The effects of ripening on the chemical composition and functional properties of plantain at different post harvest stages were studied. The cake baking performance of composite flour made from the blends of the plantain flour and wheat flour at different substitution levels were also evaluated. The result of proximate analysis showed that there were slight increases in moisture content, crude fibre, and ash and fat content as ripening progressed. The carbohydrate was shown to decrease while the protein increased from 2.8% in unripe plantain to 3.5% in firm ripe plantain; it then decreased to 2.6% in softripe plantain. Emulsion capacity, oil and water absorption capacities, viscosity, and swelling capacity were found to be higher in unripe plantain flour than firmripe flour, while whipping capacity of firmripe plantain flour was slightly higher than that of unripe plantain flour. It was also observed that as ripening progressed, the drying rate of the plantain slices decreased. The result of the sensory evaluation of composite flour cake from the plantain showed that the unripe plantain flour produced more acceptable cakes than those made from the firmripe plantain flour at all levels of substitution of the wheat flour. Acceptable cakes could be produced from wheat flour substituted up to 50% with any of the plantain flours.

The effects of soaking, boiling and combination of soaking and boiling at various treatment levels on the detoxification of trypsin inhibitor, cyanogenic glycoside, hemagglutinin, alkaloids and tannin in pigeon pea and vegetable cowpea were studied. Soaking was carried out for 6, 12 and 18 h while boiling was carried out for 40, 60 and 80 min. In combined soaking and boiling method, the beans were soaked for 12 h and then boiled for 40, 60 and 80 min. The results showed that the most effective method of detoxifying any of the toxicants was soaking for 12 h and boiling for 80 min. This method was able to reduce the trypsin inhibitor from 12.45 to 2.59 TUI/mg in pigeon pea and 25.60 to 3.20 TUI/mg in vegetable cowpea. The method also reduced the hemagglutinin content from 27.88 HU/mg to nil and 49.50 to 9.52 HU/mg; the cyanogenic glycoside from 40.50 mg/kg to nil and 83.81 to 5.06 mg/kg; alkaloids from 0.26 to 0.16% and 9.61 to 0.50%; and tannin from 1.60% to nil and from 3.42 to 1.28% in pigeon pea and vegetable cowpea, respectively. This method was found to be more potent in eliminating any of the toxicants rather than soaking or boiling alone.

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This study evaluated the nutritional composition of Nigeria's lesser known legumes namely African breadfruit (Treculia africana), African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) seed, bambaranut (Vigna subterranean L.), red bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.), African oil bean (Pentaclethra mycrophylla Benth.) seed, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan). The proximate composition, mineral content, fibre profile, fatty acid profile and amino acid compositions were evaluated using standard methods. The results showed that legume samples vary significantly (p < 0.05) in the chemical parameters evaluated. Groundnut, African oil bean seed and African breadfruit had significantly higher protein, carbohydrate, fat and ash contents than other legumes. Equally, groundnut, African oil bean and African breadfruit showed superiority in mineral and fibre abundance, while bambaranut had the lowest mineral and fibre contents. Linolenic acid is the most abundant fatty acid in all the legumes with values ranging from 38.78-84.57%. The percentage polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) for all the samples ranged from 40.15-48.97%. The total essential amino acids ranged from 24.11-66.67 mg/100 g. The range is considered adequate for ideal protein food. Therefore, lesser legumes evaluated can serve as alternative protein sources with good minerals, fibre, essential fatty and amino acids contents.