Search results

Maize (Zea mays) is an important staple crop in Nigeria, mostly processed into fermented porridges. Describes an attempt to develop a convenience food from fermented maize. Maize was processed into flakes through home level processing of dry‐milling, steeping, sieving, cooking and drying. Three fermented products were formulated by varying the proportions of cooked porridge and fermented maize slurry. The moisture, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash and starch content ranges of the products varied. Cooked paste viscosity showed that the sample with highest cooked porridge concentration (75 per cent), CSWC, had the highest starch set back and gelatinisation indices. Ease of cooking for the products ranged between 5‐6 min. Sensory qualities revealed that the sample with the least cooked porridge concentration (25 per cent), CSWA, had the least overall acceptability while CSWB and CSWC were as acceptable as Ogi pap in taste, odour and overall acceptability at 5 per cent level of significance.

Okro (Abelmoschus esculentus) was grown in the field and green house and fertilized with organic‐based fertilizer (OBF), organic and chemical fertilizers. Okro soups produced from the okro fruits harvested from the various fertilizers treatments were subjected to sensory evaluation tests. Application of varying rates of organic fertilizers on the greenhouse okro plants showed that 10 tonnes per hectare of organic fertilizer led to significant increases in microbial activities in the root zone and it also gave the highest pod yield. In the sensory evaluation test of organically grown okro, panelists preferred organically grown okro soup to the chemically grown variant when they assessed the colour, taste, texture, flavour and drawness. Organically grown okro enjoyed more acceptability than tthe chemically grown. In the field trial,no significant effects of all the treatments were found on some growth parameters assessed. However, application of 5t/ha of OBF led to significant increases in the number of okro pods.

An investigation was carried out to evaluate the compositional and shelf‐life properties of soy‐yogurt using two starter cultures. Soy‐yogurt with 20 per cent starter culture was significantly higher in protein (46.89 per cent), ash (0.21 per cent) and Na (2.02 per cent). As the days of storage increased there was a concomitant decrease in sensory scores with regard to colour, taste, flavour, texture and general acceptability in all the storage temperatures, with ambient having the least. Stability in sensory scores was noticeable towards the last two days. Soy‐yogurt samples kept under freezer temperature (– 18°C) kept better than fridge (± 7°C) and ambient temperature (± 27°C). Storage of soy‐yogurt at ambient temperature was very poor.

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.

Yam flour (YMF) is an important staple food in the tropics but its utilization is limited by low nutrient and consumer acceptability. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of substituting yam flour with grain amaranth on chemical and sensory properties.

YMF and grain amaranth flour (GAF) were prepared on a dry matter basis; GAF was mixed with YMF at ratio 1:3. All flour samples were subjected to chemical (moisture, protein, fat, ash, crude fibre, carbohydrate and minerals) evaluation and sensory evaluation of the stiff gel was conducted by a ten‐member panel consisting of five adult males and five females.

GAF increased the protein content of YMF significantly at p < 0.05 from 1.8 to 9.63 per cent. There was a decrease in carbohydrate content of YAF when substituted with GAF. There was a significant increase (at p < 0.05) in phosphorus and sodium elements when YMF was substituted with GAF. There was no significant difference in acceptability of gel from grain amaranth and yam flour (GAF–YMF) compared with whole YMF gel on colour, texture, flavour and overall acceptability.

It was apparent that substitution of YMF with GAF improved nutrient composition without affecting the acceptability. This will further improve the nutritional status of people in YMF‐consuming areas.

This study aims to review processing and utilization of snail meat in alleviating protein malnutrition in Africa. Most countries in Africa are faced with a major challenge of protein malnutrition as a result of high cost of animal proteins. This has encouraged more research works in the use of wild or game meat to meet the much-needed animal proteins.

Previous literatures on the above subject matter were reviewed. In many African countries, the use of snails, rodents and other small livestock in the wild could help in improving the nutritional needs of the people in both urban and rural areas, as well as adding economic value through income generation to the local people.

Snails are very rich in dietary protein, low in fat and cholesterol and are good sources of iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc. Previous studies showed that snail meat contains 70 per cent of water and its dry matter contains high amounts of essential amino acids such as lysine, leucine, arginine and tryptophan. Research studies have shown that snail contains calcium orthophosphate, a chemical substrate that could alleviate and reduce kidney diseases. Also, the glandular substances found in edible snails were found to have antimicrobial activities that cause agglutination of certain bacteria, which could be used against some ailments like whooping cough. As snail meat products have high nutritional value, spoilage sets in after one or two days after harvesting, and therefore, the preservation of snail meat has become a major concern to farmers, processors and consumers. Several preservation techniques could be adopted, which include smoking, sun drying, convectional drying and the use of natural or artificial preservatives. These methods have been found to reduce microbial load of snail meat and help to extend shelf life and keeping quality of snail meat.

This review X-rayed the importance of snail meat in the human diet and how this could be explored to enhance protein nutrition in developing countries.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the post-harvest supply chain enablers (PHSCEs) for vertical integration to enhance rural employability, farmer profitability and rural produce marketability (i.e. market prospects) in the post-harvest supply chain (PHSC). The impact of vertical integration is also explored for various commercial produces.

