Current Consumption of Traditional Cowpea-Based Dishes in South Benin Contributes to at Least 30% of the Recommended Intake of Dietary Fibre, Folate, and Magnesium.

Regular consumption of legumes is recommended worldwide for its environmental and health benefits. Cowpea, the most frequently consumed pulse in West African countries, is rich in nutrients and health-promoting bioactive compounds. A one-week retrospective food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate the contribution of the cowpea-based dishes to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI), based on their consumption frequency, intake, and nutritional composition. Participants were 1217 adults (19-65 years) from three urban or rural areas in southern Benin. Out of all respondents, 98% reported that they usually consumed cowpea-based dishes. The mean consumption frequency was 0.1 to 2.4 times/week, depending on the type of cowpea-based dish. The mean amount consumed was 71 g and 58 g of seeds/adult/day in urban and rural areas respectively. The mean daily contribution of cowpea-based dishes to RNI was 15% for energy, 42% for fibre, 37% for magnesium, 30% for folate, 26% for protein, and just above 15% for zinc and potassium. Thus, such regular cowpea consumption should be maintained.

Effect of Community Nutrition Rehabilitation Using a Multi-Ingredient Flour on the Weight Growth of Moderately Acute Malnourished Children in Benin.

Childhood malnutrition remains a public health problem in Benin. This study aimed to assess the nutritional potential of complementary food resources to accelerate the weight growth of moderately malnourished children hosted in learning and nutritional rehabilitation centers (LNRs) in eight municipalities in Benin. A multi-ingredient infant flour (i.e., FARIFORTI), composed of 35% corn flour (Zea mays), 15% malted sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), 30% soybean (Glycine max), 10% shelled and roasted peanuts (Arachis hypogeaea), 7% baobab pulp (Adansonia digitata), and 2% dried fried fish (Stolothrissa tanganyicae), was tested with 289 moderately malnourished children aged 6 to 59 months, selected in LNR sessions. Children were given the FARIFORTI flour porridge over 12 days (based on LNR protocol) in addition to other dishes based on local food resources. The weight and height of the children were measured at entry and at the end of the LNR sessions. The sensory evaluation indicated that the FARIFORTI flour was well-accepted by mothers (97%) and children (98%). The FARIFORTI porridge provided significantly higher intakes of carbohydrates and iron in children with weight gain compared to children without weight gain.

Consumption and physico-chemical characteristics of smoked and smoked-dried fish commonly produced in South Benin and contribution to recommended nutrient intakes.

The work aims to assess the consumption and the physico-chemical characteristics of smoked fish and smoked-dried fish commonly produced and consumed in the South Benin. The consumption data were obtained from a survey involving 250 consumers, conducted in selected production localities of the Southern part of Benin, where 36 samples of smoked fish and smoked-dried fish were collected. The highest protein contents (dry matter) were recorded in Cypselurus cyanopterus (85.1 ± 2.3%) and Sphyraena barracuda (84.5 ± 4.2%), while the highest lipid contents were recorded in Scomber scombrus (39.0 ± 9.2%) and Ethmalosa fimbriata (22.1 ± 6.3%). Smoked and smoked-dried fish produced in South Benin contained 0.1%-12.5% (of total fatty acids) eicosapentaenoic acid and 0.1%-33.2% docosahexaenoic acid, which are the most abundant omega 3 polyunsaturated acids in these fish products. The median consumption of smoked fish (60.2 g/day) and smoked-dried fish (18.2 g/day) contributed for 112% (281.1 mg) and 72% (180.4 mg), respectively, to the adult daily recommended intake of sum of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (250 mg/day). The daily protein intake related to the consumption of smoked fish and smoked-dried fish corresponded to 36% and 24%, respectively, of the recommended intake suggested by European Food Safety Authority (0.8 g/kg.bw/day).

Sensory and physicochemical profiling of traditional and enriched gari in Benin.

Gari is a roasted fermented granular product made from cassava in many African countries. It is consumed raw, or added with water, or cooked into a paste. Up to now, gari enriched with palm oil and/or soybean is not available on Beninese markets. To our knowledge, no sensory profiling using appropriate methodology has been conducted on gari in Benin. The sensory studies on gari in Benin and other African countries only included general descriptors (appearance, taste, odor). The aim of our study was to establish a detailed sensory and physicochemical profile of nine traditional and three enriched gari made using different processes in Benin. Fifteen sensory descriptors of raw gari, and gari added with water, were generated and scored using quantitative descriptive analysis. The enriched gari differed from traditional gari mainly in color and odor, while their swelling capacity, texture during chewing, and light sour taste were similar. Marked variability in particle size, particle heterogeneity, water absorption, and sour taste was found among traditional gari. The physicochemical characteristics, such as degree of starch gelatinization, L-lactic acid, and ß-carotene contents, were highly variable among the 12 gari. Multifactor analysis revealed highly significant correlations between some physicochemical and sensory properties. The addition of soybean and/or palm oil did not affect most of the sensory properties of the traditional gari. The acceptability of these enriched gari with higher nutritive value by Beninese consumers should be tested to develop marketing strategies.

Conventional and food-to-food fortification: An appraisal of past practices and lessons learned.

Food fortification is an important nutrition intervention to fight micronutrient deficiencies and to reduce their incidence in many low- and middle-income countries. Food fortification approaches experienced a significant rise in the recent years and have generated a lot of criticism. The present review aimed to shed light on the actual effect of food fortification approaches on the reduction of malnutrition. A set of 100 articles and reports, which have dealt with the impact of food fortification on malnutrition, were included in this review. This review identified a broad selection of local raw materials suitable for a food-to-food fortification approach.

Biochemical characterization and growth patterns of new yeast isolates.

African sorghum opaque beers play a vital role in the diet of millions of consumers. In the current study we investigated the growth profiles of yeast strains isolated from kpete-kpete, a traditional starter used to produce tchoukoutou, an opaque sorghum beer in Benin. 10 yeast strains were isolated from sorghum beer starters and cultivated under both liquid and solid media for phenotypic growth characterization. All yeast isolates were able to grow both on solid and liquid media. Based on their growth profiles, the isolates were clustered into three groups: (i) the aggressive growth pattern (30%), (ii) the moderate growth pattern (50%), and (iii) the slow growth pattern (20%). Based on gene expression pattern, absorbance (A(600 nm)) and diameter of growth in both liquid and solid media respectively, yeast strains YK34, YK15 and YK48 were clustered in the first group, and referred to as the most aggressive growth strains, followed by group 2 (YK24, YK5, YK12, YK20, YK2) and group 3 (YK37, YK41). This growth pattern was confirmed by Invertase gene expression profiling of the yeasts showing group 1 with high level of Invertase gene expression followed by group 2 and group 3 respectively. Our results suggest that YK34, YK15 and YK48 and YK2 yeast strains constitute the best candidates in fermentation of sorghum beer production based on growth rate and assimilation of carbon and nitrogen sources.