Underutilized Crop Research Articles

TIGERNUT: A NUTRIENT-RICH UNDERUTILIZED CROP WITH MANY POTENTIALS

There is a need to explore the nutritional and medicinal potentials of underutilized crops such as tigernut. Most conventional foods that are rich and balanced are scarce and expensive, and cannot be afforded by consumers in developing countries. Promoting tigernut consumption will play an imperative role in the health, nutrition, and economy of many developing countries. This review was intended to provide an overview on the nutritional and nutraceutical properties of various tigernut products. Also to provide information on the effects of various processing operations on the nutritional and functional properties of various tigernut products. Tigernut is rich in essential nutrients, numerous bioactive compounds with proven health benefits were found in all tigernut cultivars. Genetic variations, environmental and growing conditions make the yellow, brown, and black cultivars of tigernut to have different physicochemical, phytochemicals and functional properties. Tigernut and its products are recommended in the production of bakery goods and complementary foods. Tigernut extracts are potential candidates for the production of nutraceutical diets and drugs. Compounds with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-obesity, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties were found in tigernut. The oil can be used in cooking and frying, the oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, and tocopherols. The fatty acids composition of the oil is affected by the extraction methods. In addition to industrial applications, wastes and by-products from tigernut processing can also be used as food and feed ingredients.

Diversity and Diversification: Ecosystem Services Derived From Underutilized Crops and Their Co-benefits for Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes and Resilient Food Systems in Africa.

There are growing calls to adopt more sustainable forms of agriculture that balance the need to increase production with environmental, human health, and wellbeing concerns. Part of this conversation has included a debate on promoting and mainstreaming neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) because they represent a more ecologically friendly type of agriculture. We conducted a systematic review to determine the ecosystem services derived from NUS and assess their potential to promote functional ecological diversity, food and nutritional security, and transition to more equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient agricultural landscapes and food systems in Africa. Our literature search yielded 35 articles for further analysis. The review showed that NUS provide various provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting ecosystem services and several environmental and health co-benefits, dietary diversity, income, sustainable livelihood outcomes, and economic empowerment, especially for women. Importantly, NUS address the three pillars of sustainable development-ecological, social, and economic. Thus, NUS may provide a sustainable, fit-for-purpose transformative ecosystem-based adaptation solution for Africa to transition to more sustainable, healthy, equitable, and resilient agricultural landscapes and food systems.

Genetic diversity of domestic (Thai) and imported winged bean [Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.] cultivars assessed by morphological traits and microsatellite markers

Winged bean [Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.] is a neglected and underutilized crop in Thailand, and yet is locally important throughout much of Asia and in some parts of Africa. In Thailand, winged bean cultivars are landrace selections that are mainly grown in home gardens across the country. In this study, the genetic diversity and population structure of 60 domestic (Thai) and 64 imported winged bean accessions were assessed via their comparative morphological traits and 13 gene-based simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The 13 markers generated 36 alleles in total with an average of 2.77 alleles per marker, and overall gene diversity of 0.47. The gene diversity of the Thai and imported winged bean accessions was comparable with values of 0.42 and 0.49, respectively. The estimated out-crossing rate was relatively high, at 16.28%. STRUCTURE, phylogenetic, and principal coordinate analyses consistently revealed the separate yet intermingled attributes of several accessions, which demonstrated their similar genetic diversity of the Thai and imported winged beans. The Thai and imported winged bean populations were comparable in days to flowering, pod length and seed size. Majority of the Thai and imported winged bean accessions showed the same qualitative traits, including leaf shape, flower color, pod color and pod shape. These suggested the winged bean growers' similar preferences and selection of winged beans in different geographical regions. The admixture within the genetic base of the winged bean indicates the need for the management of future breeding programs.

