Physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of lafun produced in Beninn

Lafun is an African traditional fermented food product prepared from cassava. Whereas Nigerian lafun has been studied, characteristics of Beninese lafun are still unknown. This research was carried out to identify the characteristics of two types of lafun, Chigan lafun and ordinary lafun produced in Benin. The distinctive characteristics of Chigan lafun (the preferred type) were its lower solubility and fibre content and its higher hot paste viscosities compared to ordinary lafun. Whatever the type, lafun was found to be a dried and white product with a highly variable pH (4.5-8.8). Both types were rich in carbohydrates (76.0% of starch and 3.3% of crude fibres), poor in proteins (1.0%) and containing fat (0.4%) and ash (1.2%). The swelling power of the lafun flour (expressed by the quantity of water absorbed by 1 g of flour) was 28.9 g water/g for the both types. Lafun has a variable microbial load which levels ranged from 10 4 to 108 cfu/g and made up of Bacillus spp. (104-108 cfu/g), lactic acid bacteria (103-107 cfu/g), Enterobacteriaceae (103-107 cfu/g) and yeasts (102-107 cfu/g)

Yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus) tuber processing in Benin: production and evaluation of the quality of yam bean-gari and yam bean-fortified gari

Yam bean (Pachyrhyzus erosus) tubers were processed singly and mixed with cassava into different types of gari (100% yam bean gari, 75% yam bean gari, 50% yam bean gari and 25% yam bean gari) following the traditional gari processing method. Conventional gari from cassava was processed following the same approach and used as control. Physical characteristics, proximate composition and sensory quality of the garis obtained were assessed. Results showed that low and medium (25% and 50%) yam bean fortified gari processing yielded better than 75% and 100% yam bean gari processing. Low and medium yam bean gari were the closest to conventional gari regarding the brown index (18.0 and 18.3 respectively), had good swelling capacity (≥ 3) and had higher relative bulk density (0.57 and 0.53 respectively). The proteins content of the processed yam bean garis increased with increasing incorporation rate of yam bean but, similarly, the crude fibres content increased going beyond the recommended level of 2% maximum. The processed garis were used to cook èba which were submitted to panellists’ appreciation. Panellists scored better low and medium yam bean fortified garis and the resulting èba. Combining the results, the highest suggested incorporation rate was 50% yam bean tubers. © 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Legume tuber-root crop, quality, physical characteristics, chemical composition, sensory evaluation

Towards the development of sweet potato-based couscous for human consumption in Benin

Sweet potato processing and consumption patterns are very limited in Benin. The present study aimed to suggest a new utilization of the crop as food. Roots from a white flesh variety were processed into flour and later into couscous. This couscous was steam-cooked following the same procedure as a wheat-based couscous purchased in market. The foods obtained were submitted to panellists’ appreciation. Although significant differences were observed between wheat-based couscous and sweet potato-based couscous regarding the colour and the flavour, the mean score obtained by the later couscous showed that the product was acceptable to good sensory quality. Keywords: Sweet potato, couscous, sensory quality.African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(43) 4165-416

Genome sequence of Pichia kudriavzevii M12, a potential producer of bioethanol and phytase

A draft genome sequence of Pichia kudriavzevii M12 is presented here. The genome reveals the presence of genes encoding enzymes involved in xylose utilization and the pentose phosphate pathway for bioethanol production. Strain M12 is also a potential producer of phytases, enzymes useful in food processing and agriculture