ABSTRACT
Traditional foods either home-made foods or out-of-home foods purchased from local food outlets, still contribute to people’s usual diet. This study seeks to determine the variation in macro-nutrient composition and nutrient density of analyzed and calculated values of selected traditional dishes commonly consumed in Umuahia, Abia State. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey method for food/recipe documentation and experimental design to evaluate and assess variation in macro-nutrient composition and nutrient density of analyzed values of selected traditional dishes commonly consumed in Umuahia, Abia State. The recipe ingredients used in the preparation of the three (3) selected traditional soups (Uha soup, Achara soup and Okro soup) in this study was purchased from Ahiaeke roadside market in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. The energy density of the analyzed food was determined by obtaining the ratio of the amount of energy in the diet to the quantity of the same dish. Data from the study which included the proximate composition as analyzed soups was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Statistic Product for Service Solution (SPSS) (Version 23). Mean values obtained was separated using Duncan multiple range test while significance where exist was judged at 95% confidence level (p<0.05). Findings showed that the moisture content of the soups were significantly different (P<0.05), with the content ranging from 70.72% – 75.07. The moisture content of the achara soup (75.07%) was significantly higher than the contents in the three soups while the moisture content of the okro soup (70.72%) was the least compared with the other soups. The protein content of the soups were significantly different P<0.05, ranging from 9.67-10.72, with the contents in okro soup (10.72 mg/100g) significantly higher while the achara soup (9.67 mg/100g) recorded the least score for crude protein content of the three soups. The carbohydrate content of the soups were significantly different (P<0.05), ranging from 4.03-9.90, with the carbohydrate contents of the okro soups (9.90 mg/100g) significantly higher than the rest of the soups while carbohydrate contents of the uha soup recorded the least of the three soup samples. The calcium content of the soups were significantly different, ranging from 62.86-86.57, with the calcium contents 86.57 mg/100g of the uha soup significantly higher while the okro soup reported the least calcium contents of the three soups. The energy density score of the soups reveal that uha soup had the highest energy density score (1.23 kcal/g) compared to the other soups, achara soup (1.10 kcal/g) and okro soup (1.17 kcal/g). In general the three soup samples had low energy density (score between 0.6-1.5 kcal/g). In this study, it was observed that the soups consumed in Umuahia community had considerable amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and carbohydrate but low in fiber, fat, zinc, iron, copper and selenium. However, soups had the least moisture content thus may have higher shelf life than the other soups. This study recommends urgent need for Nigeria to put in place food composition table for local foods especially our local vegetables and local soup thickeners and spices as well as their energy densities.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Cover Page
Title Page i
Certification ` ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment iv
Table of Contents v
List of Tables ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION 1
a.
Statement of Problem 3
1.2 Objectives
of the Study
1.2.1 General
objective of the study 5
1.2.2 Specific
objectives of the study 5
1.3 Significance
of the Study 5
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1 Traditional Staple dishes in Nigeria
(South-east) 7
2.1.1 Nutrient
Composition of Some Traditional Staple Dishes 8
2.1.1.1 Protein Content of Selected Traditional Staple
Dishes 8
2.1.1.2 Ash Content of Selected Traditional Staple
Dishes
2.1.1.3 Carbohydrate and Fibre Content of Selected
Traditional Staple Dishes 10
2.1.1.4 Fat Content of Selected Traditional Staple
Dishes 11
2.1.1.5 Energy Content of Selected Traditional Staple
Dishes 11
2.2 Nutrient
Profiling And Nutrient Density 13
2.3 Food
Composition Databases 15
2.3.1 Challenges
of Food Composition Data 16
2.3.2 Comparing Analytical and Calculated Data for Composite Foods 18
2.4 Food
Preparation Practices 20
2.5 Food Consumption Practices 23
2.6 Review
On Nutrient Density 25
CHAPTER 3
MATERIALS AND
METHODS
3.1 Study
Design 39
3.2 Group
Discussion and Sample Collection 29
3.3 Sample
Preparation
3.3.1 Uha soup
preparation 30
3.3.2 Achara soup preparation 31
3.3.3 Okra soup preparation 32
3.4 Sample
