The concept of extension services has changed over time with technology playing a key role, more emphasis is being placed on expanding the skills and knowledge of farmers in achieving food security and creating more proficient food products that meet consumer demand. Farmers and consumers utilize sweet potato in different ways, including boiling, steaming, roasting and frying the fresh roots. However, it remains unknown whether what is produced by farmers align to what is demanded by consumers and the role of extension in bridging the demand-supply gaps if it exists. Thus, the study assessed the role of extension in promoting sweet potato product utilization among farmers and consumers in Homabay and Kisumu County of Kenya. Mixed sampling procedures were applied to select 120 respondents who participated in the study: 52 farmers and 68 consumers of sweet potato. Data collected using a semi-structured questionnaire were cross-tabulated and responses subjected to independent samples t-test and chi-square test of significance. The results revealed SPK 004 and SPK 20 as the most planted and consumed varieties. There were significant differences in sweet potato trait preference between farmers and consumer. While significantly higher percentage (73%) of farmers considered colour when selecting varieties to produce for domestic sale and domestic consumption, equal percentage (43%) of consumers preferred colour and taste. Raw sweet potato was the most produced and bought sweet potato product for consumption with no significant differences by respondent type and county. Salient find of the study was that extension mediated sweet potato products produced, marketed, and consumed by farmers and consumers. Sweet potato products demanded by consumer matched products that were produced, sold, and consumed by farmers. Therefore, extensionist should be strengthened to effectively promote and dissemination sweet potato varieties and products with desirable traits both to farmers and consumers. Key words: Sweet potato products, Extension role, Utilization, Consumer, Farmer, Value-added- products
Orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is rich in provitamin A carotenoids and can thus be utilized to tackle Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Puree with high amounts of β-carotene processed from OFSP roots is currently being incorporated in baked products such as bread, cakes, biscuits, and buns. The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional composition of OFSP puree supplemented food products, that is, bread, buns, flakes, cakes, biscuits, muffins, soft cookies, golden biscuits and whole wheat flour bread. The composite products made from OFSP puree were analyzed for β-carotene content and proximate analysis. The highest concentration of β-carotene (19.86 mg/100g) was obtained in OFSP flakes. The concentration in buns with 20% puree was 0.58 mg/100g, while bread with 35% puree had a concentration of 3.02 mg/100g. Biscuits, cookies and cakes with high puree of 40% had β-carotene concentrations of 2.39, 1.83, and 2.30 mg/100g respectively. These concentrations are lower than in bread with 35% puree, and we see different proportions of ingredients and other factors such as cooking method, duration of cooking also play a major role in the final β-carotene concentration of the products. The total Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAE) for the OFSP products were significantly different with bread (35% puree) having a higher concentration of 216.67 µg/100g and OFSP buns (20% puree) having a lower concentration of 41.19 µg/100g. Orange fleshed sweet potato flakes had the highest concentration of 1443.2 µg/100g and whole wheat flour bread having the least of 6.9 µg/100g. The moisture content, total ash, crude fiber, crude fat, crude protein, and carbohydrate content of the OFSP products varied between 2.4-29.7%, 0.7-2.4%, 1.0-4.5%, 0.7-18.1%, 5.1-7.9% and 50.7-83.7%, respectively. The findings of this study show that different proportions of OFSP puree: wheat flour is not the only determinant on the final β-carotene concentration of the different OFSP products, the type and quantity of ingredients used, cooking time and method also contribute to the VA content. Diversification of OFSP food products helps increase its consumption and its added value. Key words: Beta-carotene, Orange fleshed sweet potato, puree, Sweet potato, Vitamin A
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