Effects of processing and storage on the nutrient composition of green vegetable pigeonpea

Abstract

Pigeonpeas (Cajanus cajan Milsp) is the third most important legume in Kenya after beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) (Jones et al. 2002). Pigeonpea production in Kenya is concentrated in the arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) of Eastern Kenya. The region is characterized by malnutrition, due to the lack of sufficient animal protein. A study undertaken by Salome (2016) in Makueni County reported that food consumption patterns were poor with the majority of children (79.1%) consuming foods prepared from maize (Zea mays L.). The high nutritive value of pigeonpeas is the rationale for its importance among smallholder farmers in the region (Odeny, 2007). Therefore, the crop is a supplement to cerealbased rural diets which are deficient in protein.Pigeonpea is utilized at the household level as green vegetable peas, which are shelled manually from pods (Shiferaw et al., 2008).Vegetable pigeonpeas are highly perishable and thus have an inherently short shelf life. Due to the scarcity of post-harvest management options, farmers sell pigeon peas fresh from field harvest resulting in lower market price due to excess in produce at harvest periods.Studies on the effect of post-harvest management on vegetables have been reported. For example, Onyango and Silim (2000) observed that storage of shelled short duration pigeonpeas genotypes at ambient temperatures (21 ± 3℃) led to the loss of ascorbic acid and soluble sugars but increased the total titratable acidity. Changes in the vegetable soybean quality, mainly moisture, vitamin C, minerals, and sugar during cold storage have been reported (Czaikoski et al., 2012). Similarly, it has been reported that ascorbic acid, starch,

Development and Profiling of Affordable and Nutritionally Optimal Pigeon Pea-Based Products for Improved Recipes Diversification in Rural Communities in Tanzania

“…Similarly, sample PPIPofsp r and sample PPIPpf r was observed to have a significantly higher content of zinc than another sample despite of an equal amount of pigeon pea and maize flour were added in all samples. This is due to roasted pigeon pea having more zinc content than the blanched ones (Ojwang et al, 2021).…”

Effect of Alternative Preservation Steps and Storage on Vitamin C Stability in Fruit and Vegetable Products: Critical Review and Kinetic Modelling Approaches

“…As pointed out in Reference [2], freezing has been considered as one of the most effective traditional preservation techniques for Vitamin C retention in fruit and vegetable products. Hot water or steam blanching, a short heat treatment, is frequently applied before freezing at the industrial level for some vegetables, which is found to slightly decrease water-soluble compounds, including L-ascorbic acid [46]. Alternatively, the use of chemicals (often called "chemical" blanching) can be effectively applied to avoid the heat degradation and water leakage of nutritional compounds [47,48].…”

Diversity in Selected Grain Mineral and Protein among Pigeonpea Landraces

“…Pigeonpea grain contains abundant levels of carbohydrates, minerals and proteins [2]. It possesses about 20-26% protein, 65% carbohydrates and 2% fats [4,5]. It can be used as a supplement to cereal-based diets that are deficient in protein, vitamin B and betacarotenes [6].…”