Potential of Subcritical Water Hydrolysis to Valorize Low-Valued Ray-Finned Fish (Labeobarbus nedgia): Effects of Hydrolysis Temperature and Pressurization Agent.

Subcritical water (SCW) hydrolysis was applied to valorize the low-valued ray-finned fish (Labeobarbus nedgia) into valuable protein hydrolysates, employing N2 and CO2 as pressurization agents at varying temperatures (140, 160, 180, and 200 °C). The degree of hydrolysis (DH) and total free amino acid content increased with temperature for both pressurizing agents. The highest DH (54.5 ± 0.4%) and total free amino acid content (210 ± 1 mg/gprot) were observed at 200 °C when CO2 gas was used as the pressurizing agent. Predominantly, glycine and alanine were released for both pressurizing agents. The antioxidant activity, evaluated through three different assays, increased with temperature and was found to be the highest at 200 °C. This study illustrated the advantages of the intensified SCW technology by using CO2 as a pressurization agent in valorizing low-valued ray-finned fish (Labeobarbus nedgia), as animal residue rich in proteins, for the production of valuable protein hydrolysates with a high fraction of valuable free amino acids, which could offer potential applications as a functional ingredient in the food industry.

Optimization of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Verbascum sinaiticum Leaves: Maximal Phenolic Yield and Antioxidant Capacity.

Verbascum sinaiticum (Qetetina or yeahya Joro) is a medicinal plant with secondary metabolites such as phenolics, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, and alkaloids. This study was designed to optimize the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) parameters to enhance the phenolic content and characterize the phenolic compounds using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography, coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS), and antioxidant activities in Verbascum sinaiticum extract. Extraction time, sample-to-solvent ratio, and extraction temperature were considered for UAE optimization. It was found that UAE generated the highest extraction yield (21.6%), total phenolic content (179.8 GAE mg/g), total flavonoid content (64.49 CE mg/g), DPPH (61.85 µg/mL), and ABTS (38.89 µg/mL) when compared to maceration extraction. Metabolite analysis in this study showed the detection of 17 phenolic compounds, confirming antioxidant capacities. The optimization parameters have significant effects on phenolic compounds. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of structural changes when UAE was used over the maceration method. The optimized UAE parameters for extraction temperature (41.43 °C), sample-to-solvent ratio (36.32 g/mL), and extraction time (33.22 min) for TPC were obtained. This study shows the potential application for UAE of Verbascum sinaiticum leaves in the development of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.

Effects of pre-drying treatment and particle sizes on physicochemical and structural properties of pumpkin flour.

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of pre-drying treatment and particle size on pumpkin flour's compositional, functional, pasting, thermal, and structural properties. Pre-drying treatment and reducing the size of particles have led to an increase in the levels of crude fiber, phytochemicals, and functional properties. However, the amounts of moisture and lightness of color decreased with pretreatment, but improved with particle size reduction. Among the samples, those that were finely milled after pre-treatment showed the highest viscosities, while the untreated samples that were coarsely milled had lower viscosities. The pre-drying treatments yielded notable reductions in both gelatinization temperature and enthalpy of the flour matrix, in comparison to untreated flours. FTIR analysis has indicated that no new functional groups were produced. XRD analysis suggests that while pre-drying treatment leads to decreases in crystallinity index, fine milling leads to increments. The morphological pattern suggested that pretreatment effectively altered the original surface structure of the flour, but particle size reduction did not.

Effect of Ecotype and Starch Isolation Methods on the Physicochemical, Functional, and Structural Properties of Ethiopian Potato (Plectranthus edulis) Starch.

