BackgroundIndigenous communities in Namibia possess a rich indigenous knowledge expressed within many practices of these communities. Indigenous wild edible fruits are available along the Namibian 13 regions of which it forms a rich source of vitamins, fibres, minerals and a heterogeneous collection of bioactive compounds referred to as phytochemicals for indigenous people’s diet. The aim of this study was to record the different IKS practices on the indigenous fruit trees in Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions of Namibia.MethodsAn ethnobotanical survey was undertaken to collect information from local communities from 23-29 October 2011. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires and personal interviews during field trips in the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions. A total of 65 respondents were interviewed; 54%; women, 38%; men and 8%; both in group interviews.ResultsThe majority of the people interviewed were in their thirty’s, with the youngest being 18 years old and the oldest being 98 years old. Forty three plant specimens were collected from the two regions; these specimens belong to 20 genera and 25 species. Regarding to the indigenous knowledge; 87%; of the respondents indicated that their knowledge on indigenous fruits was learnt mainly through their parent. Indigenous people’s perception on declining indigenous fruits revealed that 56.3%; of the respondents reported that indigenous fruits were declining. Only a 42.2%; indicated that the indigenous fruits populations are increasing. Regarding to the management practices to improve the production of these indigenous fruit trees; 38.6%; reported that there are some efforts on management practices; on the other hand 61.4%; reported there are no management practices on the indigenous fruit trees in their areas. Four species were found to be the most frequently used and mentioned fruits which need to be given high preference in terms of conservation are: Berchemia discolor, Hyphaene petersiana, Sclerocarya birrea and Diospyros mespiliformis. The following diseases and ailments have been reported to be treated by the indigenous fruit trees which include: toothache, diarrhoea, cough, tonsillitis, burns, skin allergy, stomach ache, snake bit, constipation, etc. 28%; of the respondents mentioned an ethno veterinary use(s) of these fruits, e.g. the use of the Ziziphus mucronata roots to treat diarrhoea in cattle, the bark of eembe (Berchemia discolor) to treat calf weakness.ConclusionsThe local communities in Oshikoto and Ohangwena regions have relatively good knowledge and practices regarding the indigenous fruit. This study enhances our understanding on the indigenous fruit in Namibia and their uses by local communities.

Background and objectives The use of malted sorghum and pearl millet in the production of traditional foods and beverages is ubiquitous in Africa and India. However, there is limited industrial production and little data on the phenolic content and quality of pearl millet and sorghum malts of different varieties. Therefore, this study investigated the proximate content, malt quality, and phenolics of pearl millet (Okashana 2, Kantana, and Kangara) and sorghum (Macia and a landrace referred to as Red sorghum) varieties. Findings Malting increased the protein in all the varieties, except for Kangara. Germinative energies were >97% for all varieties, except for Red sorghum. Malt quality (reducing sugars, free amino nitrogen, and β‐amylase activity) was highest for Macia followed by Kantana. All pearl millet varieties and Macia had no condensed tannins. The total phenolic content and radical scavenging capacity decreased after malting for all the varieties. Conclusions Macia and Kantana can be candidates for industrial malting for brewing nonalcoholic beverages and opaque beers. Kantana and Red sorghum had higher amounts of phenolic compounds and can potentially be vectors of delivering phenolics into human diets. Significance and novelty This study investigated the phenolic content and quality of malts of different pearl millet and sorghum varieties, which can potentially be used to brew particularly low‐alcohol beverages.

Omalovu is a popular traditional opaque beer in Namibia. It is made from malted sorghum or pearl millet grown in prevailing semi‐arid conditions. It has a short shelf life when stored at ambient conditions. It is brewed domestically and consumed within a day. The quality of ingredients, processing conditions and physicochemical characteristics of omalovu are not well understood. Like many traditional African beers, there is little or no documentation of the method used to brew omalovu. This review considers the production of wort from sorghum malt and pearl millet grains and subsequent fermentation to produce omalovu. Opportunities to improve the quality of omalovu are discussed. This may spur the development and growth of breweries to use locally grown sorghum or pearl millet to produce opaque beer. © 2018 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling

Pearl millet is a cereal that grows and produces grains in arid areas where other cereals may not survive. It has the potential to become a global food crop as the world experiences climate change. Pearl millet is a staple food for more than 60% of the Namibian human population. It is processed into flour, porridge and a daily-consumed fermented acidic beverage, known as ontaku or oshikundu. This drink comprises pearl millet meal, sorghum or pearl millet malt and water. Ontaku has a heterogeneous composition and a short shelf life, usually of less than a day at ambient conditions. Its brewing processes are various but all are not standardised. Freshest ontaku is non-alcoholic, but over time it can have an alcohol content of up to 1.6%. The quality and phenolic content of the malt and the composition of congeners and fermentation metabolites such as methanol and butyrate in ontaku have not been investigated. The production of ontaku with improved safety and of predictable, consistent and consumer-acceptable qualities requires the standardisation and control of ingredients and processing conditions. This contribution provides a mini-review on the malting, fermentation and milling processing steps and the underlying basic science involved in the production of the ingredients used in the brewing of ontaku. It also highlights gaps in knowledge to aid future research in the field of African traditional fermented cereal foods.

Ganoderma is a genus of mushrooms that is prized in developed nations, especially those in Asia, due to its health-promoting properties, which are attributed to bioactive compounds such as phenolics. However, in developing countries, particularly in Africa, Ganoderma mushrooms are untapped and are barely identified. In this study, we identified Ganoderma species collected from different host trees in the wild in Namibia, cultivated them on one substrate and determined their water absorption and solubility indices. Total phenolics (TP), total flavonoids (TF), condensed tannins (CT) and in vitro antioxidant activity (AA) were determined in hot water infusions made from wild and cultivated Ganoderma mushrooms. Folin–Ciocalteu, aluminium chloride, vanillin-HCl, and DPPH assay methods were used to determine TP, TF, CT and AA, respectively. Wild species had 6.12–11.70% moisture, 1.91–5.32% ash, 11.55–24.40 (g of absorbed water/g of dry sample) water absorption index, 3.60–24.10% water solubility index, 18.37–44.78 (mg GAE/g of sample) TP, 0.09–1.67 (mg QE/g of sample) TF, 2.97–6.37 (mg CAE/g of sample) CT and 40.8–49.3% AA. Cultivated species had 9.64 13.45% moisture, 2.34–6.20% ash, 13.55–28.30 water absorption index, 6.40–25.35% water solubility index, 36.70–52.73 (mg GAE/g of sample) TP, 0.41–0.86 (mg QE/g of sample) TF, 11.38–15.29 (mg CAE/g of sample) CT and 53.6–63.7% AA. Infusions prepared from cultivated Ganoderma species had higher levels of TP, CT and AA, but lower levels of TF than those prepared from wild Ganoderma species, suggesting that they have potential as nutraceuticals.