Composition, structure, physicochemical properties, and modifications of cassava starch.

Banana has a special place in the daily diet of millions of people around the world for sustenance and nutrient enrichment. Some of the popular food uses of banana are chips, raw ripened fruit, cooked green banana, fermented and unfermented beverages, juice, puree, dried flour for bakery and infant formula food. Banana is also used as a starch source for various chemicals and packaging materials. The storability and functional properties of these products can be altered by the application of various innovative food processing technologies. This review article focuses on different banana products, their potential for non-conventional uses and associated prospective novel processing techniques for value addition and preservation.

Post-harvest Processing of Banana: Opportunities and Challenges

Cassava is a significant food security and industrial crop, contributing as food, feed and industrial biomass in Africa, Asia and South America. Breeding efforts have led to the development of cassava variants having desirable traits such as increased root, flour, and starch yield, reduced toxicity, reduced pest/disease susceptibility and improved nutrient contents. Prominent among those breeding efforts is the development of colored-flesh cassava variants, especially biofortified yellow-fleshed ones, with increased pro-vitamin A carotenoids, compared to the white-flesh variants. The concept of sustainability in adoption of biofortified yellow-flesh cassava and its products cannot be fully grasped without some detailed information on its properties and how these variants compare to those of the white-flesh cassava. Flour and starch are highly profitable food products derived from cassava. Cassava roots can be visually distinguished based on flesh color and other physical properties, just as their flours and starches can be differentiated by their macro- and micro-properties. The few subtle differences that exist between cassava variants are identified and exploited by consumers and industry. Although white-flesh variants are still widely cultivated, value addition offered by biofortified yellow-flesh variants may strengthen acceptance and widespread cultivation among farmers, and, possibly, cultivation of biofortified yellow-flesh variants may outpace that of white-flesh variants in the future. This review compares properties of cassava root, flour, and starch from white-flesh and biofortified yellow-flesh variants. It also states the factors affecting the chemical, functional, and physicochemical properties; relationships between the physicochemical and functional properties; effects of processing on the nutritional properties; and practical considerations for sustaining adoption of the biofortified yellow-flesh cassava.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/9/3089/pdf

Comparing Characteristics of Root, Flour and Starch of Biofortified Yellow-Flesh and White-Flesh Cassava Variants, and Sustainability Considerations: A Review

Cassava is a type of plant which has different pur-poses of use. It is used to produce various foods, bio-fibers, bio-composites, and bio-polymers. Besides, it isnow used as renewable energy source of starch. Theintention of the paper is to focus on the importance ofcassava fibers, polymers, and composites as well asits potential applications, another focus point of thisresearch is the biodegradable polymer developmentwhich is taken out from cassava starch. Moreover, thiswork gives a comprehensive review about surfacetreatments as well as the most recent developments ofcassava polymer/fiber based bio-composites and thesummary of main result presented in the literature,focusing on properties of cassava composite andapplications. These applications were related to vari-ous industrial application as well as others such as theproduction of xylenes, ethanol and bio-fuel, food, foodpackaging and cassava foam. POLYM. COMPOS.,00:000–000, 2015.

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Cassava: Its Polymer, Fiber, Composite, and Application

