Principal components analysis and age at harvest effect on quality of gari from four elite cassava varieties in Ghana

Four elite cassava varieties in Ghana released under the local names Afisiafi, Tekbankye, Abasafitaa and Gblemoduade were planted in June and harvested the following year at 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15months after planting, and processed into gari. The effect that age at harvest had on selected physicochemical properties indicative of gari quality was studied in the four varieties. The parameters studied include moisture content, ash, pH, titratable acidity (% lactic acid), crude fibre, swelling capacity and yield. Moisture was between 9.54 - 11.57% while ash was between 0.88 - 1.39%. Titratable acidity was between 0.85 - 1.62% while pH ranged between 3.58 and 4.21. Swelling capacity was slightly below 3 while yield ranged between 12 and 26%. The four principal components identified were dry matter, extent of fermentation, starch content and elemental composition of the gari. Age at harvestsignificantly affected (p < 0.05) moisture, pH and bulk density of the gari samples. Varietal effect was not significant

Does a sorghum-cowpea composite porridge hold promise for contributing to alleviating oxidative stress?

The effect of compositing red non-tannin sorghum with cream-coloured cowpea and porridge preparation on phenolic profile and radical scavenging activity was studied. A maize–soybean composite porridge representing a similar product on the South African market was used as reference sample. UPLC–QToF-MS-ESI was used to determine phenolic composition of the grain flours, their composites and porridges. Total phenolic content was determined using Folin–Ciocalteu method while radical scavenging activity was determined using the ABTS, DPPH and NO radical scavenging assays. Four benzoic acid derivatives and five cinnamic acid derivatives were identified in the samples. The predominant flavonoid subclasses identified in sorghum were flavan-3-ols, flavanones and flavones while cowpea had mainly flavan-3-ols and flavonols with soybean having mainly isoflavones. Compositing the cereals with legumes significantly (p < 0.01) increased their total flavonoid content and radical scavenging activities. Sorghum–cowpea composite porridge showed better promise in contributing to alleviating radical induced oxidative stress than maize–soybean composite porridge.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchemhb201

Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Cooked Rice Dyed with Sorghum-Leaf Bio-Colorants

White rice is an important staple food globally. It is a rich source of energy but is low in dietary phenolic antioxidants. This current research aimed at providing scientific evidence for an alternative rice dish that has increased phenolic-antioxidant health-promoting potential by combining white rice with red cowpea beans and cooking with dye sorghum leaves hydrothermal extract, as a source of natural colorant. Boiled white rice and the rice–cowpea–sorghum extract dish were freeze-dried, and the free and bound phenolic compounds of raw and cooked samples were extracted. Phenolic composition, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activities (measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity methods) of the raw and cooked samples were determined. Combining white rice with cowpea seeds and sorghum leaves extract significantly (p &lt; 0.0001) increased the TPC and antioxidant activities of the rice due to the higher TPC and antioxidant activities of cowpea and sorghum leaves. Although boiling caused substantial losses of flavonoids and anthocyanins in the rice–cowpea–sorghum extract composite meal, the resulting dish had higher TPC and antioxidant activities than boiled white rice. Compositing white rice with phenolic-rich pulses can be an innovative approach to providing alternative healthy rice dishes to consumers

Effect of irradiation and insect pest control on rots and sensory quality of two varieties of stored ware white yams in Ghana

The coffee bean weevil, Araecerus fasciculatus Degeer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is associated with rots in stored yam tubers. The current study was designed to assess the effect of irradiation and other insect pest control strategies on rots and sensory quality of stored yams. 450 tubers each of two varieties of white yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir) namely ‘Puna’ and ‘Asana’ were divided into two groups with half irradiated and the other half not irradiated. The two groups were then further divided into three sub-groups. The first sub-group was treated with a chemical insecticide ‘Superguard’ (400g/l Pirimiphos-methyl and 75 g/l Permethrin) against A. fasciculatus infestation whilst the second sub-group was placed in insect-proof boxes with no chemical treatment. The third sub-group was neither chemically treated nor placed in insect-proof boxes. They were all then stored in improved yam barns for four months after curing in February. Sprouts that developed on the non-irradiated tubers were broken off weekly. They were examined for rots and weight loss over the storage period. Sensory evaluation was conducted on the tubers at the end of storage to determine whether the treatments affected their sensory quality. It was observed that the irradiation and chemical insecticide treatments did not have significant effect (p>0.05) on percent rots and weight loss while the effect of storage on these parameters was significant (

Effect of simulated in vitro upper gut digestion of processed cowpea beans on phenolic composition, antioxidant properties and cellular protection

The effect of simulated in vitro upper gut digestion on the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of processed cowpea beans was studied. The samples comprised four cowpea cultivars: a cream, brownish-cream and two reddish-brown cultivars. Dry cowpea seeds were soaked in water, blended into paste and deep-fried in vegetable oil. The fried samples were taken through in vitro upper gut digestion followed by freeze-drying of the supernatant. Phenolic composition of extracts from the supernatants were determined using HPLC-MS. Radical scavenging activities were documented using the TEAC, ORAC and nitric oxide (NO) assays. In vitro digestion of the processed cowpeas resulted in phenolic-peptide complexes that were identified for the first time, and decreased extractable phenolic compounds. However, the radical scavenging activities increased. The processed cowpeas and their digests inhibited cellular NO production, and oxidative DNA and cellular damage. In conclusion, deep-fried cowpeas when consumed, could potentially help alleviate oxidative stress-related conditions.The Canada Foundation for Innovation (New Opportunities Fund), the South African Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation’s (DST/NRF) Centre of Excellence in Food Security, and the University of Pretoria’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Fund.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodres2022-10-23hj2022AnatomyConsumer ScienceFood Scienc