Abstract
In Cameroon, agrofood waste biomass such as peels of Musa paradisiaca and Musa acuminate is being valorized using various traditional processing methods to produce a traditional functional food salt, potash, locally called nikkih. Nikkih has been reported to have varying physicochemical and functional properties, which negatively affect the quality and stability of food prepared using it. This work aims at evaluating the effect of traditional process methods on the physicochemical and functional properties of nikkih produced from these peels in view of the optimization of the process. The peels were preprocessed using two methods: boiling at 90oC before drying and direct drying of raw samples. All samples were dried and combusted to ash at varying temperatures of 250oC, 300o C, and 350oC and times of 30 min, 60 min, and 90 min. The ash obtained was dissolved in varied volumes of water, filtered to obtain the nikkih. Yellow achu soup was prepared through the dry gum method using water and read palm oil, with nikkih as emulsifier. The physicochemical and functional properties of nikkih on yellow achu soup were evaluated using standard methods. The ash yield ranged from 10.62 ± 0.12% to 7.10 ± 0.05%, with the raw samples combusted at 3000C and 2500C having the highest and lowest values respectively. The pH of nikkih ranged from 10.95 ± 0 to 12.01 ± 0.056 while potash content ranged from 32.45 ± 0.905% to 72.29 ± 1.31%, with the highest and lowest values obtained from the raw sample combusted at 2500C and the boiled samples combusted at 3500C respectively. Alkaline content ranged from 61.7 ± 0.141% to 52.8 ± 0.141%, with boiled M. acuminate combusted at 3500C having the highest value and the lowest from raw M. paradisiaca combusted at 2500C. The foaming capacity and foam stability ranged from 6.9 ± 0.01% to 16.07 ± 2.51% and from 3.20 ± 0.07% to 11.205 ± 2.39% for M. acuminate and M. paradisiaca respectively. The emulsification index ranged from 85.62 ± 0.09% to 86.67 ± 1.141% after 24 hrs and from 26.0 ± 0.94% to 27.02 ± 2.390% after 48 hrs, with the highest value from the raw M. acuminate combusted at 350oC and the lowest from that combusted at 3000C. The potash source, pretreatment method, combustion conditions, and dilution factors all had an effect on the physicochemical and functional properties of nikkih.
Highlights
Food loss and waste is recognized as a serious threat to food security, the economy, and the environment [1]
Nikkih constitutes the crude brownish or blackish extract produced traditionally by leaching the ashes of combusted agrofood waste with water to obtain a potassium-carbonate-rich crude bioextract [13, 14]. eir chemical composition shows that they are a mixture of salts and, are made of cations and anions; the major cation is generally sodium or potassium whereas the major anions are generally carbonates, bicarbonates, sulfates, and chlorides [15,16,17]. ese biobase functional plant extracts are fast replacing the common lake salt called “kangwa”, as they are regarded as cheaper, safer, less-toxic, and readily available from food waste biomass and their production from waste biomass contributes to environmental protection
Fresh unripe Musa paradisiaca and Musa acuminate peels were obtained from a local market in Bambili-Bamenda and transported to the laboratory in a flask at 40C where it was stored in a refrigerator at 40C before usage so as to avoid any ripening
Summary
Food loss and waste is recognized as a serious threat to food security, the economy, and the environment [1]. Ese two problems can be solved within the context of the circular bioeconomy by valorizing these wastes for the production of value-added biochemical products or ingredients for the agrofood industry [10, 11]. In many regions in Cameroon, in the North West and West Regions, for example, the peels of Musa paradisiaca and Musa acuminate are being valorized traditionally for the production of a traditional functional food salt, potash, locally called ‘nikkih’. Ese biobase functional plant extracts are fast replacing the common lake salt called “kangwa”, as they are regarded as cheaper, safer, less-toxic, and readily available from food waste biomass and their production from waste biomass contributes to environmental protection. With respect to its functionality, the ability to reduce cooking time has been studied [20, 21]
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