ABSTRACT
Indigenous foods are foods produced locally which form part of the food culture inherent in the locality. Communities have evolved their own preferences and food habits over the years and have been sustained by the traditional food system. However, these foods are gradually fading off and been replaced by the modern foods or snacks which may not even compare with the latter in terms of nutritional benefits or value and affordability. Hence, the necessity to necessary to ascertain the chemical composition of indigenous dishes to help consumers make informed food choices. Survey and experimental design was adopted for the study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the 20 study sample, in which the members of the sample were selected according to the purpose of sample. In other words, samples were selected based on their origin being Anambra state. A well-structured and validated questionnaire was used to select the most consumed indigenous food in Anambra state, from which five (5) most consumed were selected based on highest frequency. The dishes studied were: banga soup (ofeakwu), white soup (ofensala), bitter leaf soup (ofeonugbu),dried cocoyam (achichaijoko) and breadfruit (ukwa). The nutrient composition and amino acid profile of dishes were evaluated and compared using ion exchange chromatography. Amongst the seventeen amino acids investigated in the dishes, glutamic acid was highest (ranging from 10.75g/100g-14.53g/100g) while tryptophan was lowest (ranging from 0.77g/100g and 1.08g/100g) on a dry weight basis. The crude protein value was obtained to be between 5.74g/100g and 16.02g/100g with ofeakwu and achichaijoko having the lowest and highest values respectively. The highest vitamin concentration was vitamin C (8.64g/100g-14.81mg/100g) and phosphorus (6.06mg/100g -9.63mg/100g). This shows that the soups are rich in different groups of amino acids and good sources of quality protein and amino acids. Henceforward, indigenous food consumption should be encouraged for both nutritional and amino acid benefits.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE i
CERTIFICATION ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS v
LIST OF TABLES x
ABSTRACTS xi
CHAPTER 1
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of study 1
1.2 Statement of Problem 4
1.3 Objectives of the Study 5
1.3.1 General Objective 6
1.3.2 Specific objective 6
1.4 Significance of the study 6
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Indigenous Dishes In Anambra State 8
2.1.Onugbo Soup (Bitter Leaf Soup) 8
2.1.1 Cocoyam 9
2.1.2 Indigenous Uses of Cocoyam 10
2.1.3 Nutritional profile of cocoyam 10
2.1.4 Bitter leaf 11
2.1.5 Ogiri 14
2.2 Ukwa 14
2.2.1 Bread fruit 14
2.2.2 Potash 16
2.2.3 Palm oil 16
2.3 Nsala Soup 16
2.3.1 Uziza 17
2.3.2 Utazi 17
2.4 AchichaIjoko (Dry Unripe Plantain Porridge) 17
2.4.1 Plantain 17
2.5 Ofe Akwu (Palm Fruit Soup/Stew) 18
CHAPTER 3
MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1 Study Design 20
3.2 Sample Collection 20
3.2.1 Area of study 20
3.3 Sampling and Sampling Technique 21
3.3.1 Construction of questionnaires 21
3.3.2 Validation of questionnaires 22
3.3.3 Distribution of questionnaires and selection of samples 22
3.3.4 Source of raw materials and identification 23
3.4 Sample Preparation 23
3.4.1 Recipe for OfeOnugbu (bitter leaf soup) 23
3.4.2Recipe for OfeNsala (white soup) 24
3.4.3 Recipe for OfeAkwu (palm fruit soup) 25
3.4.4 Recipe for Ukwa (bread fruit) 26
3.4.5 Recipe for AchichaIjoko (dried unripe plantain porridge) 27
3.5 Chemical Analysis 28
3.5.1 Proximate 28
3.5.1.1Moisture 28
3.5.1.2 Ash 28
3.5.1.3 Crude fiber 29
3.5.1.4Fat 29
3.5.1.5 Protein 30
3.5.1.6 Determination of amino acids 31
3.5.1.7 Carbohydrate 34
3.5.2 Determination of minerals 34
3.5.2.1 Iron determination 35
3.5.2.2 Zinc 36
3.5.2.3 Calcium and Magnesium determination 37
3.5.2.4 Phosphorus determination 38
3.5.2.5 Determination of sodium and potassium 39
3.6 Vitamins determination 40
3.6.1 Determination of Thiamine content 40
3.6.2Determination of vitamin A 41
3.6.3Determination of Riboflavin Content 41
3.6.4Determination of vitamin E 42
3.6.5Vitamin C determination 43
3.7Anti-nutritional Analysis 44
3.7.1Determination of Tannin 44
3.7.2Flavonoid Determination 45
3.7.3Phenol determination 46
3.7.4 Determination of Phytate 47
3.7.5 Determination of Saponin 47
3.8 Statistical Analysis 48
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Socio Demographic Characteristics of The Respondents 49