Inadequate storage facilities in Nigeria have led to yearly wastage of harvested agricultural food products thereby causing great economic loss to our farmers. The dried yam and plantain chips in storage usually loose their integrities and nutrients due to contamination from biodeteriorating and aflatoxigenic fungi.  Aflatoxin detection, food values and mineral element compositions of locally made ‘gbodo’ (prepared from fermented yam, Dioscorea rotundata) and ‘elubo ogede’ (prepared from fermented plantain, Musa parasidiaca) stored for one and six months respectively were carried out using standard methods. Six different samples of each stored chips were collected and used for these investigations. Each set was carried out in triplicates using completely randomize design. A total number of 15 fungal species were isolated from stored ‘gbodo’ (GB) and ‘elubo ogede’ (EO) flour samples. These organisms include Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus japonicum, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus tamari, Aspergillus tereus, Fusarium sp, Mucur racemosus, Paccilomyces varioti, Penicillum sp., Penicillum notatum, Rhizopus stolonifer, Rhizopus sp. The presence of mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G)were detected in all the samples. Aflatoxin B1 has the highest concentration: 32.33 μg/kg in 6 months old ‘gbodo’ (6MOG) and 25.17 μg/kg in (1MOG). Its concentration was however lower in 1 and 6 month old ‘elubo ogede’ (1MOEO and 6MOEO) in which 23.83 μg/kg and 15.0 μg/kg were detected respectively. The results showed that, with the exception of 1MOEO, with AFB1 15.0 μg/kg, the levels of aflatoxin contamination in all the stored chips exceeded the maximum AFB1 residue limit permitted in most countries. Starch content of the samples was found to be higher in 1 MOG and’ EO with 73.06 and 75.89% respectively but, the sugar content was generally low. Moisture contents of stored GB and EO also varied from 10.51 to 14.36%. The flours were found to contain moderate amount of protein (7.73 to 9.19%). The ascorbic acid contents of 1MOG and 6MOG were 4.44 and 5.25 mg/100g while that of 1MOEO and 6MOEO were 4.85 and 6.46 mg/100g respectively. It was observed that both GB and EO contained adequate amount of mineral elements such as K, Mg, P, Ca and Na. These fermented flour also has trace amount of Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn. The results showed that ‘gbodo ‘and ‘elubo ogede’ stored for over 6 months (without any preservatives) may be medically unsafe for consumption because of the contamination from aflatoxigenic and biodeteriorating fungi. All these observations were discussed in relation to the food safety of the fresh and stored traditional food investigated.

	 

	Key words: Traditional food, mycotoxins, white yam, plantain, food safety, storage chips.

Nutritional compositions, fungi and aflatoxins detection in stored 'gbodo' (fermented Dioscorea rotundata) and 'elubo ogede' (fermented Musa parasidiaca) from South western Nigeria

https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/39825/1/nf07027.pdf

Nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of flour made from plantain and banana hybrid pulp and peel mixture

Fishes are the cheapest source of animal protein and it plays an important role in the diet of many people in both developed and developing countries. It is an important ingredient in the Nigerian traditional cuisine, cat fish being one of the most valued and very diverse groups of bony fish. The catfishes are a monophyletic group, belonging to the super-order called the Ostariophysi. Freshly caught fish spoil easily and therefore requires adequate preservation and storage. Of all flesh foods, fish is the most susceptible to tissue decomposition, development of rancidity, and microbial spoilage. Fish begin to deteriorate as soon as they leave the water. The preservation of fish is therefore considered to be a major hindrance to its production and utilisation especially in the tropical countries in Africa. The four most popular methods of fish preservation are freezing, canning, smoking and pickling, the major preservation method being pickling or salting, which has been used for centuries. In this present study, the effect of extracts from three indigenous spices; Piper guinensis (uziza), Xylopia aethiopicum (okada) and Myrustica monodora (ehuru) on the preservation of smoked-dried catfish stored for six weeks were evaluated using brine solution as control. Samples treated with uziza showed the lowest moisture content of 6.5% and lowest mean FFA formation of 0.55%, which was significantly different (p<0.5) from the other spices. The mean peroxide value range of 5.8-15.1 meq/kg was observed throughout the storage period for all the spices used. Thiobarbituric acid values ranged from 0.6mg/kg-1.4mg/kg with the lowest mean value of 0.37 mg/kg recorded in fish samples treated with uziza while the highest mean TBA value of 1.14mg was obtained in ehuru treated samples. This new research reveals that the three indigenous spices used, including Piper guinensis, Myristica monodora and Xylophia aethiopicum had chemical preservative and antioxidant properties. Among the three spices, Piper guinensis (uziza) was found to have the most effective preservation potential of smoked-dried fish during storage. This new result is anticipated to provide a simple, cheaper, healthier and safer method of fish preservation in developing countries.