The Ethiopian potato (Plectranthus edulis) is an annual tuber crop indigenous to Ethiopia. The crop is underutilized and not much studied despite its high yield of starch, which has a good potential to contribute to the effort in meeting the quickly growing demand for starch. In this study, the effects of the ecotype and isolation methods on the physicochemical, functional, structural, and crystalline properties of starches were evaluated. Starches were isolated from two Ethiopian potato ecotypes (Loffo and Chanqua) using distilled water (DW), 0.01% sodium metabisulphite (SMS), and 1M sodium chloride (NaCl) in the isolation media. The results showed that the lowest starch yield was obtained from Chanqua using DW (97.4%), while the maximum was from Loffo using SMS (99.3%). The L* (lightness) and whiteness values of the starches obtained from Loffo were higher than those of Chanqua starches, with NaCl and SMS extractants yielding the highest values. The bulk density, water activity (aw), pH, proximate composition (moisture content, protein, ash, fat, crude fiber, and carbohydrate contents), and techno-functional properties were established. The majority of these parameters varied depending on both the isolation method and the ecotype. The crystallinity pattern of all starches showed B-type diffraction, with differences in diffraction peak intensities between all starches. FTIR tests showed structural changes as a function of the ecotype and isolation procedure used. The Loffo ecotype exhibited considerably better results, and the SMS isolation method was found to be the most effective way to acquire the highest starch quality in most of the characteristics evaluated.

Formulation optimization and characterization of functional Kemesha.

This study aimed to enhance Kemesha by incorporating a blend of composite flours, including germinated haricot bean, ultrasonicated fine-milled pumpkin, CMC (Carboxymethyl cellulose), and common wheat flour. Additionally, a D-optimal design was employed to optimize the formulation and achieve the desired outcome. Protein, fibre, total carotenoid content, and firmness were responses for optimizing Kemesha formulation. The numerical optimization and model validation results indicated that it is feasible to use a flour composition of 63.00 g common wheat flour, 19.01 g germinated haricot bean flour, 14.51 g ultrasonicated fine-milled pumpkin flour, and 3.48 g carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) per 100 g of flour to prepare Kemesha with desirability of 0.596. The proximate composition analysis results showed that the optimized Kemesha had higher levels of fibre, ash, and protein compared to the control Kemesha, whereas the carbohydrate content was significantly lower. The studies on color estimation revealed that the yellow color of the product was slightly increased during the optimization of Kemesha (15.09-31.09), while the brightness index was reduced from 89.38 to 74.44. Compared to the control kemesha, the optimized Kemesha had a total phenolic, flavonoid, and carotenoid content of 7.47, 3.67, and 149.20 times greater. The cooking loss (4.95%) and water absorption (220.68%) of optimized Kemesha were improved compared to control Kemesha. The composite significantly improved the sensory qualities of both raw and cooked Kemesha, including surface smoothness, resistance to break, appearance, texture, color, and overall acceptance.

Gel Rheological Properties and Storage Texture Kinetics of Starches Isolated from Anchote (Coccinia abyssinica (Lam.) Cogn.) Cultivars.

Anchote is a tuber crop indigenous to Ethiopia. Starch hydration properties and important gel characteristics which include: color, gel rheological properties (at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% starch:water w/w) and gel texture evolution (at 10% starch:water w/w), during 0 to 192 h storage (at 4 °C), of anchote starches isolated from four anchote cultivars (Desta 01, Desta 24, white and red) were evaluated and compared with potato and cassava starches (PS and CS). The lightness (L*) and whiteness scores of the anchote starch ranged up to >95, with slight differences among the cultivars, making them pure starches. Swelling power (SP) and water solubility index (WSI) of the anchote starches increased with increasing cooking temperature (40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C), and their rate of increase varied significantly with the control starches, as follows: CS < anchote starches < PS. Anchote starch gels resisted higher stresses before breaking their structure and showed higher elasticity with lower (tan δ)1 values than PS and CS gels. They also had greater viscoelastic moduli even at lower concentrations than the PS and CS gels, and their stability increased with increasing concentration. The study of the gels' texture evolution during storage revealed that anchote starch gels had significantly higher (≥40%) initial and final (after 192 h) hardness and were less adhesive than the PS gel. Despite some significant differences in the studied starch gel quality parameters among the starches from the anchote cultivars, the results suggested their promising potential as additional new materials in the development of food products, specifically as a functional ingredient for the formulation of gel-like products.

