Background and objectives: Different communities have various types of edible plants at their nearby ecology from which they process their traditional foods that make the basis of diversified diets for food and nutrition security. Exploration of various ethnic traditional foods knowledge will have an immense contribution for preservation and sustainability of the traditional food system and culture. The objectives of this research were to investigate and document the edible plant type used and description on the processing of plant-based traditional foods/dishes and beverages of the Ramotswa village, Botswana. Majority of the Ramotswa village residents belong to the Balete tribe. Methodology: Questionnaire interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) were used in the documentations of edible plants type, methods involved in the processing, values, challenges, and the seasonal availability. Results and discussion: There are 50 wild edible plants used and most are available during rainy season. Maize, sorghum, beans, cooking melon, watermelon, and pumpkin are widely used domesticated crops. The edible part of wild plants is utilized in different ways. Some consumed after minor processing and some as cooked, boiled, recipe in traditional dishes, inoculum in fermentation, substrate in traditional beverages, and medicinal plants. Food safety concerns were indicated for few products. High temperature and shortage of rainfall are making some edible plants scarce. For some, preparation takes a long time; and when processing is not properly done, unpleasant odor, bitter taste, and mold growth can result, particularly for traditional beverages. Even though, most traditional foods/dishes and beverages are still consumed and enjoyed by the communities, there are worries that the young generation has limited knowledge and skills to process and utilize them. Conclusions: Most plant-based traditional foods/dishes consumed are low in sugar and fat, but are wholesome (whole grains, with dietary fibers) with high potential for diet diversification. The documentation provided will help to create awareness for preservation of the traditional foods/dishes and beverage culture, and as a baseline information for further studies for those nutrient and bioactive compound data are not available.
The objectives of this study were to find the influence of strain and egg size on the hatchability of indigenous Tswana chicken (ITC) eggs. In the first part of the study, a total of 240 eggs were collected from each of the three strains (naked neck, normal and dwarf) of ITC and artificially incubated to determine the influence of strain on fertility and hatchability of ITC eggs. In the second part of the study, a total of 244 eggs were obtained from the normal strain of ITC and allocated into three weight treatments: large (>55g), medium (50-55g) and small (<50g) to determine the effect of egg size on fertility and hatchability of ITC eggs. There were no differences in fertility and hatchability of set eggs between the three strains of ITC. Hatchability of fertile eggs was however significantly higher in the normal than dwarf and naked-neck strains. Egg size had no influence on hatchability of fertile and hatchability of set eggs in the normal strain. Medium-sized eggs however had the highest hatchability of both fertile and set eggs than large-sized and medium-sized eggs. In order to maximize on hatchability and chick number, the selection of medium-sized eggs and eggs of the normal strain are recommended.
<abstract> <p>Food-to-food fortification to refined sorghum flour (SF) for porridge making has an influence on the desirable properties of the porridge. In view of this, the effects of Bambara groundnut (BG) (15%, 25%, 35%) and dried butternut (BU) powder (23%) blending on functional and sensory properties of porridge were investigated using 100%SF as a control. With the blending by BG and BU, water binding capacity (WBC), water solubility index (WSI), oil absorption capacity (OAC) and gel water solubility index (GSI) increased (p < 0.05), whereas swelling power (SP) and gel water absorption index decreased. Blended flours were characterized by low -WBC and -SP, high -WSI, -OAC and -GSI which are desirable for processing of less bulky, nutrient and energy dense, digestible porridge suitable as a weaning food. In the descriptive sensory properties evaluation, overall aroma and after-taste intensity were rated better for the control sorghum porridge (p < 0.05), while texture (roughness/smoothness, firmness, stickiness, and springiness) differences were insignificant (p > 0.05) and specks appearance is very low in all porridges. The porridges color varied significantly (p < 0.05) and less brownness and high yellowness was observed in the blended flours than for the control sorghum flour. Even though improvement in the functional properties with the blending levels at 25% and 35% BG to the sorghum flours was observed, porridge over all aroma and aftertaste was superior for the refined 100% sorghum flour porridge.</p> </abstract>
<abstract> <p>The refined sorghum flour (SF) used is limited in fiber and micronutrients because of bran removal during milling, and protein digestibility is poor due to kafrin crosslinking. In this research, the effects of Bambara groundnut (BG) (15%, 25%, 35%) and butternut (BU) powder (23%) blending on SF were investigated, using 100% SF as a control. The proximate, mineral, beta-carotene and folic acid compositions of the flour mix were determined. As the BG levels increased, the protein, fat, fiber, and ash contents increased significantly (p < 0.05), ranging between 8.62–14.19%, 2.36–3.38%, 1.37–3.04% and 0.87–2.19%, respectively. The iron, zinc, calcium and phosphorus contents in mg/100 g were 3.43–5.08, 2.96–3.74, 80.00–106.67 and 150.63–594.53, respectively. The beta-carotene (mg/100 g) and folic acid (μg/100 g) contents were < 0.01–0.63 and 0.75–1.42, respectively. The mineral, beta-carotene and folic acid contents of the flour mix varied significantly (p < 0.05) from the control. The pro-vitamin A beta-carotene content was improved in the blend flours with the addition of BU powder, whereas, in the control sample, it was not detected (<0.01 mg/100 g). With the 35% BG blend, increases of 37% protein, 45% crude fiber, 48% iron, 26% zinc, 133% calcium and 154% folic acid contents from the control were observed. The study showed food-to-food fortification of SF with BG flour and BU powder has the potential to combat malnutrition, and the public health challenges associated with deficiencies in bioactive fibers, proteins and micronutrients (pro-vitamin A carotenoids, folic acid and minerals).</p> </abstract>
The consumption of traditional and indigenous foods and beverages varies across different ethnic communities and is often influenced by geographical location. However, the diversity of edible plants is rapidly declining due to climate change, leading to a loss of knowledge about useful plants used by different communities before the plant itself becomes extinct. This research investigated the edible plant types and investigated the processing steps of plant-based traditional foods/dishes and beverages of Gumare village, located in the catchment area of the Okavango Delta in the northwest of Botswana. Questionnaire interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) were used to collect data. The study identified 52 wild and 19 domesticated edible plants used in the preparation of traditional foods/dishes and beverages of Gumare village. Maize, sorghum, millets, beans, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, bottle gourd and sweet potato are widely used domesticated crops. The wild edible plants are either directly used after minor processing or as recipes in traditional dishes and/or as an inoculum in the fermentation, as a substrate in traditional beverages and some as medicinal plants. However, some taboos and food safety challenges were observed in the use of certain plants. The study highlighted a decline in the use of traditional foods/dishes and beverages, particularly among the young generation. The youth indicated that they have a low interest in gathering traditional foods and beverages due to the time-consuming nature during harvesting and the labour-intensive processing. In addition, they indicated the dangers of attacks by wild animals from veld by reptiles (for example snakes and pythons) and alligators (crocodiles) from rivers during the harvesting of raw materials used in traditional foods and dishes. For the communities, the diverse edible wild plants documented are a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds such as dietary fibers, phenolics, terpenes, essential oils, carotenoids, and alkaloids that help to combat malnutrition and for use as traditional medicines to support health and wellness. In conclusion, the significant diversity of wild edible plants and domesticated crops in Gumare village, likely due to its location in the catchment area of the Okavango Delta, plays a crucial role in diet diversification and can contribute to food and nutrition security. However, for most wild edible plants of Botswana, information on their nutrient and bioactive compounds are still limited. This study provides baseline information for further chemical investigation and development of resources in the formulation of functional foods and nutraceuticals. Graphical Abstract
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