4.2 Selection of Indigenous Dishes 51
4.3 The Proximate Composition of Some Selected Dishes in Anambra State 52
4.3.1 The proximate composition of ofeonugbu 52
4.3.2 The proximate composition of ofensala 56
4.3.3 The proximate composition of ofeakwu 58
4.3.4 The proximate composition of achichaijoko 60
4.3.5 The proximate composition of ukwa 63
4.4 The Mineral Composition of Some Selected Dishes in Anambra State 66
4.4.1 The mineral composition of ofeonugbu 66
4.4.2 The mineral composition of ofensala 69
4.4.3 The mineral composition of achichaijoko 71
4.4.4 The mineral composition of ukwa 74
4.5 The Vitamin Composition of Some Selected Dishes in Anambra State 77
4.5.1 The vitamin composition of ofeonugbu 77
4.5.2 The vitamin composition of ofensala 80
4.5.2 The vitamin composition of ofeakwu 83
4.5.3 The vitamin composition ofachichaijoko 85
4.5.4 The vitamin composition of ukwa 87
4.6 The Antinutrient Composition of Some Selected Dishes in Anambra State 89
4.6.1 The antinutrient composition of ofeonugbu 89
4.6.2 The antinutrient composition of ofensala 93
4.6.3 The antinutrient composition of ofeakwu 95
4.6.4 The antinutrient composition of achichaijoko 97
4.6.5 The antinutrient composition of ukwa 99
4.7 The Amino Acid Profile of Some Selected Dishes in Anambra State 101
4.7.1 Amino acid profile of ofeonugbu 101
4.7.2 Amino acid profile of ofensala 108
4.7.3 Amino acid profile of ofeakwu 115
4.7.4 Amino acid profile of achichaijoko 120
4.7.5 Amino acid profile of ukwa 124
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Conclusion 128
5.2 Recommendation 128
REFERENCES 129
APPENDIX I 143
APPENDIX II 145
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1 Socio demographic characteristics of the respondents 51
Table 4.2 Indigenous dishes 52
Table 4.3 the proximate composition of some selected dishes in Anambra state 55
Table 4.4 the mineral composition of some selected dishes in Anambra state 67
Table 4.5 the vitamin composition of some selected dishes in Anambra state 79
Table 4.6 the antinutrient composition of some selected dishes in Anambra state 92
Table 4.7 the amino acid composition of some selected dishes in Anambra state 89
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of study
Food could be defined as any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body (Anguilera and David, 1999). Food can be of either plant or animal origin, food generally can be grouped into six classes and these are carbohydrates, protein, fat and oil, vitamins, minerals and water. According to Maslow Hierarchy of needs, man cannot survive without having access to the physiological needs such as housing, clothing, food, water. These basic needs are fundamentally required for the continual growth and development of human species.
Indigenous foods are foods produced locally which form part of the food culture inherent in the locality. The local climate enables the cultivation of such crops either for subsistence or for cash or both Indigenous foods are foods produced locally which form part of the food culture inherent in the locality. They are accepted by rural communities by custom, habit and tradition as appropriate and desirable food. Examples of indigenous foods include staples such as cassava, yam, cocoyam, sweet potatoes, plantains, and maize. Others include oilseeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices. Communities have evolved their own preferences and food habits over the years and have been sustained by the traditional food system.
The benefits of indigenous foods in the rural communities cannot be overemphasized. The fact that it is often cheap and affordable to the small scale resource and poor rural dwellers as well as provide nutritional benefits. In the rural communities of most of the developing countries (Nigeria inclusive) access to balance nutrition is gradually becoming a challenge as the influence of foreign or imported foodstuffs such as polished rice, noodles and other western foods have almost suppressed the consumption of indigenous foods which play important role in the lives of rural and urban population. In the past years, rural household live essentially on natural foods cultivated and processed using traditional and indigenous methods, even the condiments used in cooking were sourced locally from indigenous plants materials for examples, Iru (dawa dawa or locust bean) and shea-butter are being replaced with bouillon cubes and the likes.
