B P International

Bitter yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) is essentially underutilized probably due to its characteristic bitter taste. The bitter taste may be related to its nutrient and anti-nutrient mix which could be improved by simple processing methods. The study evaluated the influence of blanching on some nutritient and anti-nutrient compositions of bitter yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) flour obtained after blanching (at 100°C) for varied time. The study was conducted at the Department of Food Technology, School of Industrial and Applied Sciences, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Nigeria. The nutrients and anti-nutrients in the blanched and unblanched samples were determined by standard methods. The content in the sample blanched for 18 minutes increased respectively by 1.88% and 1.13% for moisture and carbohydrate, but decreased, by 60.00%, 19.61%, 5.80% and 13.65% for fat, crude fibre, ash and protein relative to control (0 minute). Blanching caused a decrease by 67.43% and 62.26% for alkaloid and tannin in ...

Leaves of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are processed using different methods depending on the intended application. Using three different processing methods, we investigated the effects of processing on the proximate constitution of the leaf. Result demonstrated that the fresh raw leaf had moisture content of 82.30 ± 0.42%, which were significantly (p<0.05) reduced by drying but not extraction and blanching. The protein content of the raw leaf was low (1.80 ± 0.10%). Extraction and blanching reduced the protein content, whereas drying increased the protein content significantly (p < 0.05) for raw dried leaf powder and blanched leaf products. The raw leaf contained vitamins A, B2, C and E, which were significantly reduced by extraction and blanching, but were concentrated by drying. Anti-nutrient contents of the raw leaf were low and were reduced to negligible levels by the processing techniques employed. Comparing the nutrient and chemical constituents with recommended dietary allow...