Quantitative determination of chemical and biochemical parameters during « soumbala » manufacturing process in two communities of Burkina Faso

« Soumbala » is traditionally used in Burkina Faso as a food condiment in different communities. This study was conducted to evaluate « soumbala » manufacturing process on its nutritional value in two communities. During this descriptive and analytical study, samples were taken in the « Gouin » and « Moose » communities. The results show that, the humidity rate was higher in « soumbala » and waste in the « Gouin » processus, whereas in the « Moose » one, the highest humidity rate was observed after the cooking step and in peeled boiled seeds. The ash level was higher in raw seeds and after cooking step in the « Gouin » community whereas in the « Moose » community, it was higher in raw seeds and waste. The pH determination showed a progressive increase in pH values during the « soumbala » manufacturing process in the two communities. Mineral elements assays showed a slight variation in grades along the « soumbala » manufacturing process. For biochemical analysis, lipids content increased during the « soumbala » production; protein levels increased a little at the early stages of « soumbala » manufacturing process in both communities and carbohydrates contents were higher in waste in the « Moose » community, whereas in the « Gouin » community, the highest contents were found in the raw seeds. The aflatoxins determination in « soumbala » showed levels below the detection limit of the used method. These results showed that it was imperative that approved standard protocols be adopted to maintain the nutritional quality of « soumbala » wherever it is produced

Mapping the variability in physical, cooking, and nutritional properties of Zamnè, a wild food in Burkina Faso

Zamnè is an Acacia seed used as a terroir food in Burkina Faso. It has been introduced as a famine-resilience crop and has become a cultural diet. However, little is known about its culinary and nutritional properties. This study aimed to explore the cooking and nutritional properties of Zamnè (Senegalia macrostachya (Reichenb. ex DC.) Kyal. & Boatwr.). Zamnè presented characteristics of medium size, flattened, dry, and hard-to-cook legume. The moisture, cylindrical ratio, diameter, thickness, weight, true density, coat percentage, coat thickness, and cooking time of the seeds were in the range of 4.5–5.8%, 1.1, 7.4–8.0 mm, 1.6–1.8 mm, 65.0–76.4 mg, 1.1 g/ml, 16.8–22.2%, 9.0–11.9 mg/cm2, and 180 min, respectively. The raw Zamnè showed 39.8–43.6, 9.7–11.5, 16.6–29.4, 13.3–20.2, 16.6–26.4, and 3.7–3.9 (g/100 g dry weight) of protein, fat, total dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber, digestible carbohydrate, and ash contents, respectively. The traditional cooking process improved most of the parameters determining the proximate compositions but resulted in 51–52% of protein and 47–50% carbohydrate losses into the cooking wastewater. Besides, pseudoZamnè, a famine-emergency crop similar to Zamnè, revealed inferior cooking quality than Zamnè. The data reported here provide a basis for alternative cooking techniques and further investigations of Zamnè and pseudoZamnè seeds’ nutritional quality