Journal of Food Processing & Technology

New perspectives in the utilization of Moringa oleifera as a panacea for malnutrition in Sub-saharan Africa

2^nd International Conference on Food Safety and Regulatory Measures

June 06-08, 2016 London,UK

Ogunsina Babatunde Sunday

Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

The Sub-sahara African tropics is bountifully blessed with many underutilized oilseeds and legumes which are fast gaining research attention as alternative sources of protein. The impact that climate change places on food production and the prevalence of malnutrition in the region provides impetus for the exploitation of these underutilized seeds and development of appropriate technologies to optimize their potentials as vegetable proteins. In this report, Moringa oleifera is presented as a panacea for malnutrition in Sub-saharan Africa; where, though it blossoms, its potentials have not been fully explored. Substantial literatures abound on M. oleifera leaves, flowers and tender immature pods as important vegetables; especially in India and Africa. Hitherto, M. oleifera seeds are known more for its trado-medicinal use and as a material for water clarification; but it is seldom reported as an oilseed protein. Moringa oleifera seeds contain 36.2 g of crude proteins (essentially 23, 17.5, 8, and 8 g/100 g of glutamine, arginine, leucine and cysteine as the major amino acids) and 43.6 g of oleic acid-rich crude fat per 100 g of seeds. The novelty of this report therefore liesâ?? in the exploitation of M. oleifera seeds as a valuable oil seed and protein enrichment in functional foods products.

Biography :

Ogunsina Babatunde Sunday has obtained his PhD degree in Agricultural Engineering from University of Ibadan. In 2009, he won the prestigious United Nations University Fellowship which was undertaken at the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India. In addition, he got the Israeli Mashav scholarship in 2006 and 2011. He teaches in the Agricultural and Environmental Engineering Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria; focusing his research on processing and value addition to tropical oil seeds. He has spoken at many local and international conferences with over 30 published articles in reputable journals to his credit.

Email: bsogunsina@yahoo.com