Chemical and physical properties of canna (Canna edulis) and jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis)-based composite flours

Poor dietary patterns and unhealthy lifestyles are common risk factors for noncommunicable ailments, the leading causes of global death rates. Therefore, improvement of diet quality is necessary and a gluten-free diet would be the right option. This diet is not solely for patients with gluten-related diseases but has also become a trend for consumers, due to the health benefits of gluten avoidance. Underutilized food crops, including tubers and legumes, are potential raw materials for producing gluten-free food. In this study, the physicochemical properties of canna (Canna edulis) and jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) -based composite flours were investigated. The composite flours were produced using canna flour to jack bean flour ratios of F1 (85:15), F2 (70:30), and F3 (55:45). Based on the experiment’s result, an increase in jack bean flour proportion significantly (p<0.05) increased the composite flour’s protein content, lightness, and resistant starch content of composite flours, but significantly (p<0.05) reduced carbohydrate content, oil holding capacity, and swelling power. According to the scoring test result, F2 (70:30) has the highest result and was selected as the best formula. Thus, a combination of canna and jack bean flours indicated promising properties of gluten-free flour for functional food alternative resources.

Food and nutraceutical functions of sesame oil: An underutilized crop for nutritional and health benefits

Sesame is the oldest oilseed crop known to humanity, though it contributes a small share in the global vegetable oil production. Sesame oil contains nutrients, including lignans, tocopherols, phytosterols, natural antioxidants, and bioactive compounds. It provides various health benefits such as anti-lipogenic, hypo-cholesterolemic, anti-degenerative, and neural health-promoting properties. Being an under-utilized minor crop, it has not received enough research attention for its food and nutraceutical potential. The sesame crop is a potential candidate to maintain the diversity of food oils and harness its benefits for improving human health. The present review will provide detailed research on sesame oil contents, health effects, nutraceuticals, oil quality, and value addition strategies. Also, the sesame oil nutritional quality was compared with other vegetable oils, highlighting the potential health and nutrition-related benefits. The way forward for further sesame improvement through value addition traits was also discussed.

The World Vegetable Center Amaranthus germplasm collection: Core collection development and evaluation of agronomic and nutritional traits

AbstractAmaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is an underutilized crop increasing in popularity as a grain and as a leafy vegetable. It is rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins, and adapts well to a range of production systems. Currently, the lack of improved cultivars limits the use of the crop. Breeding‐improved cultivars requires access to large collections of amaranth biodiversity stored in genebanks. The task of searching such vast collections for traits of interest can be eased by generating core collections, which display the diversity of large collections in a much smaller germplasm set. The World Vegetable Center amaranth collection contains around 1,000 accessions of 13 species; among them, there are 281 accessions of four species important for use as vegetable amaranth in Africa (A. cruentus, A. hypochondriacus, A. caudatus, and A. dubius). Based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker genotype diversity, a core collection (CC) of 76 accessions, cultivars, and selections was assembled. To a large extent, it represents the diversity of the whole collection. The CC was evaluated for yield and nutritional parameters during the cool and warm seasons in Tanzania and Taiwan and a pretest for variation of drought tolerance in the CC has been performed. Cultivar Madiira 2, an improved cultivar developed for vegetable production in Africa, outperformed all other tested cultivars in terms of yield stability, but several CC accessions had higher yield, lower wilting score, and higher nutrient content than Madiira 2. This indicates the core collection can be used for further improvement of amaranth cultivars.

English

Sorghum, sesame seeds and baobab fruit are commercially viable, underutilized crops in sub-Saharan Africa with potential for use in development of high-quality value-added products for food and nutritional security. This study evaluated effects of processing methods on the nutritional and sensory attributes of a ready to eat snack bar developed from sorghum supplemented with sesame and baobab fruit pulp powder. The moisture content ranged between 6.38 and 10.28%, total fiber content ranged between 5.59 and 10.455 g/100 g while protein and fat content ranged between 11.28 and 16.74 g/100 g and 9.65 g/100 g and 18.58 g/100 g, respectively. The carbohydrates content in the snack bars ranged between 46.37 and 60.31 g/100 g, while energy content averaged 426.33 kcal/100 g for raw materials and 414.38 kcal/100 g for formulated snack bars. Concentrations of iron, calcium and zinc ranged between 5.46 and 14.611 mg/100 g, 82 and 246 mg/100 g, and 1.377 and 4.98 mg/100 g, respectively. Sensory evaluation of the bars formulations was based on a 5-point hedonic scale and revealed significant differences (p<0.05) in color, taste and overall acceptability. The aroma and crunchiness of the snacks were not significant. The study found underutilized crops have the versatility to improve the range of products and spur innovation in new product development.   Key words: Sorghum, sesame, baobab, malting, roasting, fermentation, supplementation.

Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus): Nutrient profiling using HPLC and UV-spectroscopic techniques

Food insecurity and undernourishment constitute a major challenge in Africa and the world at large. To meet key nutritional targets and tackle the menace of undernourishment, we need to exploit available but underutilised food crops. A common underutilised food crop with the potential to improve daily nutrition is tiger nut. This potential is evidenced in the number of essential amino acids detected, which constitute 74.425% of the entire amino acids detected, in addition to important minerals and vitamins. The nutritional composition of the yellow variety of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) was determined using the standard methods of high-performance liquid chromatography and UV-spectroscopy. Ten amino acids were identified and quantified, including six essential amino acids, of which valine had the highest concentration (67.59 μg/100 g), followed by leucine (3.019 μg/100 g), phenylalanine (1.767 μg/100 g), lysine (0.946 μg/100 g), histidine (1.048 μg/100 g) and tryptophan (0.055 μg/100 g). The other amino acids were proline (24.124 μg/100 g), cysteine (1.269 μg/100 g), glycine (0.024 μg/100 g), and glutamine (0.022 μg/100 g). Monosaccharides detected were ribose (41.76%), glucose (21.52%), sedoheptulose (17.94%), fructose (4.566%), rhamnose (1.78%) and mannose (1.58%), whilst disaccharides detected were sucrose (87.66%) and maltose (11.39%). Mineral concentrations were K 144.80 ± 1.10 mg/100 g, Ca 94.39 ± 0.02 mg/100 g, Na 83.92 ± 0.04 mg/100 g, Fe 19.36 ± 0.54 mg/100 g, Mg 17.63±0.13 mg/100 g, Cu 13.28±0.05 mg/100 g and Zn 5.18±0.01 mg/100 g Vitamins A, B2, C and E were detected and quantified as 53.93±1.03, 7.61±1.20, 31.70±1.25 and 128.75±0.74 μg/100 g, respectively. The chemical and nutritional properties of the yellow variety of tiger nut suggest that it is rich in essential amino acids, minerals, and some vitamins. Hence, it should be recommended to persons with nutritional deficiencies as it is cheap and available all year round. Significance: The nutritional composition of the yellow tiger nut will assist in meeting the recommended daily intake of essential amino acids, monosaccharides, disaccharides, minerals, and vitamins, thus contributing towards solving the challenge of food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in the African sub-region. The rich concentration of these nutrients could be harnessed in the biofortification of food materials known to be deficient in one nutrient or another. These important attributes of tiger nut, if harnessed, will add value to this underutilised crop and enhance the economic livelihood of the local farmers.

Pre‐processing treatments improved the physicochemical properties of Bambara groundnut flours and preference of formulated cake

AbstractBACKGROUNDDemand is growing among consumers for plant‐based products which offer similar formulation options and full sensory experience. The suitability of Bambara groundnut (BG) flours (soaked/wet‐milled, unsieved/dry‐milled sieved and) as an alternative to wheat flour in cake formulations were evaluated and characterized by their physicochemical, textural, microscopic, and sensory properties.RESULTSThe protein and fiber content of the flours ranged between 19.1% and 20.8% and 3.67% and 6.63%, respectively. Texture expressed as hardness decreased with pretreatment by a factor of 15% in all samples and particle size distribution was reduced by a factor of 22%. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis confirmed the reduction of particle size when BG flours were used in cake formulations. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP‐AES) and energy‐dispersive X‐ray elemental analysis showed micro‐, macro‐, and trace elements, including P, S, K, Na, Mo, Mg, Cr, Fe, Br and Ni in BG flours and cake. Sensory analysis showed better texture, mouthfeel, taste, general appearance, and overall acceptability score for cake formulated with soaked BG flour.CONCLUSIONMinimal pretreatment may improve the profile and diversify the application of underutilized crops such as BG.