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Effects of extracts from three indigenous spices on the chemical stability of smoke-dried catfish ( Clarias lezera ) during storage

Anti-nutrients and heavy metals in some new plantain and banana cultivars

A comparative study of pasting properties of newly developed plantain and banana (Musa spp.) and cassava (Manihot spp.) varieties were investigated with emphasis on their application in the baking industry. The new varieties were released to farmers in West and Central Africa (WCA) and East and Southern Africa (ESA) in line with the mandate of the Consultative Group on Agricultural Research which aims at reducing hunger and improving the livelihood of Africans. Supplementation of wheat flour with high quality flours from improved plantain, banana and cassava varieties may complement composite baking technology in Africa. This may reduce importation of wheat and other related farinaceous products and consequently enhance industrial development. Results show that BITA 3 had the highest Peak Viscosity (373.1 RVU), Trough Value (304.9 RVU), Final Viscosity (425.2 RVU), Setback Viscosity (120.3 RVU) and Pasting Time (5.2 min) and differed significantly (P Key words: Musa, Manihot, pasting, baking, confectionery

https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajfand/article/download/56342/44782

Comparative study of pasting properties of improved plantain, banana and cassava varieties with emphasis on industrial application.

The aim was to investigate the chemical and functional properties of starches produced from 39 different cassava varieties (36 varieties resistant to cassava mosaic disease and three checks TMS 30572, 4(2) 1425 and 82/00058) in two planting seasons at the experimental farm of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Onne, Rivers State, Nigeria. Varieties screened showed significant seasonal and varietal differences (p<0.05) in all the properties over two harvesting seasons. Amylose content ranged from 19.25 to 25.08% in Year 1 and from 16.19 to 20.29% in Year 2; amylopectin ranged from 77.88 to 79.71% in Year 1 and from 80.75 to 83.71% in Year 2. Protein content ranged from 0.7 to 1.06% in Year 1 and from 0.06 to 0.34% in Year 2. Sugar content ranged from 0.39 to 1.45% in Year 1 and from 0.52 to 1.13 % in Year 2. Starch damage ranged from 0.81 to 1.67% in Year 1 and from 0.58 to 0.89% in Year 2. pH ranged from 3.73 to 6.88 in Year 1 and from 5.25 to 9.30 in Year 2. Moisture content ranged from 7.47 to 14.55% in Year 1 and from 7.51 to 15.52% in Year 2. Ash content ranged from 0.05 to 0.36% in Year 1 and from 0.03 to 0.77% in Year 2. Starch content ranged from 61.36 to 91.78% in Year 1 and from 64.67 to 84.21% for Year 2. Dispersibility ranged from 79.50 to 87% in Year 1 and from 79.50 to 85.50% in Year 2. Swelling power ranged from 10.91 to 17.47% in Year 1 and 8.57 to 14.28% in Year 2. Solubility index ranged from 4.68 to 26.36% in Year 1 and from 2.07 to 14.36% in Year 2. Color ranged from 85.05 to 94.49% in Year 1 and from 90.27 to 92.96% in Year 2. The study therefore showed significant genotypic and seasonal variations in the chemical and functional properties of native starches from cassava.

I.S. Barimalaa

Papers

Nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of flour made from plantain and banana hybrid pulp and peel mixture

Effects of extracts from three indigenous spices on the chemical stability of smoke-dried catfish ( Clarias lezera ) during storage

Anti-nutrients and heavy metals in some new plantain and banana cultivars

Comparative study of pasting properties of improved plantain, banana and cassava varieties with emphasis on industrial application.

Seasonal variations in the chemical and functional properties of starches from local and improved cassava varieties in high rainfall region of Nigeria