Moringa oleifera tree is referred to as a miracle tree due to its rich source of certain macro and micro nutrients of great importance in human nutrition. The chemical composition of the different parts of the Moringa tree may vary depending on cultivar and source. M. oleifera leaf, seed and flower have found numerous applications in food. In this review we firstly summarized the present knowledge on the use of M. oleifera as a food fortificant in amala (stiff dough), ogi (maize gruel), bread, biscuits, yoghurt, cheese and in making soups. The knowledge gap in the reported research was provided and possible future applications of M. oleifera in foods as well as the need for a well-structured and planned experimental design were suggested.

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This study investigated the effect of stearic acid, linoleic acid, and lysophosphatidylcholine on complex formation and physicochemical properties of bambara starch in comparison with potato starch. The complexation index reached maximum at 2% lipid concentration. Bambara starch complexed better with stearic acid than with linoleic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine. A similar trend was observed for potato starch but to a lesser extent. All lipids significantly reduced the peak and setback viscosities of bambara starch, but increased the final viscosity. Pasting of bambara and potato starches with lipids resulted in the formation of type‐I V‐amylose complexes, with melting temperatures ranging from ∼98 to 102°C. X‐ray diffraction of these complexes showed the crystalline V‐amylose pattern with a major peak at 2Θ = 19.9° and minor peaks at 2Θ = 7.4° and 12.9°. Modification of bambara starch with lipids resulted in reduced digestibility, suggesting their potential application in formulating foods for the management of diabetes.

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The physicochemical properties of starches extracted from three bambara groundnut landraces, maroon, brown, and cream were studied. The amylose contents (31.5-34.6%) of the bambara starches were significantly different among the landraces. All the bambara starches exhibited an A-type crystalline pattern with an average relative crystallinity of 32%. The peak gelatinization temperature (approx. 73°C) of brown bambara starch was slightly low compared to maroon (approx. 78°C) and cream (approx. 76°C) bambara starch. The bambara starches showed substantially high proportion of resistant starch (71%) and similar predicted glycemic index (40.1) among landraces. Bambara starch can potentially be used as a thickening agent in food products and ingredient development.

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