Beyond a reference genome: pangenomes and population genomics of underutilized and orphan crops for future food and nutrition security.

Underutilized crops are, by definition, under-researched compared to staple crops yet come with traits that may be especially important given climate change and the need to feed a globally increasing population. These crops are often stress-tolerant, and this combined with unique and beneficial nutritional profiles. Whilst progress is being made by generating reference genome sequences, in this Tansley Review, we show how this is only the very first step. We advocate that going 'beyond a reference genome' should be a priority, as it is only at this stage one can identify the specific genes and the adaptive alleles that underpin the valuable traits. We sum up how population genomic and pangenomic approaches have led to the identification of stress- and disease-tolerant alleles in staple crops and compare this to the small number of examples from underutilized crops. We also demonstrate how previously underutilized crops have benefitted from genomic advances and that many breeding targets in underutilized crops are often well studied in staple crops. This cross-crop population-level resequencing could lead to an understanding of the genetic basis of adaptive traits in underutilized crops. This level of investment may be crucial for fully understanding the value of these crops before they are lost.

Phenotypic Diversity Assessment of Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus (L.) Moench) Genotypes in Ethiopia Using Multivariate Analysis

Okra is a minor crop that has not gained research attention in Ethiopia. Characterization of such underutilized crops has important implications for their utilization. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity of okra genotypes in Ethiopia using agromorphological and biochemical markers. Thirty-six okra genotypes were evaluated for 29 agromorphological and biochemical traits. The results of the analysis of variance showed significant differences among genotypes for most of the traits, except for the number of flower epicalyx and fruit diameter. Results of the principal component analysis indicated that the first eight principal component axes accounted for 3.83 to 30.54% and 82.44% of the total variability. Genetic distances estimated by Euclidean distances from 27 traits ranged from 3.55 to 14.49. The 36 genotypes were grouped into four distinct clusters from the Euclidean distance matrix using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA). The first cluster contained 24 (66.66%) genotypes, and the second cluster contained 10 (27.77%) of the genotypes. This study showed the presence of considerable genetic variation among the genotypes for most of the traits, including fruit yield, seed yield, and nutrient content of seeds, indicating the possibility of using these genotypes to develop okra varieties with high fruit-yielding and good nutritional content.

Biology, production constraints and uses of Cyperus exculentus L. (neglected and underutilized crop species), implication for valorization: a review

Biology, production constraints and uses of Cyperus exculentus L. (neglected and underutilized crop species), implication for valorization: a review

Functional properties of <em>Averrhoa bilimbi </em>and green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles using its fruit extracts

Averrhoa bilimbi is an underutilized crop possessing remarkable health benefits. The current investigation is based on anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of aerial parts of the crops. Additionally, silver nanoparticles synthesis using ethanolic extract of the fruit of A. bilimbi was performed. Characterization of synthesized nanoparticles were performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Antibacterial properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were also evaluated. Results revealed that the leaf extract of A. bilimbi has shown significantly higher (p< 0.05) phenolics (261.58 mg GAE/ g DW), carotene (2.4357mg/g DW), antioxidant capacity (309.75±1.57mg AAE/g DW), anti-diabetic properties (α-amylase inhibition-21.41%) and anti-inflammatory properties (heat-induced hemolysis inhibition-15.29%) compared with its fruits and flower extracts. SEM images showed a size range of 400nm and the shape of nanoparticles is polyhedral. In FTIR spectrum, the major peaks were observed at 3272.37cm-1 to 2852.43cm-1 and 1739.23 cm-1 to 1034.04 cm-1. In addition, the A. bilimbi-based silver nanoparticles showed antibacterial properties against tested E. coli. In conclusion, A. bilimbi may possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties and the synthesized silver-nanoparticles also show antimicrobial properties.

