Hydrothermal treatment of pearl millet grains:Effects on nutritional composition,antinutrients and flour properties

Pearl millet(Pennisetum glaucum)is one of the major millets with high nutritional properties.This crop exhibits exceptional resilience to drought and high temperatures.However,the processing of pearl millet poses a significant challenge due to its high lipid content,enzyme activity,and presence of antinutrients.Consequently,it becomes imperative to enhance the quality and prolong the shelf life of pearl millet flour by employing suitable technologies.Hydrothermal treatment in the food industry has long been seen as promising due to its potential to reduce microbial load,inactivate enzymes,and improve nutrient retention.This study aims to investigate the effects of hydrothermal treatment on the quality characteristics of pearl millet.The independent variables of the study were soaking temperature(35,45,55℃),soaking time(2,3,4 h),and steaming time(5,10,15 min).Treatment conditions had a statistically significant effect on nutrient retention.Major antinutrients like tannins and phytates were reduced by 0.99% to 5.94% and 0.36% to 6.00%,respectively,after the treatment.Lipase activity decreased significantly up to 10% with the treatment conditions.The findings of this study could potentially encourage the use of pearl millet flour in the production of various food items and promote the application of hydrothermal treatment in the field of food processing.

Bioavailability of Iron and Related Components in Cooked Green Leafy Vegetables Consumed in Cameroon

Green leafy vegetables (GLVs) are a potential source of iron to combat iron deficiency in iron deficient population. The aim of this study was to determine the bioavailability of iron in seven species of leafy vegetables (Solanumscrabrun, Venonia amygdalina, Cucurbita maxima, Amarathus hybridus, Colococia esculenta, Solanum macrocarpon and Telfairia occidentalis) consumed in Bamenda, Cameroon. A survey was carried out in 70 households in Bamenda, Cameroon to determine methods of preparation of these green leafy vegetables. Iron, antinutrients and vitamin C levels were determined using standard methods and the bioavailability of iron was determined using an in vitro dialys ability method. The vegetables used for the study were cooked with the addition of tomatoes, peanuts, melon seeds and soybean seeds. The loss of iron in GLVs was as a result of dilution caused by addition of the principal ingredients. The V. amygdalina cooked with soybean contained the highest level of iron (128.28 mg/100g). The S. scrabrum cooked with tomatoes had the highest Total phenolic coumponds of 0.91 g/100g;the C. esculenta recorded the highest with values ranging between 0.14 - 0.35 g/100g;the C. maxima cooked with soybean recorded the highest oxalate level (6.46 g/100g);and the vegetables cooked with melon seeds recording the highest in phytatelevels (70 - 1.63 g/100g). Vitamin C levels were highest in the S. macrocarpon cooked with tomatoes (199.96 mg/100g). Iron bioavailability was highest in A. hybridus cooked with tomatoes (28.09%). The iron bioavailability negatively correlated with phytates and positively with vitamin C. GLV consumed in Bamenda are good sources of iron whose bioavailability can be improved by using tomatoes in cooking.

Effect of Fermentation on Nutrient and Anti-nutrient Composition of Millet （Pennisetum glaucum） and Soyabean （Glycine max） Blend Flours

This research was carried out to study the effect of fermentation on the chemical composition, anti-nutrient content, PH, titratable acidity, and microbiological changes of millet and soyabean blend. Millet and soyabean composite flours were mixed in gram of six combinations as follows millet and soyabean （A） = 100：0, millet and soyabean （B） = 90：10, millet and soyabean （C） = 80：20, millet and soyabean （D） = 70：30, millet and soyabean （E） = 60：40, millet and soyabean （F） = 50：50 and subjected to natural fermentation for 72 h. The following bacteria isolates were obtained from the fermentation; Lacobacillus fermentum, L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. plantarum, L. dextranicum, L. rhamnosus, L. delbrueckii, L. leichemanii, L. divergens, L. reuteri, L. jenseni, L. casei, L. salivarius, L. cellubiosus, Leuconostoc mesenteroide and Pediococcus acidilactis, of which L. plantarum was the most dominant the throughout the period of fermentation. There was decrease in pH with increase in TTA in all the samples. The result of the proximate analysis revealed a marginal increase in crude protein content of each sample （from 44.41 to 63.14, from 11.02 to 24.02, from 16.64 to 23.10, from 20.83 to 26.93, from 25.43 to 30.12, 39.12 to 35.86 and from 40.66 to 54.24%） There was increase in ash content and decrease in carbohydrate, fibre and fat contents of the fermented samples. Results from this research also show significant reduction in anti-nutritional content which are hydrogen cyanide, oxalate and phytate. Fermentation has modified the microbial and nutritional quality of the millet and soyabean blend and this has greatly improved the nutrient content of the blend.

Contents of phytochemicals and antinutritional factors in commercial protein-rich plant products

Objectives:The goal of this study was to determine several beneficial and antinutritional compounds in the commercial products of some protein-rich crops.Materials and Methods:Samples of faba bean(Vicia faba),lupin(Lupinus angustifolius),rapeseed press cake(Brassica rapa/napus subsp.Oleifera),flaxseed(Linum usitatissimum),oil hemp seed(Cannabis sativa),buckwheat(Fagopyrum esculentum),and quinoa(Chenopodium quinoa)were purchased from the grocery stores and from the producers.The phytochemicals were analyzed using various validated methods.Results:Rape seed press cake contained the highest contents of phenolics.The highest contents of proanthocyanidins were found in faba bean(470±14 mg/100g DW).Secoisolariciresinol-diglucoside content in the flaxseeds was 138±32 mg/100 g DW and the lignanamide content of hemp seeds was 77±22 mg/100 g DW.The content of phytic acid in rapeseed cake,hemp seed and flaxseed samples was 3.9±0.1,3.5±0.2,and 1.9±0 g/100 g DW,respectively.Rape seed cake contained glucosinolates 2.08±0.74 umol/g DW and faba bean contained vicine and convicine 0.77±0.11 and 0.42±0.02 g/100 g DW,respectively.Quinoa contained saponins 557 mg/100 g DW and after abrasive milling/pearling the content was 36 mg/100 g DW.Generally,the phytochemicals were concentrated in the outer shell of the seed.Inhibitory activities against proteolytic enzymes,trypsin andα-chymotrypsin,varied among the samples analyzed.Highest activity was found in buckwheat samples,whereas lupin and rapeseed press cake had no inhibitory activity against tested enzymes.Conclusions:This paper presented new findings on the contents of phytochemicals in various under-used plant protein sources.

Efficacy of germination and probiotic fermentation on underutilized cereal and millet grains

Cereals and millets have been known as poor man’s crops for a long time,and have good potential in the mercenary system of food and in research and development but these coarse grains have been leftover and underutilised since a long time.In addition to nutritional properties,various elements of cereal grains contain phenolic compounds as well as various anti-nutritional factors.To improve the nutritional quality and availability of these grains,they are processed in several ways.This review discusses the effect of pre-processing techniques such as germination with a combination of probiotic fermentation on various components of underutilised coarse cereals and millets and advantages it brings into the final product.Germinated food mixture usually contains a significantly higher amount of thiamine,lysine and niacin contents.The combination of cereals with other methods results in better nutrient profile and an enhanced amino acid pattern.Fermentation is said to be the most crucial and popular process which considerably lowers the antinutrients present in coarse cereals such as trypsin inhibitor,phytic acid and tannins and hence,enhance the overall nutritive value of coarse cereals and other food grains.Also,germinated cereal-based food products have higher cell count and better growth of beneficial bacteria,thus,germination of cereals facilitates the probiotic fermentation of cereals.