Nutritional Composition of Canavalia ensiformis (L.) (Jack Beans) as Affected by the use of Mould Starter Cultures for Fermentation

Quality Evaluation of Complementary Food Produced by Solid-State Fermentation of Fonio, Soybean and Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Blends

During infancy and early childhood, obtaining the adequate amount of appropriate nutrition has paramount importance for the full development of a child’s potential. The focus of this study was to evaluate the complementary food produced by solid-state fermentation of fonio and soybean using Rhizopusoligosporus (2710) and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) using Lactobacillus planterum (B-41621). Solid-state fermentation (SSF) was carried out by inoculating fonio and soybean with a spore suspension (1 × 10⁶ spores/mL) of Rhizopusoligosporus (2710) and OFSP with a spore suspension (1 × 10⁶ spores/mL) of Lactobacillus plantarium (B-41621). The samples were blended in the following ratios: fonio and soybean 100: 100 (AS), fonio/soybean and OFSP 50: 50(ASO). These were compared with a commercial infant formula, which served as the control (CTRL). Quality characteristics of the samples were evaluated. The results showed that moisture, crude protein, fiber, ash content, beta carotene, iron and titratable acidity ranged from 54.97–56.27, 17.10–19.02%, 7.08–7.60%, 2.09–2.38%, 15.80–17.35 mg/100 g, 6.57–8.41 mg/100 g and 0.16–0.48%, respectively. An increase in fermentation time significantly (p < 0.05) increased these contents. In sensory scores, there were no significant (p > 0.05) differences between the average mean scores of the samples. This study shows that nutrient-rich complementary food of acceptable quality can be produced from blends using SSF for the optimum growth and development of infants.

Influence of moisture and temperature on the thermal properties of Jack bean seeds ('Canavalia ensiformis')

The thermal properties (specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity) of Jack bean seed (Canavalia ensiformis) were determined for designing the equipment necessary for thermal processes. These thermal properties were determined at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 % moisture contents and temperatures at 30, 40, and 50 º C using the KD2 Pro thermal analyzer. Results showed that the specific heat capacity ranged from 1.55 to 2.47 kJ/kgK, 1.26 to 1.84 kJ/kgK and 1.32 to 1.99 kJ/kgK; thermal conductivity 0.21 to 0.47 W/mK, 0.34 to 0.52 W/mK, and 0.26 to 0.60 W/mK and thermal diffusivity 0.25 to 0.41 x 10-7 m²/s, 0.32 to 0.57 x 10-7 m²/s, and 0.32 to 0.60 x 10-7 m²/s at 30, 40, and 50 °C respectively for the moisture ranges studied. The temperature and moisture content effects were not significant (p>0.05) with specific heat and thermal diffusivity but were significant (p<0.05) with thermal conductivity in third-order polynomial. A non-linear relationship was established between the three thermal properties and moisture content within the studied temperature range. The resulting regression models for the thermal properties gave a high coefficient of determination (R2 ≥0.7995) which implies that the parameters can be used to describe the relationships between temperature, moisture, and thermal properties of Jack bean seeds.