Oluwafemi Ayodeji Adebo

University of Johannesburg | uj · Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology

Mahweu is an important indigenous beverage for many low-income and undernourished consumers in southern Africa. As a result, the nutritional and phytochemical profile of mahewu samples (obtained using optimized fermentation and boiling conditions from a previous study) as well as their related raw materials (white and yellow maize) were investigate...

Key Features Discusses hot topics such as metagenomics for the identification and characterization of microorganisms in fermented foods Offers innovative techniques for improving these indigenous products and investigating their composition as well as upgrading traditional technologies used in the production of fermented products Covers the role of...

Complementing traditional food processing techniques with emerging ones like three-dimensional (3D) food printing can re-innovate the derived products as more consumer-centric with known human wellness values. This study investigated the nutritional quality, polyphenol composition, and antioxidant activity of conventional and 3D printed biscuits fr...

Faba bean is an excellent source of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins which could serve as a vital nutrient source in ensuring food security. The bean has the potential to be used as a vegetable protein source in different products thus, helping to meet the ever-changing consumer dietary need. The nutrient composition of Faba bean may dep...

Background Several metabolites released by fungal species are an essential source of biologically active natural substances. Gas chromatography high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-HRTOF-MS) is one of the techniques used in profiling the metabolites produced by microorganisms, including Talaromyces pinophilus. However, there is limi...

Background: The volatilome of fermented food products are essential metabolites that significantly contribute to such foods’ overall composition and sensorial quality. The dataset presented herein represents the volatilome of raw and fermented maize flour samples. Methods: Maize grains were milled and naturally fermented at 35°C into sourdough at d...

This study investigated the effect of germination time (0, 24, 48 and 72 h) on the physicochemical characteristics, in vitro starch digestibility and microstructural changes in Bambara groundnut starch. The starch yield, lightness (L*) value, amylose content and resistant starch contents of isolated starches decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with...

Mahewu is a fermented food product from maize, commonly consumed in Southern Africa. This study investigated the effect of optimizing fermentation (time and temperature) and boiling time of white maize (WM) and yellow maize (YM) mahewu, with the use of the Box–Behnken-response surface methodology (RSM). Fermentation time and temperature as well as...

The formulation of new food products with high nutritional quality and functionality is gaining global attention. The physicochemical properties, in vitro digestibility, antioxidant activity and consumer acceptability of biscuits produced from germinated finger millet (GFM) (Eleusine coracana) and Bambara groundnut (GBGN) (Vigna subterranea) flour...

This study investigated the effect of fermentation conditions (time and temperature) on the nutritional composition and health-promoting properties of raw milk, optimized naturally fermented amasi, and amasi fermented with starter culture. The composition of the products, including chemical analysis, amino acids, mineral composition, and fatty acid...

This study assessed the metabolite profile of raw and cooked pasta from whole wheat grain enriched with Bambara groundnut using gas chromatography high resolution time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (GC‐HRTOF‐MS). Different metabolites (49) like alcohols, amides, aldehydes, amines (4%), aromatic compounds (6%), fatty acids (4%), fatty acid ethyl ester...

Bitter gourd beverages are well acclaimed for their health benefits, which have propelled their consumption. The beverages are prepared through a fermentation process, which is one of the oldest means of preserving and enhancing the flavour of many foods. Optimized conditions for the fermentation of a bitter gourd–grape beverage were investigated i...

The study assessed the nutritional and sensory properties of a gluten‐free biscuit from blends of high‐quality cassava flour (HQCF) and walnut flour (WF). Design expert software was used to determine the compositing level with HQCF (minimum of 70 g and maximum of 80 g) and WF (minimum of 15 g and maximum of 30 g). Supplementation of HQCF with WF si...

Moringa leaf has been widely used in the enrichment of staple foods due to its high nutritional value and hypoglycaemic, immune boosting, antiviral, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. However, the acceptability of these products is generally low due to the green colour impacted by the colour of Moringa leaf. Decolourisation of the leaves may...

The canning of dika kernel (ogbono) soup into a ready‐to‐eat form has been recommended because of the special skills and time required in preparing this popular West African soup. This study investigated the thermal processing of ogbono soup, calculated the lethality (F) and process time, and predicted same using the artificial neural network (ANN)...

Presentation of foods is essential to promote the acceptance of diversified and novel products. This study examined the color profile, browning index (BI), and structural properties of 3D-printed and traditional biscuits from whole-grain (WG) sourdough and germinated flours. The processed flours and composite/multigrain flours comprising cowpea sou...

