Sweet potato is an important food security crop in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Côte d’Ivoire, the roots are widely consumed as supplementary staple food or secondary food. The present study is conducted to highlight the nutritive composition, antinutrients and β-carotene contents of local sweet potatoes consumed in Côte d’Ivoire. The nutritive properties and antinutritive factors of these sweet potatoes were investigated using standard methods. Results confirmed the energetic value (363±1.63-374.08±0.56 kcal/100 g DM) of whole sweet potato flour, mainly due to its high carbohydrate content (86.75±0.40%-90.87±0.12%). Whole flour recorded low contents of moisture (4.50±0.10-6.30±0.15%), lipids (0.63±0.08-1.94±0.95%) and proteins (0.94±0.36-1.91±0.15%). The antinutritive factors ranged from 55.84±0.13 to 70.52±0.07 mg/100 g DM and 52.30±5.81-92.44±11.10 mg/100 g DM for oxalates and phytates, respectively. The mineral contents were: magnesium (49.37±1.09-540.87±0.82 mg/100 g DM), calcium (50.28±1.14-110.53±0.79 mg/100 g DM), phosphorus (25.12±1.04-42.75±0.82 mg/100 g DM), potassium (906.25±0.33-1625±0.61 mg/100 g DM), and iron (5.62±0.84-26.89±0.76 mg/100 g DM). The sweet potato flours highlighted polyphenols and antioxidant activity varying from 92.80±98.20±1.72 to 224.46±0.86 mg GAE /100 g DM, and 31.03±0.52-58.63±0.60%, respectively. While β-carotene levels of flours varied from 0.19±0.08 to 22.71±0.67 µg/g DM for white to orange cultivars. At the whole, the orange fleshed sweet potato cultivars recorded an appreciable amount of minerals (magnesium, iron and calcium), polyphenols and greater antioxidant activity. This indicates that these sweet potato cultivars may present a potential asset for their using as natural antioxidants to prevent chronic diseases and undernourishment caused mineral deficiency. The results also showed that the orange-fleshed varieties may contribute for vitamin A deficiencies alleviation in children of rural areas of Côte d’Ivoire.

Aims: To improve the processes of pre-treatment of legumes for their nutritional valorization. Study Design:  Original research. Place and Duration of Study: This study took place at the Laboratory of Biotechnology, Agriculture and Valorization of Biological Resources, Félix Houphouët-Boigny University between February and July 2022. Methodology: Red beans and cowpeas purchased on the local market of Adjamé were subjected, after unitary operation of sorting and washing, to a two-factor design of experiment:  seed/water ratio and the soaking time, in order to identify the ideal ratio and soaking time to well reduce phytates. Seeds resulting from this pre-treatment were germinated for 72 h and some key nutrient and functional parameters were evaluated. Results: The ratio 8/9 and soaking time of 18 hours allowed a maximum reduction of 62 and 66.6% of phytate and 72.83 and 67.48% of tanins in cowpea and red beans, respectively. Protein content of these 72 hours germinated pre-treated seeds decreased very slightly and finally remained at high level of 22.02 and 23.13 g/100 g for cowpea and red bean, while reducing sugar levels increased significantly throughout germination to a maximum of 8.19 and 8.13 mg/100 g. Regarding functional and antioxidant properties, a maximum increase in total polyphenols (49.08  and 68.314 mg/100 g) and total flavonoids (13.75 and 39.67 mg/100 g) was observed after 48 h of germination for cowpea and red beans, respectively. Furthermore, this improvement in phenolic content led to a significant improvement in the free radical scavenging capacity of DPPH of 24.50 and 46.38 %. It should also be noted that the germinated red bean showed better nutritional value than the germinated cowpea. Conclusion: This approach of pre-processing germinated legumes at seed-to-water ratio of 8/9 soaked for 18 hours, providing functional foods with guaranteed nutritional value, appears to be a way to improve local diets.

