Abstract
Bambara groundnut (BG, Vigna subterranea) and moringa (Moringa oleifera) are underutilised crops that improve nutritional quality of diets locally. The objectives of this study were to measure the performance of both crops on a marginal soil, analyse the harvested plant parts and noodles produced from them, and to undertake taste testing and survey consumer reactions. The noodles contained either 100% wheat flour or wheat with either BG flour (20%) or moringa powder (6%). BG yielded 0.70 t ha-1 of dry nuts and moringa 1.54 t ha-1 of dry leaflets. Both plant products were high in nutrients (especially K, and Ca in moringa) and some amino acids. Inclusion in noodles significantly enhanced their nutritional composition particularly energy content, crude fat, crude fibre and carbohydrate. Significant increases (p<0.05) of Mg, Mn, P, K and Zn occurred. Total essential amino acid concentration increased from 34.1% in the pure wheat noodles to 38.2% in BG and 34.8% in moringa noodles. Sensory analysis showed acceptability of all three noodle types was above the “Neither like nor dislike” category leaning towards the liking end for almost all the attributes tested. A consumer reaction survey showed there were internal and external factors motivating respondents to choose both products. Weak correlations were found between some of these factors and respondents’ willingness to pay more for the BG and moringa noodles. We conclude that adopting a comprehensive research approach from plant to plate can assist transfer of underutilised crops from field studies to acceptable consumer products with enhanced nutritional profiles.
Highlights
Ericksen (2008) combined ideas from the food production, chain and security literatures to develop a food systems framework that has proven useful in a variety of analyzes including the improvement of nutritional well-being and assessing adaptations
This study showed that BG (Ex-Sokoto), which originated from arid to semi-arid Sub-Saharan Africa and typically grows on sandy soils, was able to produce a good yield in a humid tropical region on a clayey, acidic soil
Cultivation practices, post-harvest processes and product development all influence the nutritional quality of the food
Summary
Improved food and nutritional security for humans requires an approach that spans the food system from plant to plate (GLOPAN, 2016). Ericksen (2008) combined ideas from the food production, chain and security literatures to develop a food systems framework that has proven useful in a variety of analyzes including the improvement of nutritional well-being and assessing adaptationsNutritional Improvement of Noodles to changing climate (Ingram, 2011). It has been reported that BG is rich in essential amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, and valine (Ihekoronye and Ngoddy, 1985; Olaleke et al, 2006; Yao et al, 2015). Despite these favorable nutritional properties, BG consumption is limited because it is regarded as hard to cook with water and firewood scarcity serious problems in many regions (e.g., Mubaiwa et al, 2018)
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