There is an increase in the use of adoptable bioprocessing methods for the development of high-quality pulse ingredients. This study investigated the nutritional composition, physicochemical, bioactivity, in vitro digestibility, functional, pasting, thermal and colour characteristics of germinated (24–72 h) pigeon pea. Germination increased (p ≤ 0....

The use of sprouted cereals for the development of flavor, improvement of biochemical, physicochemical and techno-functional properties in beer production, improvement of nutritional quality and viscosity of supplementary foods is widespread in Africa. The objective of the current work was to evaluate the effect of malting conditions and variety on...

Three-dimensional (3D) food printing is one technology that can revolutionized food processing and product development due to its multiple advantages including the design of customized, personalized nutrition food design from available food material. Research documents on 3D food printing came into the limelight in the year 2006, and have since exp...

Cowpea is widely grown and consumed in sub-Saharan Africa because of its low cost and high mineral, protein, and other nutritional content. Nonetheless, cooking it takes considerable time, and there have been attempts on techniques for speeding up the cooking process without compromising its nutritious value. Infrared heating has recently been prop...

Strychnos madagascariensis is an underutilized South African fruit-bearing tree, with the pulp being the primary consumable component. However, the seeds hold the potential as a food source due to their high nutrient composition. The aim of this study was to determine the physical properties of S. madagascariensis fruit and seeds to aid in food pro...

An efficient gas chromatography–mass spectrometry approach was used in this study to quantify 13 pesticide residues in rooibos teas purchased from registered retail outlets in South Africa between November 2019 and April 2020. A QuEChERS (Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) procedure was used to extract pesticides using 7.5 mg of graph...

This study used the response surface methodology (RSM) to investigate the most suitable microwave convective drying characteristics of sweet potato slices (for the commercialisation of dried sweet potatoes). The effect of three independent variables drying temperatures, microwave powers, and slice thicknesses on the moisture ratio (MR), effective m...

Cowpea is widely grown and consumed in sub-Saharan Africa because of its low cost and high mineral, protein, and other nutritional content. Nonetheless, cooking it takes considerable time, and there have been attempts on techniques for speeding up the cooking process without compromising its nutritious value. Infrared heating has recently been prop...

Fermented food products, especially those derived from cereals and legumes are important contributors to diet diversity globally. These food items are vital to food security and significantly contribute to nutrition. Fermentation is a process that desirably modifies food constituents by increasing the palatability, organoleptic properties, bioavail...

The aim of this present study was to optimize the fermentation conditions (time and temperature) of amasi (a Southern African fermented dairy product) using response surface methodology (RSM), and to determine the physicochemical properties, as well as the microbial composition, using next generation sequencing. Fermentation time and temperature we...

The particular interest in biomodifications of underutilised but nutritionally distinct whole grains is vital to promote diet diversity, nutrition transition and food security. This study investigated the use of shortterm solid-state fermentation and germination to ease processability and improve the quality characteristics of whole grain (WG) cowp...

Southern Africa has a vast resource of edible fruits, which can be useful in combating food and nutritional insecurity. However, many of these fruits are underutilized. An example of such underutilized fruit are the Strychnos fruits (monkey oranges). This review aims to highlight Strychnos spp as a potential food source to aid in the alleviation of...

Tamarind seed, a by‐product of the tamarind pulp industry, is a good source of protein with potential for industrial use. The aim of this study was to determine the functional properties of whole wheat and processed tamarind seed (pressure cooked, oven‐roasted and microwave‐roasted) and further determine the qualities of cookies from the composite...

This study aimed to investigate the kinetics of phenolic compound modification during the fermentation of maize flour at different times. Maize was spontaneously fermented into sourdough at varying times (24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h) and, at each point, the pH, titratable acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TSS), phenolic compounds (flavonoids such...

Bioprocess development for umqombothi (a South African traditional beer) as with other traditional beer products can be complex. As a result, beverage bioprocess development is shifting towards new systematic protocols of experimentation. Traditional optimization methods such as response surface methodology (RSM) require further comparison with a r...

The infrared heating of preconditioned cowpea improves its utilization and potential application in food systems. This study investigated the effect of optimizing preconditioning and infrared heating parameters of temperature and time on cooking characteristics of precooked cowpeas using response surface methodology (RSM). The moisture level (32–57...

Umqombothi (a South African indigenous beer) is an important dietary beverage for many undernourished, low-income consumers in rural, semi-urban and urban areas. Umqombothi was brewed using optimal conditions earlier obtained and compared to the customary beer brew (CB) and mixed raw ingredients (RI). The products were evaluated for proximate compo...