Preparation 33
3.5 Chemical Analysis 34
3.5.1 Proximate 34
3.5.1.1 Determination of moisture content 34
3.5.1.2 Determination of Protein Content 34
3.5.1.3 Determination of Total Lipid Content 35
3.5.1.4 Determination of Ash Content 35
3.5.1.5 Determination of Crude Fibre 37
3.5.1.6 Determination of carbohydrates 37
3.5.1.7 Determination of Energy Content 37
3.6 Data Analysis 37
3.7 Statistical
Analysis 38
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND
DISCUSSION
4.1 Macro-Nutrient Composition of The
Selected Traditional soup. 39
4.2 Micro-Nutrient
Composition of The Selected Traditional soups 42
4.3 Energy Density of Traditional Soups 47
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Conclusion 49
5.2 Recommendation 49
REFERENCES 51
LIST OF TABLE
Table
Page
3.1 Ingredient list for Uha soup 30
3.2 Ingredient list for Achara soup 31
3.2 Ingredient list for Okra soup 32
4.1 Proximate composition of the selected
traditional soups 39
4.2 Mineral composition of the selected
traditional soups. 43
4.3
Vitamins composition of the selected
traditional soups 47
4.4 Energy density of traditional soups
studied 48
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Background of Information
Traditional foods
constitute an important part of the culture, history, identity, heritage and
local economy of a region or country and are key elements for the dietary
patterns of each country (Baiwa et al., 2018). These foods are commonly perceived as foods that
have been consumed locally or regionally for a long time and the methods of
preparation of such foods have been passed from generation to generation
(Jordan, 2010). Some traditional foods and patterns may have potential health
properties that have been tested over time (Trichopoulou
et al., 2006) and
in recent years, consumers have shown an increased interest and demand for
traditional foods as they are often perceived as having specific sensory
characteristics and being of higher quality (Chambers et al., 2007).
Although the term
‘traditional foods’ is widely used, there are few definitions available.
Traditional foods could be defined based on its types as a food of a specific
feature or features, which distinguish it clearly from other similar products
of the same category in terms of the use of ‘traditional ingredients’ (raw
materials or primary products) or ‘traditional composition’ or ‘traditional
type of production and/or processing method’’. The definition was extended
comprises a description of the terms ‘traditional ingredients’, ‘traditional
composition’ and ‘traditional type of production and/or processing’
(Trichopoulou et al., 2007). From a
consumer’s perspective, Guerrero et al. (2009) defined a traditional
food product as ‘a product frequently consumed or associated with specific
celebrations and/or seasons, normally transmitted from one generation to
another, made accurately in a specific way according to the gastronomic
heritage, with little or no processing/manipulation, distinguished and known
because of its sensory properties and associated with a certain local area,
region or country’ (Costa et al.,
2010).
Countries can use a variety of methods to construct national food
composition tables, using direct or indirect data or a combination of both
(Pennington, 2008). Chemical analysis of major national foods and the
calculation of values using yield and nutrient retention factors provide direct
or primary data for general reference. Food composition tables or databases
provide detailed profiles of the nutritional composition of foods or recipe
ingredients, usually for a particular country (Merchant et at., 2006). The need for good quality food composition data on
commonly consumed traditional dishes cannot be overemphasized. They are needed
for a variety of purposes. For the nutritional epidemiologist, food composition
data are used to estimate nutrient intakes of individuals or population groups
in order to establish diet-disease relationships (Schakel et al., 2007). They are used for establishment of dietary goals
(Burlingame, 2003), while the dietitian employs them for dietary counseling
(Schakel et al., 2007).
According to Egan
(2007), nutritional composition data are an essential resource for health
researchers and epidemiologists who investigate the relationship between food
and disease in populations and require an accurate estimation of nutrient
intake, and are also the basis for the development of dietary recommendations.
Nutritional composition data for traditional foods are also necessary to
elucidate their role in the traditional dietary pattern of a population. Okeke et al. (2008) also
reported existing knowledge gaps of the composition of Igbo traditional foods
as many of the staple foods are mixed dishes.