Tef: a tiny grain with enormous potential.

Tef is a highly nutritious gluten-free Ethiopian cereal with food-feed potential. However, its productivity is affected by lodging, weed infestation, terminal drought, small seed size, and shattering. Following the recent availability of tef genome sequences, we highlight the need to harness the benefits that this underutilised crop offers to improve food security.

Production and Trade Scenario of Major Underutilized Crops of Nepal

In Nepal, underutilized crops are the crop species which have high potential for food, nutrition, dietary and culinary diversification but are less prioritized in formal research, education, extension and development. Analysis of the trend of production and trade helps to formulate and prioritize governing policies for the development of the underutilized crops in Nepal. Analyzing this need, This study aims to reveal the production and trade scenario of major underutilized crops of Nepal; mainly Finger millet, Buckwheat and Barley over the years. Secondary data collected from Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), Department of Customs and relevant articles were used for the study and to analyze the ongoing trend, simple linear regression model was used. Collected and analyzed data revealed that, production area of millet is decreasing. However, the production quantity is increasing mainly because of the increased productivity. Though the production is increasing, the import of millet is also high. Increased consumption of local liquor products made from millet followed by diversified food product consumption have seems to conduced the increased demand. The production area of buckwheat found steady over a decade, however, the production and productivity is increasing. The production area and productivity of barley is decreasing while the import of barley is increasing from 2013/14 with the sudden fall in 2019/20. The sudden decrease in import in 2019/20 was due to trade restriction due to Covid situation. But now the demand of these underutilized crops is increasing year after year, and this will continue in forthcoming years also, mainly because of raise in awareness about the health and nutritional benefits. To reduce the ballooning trade deficit of these crops in near future, along with productivity, effective area expansion policies and programs should be formulated and implemented from all three tiers of government.

Contribution of Underutilized Plants in Food and Livelihood Security in Tinsukia District

Underutilized plants though have a great potential towards contribution of improvement of livelihood income and nutritional security, they are not properly explored. A study was carried out in Tinsukia District with the help of a questioner and focus group discussion with the objective to identify the importance of underutilized crops at farmer’s level. Data was collected from 120 families and the study showed that there are many minor underutilized crops mainly fruits (40%), leafy vegetables (54.5%), and herbals (29%) which are not only subsidizing to the food requirement and nourishment of the family but also generating an extra income at household level and also are being used to treat the minor disorders at local level.

Pangenomes as a Resource to Accelerate Breeding of Under-Utilised Crop Species.

Pangenomes are a rich resource to examine the genomic variation observed within a species or genera, supporting population genetics studies, with applications for the improvement of crop traits. Major crop species such as maize (Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa), Brassica (Brassica spp.), and soybean (Glycine max) have had pangenomes constructed and released, and this has led to the discovery of valuable genes associated with disease resistance and yield components. However, pangenome data are not available for many less prominent crop species that are currently under-utilised. Despite many under-utilised species being important food sources in regional populations, the scarcity of genomic data for these species hinders their improvement. Here, we assess several under-utilised crops and review the pangenome approaches that could be used to build resources for their improvement. Many of these under-utilised crops are cultivated in arid or semi-arid environments, suggesting that novel genes related to drought tolerance may be identified and used for introgression into related major crop species. In addition, we discuss how previously collected data could be used to enrich pangenome functional analysis in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) based on studies in major crops. Considering the technological advances in genome sequencing, pangenome references for under-utilised species are becoming more obtainable, offering the opportunity to identify novel genes related to agro-morphological traits in these species.

