Komeine Nantanga

University of Namibia | UNAM · Department of Food Science and Technology

Ganoderma is a genus of mushrooms that is prized in developed nations, especially those in Asia, due to its health-promoting properties, which are attributed to bioactive compounds such as phenolics. However, in developing countries, particularly in Africa, Ganoderma mushrooms are untapped and are barely identified. In this study, we identified Gan...

Background: Kalahari truffle (Kalaharituber pfeilii) is found in the Kalahari desert and nearby regions (Africa). This study assessed the microbiological quality and safety, mycotoxins, and heavy metals contents of raw Kalahari truffle sold in Namibia. Methods: Batches of Kalahari truffles were purchased from informal markets and different vendors...

Ganoderma is a genus of mushrooms that is prized in developed nations, especially those in Asia, due to its health-promoting properties, which are attributed to bioactive compounds such as phenolics. However, in developing countries, particularly in Africa, Ganoderma mushrooms are untapped and are barely identified. In this study, we identified Gan...

Malnutrition is a major health problem especially in many developing nations. Ironically, communities that suffer from undernourishment especially in rural areas often have plenty of nutritious wild foods. However, stigma against such foods, limited seasonal availability, limited or no diversification of such foods can be hindrance to the consumpti...

Pearl millet is a cereal that grows and produces grains in arid areas where other cereals may not survive. It has the potential to become a global food crop as the world experiences climate change. Pearl millet is a staple food for more than 60% of the Namibian human population. It is processed into flour, porridge and a daily-consumed fermented ac...

Background and objectives The use of malted sorghum and pearl millet in the production of traditional foods and beverages is ubiquitous in African and India. However, there is limited industrial production and little data on the phenolics content and quality of pearl millet and sorghum malts of different varieties. Therefore, this study investigate...

Omalovu is a popular traditional opaque beer in Namibia. It is made from malted sorghum or pearl millet grown in prevailing semi‐arid conditions. It has a short shelf life when stored at ambient conditions. It is brewed domestically and consumed within a day. The quality of ingredients, processing conditions and physicochemical characteristics of o...

Africa has a diversity of wild fruit trees, whose fruits are used to make traditional distilled drinks. Their beverage potential for specialty brandies has not yet been tapped. One such beverage is Ombike, which is produced traditionally in Namibia from various indigenous wild fruits from trees such as Ziziphus mucronata, Grewia spp. (e.g., G. flav...

Oshikundu or ontaku is a low- or non-alcoholic fermented drink commonly produced in over half of Namibian households on daily basis. It is prepared using water, pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) flour and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) malt flour. Like many African fermented drinks, oshikundu is a dynamic drink with live fermenting microorganisms that c...

Digestion of starch in humans occurs progressively in the gut. However, the literature is scant on the structures of the starch digestion products along the gut from the mouth to the small intestines – products that impact glucose homeostasis. This submission focuses on the first step of starch digestion, i.e., impact of human salivary amylase on t...

High salivary amylase activity is associated with improved glycemic homeostasis in humans. Therefore, high salivary amylase activity is associated with greater digestion of starch. However, it is unclear if the structures of the hydrolysates from different individuals with different salivary amylase activity are the same. To test this, cooked starc...

Digestion of starch in humans starts in the mouth and progresses to the small intestine. A thorough understanding of the progression of digestion, of consequence to glycemic and possibly insulinemic responses, requires a better characterization of the digestion products along the gut – products that are the substrates in the subsequent hydrolysis b...

Starch is a major part of our diet. Food processing determines the physicochemical properties of starch in processed foods. An understanding of such properties is important in the development of strategies tomodulatedesirable textural attributes as well as the digestibility of starch in foods such as baked and extruded products. This review summari...

BACKGROUND: Pearl millet flour is highly susceptible to rancidity during storage. Urbanization has created a demand for pearl millet flour with longer shelf-life and short cooking time. To try to prevent rancidity and pre-cook the flour, pearl millet grain was subjected to the thermal treatments of toasting, boiling, and toasting then boiling. RESU...

Ephemeral rivers are located in the world’s drylands where aridity and climate variability are key environmental determinants. The Kuiseb River is one of two diversely developed ephemeral rivers in western-central Namibia. From up to down stream, freehold-tenure farmers, a national park, communal farmers and the port and municipality of Walvis Bay...

Includes summary. Thesis (M.Sc.(Agric.))(Food Science)--University of Pretoria, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-120).