NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF AWARA MADE FROM FERMENTED BANJARA BEANS AND SOYBEAN

Awara, a Nigerian soft cheese analogue produced from soy milk using crude coagulant of citric acid and alum. Soybean and banjara bean were used in this study and were evaluated for their proximate composition, mineral element content, antinutritional factors, in vitro protein digestibility and vitamin content using standard procedures. Results obtained indicated that fermented banjara bean awara had a protein content of 2.15±0.01%, and fermented soybean awara had a protein content of 3.75±0.01%. Fermented banjara beans awara and soybean awara had a fat content of 5.16±0.01% and 17.13±0.01% respectively. There were significant differences in the mineral element content of both non fermented and fermented banjara bean and soybean awara. Level of antinutritional factors showed that both tannin and phytic acid were absent in fermented soybean awara. The in vitro protein digestibility of non-fermented and fermented banjara bean and soybean awara significantly increases with time. Vitamin A contents of fermented banjara and soybean awara increased when compared to non-fermented banjara and soybean awara, while a decrease was observed in non-fermented banjara and soybean awara as compared to fermented banjara bean and soybean awara. It can be concluded from this study that fermented soybean awara which is free of antinutritional factors is a more suitable source of protein and fat as a local cheese in this part of the world.

Understanding G × E Interaction for Nutritional and Antinutritional Factors in a Diverse Panel of Vigna stipulacea (Lam.) Kuntz Germplasm Tested Over the Locations

Micronutrient malnutrition or hidden hunger is a serious challenge toward societal well-being. Vigna stipulacea (Lam.) Kuntz (known locally as Minni payaru), is an underutilized legume that has the potential to be a global food legume due to its rich nutrient profile. In the present study, 99 accessions of V. stipulacea were tested for iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), protein, and phytate concentrations over two locations for appraisal of stable nutrient-rich sources. Analysis of variance revealed significant effects of genotype for all the traits over both locations. Fe concentration ranged from 29.35–130.96 mg kg–1 whereas Zn concentration ranged from 19.44 to 74.20 mg kg–1 across both locations. The highest grain Ca concentration was 251.50 mg kg–1 whereas the highest grain protein concentration was recorded as 25.73%. In the case of grain phytate concentration, a genotype with the lowest value is desirable. IC622867 (G-99) was the lowest phytate containing accession at both locations. All the studied traits revealed highly significant genotypic variances and highly significant genotype × location interaction though less in magnitude than the genotypic variance. GGE Biplot analysis detected that, for grain Fe, Zn, and Ca concentration the ‘ideal’ genotypes were IC331457 (G-75), IC331610 (G-76), and IC553564 (G-60), respectively, whereas for grain protein concentration IC553521 (G-27) was the most “ideal type.” For phytate concentration, IC351407 (G-95) and IC550523 (G-99) were considered as ‘ideal’ and ‘desirable,’ respectively. Based on the desirability index, Location 1 (Kanpur) was identified as ideal for Fe, Zn, Ca, and phytate, and for grain protein concentration, Location 2 (New Delhi) was the ideal type. A significant positive correlation was detected between grain Fe as well as grain Zn and protein concentration considering the pooled analysis over both the locations where as a significant negative association was observed between phytate and protein concentration over the locations. This study has identified useful donors and enhanced our knowledge toward the development of biofortified Vigna cultivars. Promoting domestication of this nutrient-rich semi-domesticated, underutilized species will boost sustainable agriculture and will contribute toward alleviating hidden hunger.