Physicochemical, Morphological, Thermal, and Rheological Properties of Native Starches Isolated from Four Cultivars of Anchote (Coccinia abyssinica (Lam.) Cogn.) Tuber.

Anchote (Coccinia abyssinica (Lam.) Cogn) is a potentially important source of starch and an underutilized root and tuber crop indigenous to Ethiopia. In this study, the physicochemical, morphological, thermal, and rheological properties of native starches isolated from four cultivars of anchote tubers were studied and compared to potato and cassava starches, which were considered as references. The amylose content of anchote starches varied from 15.8-22.3%. The anchote cultivars showed different granule sizes, but all revealed a B-type crystalline structure, identical to potato starch. The phosphorus content of anchote starches ranged from 82-93 mg/100 g and was much higher than that of potato and cassava (60.3 and 5.8 mg/100 g, respectively). This characteristic could govern several functional properties of anchote starches, making them suitable for applications in different types of noodles, glucose syrups, and viscous products. The gelatinization temperature and enthalpy of anchote starches, which ranged from 60.97 °C to 69.33 °C and 16.87 to 18.38 J/g, respectively, were considerably different compared to potato and cassava starches. Significant variations were also observed among the pasting properties of starches from anchote cultivars. They showed a higher stability to heating and shearing, having higher TV (2046 to 2280 mPa·s) and lower BV (248 to 487 mPa·s) values, and a higher final viscosity (3409 to 3686 mPa·s) than potato and cassava, which are important characteristics in food processing and when high gel viscosity is required after cooling. Anchote starch gels exhibited rheological characteristics of true gels, showing much lower (tan δ)1 values and significantly higher viscoelastic moduli than those found in cassava and potato gels. The present study revealed significant differences among the physicochemical properties of anchote starches, depending on the cultivar, and demonstrated their promising potential in food product development and other industrial applications.

Development of mixed starter culture for the fermentation of Ethiopian honey wine, Tej.

Ethiopian honey wine is one of the country's most popular spontaneously fermented traditional alcoholic beverages. However, the final product of this natural fermentation system is frequently of poor and inconsistent quality. Furthermore, it makes the process difficult to predict, control, and correct. Thus, the main aim of this study was to develop a direct fermentation system for Ethiopian honey wine, Tej. After isolating fermentative microbial strains from Tej samples, they were subjected to intensive screening to fit to its purpose. Later, phenotypic and genotypic characterization, and inoculation of isolates to honey-must were performed sequentially. Finally, microbial interaction and physicochemical analysis, including volatile compounds profiling, were done for the inoculated samples. The identified isolates were strains of Saccharomycetaceae and Lactobacillaceae families. These strains showed a good ability to tolerate osmotic stress and a lower pH environment. Tej sample produced by mixed culture inoculation of Saccharomyces and Lactobacillus species showed similar physicochemical, volatile compounds, and sensory attributes values with that of the control sample. Thus, a mixture of Saccharomyces and Lactobacillus strains could be used as a starter culture to produce Ethiopian honey, Tej, without scarifying of its major quality attributes.

Application of Two-Dimensional Fluorescence Spectroscopy for the On-Line Monitoring of Teff-Based Substrate Fermentation Inoculated with Certain Probiotic Bacteria.

