Cold pressed and hexane extracted moringa seed oils (CPMSO and HEMSO) were evaluated for their physico-chemical and stability characteristics. The iodine value, saponification value and unsaponifiable matter of CPMSO and HEMSO were found to be 67.8 and 68.5 g I2 / 100 g oil, 190.4 and 191.2 mg KOH / g oil and 0.59 and 0.65%, respectively. The total tocopherols of CPMSO and HEMSO were found to be 95.5 and 90.2 mg/Kg. The fatty acid composition of CPMSO and HEMSO showed oleic acid as the major fatty acid (78-79%). The oxidative, thermal and frying stabilities of the CPMSO were compared with commercial raw and refined groundnut oil (GNO and RGNO). The CPMSO was of adequate thermal stability and better oxidative stability as it showed 79% lesser peroxide formation than GNO. The frying stability of CPMSO was better as it showed lower increase in free fatty acid (28%), peroxide value (10 meq O2/Kg) and color (25%) than RGNO (48%, 22 meq O2/kg and 52%, respectively) after frying.

The effects of replacing wheat flour with 0-15% debittered moringa seed (DBMS) flour on the dough rheology of wheat flour and physical, sensory and chemical properties of bread were studied. Incorporation of an increasing amount of DBMS from 0 to 15% decreased farinograph water absorption, dough stability, amylograph peak viscosity and overall quality of bread. The bread with 10% DBMS had a typical moringa seed taste and was acceptable. Addition of combination of additives improved the dough strength and quality of bread with 10% DBMS flour. Replacement of wheat flour with 10%, 20% and 30% DBMS grits was found to affect cookies quality. Cookies with 20% DBMS grits had the nutty taste of moringa seeds and were acceptable. Bread with 10% DBMS flour and cookies with 20% DBMS grits had more protein, iron and calcium. Incorporating moringa seeds in baked foods may be exploited as a means of boosting nutrition in Africa and Asia where malnutrition is prevalent.

The thin layer drying characteristics of dika kernels and nuts were investigated at four drying temperatures of 50, 60, 70 and 80 1C and the data was fitted to drying models. Non-linear regression analysis was used to determine model parameters, while coefficient of determination (R 2 ) and standard error of estimate (SEE) formed the basis for determining the model of best fit. The Modified Henderson-Pabis drying model gave the best fit for the dika kernels while the two term model was best for the dika nuts. Effective moisture diffusivity ranged from 2.84 Â 10 À 10 m 2 /s to 5.06 Â 10 À 11 m 2 /s for the kernels and from 1.22 Â 10 À 10 m 2 /s to 2.03 Â 10 À 10 m 2 /s for the nuts. The activation energies of dika kernels and nuts were 16.747 kJ/mol and 37.019 kJ/mol respectively. & 2015 Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universitie. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Full-fat and defatted Moringa oleifera kernel flours were analysed for their functional properties. The effect of pH and NaCl concentrations on the functional properties of the flours was investigated following standard procedures. The protein content of full-fat and defatted flour was 36.18 and 62.76 g ⁄ 100 g, respectively. The concentrations of other proximate constituents of the defatted flour were higher than those of the full-fat flour. Nitrogen solubility was lowest at pH of 4.0 and 9.0, respectively, with maximum solubility occurring at pH of 6.0. Defatting increased the water absorption and fat absorption capacities of Moringa oleifera kernel flour. The foaming capacity and foam stability of the defatted flour were 86.0% and 82.0 mL, whereas that of full-fat flour were 20.6% and 18.5 mL respectively. The defatted flour showed better emulsification (97.2 mL g )1 ) than full-fat flour (66.0 mL g )1 ). The least gelation concentration of the defatted and full-fat flours was 14% and 16% (w ⁄ v) respectively. Moringa oleifera kernel flour can be a valuable source of vegetable protein in fortified food products formulation.