Brain aging is one of the unavoidable aspects of geriatric life. As one ages, changes such as the shrinking of certain parts (particularly the frontal cortex, which is vital to learning and other complex mental activities) of the brain may occur. Consequently, communications between neurons are less effective, and blood flow to the brain could also...

The knowledge of physical properties of Bambara Groundnut is not only important in the design of equipment required for handling and processing, but also determines the potential food applications of the grains. Likewise, are the nutritional and microstructural properties that play key roles in the functionality and composition of end products. The...

The impact of germination alone or in combination with solid-state fermentation on the physicochemical, antioxidant, in vitro digestibility, functional, and thermal characteristics of brown finger millet were evaluated. Germination and fermentation increased (p ≤ 0.05) the protein, crude fiber, minerals, resistant starch (7.64–9.69 g/100g), total f...

Juice processing and preservation have been regarded as age-old technologies. Opuntia spp. is a fruit that grows in a semi-arid region and marginal soils and does not require much attention for cultivation. In view of the fruits’ nutritional and sensory attributes, unique juice processing technologies have been developed for higher yield and a prol...

Beverages play a vital role in the livelihood of human beings. Drinks, particularly those processed from fruits, provide nutritional and health benefits, and they also support socio-economic livelihood. Beverages have also become part of the culture and tradition among indigenous communities, being served at social gatherings, funerals, and marriag...

The extrusion cooking technology used in the agricultural and food processing industry is attracting global attention, particularly in the food and feed sector. Recent developments made in extrusion cooking technology and its application to food processing in developing countries is hereby appraised in this chapter. A view of classification types a...

The data presented in this study represents the profile of metabolites of germinated Bambara groundnut flour (GBF) and starch (GBS) extracted using two different extraction solvents. Bambara groundnuts obtained from a local agro market in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria were germinated at 28 ± 1°C for 24, 48 and 72 h, dried and then processed into flou...

Moving forward from 2020, Africa faces an eminent challenge of food safety and security in the coming years. The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations (UN) estimates that 20% of Africa’s population of 1.2 billion people face the highest level of undernourishment in the world, likely to worsen due to COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the...

With the drive and context for the detection of more compounds and components in foods, the need for a robust, sensitive, and accurate system for the detection of constituents has never been more important. From a wide range of available analytical platforms for foods, gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) provides a better...

Native starches are not suitable for industrial use and must be modified for improved functionality. In this study, the effect of moisture preconditioning and infrared heating time on physicochemical properties of cowpea starch was investigated using a two-factor central composite rotatable design. Factors (moisture levels:10-40 g/100 g starch and...

One of the recent, innovative, and digital food revolutions gradually gaining acceptance is three-dimensional food printing (3DFP), an additive technique used to develop products, with the possibility of obtaining foods with complex geometries. Recent interest in this technology has opened the possibilities of complementing existing processes with...

Introduction Since ancient times medicinal plants have been used as medicine in many parts of the world to promote human health and longevity. In recent years many novel secondary metabolites of plants have been isolated and reported to provide lead compounds for new drug discoveries. Solanum mauritianum Scopoli is native to South America. It is re...

Fermentation techniques have been used since time immemorial to preserve milk and improve the organoleptic properties of milk and other food products. Amasi, a traditional Southern African delicacy is a fermented milk usually made at a household level from unpasteurised milk. It is widely consumed throughout the Southern Africa region and it relies...

Spoilage of cassava root begins immediately after harvest, but its shelf-life could be enhanced by adopting freezing as a storage method. This study investigated the physicochemical properties and morphology of starch isolated from cassava roots frozen for 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Extracted starches can be categorized as compound starches with mos...

Metabolite profile provides an overview and avenue for the detection of a vast number of metabolites in food sample at a particular time. Gas chromatography high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-HRTOF-MS) is one of such techniques that can be utilized for profiling known and unknown compounds in a food sample. In this study, the meta...

This data article reports the untargeted metabolite profile of whole grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and fermented ting samples obtained using two strains of Lactobacillus fermentum. The sorghum grains were obtained from Agricol Johannesburg (South Africa) and fermentation was done at 34 °C for 24 h. Controlled fermentation with two Lactobacillu...

Background: The global onset of COVID-19 has resulted in substantial public health and socioeconomic impacts. An immediate medical breakthrough is needed. However, parallel to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the proliferation of information regarding the pandemic, which, if uncontrolled, cannot only mislead the public but also hinder the...

