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Developing nutrient-rich vegetable flour using locally under-utilized food crops in Africa would improve rural house-hold nutrition. This study seeks to develop nutrient-dense vegetable flour from different proportions of Sweet potato (Sp) 40-100%, Avocado pear (Avo) 10-40%, and Turkey berry (Tor) 10-40%, using completely randomized design (CRD) with 14 treatment combinations and three replications. The proximate composition, mineral composition, and functional properties were investigated on the composite flour. The results showed significant differences in all the parameters analyzed for the various composite flours. As the amount of Avo and Tor was added to the Sp, the proximate composition was enhanced except for the percentage carbohydrate, which decreased from 83.92 to 54.59 g/100 g. The mineral composition was also improved by the incorporation of Avo and Tor. Favourable functional properties were also obtained. The optimal composite flour was made up of 40% Sp, 35% Avo, and 25% Tor. The functional properties of the composite flours were better than the control (Sweet potato flour). Fortifying Sp flour with Avo and Tor is feasible and could be an easy and affordable means to improve rural nutrition, as it requires simple logistics for the ordinary rural household to produce the composite of the desired choice.

Traceability in the cocoa bean trade is vital to ensuring quality. In this study, a handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was attempted for rapid and nondestructive regional and geographical classification of...

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Cocoa bean is the seed obtained from the pod of a tree crop botanically referred to as Theobroma cacao L. It is a famous cash crop with beneficial nutritional and valuable medicinal characteristics. Cocoa has fascinated the world for so many years and is a big component of chocolate and other confectionary foodstuffs. Some of the valuable medicinal benefits of cocoa include enhancement of brain and heart health, reduction in inflammation, control of weight and blood sugar, and development of healthy skin and teeth (Di Castelnuovo et al., 2012). Studies show that cocoa bean contains polyphenols, flavonoids, and procyanidin and it is an intensive source of antioxidants properties that can reduce blood clots and the risk of stroke and cardiovascular attacks (Cooper et al., 2008). Quality valuation