Modification of carbohydrates of food raw materials in the process of thermoplastic extrusion (review)

Extrusion can be considered not only as an effective technology for processing agricultural raw materials into feed and food products, but also as a thermo-mechanical method for modification of the chemical properties of biopolymers. Carbohydrates are the most represented class of organic compounds in raw materials processed by the agro-industrial complex. The assessment of the influence of the processing factor on the final physicochemical and technological properties of various types of carbohydrates included in the chemical composition of raw materials or used as mono-ingredients is an actual task for the food industry. The review considers the issues of extrusion modification of starch in terms of the difference in the properties of amylose and amylopectin as well as the presence of lipids and organic acids in the reaction system. Processes of macromolecular degradation, gelatinization, esterification and the formation of new chemical bonds in dependence on the conditions of extrusion and the composition of mixtures are discussed. The results of studies of the influence of extrusion cooking on the changes in the physicochemical properties of non-starchy polysaccharides, cellulose, araboxylans, inulin, pectin, chitosan, and gums of various origins are presented. It has been shown that extrusion and varying of its operating regimes can significantly affect the nutritional value of extrudates including changing the glycemic index, inactivating antinutritional factors, or increasing their content in extrudates.

Proximate and antinutritional assessments of stingrays

Stingrays are one of the marine fishes that inhabit the shallow part of the ocean. They are well known to the locals as cuisine and its parts as accessories for items such as handbags, belts, and decorations. Stingrays of species Himantura undulata and Maculabatis gerrardi are commonly caught by fishermen of Sarawak, but most of its nutritional and antinutritional factors both species are unknown. This study focused on the analysis of some proximate composition such as moisture, ash, and lipid content. Analysis of total organic matter was done as well. The stingrays were obtained from local fish market in Kuching, Sarawak. The method used for moisture (wet basis), ash, and total organic matter is of AOAC (method 930.15), while crude lipid content was based on the Chedoloh method of extraction. The study revealed that H. undulata and M. gerrardi are nutritious in terms of moisture, ash, and lipid content to be 78.44 and 80.74% (dry basis), 0.48 and 1.37%, 2.46 and 7.74% respectively.

Nutraceutical Properties of Legume Seeds: Phytochemical Compounds

Legume seeds have an important role as nutraceuticals in human health (providing protein, carbohydrates, fiber, amino acids, and micronutrients) and act as sustainable food sources in livestock farming and aquaculture. Legume seeds contain a wide range of bioactive compounds that have significant health benefits, mainly classified under phenolic compounds, phytosterols, oligosaccharides, carbohydrates, and saponins. Some of these compounds play an important role in plant defense mechanisms against predators and environmental conditions. Heat-labile antinutritional factors (protease inhibitors and lectins) and heat-stable antinutritional factors (tannins and phytic acid) can be reduced by thermal treatment or postharvest to eliminate any potential negative effects from consumption. Substantial studies have demonstrated that these bioactive compounds possess multiple biological activities, including antioxidant properties, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, cardiovascular protective. They also have various values for aquaculture, such as fishmeal alternative. In this review, the main bioactive compounds and important biological functions of legume seeds are summarized, and the mechanism of action is discussed.

Lipoxygenase Enzymes, Oligosaccharides (Raffinose and Stachyose) and 11sA4 and A5 Globulins of Glycinin Present in Soybean Meal Are Not Drivers of Enteritis in Juvenile Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Soybean meal has been largely investigated and commercially used in fish nutrition. However, its inclusion levels have been carefully considered due to the presence of antinutritional factors, which depending on a series of factors might induce gut inflammation damaging the mucosal integrity and causing enteritis. Several strategies including genetic engineering have been applied attempting to reduce or eliminate some of the antinutritional factors. Accordingly, we assessed the intestinal health of juvenile Atlantic salmon fed high levels of speciality soybean genotypes with reduced-to-no content amounts of lipoxygenases, altered glycinin profile and reduced levels of oligosaccharides. No major signs of enteritis, only indication of enteritis progression, was noticed in the soybean meal-based diets illustrated by mild changes in distal intestine morphology. Whereas fish, fed fishmeal control feeds, displayed normal distal intestine integrity. Speciality soybean types did not improve intestinal health of juvenile Atlantic salmon suggesting these antinutrients are not drivers of the intestinal inflammatory process in this species. No additional benefits in terms of production performance or blood biochemistry were noticed in the speciality soybean types compared to the traditional soybean.