There is increasing demand for cereal-based probiotic fermented beverages as an alternative to dairy-based products due to their limitations. However, analyzing and monitoring the fermentation process is usually time consuming, costly, and labor intensive. This research therefore aims to apply two-dimensional (2D)-fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with partial least-squares regression (PLSR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) for the on-line quantitative analysis of cell growth and concentrations of lactic acid and glucose during the fermentation of a teff-based substrate. This substrate was inoculated with mixed strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum A6 (LPA6) and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LCGG). The fermentation was performed under two different conditions: condition 1 (7 g/100 mL substrate inoculated with 6 log cfu/mL) and condition 2 (4 g/100 mL substrate inoculated with 6 log cfu/mL). For the prediction of LPA6 and LCGG cell growth, the relative root mean square error of prediction (pRMSEP) was measured between 2.5 and 4.5%. The highest pRMSEP (4.5%) was observed for the prediction of LPA6 cell growth under condition 2 using ANN, but the lowest pRMSEP (2.5%) was observed for the prediction of LCGG cell growth under condition 1 with ANN. A slightly more accurate prediction was found with ANN under condition 1. However, under condition 2, a superior prediction was observed with PLSR as compared to ANN. Moreover, for the prediction of lactic acid concentration, the observed values of pRMSEP were 7.6 and 7.7% using PLSR and ANN, respectively. The highest error rates of 13 and 14% were observed for the prediction of glucose concentration using PLSR and ANN, respectively. Most of the predicted values had a coefficient of determination (R2) of more than 0.85. In conclusion, a 2D-fluorescence spectroscopy combined with PLSR and ANN can be used to accurately monitor LPA6 and LCGG cell counts and lactic acid concentration in the fermentation process of a teff-based substrate. The prediction of glucose concentration, however, showed a rather high error rate.

Microbiome dataset of spontaneously fermented Ethiopian honey wine, Tej.

This dataset contains raw and analyzed microbial data for the samples of spontaneously fermented Ethiopian honey wine, Tej, collected from three locations of Ethiopia. It was generated using culture independent amplicon sequencing technique. To gain a better understanding of microbial community variance and similarity across Tej samples from the same and different locations, the raw sequenced data obtained from the Illumina Miseq sequencer was subjected to a bioinformatics analysis. Lower diversity and richness of both bacterial and fungal communities were observed for all of the Tej samples. Besides, samples collected from Debre Markos area showed a significant discriminating tax for both bacterial and fungal communities. In nutshell, this amplicon sequencing dataset provides a useful collection of data for modernizing this spontaneous fermentation into a directed inoculated fermentation. Detail discussion on microbiome of Tej samples is given in [1].

Optimization of mucilage extraction from Ximenia americana seed using response surface methodology.

Ximenia americana is a wild edible fruit essential for human consumption due to its high nutritional and phytochemical constituents with significant antioxidant activity. The fruit seed has high potential in its mucilage content. The present study aimed at optimization of mucilage extraction from the Ethiopian cultivar of Ximeina americana fruit seed. The response surface methodology based on a central composite rotatable design was used for the optimization of aqueous extraction of mucilage. The extraction temperature (50-80 °C), time (1.5-4 h), and water-to-seed ratio (20:1-40:1 v/w) were identified as the major factors influencing mucilage yield, water holding capacity, and protein content. Water to seed ratio and time showed significant (p < 0.01) interaction effect on yield. Interactions of water to seed ratio with time and temperature had significant effects (p < 0.05) on the protein content. Water holding capacity of the mucilage was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the interaction between temperature and time. Optimum extraction processing conditions were obtained to be extraction temperature of 65.06 °C, time of 1.5 h and water to seed ratio of 37.62:1 v/w. The response variables at this operating conditions were found to be extraction yield of 17.31 %, water holding capacity of 11.48 g/g and protein content of 1.75 %. The result demonstrated that the X. americana seed mucilage could be used as a new source of additives in the dairy industry as a fat replacer due to its potent water holding capacity.

Physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities and microbial communities of Ethiopian honey wine, Tej.

