Investigation of disease incidence and nutritional storability of cassava roots under different storage techniques

A study was conducted to investigate the disease incidence and the nutritional storability of cassava roots under different storage condition, Fifty pieces each of two varieties of cassava tubers TMS 30572 and TMS 4(2) 1425 were preserved using four storage methods namely ; Trench (re-burying the cassava roots in trenches and keeping them moist by watering them daily, applying a thick coating of mud, piling the tubers in heaps and a traditionally practiced method, by randomly spreading the tubers orderly . The samples were analysed for carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C. The weight loss as well as number of diseased tubers were determined, the significant difference was conducted at ( p≤0.05 ). The mean results for the two varieties (TMS 30572 and TMS 4(2) 1425) showing the trend in the nutritional compositions and weight loss were also determined. The level of infestation of disease on the cassava tubers preserved by piling in heaps and mud application for both varieties are very low compared to the trench and the control method. The weight loss for both varieties, irrespective of the storage type is even along the storage period.Keywords: Cassava, Disease, Preserved, storability, Storage

Determination of Some Selected Thermal Properties of Pumpkin Seeds (Cucurbita pepo)

In this study, some selected thermal properties (specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity) in the moisture content range of 5.0-5.6% or green and 4.80 – 5.20% for white varieties of pumpkin seeds were determined. The specific heat was measured using mixture method while the thermal conductivity was measured by transient technique using the heat line source. The green pumpkin seed has average moisture content of 5.2% higher than moisture content of white pumpkin seed of average 4.8%. The average specific heat values of green pumpkin seed are 6.171kJ/kgK and white pumpkin seed 4.327kJ/kgK. The thermal conductivity values for white pumpkin seed ranged from 0.074 to 0.288 W/m°C while that for green pumpkin seed ranged from 0.079 to 0.433 W/m°C. The thermal diffusivity values for green pumpkin ranged from 0.0011 to 0.06 m2/s while that for white pumpkin seed ranged from 0.01 to 0.06 m2/s. It was concluded that the higher the moisture content (5.2%) the higher the value of specific heat of seed (6.171kJ/kgK). It can also be concluded that the thermal conductivity (0.079 to 0.433 W/m°C) value is higher with high moisture content (5.2%)

Effect of Two Blanching Methods on the Nutritional Values of Tomatoes and Pumpkin Leaves

Various blanching methods were applied to tomatoes and pumpkin leaves (Telfairia occidentalis) to investigate the effect of the  different blanching method on some of its nutritional content. The effects of steam and water blanching as a pretreatment on raw tomatoes and pumpkin leaves (control) were investigated in this study using standard methods. For tomatoes, the %nitrogen, potassium, vitamin A, C and E) mg/100g for raw were;0.48, 68.82mg/100g, 0.88mg/100g, 38.82mg/100g, 0.78mg/100g respectively. 0.45, 69.68mg/100g, 0.58mg/100g, 32.43mg/100g and 0.55mg/100g for water blanched respectively and 0.42, 69.14mg/100g, 0.47mg/100g, 29.66mg/100g, 0.42mg/100g respectively for steam blanching. * For pumpkin leaves, the %nitrogen, potassium, vitamin A, C and E) mg/100g for raw were; 0.98, 46.82mg/100g, 4.63mg/100g, 60.41mg/100g, 0.89mg/100g respectively. 0.95, 46.73mg/100g, 2.38mg/100g,41.08mg/100g and 0.59mg/100g for water blanched respectively and 0.94, 46.10mg/100g, 1.20mg/100g, 32.16mg/100g, 0.52mg/100g respectively for steam blanching. The results indicate that water and steam blanching significantly reduce the nutritional content. The values of the nutrient were higher in water blanching compared to steam blanching. Keywords: Fruits, vegetable, steam, water, blanchin