other beans of Vigna family and the varied usability among the rice bean varieties of the Himalayan Belt.

The average carbohydrate, protein, fat, crude fibre and ash content of 75 genotypes of rice bean was found 59.96 ± 2.81, 20.78 ± 2.65, 1.74 ± 1.42, 5.07 ± 1.17 and 4.44 ± 1.03 per cent, respectively. It has high quality protein with all essential amino acid in balance manner. Among the minerals, it contains calcium, iron, zinc and potassium with high bio-availability of calcium (59.8 ± 0.3 per cent). The factors such as flatulence producing saccharides, trypsin inhibitors, polyphenols, phytic acid, saponin and tannins of rice bean were reported to be in the range of 3.28-5.87 per cent, 55.12-163.98 TIU/g, 0.58-1.82 1.88-8.17, 1.2-3.1 and 0.24-1.55 per cent, respectively. The toxic compounds such as hydrogen cyanide (0.09 mg/100 g) and L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (0.36 mg/100 g) is lowest in rice bean. The nutritional advantages of rice bean over the other beans of Vigna family were required to emphasize to induce interest among the researchers, producers and consumers.

In view of the recommended daily requirements with respect of amino acids, vitamin-B and minerals, rice bean could be a major component of the diet to fulfill them. However, the scanty information available on nutritional and functional components of rice bean varieties grown in northeastern India calls for the gap filing research to explore full potential of the bean.

The information about differences among the northeastern varieties of rice bean available on nutritional functional components essentially required the updating of research data to explore full potential and utility of the bean.

To develop the biscuit from pearl millet flour prepared from pearl millet grains subjected to processing treatment, i.e. blanching and malting. Purpose was also to analyze the developed biscuit for nutritional evaluation.

Pearl millet is under utilized crop and its consumption is limited to low‐income group in the forms of chapatti, dalia, rabari, etc. However, when pearl millet grain was subjected to processing treatment, i.e. blanching and malting (methods are given in research paper), it helped to reduce the anti‐nutrients, rancidity and bitterness in the flour. After that, this processed flour was incorporated in biscuit to increase the consumption in human beings. Biscuit was also developed in combination with soybean flour to improve the protein quality, as pearl millet is deficient in lysine whereas soybean flour is rich in lysine.

The research revealed that all types of biscuit were organoleptically acceptable, with good mineral profile and low amount of anti‐nutrients. However, biscuit prepared from blanched flour had high calcium, phosphorus, iron and manganese content as compared to that prepared from malted flour. Low anti‐nutrient content and high in vitro digestibility were observed in biscuit prepared from blanched flour. Addition of soybean flour to biscuit also helps to increase the mineral profile as compared to that prepared without incorporation of soybean flour.

Utilization of processed pearl millet for product development was scanty. Work on blanching technique for product development and its comparison with product developed from malted flour was very less. The results indicate that processing method will help in lowering the amount of anti‐nutrients and lead to improvement in protein and starch digestibility. This research paper is valuable for processing industries, scientists and general public.

The whole kingdom from north to south at the time of writing is enveloped in freezing Arctic weather, reminiscent of the North Russian campaign of long ago. The normal winter is relatively mild, mainly a Westerly pattern, occasionally wild and windy, wet with a rare cold “snap”. There are variations in the pattern, damp and warm in the south‐west, few frosts and rarely any snow; in the north of the country, Scotland, much colder, with the south‐east partaking of the weather pattern of the land mass of the Continent. The variations appear more of the mild weather in the South and colder, appreciably, in the North; recalling service personnel stationed at Gosport who did not need an overcoat all winter, whereas in the North, many found it necessary to wear a light overcoat tor most of the year, the south‐east corner of England, obtaining no help from the warming Gulf Stream, often gets the worst of the weather, which it has done to a very considerable extent in this winter.