The physical properties and water absorption kinetics of three varieties of Mucuna beans ( Mucuna pruriens, Mucuna rajada and Mucuna veracruz ) were determined in this study. Physical properties including length, width, thickness, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, porosity, bulk density, area, volume and one thousand seed mass were calculated wh...

Native starches are unsuitable for most industrial applications. Therefore, they are modified to improve their application in the industry. Starch may be modified using enzymatic, genetic, chemical, and physical methods. Due to the demand for safe foods by consumers, researchers are focusing on the use of cheap, safe and environmentally friendly me...

The physicochemical, functional, thermal properties and in vitro digestibility of flours from germinated Bambara groundnut (BGN) were monitored over 72 h. In a time dependent manner, germination led to significant (p ≤ 0.05) increases in protein (26.1–28.79 g/100 g), dietary fiber components, digestible starch, in vitro protein digestibility (73.67...

The economic situation in most developing countries has left farmers and processors operating at small scale and under unhygienic environment. The productivity is often too low to justify labour and time investment. With respect to the challenges particularly associated with roasting of corn, a roaster was designed, constructed and its performance...

Metabolomics is a high precision analytical approach to obtaining detailed information of varieties of metabolites produced in biological systems, including foods. This study reviews the use of metabolomic approaches such as liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), matrix assisted laser desorptio...

The composition (proximate, amino acids, in vitro protein digestibility [IVPD]), antinutritional factors (ANFs), functional properties, and antioxidant activity of fermented African yam bean flour (FAYBF) were determined in this study, and the effect of substituting FAYBF on the properties (nutritional, physical, and functional) of bread was invest...

Traditional beers, such as palm wine, kombucha and others, are notable beverages consumed all over the globe. Such beverages historically contribute to food security on a global scale. Umqombothi is a South African traditional beer nutritionally packed with minerals, amino acids, B-group vitamins and much-needed calories. As a result, the productio...

Nutritional labelling systems are used for effectively communicating food’s nutritional value to consumers. This study investigated the effectiveness of three existing and two proposed nutritional labelling systems in communicating the nutritional value of foods. The extent to which South African consumers make use of nutritional labelling systems...

Mycotoxins present a great concern to food safety and security due to their adverse health and socioeconomic impacts. The necessity to formulate novel strategies that can mitigate the economic and health effects associated with mycotoxin contamination of food and feed commodities without any impact on public health, quality and nutritional value of...

A new era of cutting-edge technologies and advancements in analytical platforms and omics sciences is disruptively bringing a paradigm shift in fundamental and translational research. Metabolomics is one of the omics strategies that yields big data and has gained popularity in a wide spectrum of applications. Among various analytical platforms used...

Celtis africana Burm. f. is a medicinal plant native to Southern Africa and used for various ailments. Since crude extracts from mature leaves, stems, and fruits are the most common parts of this plant used for medicinal preparations, the same were selected for isolation of endophytes to assess the medicinal utility of their metabolite extracts as...

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites that are produced by filamentous mycotoxigenic fungi belonging to the Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium genera amongst others. Multi-class mycotoxins were extracted from 55 cereal samples and analysed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The adopted extraction method for maize, m...

Strychnos madagascariensis Poir is an underutilized fruit that is considered a valuable food during droughts and famine. The aim of this research was to characterize the nutritional composition and the flour functional properties, for the use as a potential food source. Seed flour was analysed using a standard enzymatic assay for sugars, acid/neutr...

BACKGROUND The global onset of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in significant public health and socio-economic impacts. The necessity for an immediate medical breakthrough is unprecedentedly compelling. However, parallel to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the proliferation of information regarding the pandemic, which,...

Background The global onset of COVID-19 has resulted in substantial public health and socioeconomic impacts. An immediate medical breakthrough is needed. However, parallel to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the proliferation of information regarding the pandemic, which, if uncontrolled, cannot only mislead the public but also hinder the c...

Ting is a traditional fermented sorghum product mostly eaten in Southern Africa, generally believed to be highly nutritious and rich in health beneficial properties. Although refined grains are mostly used for fermented foods, the use of whole grains (WGs) in fermented products is gradually gaining prominence due to their benefits. In this study, L...

The overarching challenges presented by mycotoxin contamination in food necessitate the development of strategies to be implemented to combat their effects thereof. Common processing techniques have been utilized but do not necessarily meet the desired efficacy. This review appraises studies on novel non‐thermal food processing techniques, particul...