Ethiopian honey wine, Tej, is spontaneously fermented traditional alcoholic beverage, usually made from honey and "gesho" (Rhamnus prinoides). Till now, limited amount of information is available on the characterization of Tej. Thus, the aim of this paper is to reveal the microbiological diversity and physicochemical properties of Tej samples collected from different areas of Ethiopia. High-throughput sequencing, electrochemical and chromatographic techniques, and spectrophotometric methods were used to achieve these objectives. Although there was a statistical difference in the exact values of physicochemical properties between the collected Tej samples, the pH and titratable acidity values of the samples ranged from 2.8 to 3.8 and from 1.81 to 8.65 g/L, respectively. Similarly, the alcohol and sugar contents of the samples were in the range of 6.36-11.34 g/100 mL and from 0.37 to 31.6 g/L, respectively. Moreover, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt (ABTS) values of the samples were in the range of 37.9-81.0% and 27.4-73.1%, respectively. Furthermore, microbial community structure was predominated by a few fermentative microorganisms. Specifically, the bacterial community structure was dominated by the genera of Lactobacillus (53.15%) and Zymomonas (38.41%). Whereas, the fungal community structure was exclusively dominated by genus of Saccharomyces (99.66%). Additionally, Lactobacillus, Zymomonas and Saccharomyces were the detected core microbiome for the collected Tej samples. Both bacterial and fungal communities had shown no statistically significant differences in alpha diversity analysis based on the area of sample collection. However, the bacterial communities had a statically significant difference in Unweighted Unifrac beta diversity analysis. Generally, the observed shared physicochemical characteristic features and the dominance by certain group of microorganisms might be seen as a boon for the development of direct fermentation system to this traditional alcoholic beverage.

Microbial inactivation and quality impact assessment of red pepper paste treated by high pressure processing.

The study aimed to investigate inactivation of naturally occurring microorganisms and quality of red pepper paste treated by high pressure processing (HPP). Central composite rotatable design was employed to determine the impacts of pressure (100-600 MPa) and holding time (30-600 s). HPP at 527 MPa for 517 s reduced aerobic mesophilic bacteria count by 4.5 log CFU/g. Yeasts and molds counts were reduced to 1 log CFU/g at 600 MPa for 315 s. Total phenols, carotenoids and antioxidants activity ranged from 0.28 to 0.33 g GAE/100 g, 96.0-98.4 mg ßc/100 g and 8.70-8.95 µmol TE/g, respectively. Increase (2.5-6.7%) in these variables was observed with increasing pressure and holding time. Total color difference (ΔE∗) values (0.2-2.8) were within the ranges of 'imperceptible' to 'noticeable'. Experimental results were fitted satisfactorily into quadratic model with higher R2 values (0.8619-0.9863). Optimization process suggested treatment of red pepper paste at 536 MPa for 125 s for maximum desirability (0.622). Validation experiments confirmed comparable percentage of relative errors. Overall, this technique could be considered as an efficient treatment for the inactivation of microorganisms that naturally occur in red pepper paste with minimal changes in its characteristics.

Teff-Based Probiotic Functional Beverage Fermented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus plantarum.

Consumers are demanding healthier foods, and the increasing drawbacks associated with dairy-based products have driven efforts to find plant-based probiotic alternatives. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the suitability of a teff-based substrate for delivering the potential probiotics, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Lactobacillus plantarum A6 (LA6) with a view to developing probiotic functional beverages. Single-strain and mixed-strain fermentations were performed without any pH control. In single-strain fermentation, LA6 grew to 8.157-8.349 log cfu/mL. Titratable acidity (TA) and pH were measured between 0.513-1.360 g/L and 4.25-3.91, respectively. The explored optimum variables were fermentation time (15 h) and inoculum (6 log cfu/mL). As a result of fermentation, maltose and glucose decreased, but lactic and acetic acids increased. In mixed-strain fermentation, LGG and LA6 were able to grow to 8.247 and 8.416 log cfu/mL, respectively. The pH, TA, lactic, and acetic acids varied between 6.31-3.92, 0.329-1.501 g/L, 0-1672 mg/L, and 20-231.5 mg/L, respectively. In both fermentations, microbial growth reached the stationary phase close to a pH of 4.21-4.82 while sugars were not consumed completely. Less than 5% ethanol was detected, which indicated a non-alcoholic beverage. A combination of the two evaluated lactobacilli strains reduced fermentation time. In conclusion, a substrate made of whole grain teff flour without any supplement could be used as a substrate to produce functional probiotic beverages.

