No abstract

African Leafy Vegetables (ALVs) have long been recognized as the cheapest and the most abundant potential sources of vitamins and minerals using for fighting against malnutrition. Five leafy vegetables (Abelmoschus esculentus, Celosia argentea, Ipomea batatas, Manihot esculenta and Myrianthus arboreus) that are used for sauce preparation in Western Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) were subjected to roasting in order to evaluate the effect of this non conventional processing method on their nutritive and antioxidant properties. This study showed that longer time (higher than 2 min) of roasting at 180-200°C caused negative impact with nutrient losses but positive impact by reducing anti-nutrients such as oxalates and phytates. The registered losses at 2 min of roasting were as follow: ash (7.47-36.65 %), proteins (3.04-32.66%), vitamin C (75-92.14%), carotenoids (27.34-81.94%), oxalates (3.84-10.89%) and phytates (0.45-15.72%). Roasting processing of the studied leafy vegetables highlighted a significant increase (2.63 to 13.83%) of polyphenols contents coupled with increasing of antioxidant activity. Moreover, after 2 min of roasting processing, the residual contents of minerals were: calcium (202.45-542.06 mg/100g), magnesium (123.73-467.43 mg/100g), potassium (1209.85-3796.16 mg/100g), iron (44.72-128.47 mg/100g) and zinc (6.35-40.13 mg/100g). All these results suggest that roasting processing (less than 2 min at 200°C) may be used as valuable cooking method of leafy vegetables in order to minimize nutrient losses and to contribute efficiently to the food security of Ivorian population.

Present study aims to valorize agricultural by-products which are cashew apple, Kent mango peelings and kernel almonds from Korhogo (Northern Côte d’Ivoire). After sampling, sun-drying and milling of these by-products, the physicochemical and nutritional parameters of flours obtained were determined with focused on food use. For physicochemical properties, moisture contents are respectively 25.33±0.33%, 5.44±0.19% and 14.55±0.19% with dried cashew apple, mango almonds and peelings. pH values are respectively 5.00±0.00, 3.39±0.24 and 3.94±0.00 while ash contents are 2.41±0.14%, 2.41±0.14% and 5.41±0.14%. As for nutritional proprieties of dried cashew apple, mango almonds and peelings contents are respectively 14.86±0.08%, 4.85±0.12% and 3.54±0.02% (protein), 5.18±0.18%, 19.46±0.14% and 3.92±0.06% (lipids), 52.20±0.24%, 67.83±0.44% and 72.38±0.23% (total carbohydrates). These mineral contents are respectively 192±0.00 mg/100g, 361.9±0.04 mg/100g and 203.4±0.02 mg/100g (calcium), 321.5±0.01 mg/100g, 214.5±0.02 mg/100g and 263.4±0.01 mg/100g (magnesium), 7.7±0.00 mg/100g, 3±0.00 mg/100g and 8.8±0.02mg/100g (iron). The respective amino acid and vitamin contents of dried cashew apple, mango almonds and peelings are 4165.25±5.10 mg/100g, 1907.5±2.85 mg/100g and 1561.84±1.52 mg/100g (lysine), 159±0.00 mg/100g, 323.01 mg/100g and 16.63±0.01 mg/100g (arginine), 335.74 mg, 434.52 mg and 310.8 mg (vitamin A), 707.13 mg, 790.88 mg and 299.54 mg (vitamin B2). These interesting physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of flours from cashew apple, mango almonds and peelings give these potentialities use in food and dietary fields.

Cashew apple is not practically used such as cashew nut which is one of most traded agricultural export products from Northern Ivory Coast. This work focus on the use of cashew apple juice as food additive in production of yoghurt. The aim of this study is to evaluate physicochemical parameters of cashew apple juice and its effect on fermentative activity of two lactic bacteria (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius subsp thermophilus). Various types of yoghurt were formulated with incorporation of different proportions (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, 35% and 40%) of cashew apple juice in milk (v/v). Each formulation was fermented with lactic ferment containing the above two lactic bacteria. Effect of juice on fermentative activity of the two bacteria was carried out by pH, titratable acidity with duration of fermentation to obtain 80 Dornic degrees. Results of phytochemical analysis (p<0.05) showed that cashew apple juice have an acid pH with value of 3.96 ± 0.03 and titratable acidity of 0.41 ± 0.01%. This juice contains a high level of moisture (77.48 ± 0.09%) and vitamin C (124.74 ± 1.17 mg/100ml) but a low concentration of reducing sugars (1.46 ± 0.03 g/100ml). The study of effect of cashew apple juice incorporated into milk, showed that the formulations with 5% and 10% improved fermentative activity of lactic bacteria tested. These two formulations (5% and 10%) reduced fermentation time (180 min) compared to control (220 min). This study suggests that cashew apple juice could be a food additive in production of yoghurts as a source of vitamin C and catalyst for fermentation. In perspective, we plan to assess toxicity and shelf of yoghurt with cashew apple juice.

Leafy vegetables play an important role as essential components of diet for rural populations in tropical Africa. This study was undertaken to provide a more comprehensive characterization of carotenoids and phenolics in these neglected plant foods. For this, 12 leafy vegetables widely consumed in Côte d'Ivoire were selected, washed and oven-dried (50°C/3 days) before High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis of carotenoids and phenolics compounds. Carotenoids contents were significantly different (p ˂ 0.05) with lutein (43.68 ± 4.89 -513.91 ± 5.68 μg/g dw) and all trans-β-carotene (22.62 ± 1.54 -222.61 ± 5.63 μg/g dw) as major constituents. The calculated retinol activity equivalent (RAE) of β-carotene-rich leafy vegetables in this study ranged between 1.54 and 2.52 mg/100 g. The values of total phenolics ranged from 179.66 ± 11.33 mg/100 g dw in Corchorus olitorius to 436.48 ± 1.73 mg/100g dw in Abelmoschus esculentus. Three (3) flavonoids: quercetin (0.79 -8.36 μg/g dw), catechin (0.39 -5.65 μg/g dw) and kaempferol (0.76 -29.11 μg/g dw) were quantified in the selected leafy vegetables. Chlorogenic