ABSTRACT Type 2 diabetes is a global problem that can be controlled by a diet that consists of carbohydrates with substantial amounts of slowly digestible starch amongst others. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L) R. Br.) is an underutilised cereal crop that in recent times, raised interest due to its health benefits. The low starch hydrolysis rate of pearl millet is particularly of interest in type 2 diabetes modulation. To contribute to the value-addition and food diversification using pe...
ABSTRACT Functional foods are foods that possess other health benefits apart from their regular nutritional benefits. A functional food may contain nutraceutical properties, which have components, responsible for curing or preventing a disease or disorder. There are several indigenous foods in Ghana that have been purported to possess functional properties. The claim to functionality of some of these indigenous foods are based on folklore but the scientific backing to these claims may not be ...
ABSTRACT The effect of cell wall enzymes on the sugar composition of soymilk was investigated using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and UV/Visible spectrophotometer. Soymilk was extracted from wet milled soybean slurry from three different varieties of soybean (Samsoy1, Samsoy 2 and TGX). Different cell-wall degrading enzymes (glucanase, cellulase. arabanase, hemicellulase and xylanase) were applied to each batch of soybean slurry before extraction of soymilk. The enzym...
ABSTRACT In the mid 1990s, a new air-displacement plethysmograph (ADP) was developed for measuring human body composition. This device (BOD POD® Body Composition System) uses the relationship between the pressure and volume of air to measure the body volume of a subject seated in the test chamber. Body density (Db) is then calculated using body mass and body volume and percent body fat (% BF) estimated using an equation such as the one by Siri (1961). This study evaluated the reliability of ...
ABSTRACT In recent years there has been an immense public outcry over the concern of the quality of water from the Densu River and the Weija reservoir. In an attempt to study the quality of water from the Densu River and the Weija reservoir, a 2 x 5 factorial experiment with two seasons (rainy and dry) and five sources of water (Akwadum, Asuboi, Nsawam, Manhia and the Weija Dam) as variables was performed. These water samples were analysed for various physical, chemical, nutritive and microbi...
ABSTRACT Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are the most widespread of organisms responsible for food fermentation and have been applied as commercial starter cultures in many food industries. A study was conducted to develop a starter culture for the fermentation of millet into Fura and to extend the shelf life of Fura by gamma radiation. The isolation, characterization and identification of the LAB and yeasts responsible for Fura fermentation was carried out using physiological methods. A brief su...
ABSTRACT The consumption o f rice is on the increase in Ghana. However, local rice is said not to compare well with imported rice. The need to make local rice more competitive is recognized in the light of the increasing role of quality as an important factor of economic competitiveness. This work was aimed at studying the pre- and postharvest technologies for rice, studying rice handling, management and marketing systems, assessing the performance o f rice mills in Ghana and characterising ...
ABSTRACT Carrot is known to have the potential of providing vital nutrition as well as health and well-being to consumers. In this study, carrot juice was envisaged as a good vehicle for spreading its nutraceutical benefits. The study was then designed in two parts: (a) Survey to establish the beverage consumption pattern in the Anyaa-Sowutuom District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana and (b) Carrot juice formulation and optimisation. The survey was conducted by administering a question...
ABSTRACT Bio-processing of cassava peel for Lysine production was done by characterising the cassava peel for carbohydrate types. The process of enzymatic hydrolysis of the cassava peel was optimised to produce fermentable sugars using response surface methodology. The hydrolysed cassava peel was used as a source of carbon to optimise the conditions for lysine production using mutant Corynebacterium glutamicum (AHP3) strain. Cassava peel is a biomass generated as a result of processing cassa...
ABSTRACT Unwholesome water for both domestic and industrial purposes constitute a serious health risk. An assessment of the quality of water utilized in the domestic, industrial and commercial ventures, was carried out, using two approaches: (a) a survey on water utilization in food industries in Accra and Tema. Twenty food processing industries were evaluated on storage of water, the mode of cleaning of storage receptacles, quality control of water, treatment of water within the factory .and...
ABSTRACT Milk is a nutritious food obtained from ruminants such as cattle, goats and sheep. In Ghana, milk is usually obtained from indigenous cattle. These have low milk yield hence the introduction of hybrids and exotic breeds. Embracing these new breeds has to an extent increased milk yield. The problem is that the yield is still not enough. Also, the milk obtained is usually sold in the fresh state which goes bad within a short time and is also patronized by few Ghanaians. For these reas...
ABSTRACT The process and product characteristics of the traditional palm kernel technology were studied. The study was in two phases. Firstly, a survey on the technology in some selected areas in the Eastern and Greater Accra regions was done, to collate information on processors, processing methods, equipment used, raw materials, marketing of products and some other aspects of the technology. Then the processing methods encountered were replicated in the laboratory and investigated to assess...
ABSTRACT Functional foods are foods that possess other health benefits apart from their regular nutritional benefits. A functional food may contain nutraceutical properties, which have components, responsible for curing or preventing a disease or disorder. There are several indigenous foods in Ghana that have been purported to possess functional properties. The claim to functionality of some of these indigenous foods are based on folklore but the scientific backing to these claims may not be ...
ABSTRACT A study was made of the effect on pepper quality of the traditional method of processing the "Balancotta" variety of Piper nigrum (black pepper). The study comparatively considered the microbiological quality, drying method, drying rate, colour and appearance, washing or cleaning method, prior to fermentation or heaping as well as an alternative method - heat treatment processing of the commodity. Using a solar dryer as a drying apparatus resulted in 9.8% moisture content of the samp...
ABSTRACT Peanuts are very nutritious oil seeds grown worldwide but are however susceptible to aflatoxin contamination through the infestation of aflatoxigenic molds. These aflatoxins are known to have carcinogenic effects on humans and animals. There is therefore the need to put in measures to ensure that excessive levels of aflatoxins are reduced to the barest minimum in peanuts and peanut products to conform to the requirements of food safety regulations. The objectives of this study were t...