Main conclusion Crops For the Future (CFF), as an entity, has established a broad range of research activities to promote the improvement and adoption of currently underutilised crops.
Bambara groundnut (BG, Vigna subterranea) and moringa (Moringa oleifera) are underutilized 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, analyze 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 fiber 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 toward 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 underutilized crops from field studies to acceptable consumer products with enhanced nutritional profiles.
Nowadays, downstream bioprocessing industries inclines towards the development of a green and high efficient bioseparation technology. Betacyanins are presently gaining higher interest in the food science as driven by their high tinctorial strength and health promoting functional properties. In this study, a novel green integration process of liquid biphasic electric partitioning system (LBEPS) was proposed for betacyanins extraction from peel and flesh of red-purple pitaya. Initially, the betacyanins extraction using LBEPS with initial settings was compared with that of liquid biphasic partitioning system (LBPS), and the results revealed that both systems demonstrated a comparable betacyanins extraction. This was followed by further optimizing the LBEPS for better betacyanins extraction. Several operating parameters including operation time, voltage applied, and position of graphitic electrodes in the system were investigated. Moreover, comparison between optimized LBEPS and LBPS with optimized conditions of electric system (as post-treatment) as well as color characterization and antioxidant properties assessment were conducted. Overall, the betacyanins extraction employing the optimized LBEPS showed the significant highest values of betacyanins concentration in alcohol-rich top phase (C
t
) and partition coefficient (K) of betacyanins from peel (99.256 ± 0.014% and 133.433 ± 2.566) and flesh (97.189 ± 0.172% and 34.665 ± 2.253) of red-purple pitaya. These results inferred that an optimal betacyanins extraction was successfully achieved by this approach. Also, the LBEPS with the peel and flesh showed phase volume ratio (V
r
) values of 1.667 and 2.167, respectively, and this indicated that they have a clear biphasic separation. In addition, the peel and flesh extract obtained from the optimized LBEPS demonstrated different variations of red color as well as their antioxidant properties were well-retained. This article introduces a new, reliable, and effective bioseparation approach for the extraction of biomolecules, which is definitely worth to explore further as a bioseparation tool in the downstream bioprocessing.
Spray drying was investigated in this study to produce Moringa leaf powder which was examined for its nutritional value and ability to support probiotics during storage with and without pretreatment. Response surface methodology with central composite rotatable design was performed to optimize the drying process for maximum yield based on two independent variables: inlet air temperature (116–144°C) and feed maltodextrin concentration (8.0%–22.5% w/w). The responding factors include drying characteristics (yield, color, bulk density, tapped density, water activity, and hygroscopicity) and phytochemical content (total phenolic content, total chlorophyll, and antioxidant activity). Each response was fitted to a model with goodness of fit determined using t test, coefficient of determination (R2), coefficient of variation (CV %), lack‐of‐fit, and signal‐to‐noise ratio. Pretreated and non‐pretreated leaves powder at the optimum settings demonstrated viable (more than 106 CFU/g powder) counts of both Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis up to 28 days after inoculation.
Practical applications
Spray drying is a proven dehydration technique for heat‐sensitive substance in its atomized liquid form to obtain the counterpart dry powder product without substantial thermal degradation. It is a rapid, cost‐effective, and scalable process for the production of dry powders from vegetable and fruits with superior physical attributes and phytochemical properties as compared to other drying methods. Response surface methodology is a statistical tool that is very useful in the optimization and control of food processes. The information provided in this work will serve as the basis for further study on producing spray‐dried Moringa leaves powder at optimal pretreatment and spray drying conditions. The result is very valuable in considering the different processing variables and product qualities at the same time as compared with single factor experiments. This potentially leads to improved product color and phytochemicals retention while increasing production yield. Positive result shown in the probiotic compatible and viability analysis has revealed that the spray‐dried Moringa leaves powder may find its potential applications in the production of probiotic‐fortified Moringa health products (e.g., food, drink, supplements, and so on) and incorporation into existing food products as a flavoring or coloring targeted at the health food sector.
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