A review of the contribution of cowpea leaves to food and nutrition security in East Africa

Abstract

Cowpea leaf is among the African indigenous vegetables that have been recommended for possible alleviation of food and nutrition insecurity in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). The vegetable is rich in micronutrients including iron and vitamin A whose deficiencies are prevalent in SSA. Considering the limitation of seasonal availability, preservation techniques have been adopted to enhance availability with little success. This review aims at highlighting the contribution of cowpeas leaves to food and nutrition security as well as research gaps that must be addressed to promote the utilization of value‐added forms that would have extended effect of improving its production and consumption. It was found that preserved and fresh cowpea leaves were rich in beta‐carotene and iron in the ranges of 0.25–36.55 and 0.17–75.00 mg/100 g dry weight, respectively. The proportion of rural households incorporating the vegetable in its various forms in the region can be as high as 30%. With adequate utilization, the vegetable provided up to ≥ 75% and 25% of RDAs for vitamin A and iron, respectively, of children aged 4–8. However, the utilization of preserved forms faced a limitation for a deviation of up to 30% in their sensory scores and decreased nutrient content as compared to the fresh ones hugely hindered their market penetration. Utilization of novel processing techniques incorporating concept of hurdle technology can help address these quality losses. In conclusion, preservation of cowpea leaves should seek not only to enhance the shelf‐life, but also to enhance acceptability of the products with a view of increased utilization.

Comparison of Phenolic Compounds, Carotenoids, Amino Acid Composition, In Vitro Antioxidant and Anti-Diabetic Activities in the Leaves of Seven Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) Cultivars

“…Cowpea (family Fabaceae) is one of the indigenous leafy vegetables that contributes significantly to household food and nutritional security and societal health, as well as adding variety to cereal-based staple diets in the Southern African region [ 1 ]. Cowpea is drought tolerant and well adapted for warm weather conditions.…”

Potential of Native Rhizobia to Improve Cowpea Growth and Production in Semiarid Regions of Kenya

“…The crop provides both nutritional and nutraceutical benefits, including quality and cheap dietary proteins when consumed both as a vegetable and grain legume (Baptista et al, 2017;Da Silva et al, 2018). Considering its nutritional benefits and resilience under changing climate, cowpea has been recommended as one of the underutilized crops with the potential to alleviate food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (Owade et al, 2020). In West Africa, the dual-purpose varieties also serve as a source of fodder for the livestock, making cowpea production an attractive venture to the farmers (Samireddypalle et al, 2017).…”

Nutrient and Anti-Nutrient Composition of Extruded Cereal Flours Fortified with Grain Amaranth, Baobab and Orange-fleshed Sweet Potato Powder

“…Utilization of locally available ingredients to develop nutrient dense formulations of the of cereal-based composite flour has been recommended as one of the affordable strategies to fight malnutrition especially among the under five years old children to whom porridge constitutes a great part of the diet (Akande et al, 2017). The levels of iron, zinc and beta-carotene achieved in the formulations were 4.29 ± 0.02 to 28.19 ± 2.67, 1.46 ± 0.09 to 2.06 ± 0.00 and 280.3±1.3 to 1320.8±13.1 mg/100g dwb, which were higher than some of the levels reported for most rich sources including the indigenous vegetables such as cowpea leaves vastly consumed in SSA (NutriSurvey, 2007b(NutriSurvey, , 2007aOwade et al, 2019). The formulations in the present study thus serve as major food vehicles for the respective micronutrients especially to the most vulnerable population in SSA which are the children under the age of five years.…”