Underutilized Fruit Crops of Indian Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: Importance, Conservation and Utilization Strategies

Nowadays, there is a large demand for nutrient-dense fruits to promote nutritional and metabolic human health. The production of commercial fruit crops is becoming progressively input-dependent to cope with the losses caused by biotic and abiotic stresses. A wide variety of underutilized crops, which are neither commercially cultivated nor traded on a large scale, are mainly grown, commercialized and consumed locally. These underutilized fruits have many advantages in terms of ease to grow, hardiness and resilience to climate changes compared to the major commercially grown crops. In addition, they are exceptionally rich in important phytochemicals and have medicinal value. Hence, their consumption may help to meet the nutritional needs of rural populations, such as those living in fragile arid and semi-arid regions around the world. In addition, local people are well aware of the nutritional and medicinal properties of these crops. Therefore, emphasis must be given to the rigorous study of the conservation and the nutritional characterization of these crops so that the future food basket may be widened for enhancing its functional and nutritional values. In this review, we described the ethnobotany, medicinal and nutritional values, biodiversity conservation and utilization strategies of 19 climate-resilient important, underutilized fruit crops of arid and semi-arid regions (Indian jujube, Indian gooseberry, lasora, bael, kair, karonda, tamarind, wood apple, custard apple, jamun, jharber, mahua, pilu, khejri, mulberry, chironji, manila tamarind, timroo, khirni).

Influence of Commercial Seaweed Extract and Microbial Biostimulant on Growth, Yield, Phytochemical Content, and Nutritional Quality of Five Abelmoschus esculentus Genotypes

Biostimulant application during the cultivation of underutilized crops is an environmental-friendly approach for their production and utilization to promote food security and human health. This study investigated the effect of two commercial biostimulants (a seaweed-based extract, Kelpak® (1:100, 1:40, and 1:20, dilutions), and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, PGPR (1:5, 1:10, and 1:15, dilutions)) on the growth, yield, phytochemical content, and nutritional quality of five selected Abelmoschus esculentus genotypes. Biostimulant application significantly influenced vegetative growth and yield in a dose-dependent manner. Plant height, chlorophyll content, stem diameter, number of pods, and total pod fresh and dry weights increased with a decrease in dilution of the biostimulants. The application of PGPR (1:5) significantly promoted both the vegetative growth (plant height, chlorophyll content, and stem diameter) and yield (number of pods, total fresh weight, and total dry weight) when compared to the control (untreated plants) and other biostimulant dilutions. Genotype and biostimulant application had an interactive effect on all the phytochemical (total phenolics, flavonoids, and condensed tannins) and nutritional (β-carotene, vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and zinc) qualities evaluated. This study demonstrated the differential effect of biostimulant application on A. esculentus genotypes. These biostimulants can be used to enhance growth, yield, biochemical, and nutritional contents of underutilised crops such as A. esculentus, depending on the crop genotype, in order to improve crop productivity and combat food insecurity especially in food insecure communities.

Phenolic acid and amino acid composition of Ethiopian Chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa)

ABSTRACT Chaya is one of the underutilized crops in Ethiopia and may become a key solution to alleviate both food and nutrition insecurity in developing countries. The objective of this study was to investigate the phenolic acid and amino acid composition of chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa) leaf and stem samples grown in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. HPLC with a reverse-phase column was used for the determination of individual phenolic acid and amino acid compositions of all chaya samples. Each group of phenolic acid was used for phenolic acid quantification. Deep green, light green, and stem samples were analyzed for phenolic acid and amino acid profiles. The findings from this study show that chaya contains high amounts of phenolic acids and amino acid compositions. The deep green chaya leaf contained the highest amino acids and the lowest composition was found in the chaya stem. High concentration of essential amino acids such as leucine, lysine, and phenylalanine is found in chaya leaf, whereas leucine, lysine, and cysteine essential amino acids are dominant in chaya steam. Therefore, this study could be very significant for future use of chaya leaf as a rich source of amino acids and essential antioxidants to improve mainly the food, nutrition, and health status of rural peoples in Ethiopia. This research article focuses only on the phenolic and amino acid content and so the researchers recommend for others to do so on other untouched parameters like proximate compositions, mineral contents, and anti-nutritional contents of both chaya leaves and stems.