Convective drying of Gardenia erubescens fruits: Effect of pretreatment, slice thickness and drying air temperature on drying kinetics and product quality

Gardenia erubescens fruits are regarded as nutrient-dense, capable of promoting nutritional and metabolic human health. However, they are seasonal and highly perishable which limits their consumption and wider utilization. In this study, the effect of slice thickness (3 mm and 5 mm), pretreatments (steam blanching and dipping in ascorbic acid solution) and drying air temperature (40 °C, 50 °C, 60 °C and 70 °C) on drying kinetics, color, β-carotene and vitamin C content of Gardenia erubescens fruits were investigated. The results showed that the drying time increased as slice thickness increased, and decreased as drying air temperature increased but did not follow any trend for pretreatment. The Page model (R2 values of 0.9998–0.9999) exhibited the best fit to the drying kinetics data. The diffusivity values (5.31 × 10−11 to 4.14 × 10−10 m2s−1) increased as the slice thickness and drying air temperature increased but had no linear trends with pretreatment. The activation energy ranged from 14.35 to 44.78 kJmol-1, with the highest being recorded by 5 mm untreated samples and the lowest by the 3 mm blanched samples. The total color change (ΔE*) of the samples generally decreased as the drying air temperature increased but increased as the slice thickness increased. The ascorbic acid pretreated samples had the least color change, followed by the untreated samples while the blanched samples had the highest change. Overall, the 5 mm ascorbic acid pretreated samples dried at 70 °C had the least color change (13.33 ± 0.52). The blanching and dipping in ascorbic acid solution generally yielded lower β-carotene and vitamin C values as compared to the untreated samples. The 3 mm ascorbic acid pretreated samples dried at 50 °C recorded the lowest β-carotene (42.70 ± 3.21 μg/100 g) while the 5 mm ascorbic acid pretreated samples had the lowest vitamin C (37.50 ± 2.65 mg/100 g) at 70 °C. Pretreatments and drying air temperatures showed mixed effects on the drying characteristics, color, β-carotene and vitamin C contents of fruit slices. The findings, therefore, indicate that a compromise may have to be made on the aforementioned processing conditions in order to meet the desired attributes of one's interest

A review of dairy production and utilization in Ghana and Benin

Abstract High dairy production and utilization have proven very effective in improving food and nutrition security in society, especially among the rural poor. This review sought to find out the status of dairy production and utilization in Ghana and Benin, the challenges, and the way forward. The review discovered low dairy production in both countries which meets only about 19% (Ghana) and 20% (Benin) of dairy demand. This low self-sufficiency compels both countries to depend heavily on imported dairy products to meet consumers’ dairy needs. However, dairy consumption in both countries is still abysmally low (Ghana = 9 kg/person/year, Benin = 8 kg/person/year). Cow milk is the most regarded and consumed animal milk in both states and is consumed both raw and processed. Local dairy products include “wagashi” (local soft cheese), yoghurt and “brukina”/“dèguè” (fermented milk-millet beverage). Some of the challenges found include low patronage of dairy farming, low-performing breeds, safety issues, inadequate sustainable pro-dairy policies, water and pasture/forage shortages, inadequate infrastructure, poor education, unorganized local sector and climate change. However, adopting effective pro-dairy policies, effective safety and quality regulations, smart dairy farming and processing and exploring other dairy options like goat, sheep, and donkey milk is key to improving dairy production and utilization in both countries and beyond

Aflatoxin contamination in cereals and legumes to reconsider usage as complementary food ingredients for Ghanaian infants: A review

Cereals and legumes, being the major staples of many African communities, frequently used for complementary foods for infants and young children. However, aflatoxin contamination is a threatening issue in these staples and its negative effects on human health, most especially infants and young children, are very alarming. Thus, this review sought to highlight the risk of aflatoxin contamination in cereals and legumes so as to reconsider their usage in complementary feeding. Factors such as temperature, relative humidity/moisture, soil properties, type and length of storage as well as nutrient composition of the food produce greatly influence fungal growth and aflatoxin production in cereals and legumes. Consumption of such contaminated food ingredients could expose many infants and young children to poor growth and development. Nonetheless, the toxin, though seemingly inevitable, can be minimized if not curbed completely through awareness creation/education, good agricultural practices and proper storage practices. Moreover, consumption of root and tuber crops such as sweetpotato, especially the orange-fleshed sweetpotato, can be a sustainable approach to reduce aflatoxin ingestion in children. Thus, to control the adverse effects of aflatoxin in infants and young children, cereal-legume blends could be substituted with root and tuber-based blends in complementary feeding. Keywords: Cereal-legume blends, Complementary foods, Aflatoxin, Infant health, Roots and tuber

Effect of Steam Blanching and Storage Durations on the Physicochemical Properties of White Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) Slices

White yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is a vital crop in many tropical regions, and its preservation and quality retention are of paramount importance for ensuring food security. This study investigated the impact of steam blanching and different storage durations on the physicochemical properties of white yam slices. White yam slices were subjected to varying steam blanching durations of 1 min, 3 min and 5 min, followed by oven drying at 60℃ for 72 hours and storage at room conditions for 7 days. Physicochemical properties such as proximate composition, total soluble solids, titrable acidity, moisture content, color and pH were measured before and after blanching. The results showed that the steam blanching durations significantly (p ˂ 0.05) affected all the physicochemical properties measured. The proximate results showed the non-blanched (control) samples had higher moisture (65.04±0.35), crude protein (4.55±0.04), fat (0.53±0.01), fibre (1.42±0.02) and ash contents (2.25±0.02) than the blanched samples with exception of the carbohydrate content (26.22±0.29) where the control samples had lower values. Proximate components decreased with blanching duration, except for carbohydrate content, while storage duration did not significantly affect the measured attributes, despite slight changes in moisture content, color, and pH. However, the duration of blanching and storage significantly impacted the physicochemical attributes. These findings have significant implications in the food processing industry, promoting the development of improved storage and preservation strategies for white yam and also ensure food security and reduced post-harvest losses

Nutritional Characteristics of Four Underutilized Edible Wild Fruits of Dietary Interest in Ghana

Malnutrition has been a serious issue in Ghana and Africa as a whole. However, the potential of many indigenous fruits to combat it has not yet been tested. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the nutritional characteristics of four underutilized wild fruits (Gardenia erubescens, Sclerocarya birrea, Diospyros mespiliformis, and Balanites aegyptiaca) of dietary interest in Ghana. The nutritional and antinutritional characteristics of the fruits were analyzed according to standard methods (laid down by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists and other well-known researchers) on a dry weight (dw) basis. The nutritional value of the fruits was high enough to contribute to the nutrient requirements of humans, with their iron (0.34–1.46 mg/100 g), zinc (0.81–2.97 mg/100 g), vitamin A (0.84–2.03 mg/100 g), and β-carotene (64.84–176.89 mg/100 g) contents worth special mention. The antinutrient content also ranged between 0.06–1.82 mg/g. Therefore, it is evident from the study that the fruits, although containing some levels of antinutrients, are nutrient-dense, suggesting their potency in fighting malnutrition in humans