Food insecurity and malnutrition are the major problems facing developing countries. The aim of this research was to determine alpha-amylase activity, total reducing sugar, individual sugar and total sugar contents of masa at six hour interval during fermentation. In this study, different ratios of acha was substituted for maize in the production of soybean fortified masa to reduce its sugar content and increase the amino acid content. The result showed that α-amylase activity, total reducing sugar, total sugar and total free amino acid were within the range of 4.63 - 9.30 E.U., 13.66 - 37.58 mg glucose/g., 133.25 - 391.56 mg glucose/g and 3.92 - 12.99 mg glycine/g, respectively. Alpha-amylase activity and total reducing sugar increased with increase in maize and were highest in masa produced from 100 % maize. Sugars identified during fermentation of masa were glucose, galactose, maltose and raffinose. Substitution of maize with acha and soybean reduced the sugar contents and α-amylase activity of masa while total free amino acid increased with increase in fortification with soybean. Masa produced from 60% maize, 20% acha and 20% soybean had the highest free amino acid and lowest sugar content.

No abstract

Yoghurt is usually produced from cow milk which is unsuitable for vegetarian diet. Chemical preservative used for its preservation may have adverse effect on the lactic acid bacteria. This research was designed to evaluate the effect of ginger extract on the viability of lactic acid bacteria, physico-chemical property and sensory attributes of bio preserved functional yoghurt produced from dairy milk and soy milk during storage at refrigerated temperature. The result obtained showed that yoghurt produced from soy milk (5.67 – 7.52 CFU/ml) had higher lactic acid bacteria count than yoghurt from dairy milk (4.71 – 7.31 CFU/ml) throughout the period of storage. Ginger extract was more active against fungi in dairy yoghurt than (0 - 5.09 CFU/ml) soy yoghurt (0 – 5.29 CFU/ml). The pH was generally lower in dairy yoghurt (4.29 - 4.67) than soy yoghurt (4.69 – 5.14) while the titratable acidity was higher in dairy yoghurt (1.30 – 2-01%) than soy yoghurt (0.7 – 1.54%). Addition of ginger extract improved the texture and flavour of soy yoghurt. It is therefore suggested that functional yoghurt with good sensory attributes can be produced from soy milk and dairy milk using ginger extract as bio-preservative.

A changing lifestyle in food consumption due to the frequent taking of junk drinks based on the fastfood and ready-to-eat concept has brought about overloaded oxidative stress, thus weakening the body's defence mechanism to scavenge free oxygen radicals by destroying antioxidants. Oxidative stress occurs as a result of an imbalance between pro and antioxidant levels in favour of pro-oxidants resulting in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Though researches on the probable cure for neurodegenerative diseases are ongoing, fruits have been found to play an important dietetic role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases and other physiological disorders. Most fruits have their own valuable, unique active ingredients, having tremendous nutraceutical potentials and therapeutic implications. Therefore, people are required to make rational choices on the correct type of food for consumption to engender proper growth and development. The role of fruits or fruit juice in ameliorating neurodegenerative diseases has created a reawakening in nutrition and human health research.

Vitamin A deficiencies is a becoming persistent among young children and a growing concern to parents in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in crisis-affected areas. Fermented cereal paste from maize, millets, and sorghum grains are significant food for young children. Thus, the study focuses on food fortification using orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) as fortifier as studies have confirmed the presence of nutrients that can help meet the Vitamin A dietary requirement. The cereals were soaked ambient temperature (27 ± 1°C) for 72 hours and were blended with OFSP (90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50), and the formulated products were studied for Vitamin A, β-carotene, proximate composition, physicochemical, functional properties, and storage. Application of OFSP as forticant increased the Vitamin A (4.98-6.65 mg/100 g), β-carotene (0.10-0.17 mg/100 g) and the calorific value (222.03-301.75 kcal) of the gluten-free multi-grain cereal paste. The addition of OFSP also increased the ash content (1.41%-3.35%), crude fiber (2.56%-4.225%), carbohydrate (39.83%-48.35%), total solid content (55.20%-60.87%), and water absorption capacity (112.20%-137.49%) of the formulated cereal samples. The fortified fermented paste was objectively stable throughout on the shelf from the storage studies. The study deduced that addition of orange-fleshed sweet potato to fermented mixed cereal paste as a fortifier can help increase the nutritional quality of the complementary food.