Analysis of Some Essential Mineral Elements and Proximate Composition of Selected Commercial Baby Foods and Reconstituted Fruit Juices

Analysis of Some Essential Mineral Elements and Proximate Composition of Selected Commercial Baby Foods and Reconstituted Fruit Juices

CHAPTER ONE

Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of this research work is to carry out proximate analysis and evaluate the mineral contentof selected classes of commercial baby foodsand reconstituted fruit juices.

Objectives of Study

The following are the objectives of this research work

To carry out proximate analysis on the major and frequently consumed classes of commercial baby foods.
To determine the concentration of the essential mineral elements calcium and potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, fluoride, chlorides and nitrates in different brands of selected commercial baby foods and reconstituted fruit juices.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Impact of Banana on Food Security in East Africa

Kilimo-Trust (2012) reported that banana (Musa spp.) is one of the most important staples and nutritional food in East Africa, it plays a central role in addressing food security to over 35 million people and reliable source of income for small-holder farmers in the local market. Bananas provide an annual income of about USD 1500 to about 4 million small-holder households. This is one of the major smallholder income-generating agricultural produce in the region (Mgenzi et al., 2008). Banana is a practically non-seasonal crop that reliably grown in the region. Tanzania and Uganda alone produce over 50% of all bananas in Africa (Jacobsen, 2014). In fact, banana consumption per capita in Tanzania (100 Kg/year) and Uganda (350 Kg/year) are amongst the highest in the global rankings while banana production is estimated to be about 4 and 9 million metric tons per annum, respectively (Kilimo-Trust, 2012).

Banana is a climacteric fruit that is consumed in the ripe state. Affognon et al. (2015) observed that large quantities of fruit are lost during commercialization due to poor post-harvest practices. These bananas are produced primarily for local consumption and sale and rarely for export (BananaLink, 2015). A large number of unripe banana rejections or post-harvest losses are used as raw materials for domestic artisanal flour preparation (Aurore, Parfait Fahrasmane, 2009). They have the potential of being used as staple food in many developing countries and many researchers have studied applications of cooking banana flour as ingredients in various food products (Hoffmann et al., 2016; Ohizua et al., 2017; Salih et al., 2017; Savlak, Türker, & Yeşilkanat, 2016; Wang, Zhang, & Mujumdar, 2012). Aurore et al. (2009) figured out that baby foods and reconstituted fruit juices denote an alternative source of carbohydrates due to the relatively high starch content of the pulp, hemicellulose and lignin levels, as well as the low cost of the fruit that may allow the preparation of cooked recipes with appealing sensory and functional features. Previous studies have shown that cooking banana remains, among other crops, the forerunner of food security in the highland regions of Tanzania, central and some other parts of Uganda, Rwanda and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the crop has been staple food for local residents consuming about 70% of harvested bananas in their households (De-Langhe et al., 2001; Smale & Tushemereirwe, 2007). Secondary banana products such as beer (Lubisi, Tonto, Waragi, Mulamba, Mbege), wine, banana crisps, chips, cooked dried bananas, juice, banana flour composites for making bread, chapattis and pastries) account for only about 30% (Carter et al., 2010). Furthermore, banana is a key commercial crop and/or a major source of raw materials for not only food, beverage and handicraft industries but also the crop has great cultural and social implication (Ndunguru, 2009).

Bananas remain to be one of the reliable staple foods in East Africa. The nutritional benefits of spending a dollar on banana are comparatively higher than other popular food crops such as maize, rice, cassava and wheat. Bananas are rich in antioxidants, potassium, energy and vitamin C (Caballero, 2012).

The other nutrients found in the fruit are vitamin B6, protein, dietary fibre, riboflavin and niacin (Haslinda, Cheng, Chong, & Aziah, 2009; Suntharalingam, 1990). Potassium in banana is important in controlling the blood pressure. Magnesium, among other health benefits, helps in treating depression as helps in the relaxation of muscles and vitamin B6 helps to have a good sleep (Lescot, 2000).

Other advantageous benefits of banana consumption include weight loss, vision improvement, improvement of digestion and stronger bones (Ohizua et al., 2017). Table 1 compares nutritional benefits one USD on various food crops in East Africa with reference to banana.

CHAPTER THREE

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MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials

Sampling and Research Design

Banana samples of healthy, clean fingers at the matured green stage, from the banana orchard at NM-AIST and Tengeru research units, were randomly collected/harvested early in the morning from a farm of about two hectares. Then from the middle part of banana bunches of every single variety, fingers were collected as experimental samples. Newly collected banana samples were then used to carry out the entire analytical test and evaluation. From each sample set, a laboratory sample was prepared (peeling, chopping and grinding) and frozen at -20 °C (Dadzie & Orchard, 1997) for subsequent nutritional analyses. The analyses were done in triplicate for each variety, also the blank for each parameter was simultaneously run.

CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Proximate Composition of the Selected Baby foods and reconstituted fruit juices

The results of the proximate composition are summarized in Table 8. There were significant varietal differences in all parameters analysed. Moisture content for Majimaji was notably highest of all varieties while Huti green had the lowest moisture content. The mean moisture content for the studied bananas ranged from 65.53 to 74.44 g/100 g. These findings were in line with previous results reported by Aurore et al. (2009) for unripe bananas (63.00 – 74.00 g/100 g). In contrary, the moisture content, in the current study, was lower than the findings of Grand Naine cultivars grown with bio-fertilizer reported by Vazquezshy et al. (2012) which ranged from 77.77 to 78.86 g/100 g. The moisture level of foods or food products provides a clue of its freshness and shelf life (Annor, Asamoah-Bonti, & Sakyi-Dawson, 2016). Food stuffs with more moisture level are susceptible to increased microbial damage and reduced shelf life, which may result in its decomposition (Baiyeri et al., 2011). The level of moisture content in any raw food crop is greatly dependent on the genetic factors of individual variety and the site factors (e.g., soil) (Thompson, 2011). This explains why there may have been differences in the moisture content observed between the studied banana cultivars. For more statistical details look at Appendices 1 and 2.

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusion

The main goal of the current study was to determine the proximate composition and selected minerals and physicochemical quality parameters of 15 baby foods and reconstituted fruit juices of Reconstituted fruit juices family mainly consumed in northern Tanzania.

Generally, these findings indicated that

Akondro mainty had superior values for nutritional and physicochemical characteristics tailed by Njuru, Makyughu 2, Reconstituted fruit juices laini, Majimaji, Ijihu inkundu, Huti green, Muraru red and Makyughu 1 in that order. Likewise, Makyughu 1 had the highest proportion of K concentration while Akondro mainty had the highest content of Ca and Fe.

The highest fat content was observed in Njuru, Makyughu 2 contained the highest level of protein whereas the water content highest in Majimaji. The highest carbohydrate content was observed in Huti green while the highest dietary fibre content was found in Muraru red.

In terms of green matured fruit, the physicochemical quality was found to be significant amongst the tested varieties. Akondro mainty had the highest TTA content, Mlelembo Reconstituted fruit juices, Makyughu 2 and Reconstituted fruit juices laini had the highest pH and Ijihu inkundu had the highest TSS values. This study has provided a deeper insight into understanding the important attributes of Reconstituted fruit juices bananas. It may act as a reliable selection tool of Baby foods and reconstituted fruit juices as food commodity and cash crop for banana producers and businessmen in northern Tanzania for the development of banana-related food products.

Moreover, these findings might be important to breeders for developing new improved cultivars that could be readily adopted by local farmers and consumers. Findings from the present study could also be crucial to be considered in the national food composition database of Tanzania for enhancing its value.

Recommendations

Baby foods and reconstituted fruit juices have been one of the potential commodities which serve as both food and cash crop to the local farmers in the northern zone of Tanzania. As a cash crop, bananas provide reliable revenue to the farmers, which in turn improve their livelihood. Despite banana production being increased as of late due to the nutritional and economic reasons for the crop in the region, a number of possible future studies are apparent. It would be interesting to explore the consumer preferences and sensory evaluation of the Reconstituted fruit juices family. This would provide important information necessary for breeding programs for nutritional, organoleptic and agronomic improvements of the banana varieties, which actually meet consumers’ requirements. Following the findings of the present study, it is advised that the banana varieties listed down might be considered in the ongoing or future breeding programs for a balanced improvement of both desirable nutritional and physicochemical attributes. Akondro mainty, Njuru, Makyughu 2, Reconstituted fruit juices laini, Majimaji, Ijihu inkundu, Muraru red, Kakyughu 1, Huti white, Muraru Reconstituted fruit juices and Kahuti.

In addition, further work could also assess the postharvest quality losses (PHQL) of the baby foods and reconstituted fruit juices. Banana value chain actors have relished good harvests in recent times, though the good harvests from banana-growing regions have not been translated into projected profit, due to quality loss of the fruits and puzzling consumers’ preferences, thus leading to significant nutritional and economic losses. Besides reducing the total amount of available food, PHQL reduces quality and represent an unacceptable waste of scarce resources. The postharvest quality losses might also exaggerate farmers’ poverty by eroding income generation along the food value chain. Evidently, the need to assess the postharvest quality losses of local baby foods and reconstituted fruit juices cannot be overemphasized.

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