Bioactive composition, free radical scavenging and fatty acid profile of Ximenia americana grown in Ethiopia.

Ximenia americana is among wild edible fruit indigenous to Ethiopia. The fruit reported as indispensable source of phytochemicals and health imparting components. However, the phytochemicals constituents, antioxidant activities and fatty acid profile of Ethiopian X. americana cultivar studies are still scarce. This research aimed at evaluation of flesh and seed of Ethiopian X. americana yellow and red colored cultivars for bioactive component, antioxidant activities, fatty acid profiles and physicochemical characteristics. The red fruit flesh had higher total phenol (3292.60 mg GAE/100 g) while yellow fruit flesh showed higher total flavonoid (173.95 mg quercetin/100g). The higher DPPH∗ radical scavenging activity (97%) was observed in red fruit flesh due to its higher phenolic content. The yellow X. americana seed (90.69 mg QE/100g) had higher total flavonoid contents than the red seed (18.64 mg QE/100g). The dominant unsaturated fatty acid found in red X. americana flesh was oleic acid (26.29%), and the main saturated fatty acid detected was palmitic acid (29.78%). The seed also had high unsaturated fatty acid which was elaidic acid, (84.32%). Ximeninic acid (12.78%) which is expected to be detected in Ximenia americana seed oil was also observed. The highest content of fat (52.23%) and protein (16.59%) was obtained in yellow fruit seed and the lowest fat content observed in yellow flesh (7.25%). Most abundant minerals were calcium (42.45-49.55 mg/100g) and manganese (26.73-33.92 mg/100g) in seeds. Whereas, fleshs displayed higher magnesium (76.3-98.27 mg/100g) and copper (1.35-1.52 mg/100g) contents. The Ethiopian X. americana fruit cultivars represent high nutritional and medicinal values despite variation related to genetic variability.

Effects of coffee roasting technologies on cup quality and bioactive compounds of specialty coffee beans.

The effects of drum, fluidized bed, and traditional type of coffee roasting technologies on the cup quality and bioactive compounds of Yirgacheffe, Harar, and Sidama variety specialty coffee beans grown in Ethiopia were investigated at light, medium, and dark degree of roast from 150°C to 200°C for 7 to 15 min. No significant differences in cup quality were detected among the roasted coffee varieties disregard of the type of roasters. Varietal difference was found to have significant (p < .05) effect on caffeine content of the coffee beans. A significant reduction in trigonelline and total chlorogenic acids content of the coffee beans was observed during roasting process, with darker roasts attaining the least values. Drum roaster was found to be the best type of coffee roaster for specialty coffee beans at medium degree of roast with the highest cup quality, optimum bioactive compounds content, and minimum acrylamide formation. However, traditional roaster resulted at the least average cup score of 80% among the three coffee samples and the highest acrylamide content of 2.306 mg/L for Yirgacheffe coffee sample at light degree of roast. There are still some bottlenecks that need to be addressed via advancements using novel food processing technologies in order to devise the next generation of coffee processing.

Cereal- and Fruit-Based Ethiopian Traditional Fermented Alcoholic Beverages.