Invariably, these foods are gradually fading offand been replaced by the modern foods or snacks which may not even compare with the later in terms of nutritional benefits or value and affordability. However, it is important to note that what people eat or consumed is influenced by social factors, cultural practices and their ability to purchase the food items. According to Faberand Wenhold (2007), a decline in the use of indigenous foods results in nutritional deficiency especially among rural households. For example, In Nigeria, rice production is in the hands of small scale farmers who use traditional methods and lack the capacity to add value to what they produce. This situation could frustrate farmers to diversify production, reduce stocking to minimize losses and adopt other measures that are capable of undermining their initial production plan (Adefalu, et al., 2013). This scenario is occasioned by the migration of the urban and rural people from local rice consumption which is often poorly finished to the imported polished rice. The shift from consumption of indigenous rice and other grains to the imported ones has forced the country to go cap in hand running deficit budgets due to excessive spending on rice importation. Presently, Nigeria spends as much as 365 billion naira (2.27 billion dollars) on rice importation per year (Nnodi, 2012). This huge expenditure of food importation can be averted if the indigenous food consumption is promoted among the rural households who incidentally constitute 75% of the Nigerian population. The food shortage problem is an indication of high and excessive food import bills, consistent rise in domestic food price and high annual growth rate of food demand when compared with food supply and nutritional problems among others (Fawole and Oladele, 2007).
In Nigeria, poverty, poor nutrition and hunger are increasingly becoming a challenge which successive government administrations have not been able to tackle. This is so because the population of the people particularly those in the rural areas where the purchasing power is very low is increasing astronomically while agricultural productivity which is presumed to provide employment and eliminate hunger and poverty is increasing arithmetically. The increasing rate at which people leave indigenous and traditional food in the rural communities spells doom for a nation whose population is predominantly rural based. The problem of hunger and malnutrition in the rural communities is not only associated with the non- availability of food but that of failure to leverage on the advantages indigenous food processing procedures offer. As a way of making food available to rural household, it becomes imperative that people begin to look inward for the consumption of more indigenous and traditionally processed food. In the light of the problems enumerated above, this study therefore sought to assess the chemical composition and amino acid profile of some indigenous foods in Anambra state.
1.3 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
African Indigenous food crops, particularly indigenous leafy vegetables and staples, face eminent extinction due to negative perceptions associated with them that are not linked to nutrition (Darkoh, 2003; Voster et al., 2007). Some of these negative perceptions include being considered as poor people’s food or famine food, and being subject to backward knowledge (Voster et al., 2007; Darkwa and Darkwa, 2013). However, African Indigenous food crops have cultural significance, as well as medicinal value, which requires Africans to preserve them for posterity.
Indigenous dishes usually carry deep sociocultural sentiments and values (Ramanatha et al., 2010; Vaneker and Slaats, 2013). However, with the exception of few traditional delicacies that have been improved to meet growing consumer needs for convenience (Table 1), most dishes are prepared using traditional recipes and methods which are tedious and time-consuming (Acheampong et al., 2015; Ramanatha et al., 2010). This is a major limitation to sustained consumption of these delicacies in an era of consumer demand for shelf-stable, ready-to- prepare, and ready-to-eat (instant) dishes due to changing work schedules and responsibilities of women, who primarily are responsible for home cooking in most cultures of cocoyam cultivation.
Evidence suggest that the marginalization and subsequent decline in consumption of African indigenous food crops have been implicated in the emergence and spread of chronic diseases in Africa, posing serious health and economic burdens to people and governments (Rasche et al., 2007; Kankeu et al., 2013).Globally, moving away from traditional foods to more refined Western diets has been linked to increases in the prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases (Lock et al., 2005). Global statistics on chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancers, cardiovascular diseases and obesity raise serious concerns (Airhenbuwa and Iwelunmor, 2012).According to the world health organisation (WHO), human deaths attributed to chronic diseases and their risk factors in 2008 alone was 36 million, and the majority of these deaths (80%) occurred in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011).
Recently, most of the indigenous foods are being prepared with western seasoning, it becomes necessary to ascertain the chemical composition to help consumers make informed food choices.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.3.1 General objective
The general objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition with emphasis on amino acid profile of some selected indigenous dishes in Anambra state.
1.3.2 Specific objective
The specific objectives of the study will be:
1. to identify the indigenous foods commonly consumed in the study area
2. to assess the proximate composition (moisture, protein, fat, ash, fibre, carbohydrate and energy) of some selected indigenous dishes in Anambra state.
3. to determine the mineral composition (iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium) of some selected indigenous dishes.
4. to determine the vitamin composition (vitamin A,B1,B2.B3,C and E) of some selected indigenous dishes.
5. to determine the anti-nutrient content (tannin, flavonoid, phenols, phytate, saponin and trypsin inhibitor) of some selected indigenous dishes.
6. to evaluate the amino acid profile of some selected indigenous dishes.
1.4 Significance of the study
This work would provide data
1. on the available indigenous foods with potential to address nutrition and food security in Nigeria.
2. promote consumption of indigenous dishes which are rich naturally in nutrients so as to reduce occurrences of some nutrient and micronutrient deficiencies.
3. provide an outline of the nutrients found in indigenous dishes, and the range of bio-active compounds they are known to contain.
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