Calculated nutrient composition values of food involving mixed
dishes often does not usually consider preparation factors such as loss or gain
in weight, usually considered as yields and nutrient changes, usually
considered as retention factors (Khokhar et
al., 2009). This may leads to variation and inaccurate data, hence,
overestimation or underestimation of dietary intakes. The comparison between analytical
and calculated data allows evaluating the quality of calculation procedure; its
results can be considered a valid alternative to analysis or only as a rough
estimate. Some studies and food composition tables have
reported the nutrient compositions of some commonly consumed traditional foods
and dishes, but not any of those are known to have assessed the
variation in analyzed and calculated macro nutrients composition and nutrients
density values of commonly consumed traditional dishes.
1.1
STATEMENT
OF PROBLEM
Traditional foods either home-made foods
or out-of-home foods purchased from local food outlets, still contribute to
people’s usual diet. Foods can be consumed as single foods or as mixed
dishes/multi-ingredient foods and as such any comprehensive food composition
database or table should contain the nutrient composition of foods as consumed
by the population it serves. Unfortunately, information about nutritional
composition data of traditional foods is scanty for most current national food
composition databases (Khokhar et al.,
2009). The poor availability of data for specific
traditional food dishes in Nigeria clearly indicates the need to study
alternative analytical methods to know their nutritional composition. Studies
have shown that most commonly consumed traditional mixed dishes in Nigeria
differ in several ways depending on the socioeconomic status of the family food
provider, the prevailing food taboos, food prices, cultural and religious
practices, level of nutritional knowledge, and food availability and
seasonality (Oguntola, 2005). According to Vasilopoulou et al. (2003), mixed dishes show the greatest variations and,
therefore, represent the least reliable data in food composition database.
Direct chemical analysis is the recognized
gold standard for the assessment of food composition. However, analytical
method is expensive and requires substantial technical expertise so that it is
generally used to develop and validate food composition tables which are then
employed in field studies of nutrient intake. In
recent years this topic has been discussed and nutrient values of complex
composite dishes have often been calculated based on the nutrient content of
individual ingredients, considering the different preparation and thermal
treatments and by using some correction factors (Kerr et al., 2015).
For this reason, studies aimed
at comparing calculated data and data obtained from chemical analyses are
needed to optimize and assess the correction factors (retention factors and
yield factors). Determining the variation in analyzed
and calculated nutrient composition and nutrient density of commonly consumed
Nigerian dishes is a right step as it will be useful not only for database
compilers, food analysts and food manufacturers but also help to carefully
select and develop a comprehensive and reliable country-specific nutrient
database that can be used to obtain good estimate of the dietary intake of
individuals and/or population groups by dieticians, nutritionists, and
researchers who use food composition database to plan and evaluate the diets of
patients and clients with modified diets. This study therefore seeks to assess
the variation in macro-nutrient composition and nutrient density of analyzed
and calculated values of selected traditional dishes commonly consumed in
Umuahia.
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.2.1 General objective of the study
The
general objective of this study is to determine the variation in macro-nutrient
composition and nutrient density of analyzed and calculated values of selected
traditional soups commonly consumed in Umuahia, Abia State.
1.2.2 Specific objectives of the study
The specific objectives of the study
include to;
1. determine
the macro-nutrient (Moisture, protein, fat, fiber, ash, carbohydrate)
composition of the selected traditional soups (Uha soup, Achara soup and Okro
soup) using direct chemical analysis.
2. calculate
the energy of the selected traditional soups (Uha soup, Achara soup and Okro
soup) using food composition data.
3. determine
the minerals (Ca, K, Na, Se, Fe, Zn, Cu) and vitamins (A, C and Folate) of the
selected traditional soups (Uha soup, Achara soup and Okro soup).
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Findings from this study will benefit the researchers,
public food and health policymakers, healthcare professionals, industry (food,
agriculture, software developers), consumers and for educational purposes.
The public food and health policymakers will benefit
as it will contribute to already existing body of the composition of prepared
traditional soups and inform appropriate dietary policy guidelines for the
population.
Healthcare professional will benefit as it will make
available data on which to base their interventions on.
Food industries and the general consumers will benefit
from the findings of this study as it will provide useful information on the
macro-nutrient composition and nutrient density of the traditionally consumed
soups thereby informing healthier food selection and consumption.
The researchers will benefit as it will contribute to
the already existing body of knowledge and serve as a reference material and
used for educational purposes.
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