Aims: Formulate instant infant flours based on a mixture of Tigernut-rice enriched with legumes, maize and peanuts. Study Design: Original research. Place and Duration of Study: This study took place at the Laboratory of Biotechnology, Agriculture and Valorization of Biological Resources, Félix Houphouët-Boigny University between March and July 2022. Methodology: The ingredient doses of the three instant flour recipes (F1, F2 and F3) were combined using the Pearson square according to the dietary recommendations. For this purpose, three compositions were prepared that achieved a protein content of 13%. These were compound flour F1 (47.10% tigernut-rice+42.90% voandzou+5 % maize + 5% groundnut paste), compound flour F2 (52.54% tigernut-rice+37.46% cowpea+5% maize+5% groundnut paste) and compound flour F3 (51.20% tigernut-rice+38.80% common bean+5% maize+5% groundnut paste). The nutritional content, the amino acid composition of these flours as well as the organoleptic properties of their porridges were determined according to standard methods. Results: The results revealed that atadjon instant flours produced at 13% protein with maize, groundnut and mainly legumes voandzou (F1), cowpea (F2) and common bean(F3) are rich in complete proteins with all nine essential amino acids. However, the formulation based on F1 exhibited the highest content of these essential amino acids. Energy and carbohydrate values of the three formulations reached a satisfactory rate over 100% compared to the nutritional norms. The respective lipid (9.54; 6.18; 7.18%) and ash (1.87; 1.67; 1.67%) contents of the three instant atadjon flours were within the range of recommended values. Finally, the anti-nutritional factors are almost negligible since the fibre contents of 2.56% (F1), 3.45% (F2) and 3% (F3) are below the limits recommended by the standards, as are those of tannins and oxalates. the porridges prepared from these flours were appreciated by the tasters. However, the porridge prepared from atadjon flour F1 was the most appreciated for its colour, aroma and taste. Conclusion: These good quality and nutritious intant flours, prepared from locally available and accessible ingredients, could therefore be recommended for infant feeding.

Legumes, protein-rich foods containing various peptides, offer the possibility of modulating both sugar absorption and free radical production, in order to prevent diabetes and oxidative stress diseases. This study aimed to reveal the antioxidant and anti-diabetic potential of peptides from germinated soy and voandzou beans by checking the efficacy of these beans peptides generated by germination and even after post-meal digestion. Thus, beans crude proteins were extracted and digested with pepsin and pancreatic enzymes. Digested proteins were fractioned by dialysis. Each type of proteins ability to inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity and to scavenge DPPH free radical, were tested. Total protein content determined by spectrophotometry at 241 nm and extraction yield evaluated showed no significant difference (p˂ 0.05) with an average of 88% (soy) and 86% (voandzou) and 64.43% (soy) and 60.30% (voandzou), respectively; as opposed to the soluble protein content assessed in the supernatant of protein isolates. Simulated digestion of isolate protein generated peptide extracts showed a better inhibitory capacity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase with the digested voandzou protein isolate D2 exhibiting optimum inhibition (72.39%) for α-glucosidase near to acarbose (75.99%) and the digested soy protein isolate D2 displaying the optimum inhibition (89.25%) for α-amylase better than acarbose (75.99%). Moreover, it is the external fractions of size inferior to 10 kDa which are endowed with this excellent capacity of inhibition of these enzymes involved in the regulation of postprandial glucose. Finally, the high DPPH free radical scavenging capacity of all germinated protein isolate between 64.72 (D0) and 72.27% (D2) for soy and 73.45 (D0) and 81.43 % (D4) for voandzou is practically maintained after digestion and dialysis. Germinated soy and voandzou seeds thus have shown promising potential for being used as nutraceutical or functional ingredients for treatment and prevention of diabetes and diseases related to oxidative stress.

Aims: Impact of Lactobacillus plantarum. Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory of Biotechnology, Agriculture and Valorization of Biological Resources, between February 2021 and November 2021. Methodology: Two pulses (Vigna unguiculata and Vigna subterranea) purchased at the Adjamé market (Abidjan) were subjected, after the unitary operations of sorting, washing drying and grinding of the grains, in fermentation in a sterile flour/water mixture at 37°C for 48 h by Lactobacillus plantarum. The final microbial load was enumerated according to official methods, the fermented flour was dried at 50°C for 48 h and then the antioxidant and anti-nutritional properties were evaluated. Results: The sterile conditions of fermentation of the water/flour mixture with the inoculum load of 9.107 CFU/g resulted in final microbial loads of 7.8 109 CFU/g and 6.7 109 CFU/g, in decreased in pH to 3.13 ± 0.06 and 3.27 ± 0.06. This decrease was correlated with an increase in total titratable acidity (4.89 ± 0.02 and 4.26 ± 0.0%) after 48 h of fermentation for cowpea and voandzou flours, respectively. The fermentative activity of Lactobacillus plantarum increased the initial phenolic compound content to 74.28 ± 0.99 mg/100 g (cowpea) and 71.26 ± 0.4 mg/100 g (voandzou) for total polyphenols and 36.52 ± 0.336 mg/100 g (cowpea flour) and 35.33 ± 0.231 mg/100 g (voandzou flour) for total flavonoids after 30 h of fermentation. At the same time, their antioxidant activity doubled from 15 to 30% while initial phytate and tannin levels were both reduced by 47% and 50%, respectively in cowpea and voandzou flours in 30 hours of fermentation. Conclusion: In view of all these results, cowpea and voandzou flours fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum could be used as functional foods.