A structural equation modeling (SEM) of PHSCEs for vertical integration was developed to enhance market prospects, rural employability and farmer profitability. The impact of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer market prospects are explored in various dimensions for stakeholders such as farmers, manufacturers (processors), distributors and retailers. The fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (F-TOPSIS) was used to prioritize these PHSCEs to improve market prospects and rural employability.

The PHSCEs are clustered into three groups, namely, initiatives at the strategic frontier, initiatives at the tactical frontier and concerns for rural employability via vertical integration using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and SEM to prove the null hypothesis. With F-TOPSIS results, the availability of warehousing was found to be the most crucial enabler when observing the PHSCEs from the initiatives’ perspective. The technology adaptability and availability, institute for training and research and information infrastructure and information visibility were found to be the key PHSCEs when observed from PHSC stakeholders’ perspectives.

The implementation of this study will improve the rural produce marketability, rural employability, B2B marketing (i.e. effective distribution) and subsequent value chains with the practice of vertical integration for fresh produce at the rural level.

The outcomes of this study have a key role in developing the rural regions and improving rural livelihoods via value addition. The awareness of commercial cultivation and value addition in rural areas needs to be improved. This will help farmers to earn better revenues with improved market prospects in comparison to the revenues obtained from the cultivation of staple/conventional crops.

In an era of cold chains and food processing, this study aims to disseminate awareness about value addition for commercial and fresh produces at the rural level. The implication of this study will improve rural produce marketability, rural employability and farmer profitability at the rural level with the level of vertical integration.

Soya milk possesses dietetic properties, which include lower contents of saturated fat, cholesterol and lactose, and can reduce the risk of cardio vascular diseases. Partial substitution of milk solids with soya solids during the preparation of yoghurt further enhances its dietetic features.

Attempt has been made to highlight the nutritional and therapeutic properties of soya milk and its suitability for the manufacture of soyoghurt with enhanced dietetic properties. Basic steps for the manufacture of soyoghurt, such as preparation of soya milk base, addition of stabilizers, sweetening agents, starter cultures and flavors and storage stability of the finished products are described.

Soya solids in various forms such as soya milk, soya bean paste, soya protein concentrate and soya bean flour may be adopted during the manufacture of soyoghurt, but their concentration must be kept within the limits to sustaining the acceptability of the product. Problem of objectionable bean flavour and slower metabolic activity of starter cultures in soya milk can be solved with starter manipulation and introduction of sweetening agents and flavours.

Possession of nutritional and therapeutic qualities by soya beans have led to their exploitation for the manufacture of soyoghurt. Consumption of soyoghurt among health conscious people and allergic sufferers in search of meat replacer and dairy alternatives should be encouraged.

The literature review of post-harvest supply chain (PHSC) losses is carried out and analyzed in this paper followed by bibliometric analysis of the literature.

The literature survey is performed across various dimensions such as PHSC losses, PHSC risks and PHSC sustainability (waste management and waste reduction). One hundred thirty research articles during the period of 1989–2020 were considered for the review.

The PHSC losses have been identified in this literature survey. The calculation and mitigation strategies stated by various researchers in the literature are addressed. The important loss mitigation dynamics are also presented to reduce the PHSC losses and to improve food availability.

The major focus is given on the PHSC of agriculture produces. However, research articles from fish and meat supply chain are excluded as they follow a different perishability curve.

The current work will add value to the agriculture supply chain literature, provide a platform for PHSC losses and provide assistance/guideline toward loss calculation, loss mitigation, improved rural employability, improved rural entrepreneurship and improved revenue generation.

The performed research will assist the researchers, entrepreneurs and farmers to understand the current scenario of food wastage at different stages of the supply chain better. It will provide the guidelines for calculation and mitigation of various stated PHSC losses. This study will be helpful to enhance food availability and food security in post-coronavirus crisis.

The paper explores and highlights PHSC loss calculations and mitigation strategies to identify the postharvest loss situation and better utilization of fresh produces.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize 25 collections of pigeon pea from south‐west Nigeria using nutritional and anti‐nutritional contents of the seeds.

The nutritional and anti‐nutritional constituents of 25 collections of pigeon pea were determined. Data collected were subjected to correlation, principal components and fastclus analyses.

Ariation among the collections for the nutrient contents was low. Trypsin inhibitor content had the highest variability ranging between 21.74 and 35.43 Tiu/mg. Protein and trypsin inhibitor contents were significant and negatively correlated. The first three principal components explained 74.0 per cent of the total variation. Fastclus procedures grouped the collections into three. Members of cluster 1 had the highest value for protein and the lowest concentrations of the anti‐nutritional factors (ANFs). Cluster 2 possessed relatively low protein with high level of ANFs while cluster 3 was intermediate between clusters 1 and 2 for most characters.

The results indicate that members of cluster 1 with high protein and low levels of ANFs are good candidates in breeding/selecting pigeon pea cultivars with enhanced nutritional values.