Traditional fermented alcoholic beverages are drinks produced locally using indigenous knowledge, and consumed near the vicinity of production. In Ethiopia, preparation and consumption of cereal- and fruit-based traditional fermented alcoholic beverages is very common. Tella, Borde, Shamita, Korefe, Cheka, Tej, Ogol, Booka, and Keribo are among the popular alcoholic beverages in the country. These beverages have equal market share with commercially produced alcoholic beverages. Fermentation of Ethiopian alcoholic beverages is spontaneous, natural and uncontrolled. Consequently, achieving consistent quality in the final product is the major challenge. Yeasts and lactic acid bacteria are the predominate microorganisms encountered during the fermentation of these traditional alcoholic beverages. In this paper, we undertake a review in order to elucidate the physicochemical properties, indigenous processing methods, nutritional values, functional properties, fermenting microorganisms and fermentation microbial dynamics of Ethiopian traditional alcoholic beverages. Further research will be needed in order to move these traditional beverages into large-scale production.

Effects of phytase-supplemented fermentation and household processing on the nutritional quality of Lathyrus sativus L. seeds.

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is commonly consumed in cooked, fermented, and roasted forms in Ethiopia. However, the impacts of household processing practices on its nutrients, antinutrients, and toxic compounds have not been adequately studied. Therefore, the effects of household processing and fermentation in the presence and absence of a phytase on the contents of ß-N-oxalyl-L-α,ß-diaminopropionic acid (ß-ODAP), myo-inositol phosphates, crude protein, minerals and the in vitro bioaccessibility were investigated. Fermentation exhibited a significant decline in ß-ODAP (13.0-62.0%) and phytate (7.3-90.5%) irrespective of the presence of phytase. Pressure and pan cooking after discarding the soaking water resulted in a 27.0 and 16.2% reduction in ß-ODAP. A 30% reduction in phytate was observed during germination followed by roasting. In addition, germination resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) increase in crude protein. Germination and germination followed by roasting resulted in the highest Fe bioaccessibilities (more than 25 fold higher compared to untreated samples) followed by pressure cooking and soaking. Processing also improved Zn bioaccessibilities by 50.0% (soaked seed without soaking water), 22.5% (soaked seed with soaking water), and 4.3% (germination). Thus, the processing technologies applied were capable of reducing the content of phytate (InsP6) and ß-ODAP with a concomitant increase in mineral bioaccessibilities. Processing of grass peas could therefore contribute to their more widespread utilization.

Manufacture of fresh cheese using east African Calotropis procera leaves extract crude enzyme as milk coagulant.

The present work was aimed to develop fresh cheese using the crude extract from calotropis procera leaves and thereby performed evaluating milk-clotting activity and acute toxicity of crude extract. The extraction of coagulant was performed at 30, 45, and 60℃ using 2, 6, and 10 g of dried calotropis procera leaves, respectively. The highest yield of crude enzyme extract was acquired with 2 g and 30℃, and results were varied significantly (p < .05). The highest cheese yield and fastest clotting time were 17.89 kg cheese/100kg milk and 14:50 min acquired with 10 g C. procera powder at 60℃ extraction temperature, respectively. E. coli, total bacterial count, yeast, and mold microbial load detection were observed below the limit established by codex alimentarius. This study recommends that use of C. procera crude enzyme leaves extract can be used as alternate milk coagulant for production of fresh cheeses. Soft cheeses manufactured with calotropin enzyme as milk coagulant revealed no adverse effects of toxicity tested on albino rates to the highest dose.

Production and processing of antioxidant bioactive peptides: A driving force for the functional food market.

Recently, the demand for functional foods in the global market has increased rapidly due to the increasing occurrences of non-communicable diseases and technological advancement. Antioxidant peptides have been suggested as ingredients used to produce health-promoting foods. These peptides are encrypted from various food derived protein sources by chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis, and microbial fermentation. However, the industrial-scale production of antioxidant peptides is hampered by different problems such as high production cost, and low yield and bioactivity. Accordingly, novel processing technologies, such as high pressure, microwave and pulsed electric field, have been recently emerged to overcome the problems associated with the conventional hydrolysis methods. This particular review, therefore, discussed the current processing technologies used to produce antioxidant peptides. The review also suggested further perspectives that should be addressed in the future.