The burden of malnutrition in Africa calls for deeper exploration of underutilized species which are rich in nutrients and have the potential to reduce food and nutrition insecurity. The common staple crops are not able to meet daily requirements for both macro-and micro-nutrients. In order to lessen this burden; protein, calorie and micronutrient deficiencies must be properly addressed for optimal growth and development to be attained. African indigenous underutilized vegetables can play a significant role in the food security of vulnerable groups like under-five children and women in both urban and rural settings. The potential of grain amaranth in meeting the nutrition needs of humans has remained a subject of interest in scientific research. Amaranth is considered one of the most commonly produced and consumed indigenous vegetables on the African continent with high nutritional potentials but yet to be fully exploited. This review therefore aims at discussing the current knowledge of the inherent potentials of grain amaranths, its current application in the food industry and proposes a framework for actions and partnerships required to scale up and improve amaranth value chain

Malnutrition has been a serious issue in Ghana and Africa as a whole. However, the potential of many indigenous fruits to combat it has not yet been tested. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the nutritional characteristics of four underutilized wild fruits (Gardenia erubescens, Sclerocarya birrea, Diospyros mespiliformis, and Balanites aegyptiaca) of dietary interest in Ghana. The nutritional and antinutritional characteristics of the fruits were analyzed according to standard methods (laid down by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists and other well-known researchers) on a dry weight (dw) basis. The nutritional value of the fruits was high enough to contribute to the nutrient requirements of humans, with their iron (0.34–1.46 mg/100 g), zinc (0.81–2.97 mg/100 g), vitamin A (0.84–2.03 mg/100 g), and β-carotene (64.84–176.89 mg/100 g) contents worth special mention. The antinutrient content also ranged between 0.06–1.82 mg/g. Therefore, it is evident from the study that the fruits, although containing some levels of antinutrients, are nutrient-dense, suggesting their potency in fighting malnutrition in humans.

Orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) has great potentials to improve the nutritional benefits of bakery products when processed into quality flour. This study investigated the effects of sieve particle sizes (250 μm and 500 μm) and flour blend proportions on the physicochemical, nutritional, functional and pasting properties of peeled and unpeeled OFSP composite flours. Peeled OFSP composite flours had significantly (p < 0.05) higher crude protein (CP), lightness (L*), oil absorption capacity (OAC) and water solubility (WS) but lower crude fiber (CF), bioactive compounds (except ascorbic acid), water absorption capacity (WAC) and swelling capacity (SC) than the unpeeled OFSP composite flours. The sieve particle size had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on nutritional and pasting properties. However, OFSP-based flours sieved with 500 μm mesh particle size had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher WAC and SC but a lower WS than corresponding 250 μm mesh flours. The proportions of flour blends greatly (p < 0.001) influenced all quality properties of OFSP composite flours. Generally, OFSP composite flours had higher CF, bioactive compounds, WAC, SC and WS, but lower CP, fat, OAC and pasting properties than wheat flour. The quality properties indicated that peeled and unpeeled OFSP flours sieved with a 250 μm or 500 μm mesh size have great potentials as ingredients in the bakery industry.

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Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) flour is rich in health-promoting compounds that can improve the nutritional benefits of baked products when blended with wheat flour. However, the flour particle size and blend proportion may affect the quality properties and consumer acceptability of bakery products. This study investigated the effect of flour particle sizes and blend proportions on the physical, nutritional, textural and sensory properties of peeled and unpeeled OFSP composite flour cookies. Peeled and unpeeled OFSP flours (≤ 250 μm and ≤ 500 μm particle size) were produced, and each was used to replace soft wheat flour at the rate of 0 to 100% for cookies formulation. The results obtained showed that substitution of wheat flour with OFSP flours significantly (p < 0.05) decreased cookies baking loss, thickness, volume, crust lightness (L*) but increased diameter, spread ratio, crust redness, yellowness, contents of ß-carotene, vitamin A, ascorbic acid, total phenolics and flavonoids, and the antioxidant capacity. The hardness and fracturability of the OFSP-based cookies ranged between 1.389 and 10.142 kg and 0.873 and 9.431 kg, respectively, whereas the values of the control cookies were 1.281 ± 0.003 kg and 1.274 ± 0.003 kg, respectively. The effect of flour particle size on the physical and nutritional properties of cookies was insignificant (p > 0.05). However, the ≤ 250 μm particle size flour cookies had higher overall acceptability than the ≤ 500 μm particle size flour cookies. The unpeeled OFSP composite cookies had higher bioactive compounds concentrations except for ascorbic acid but had lower overall acceptability than the peeled OFSP cookies. Generally, the 30% peeled OFSP composite flour cookies had the highest consumer acceptability.