Lost Crops of Africa Volume II: Vegetables (2006) / Chapter Skim
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8 Egusi
8 Egusi
Pages 154-171
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From page 155... ...
egusi seeds." And another recalling life in Cameroon notes: "On many an evening or hot afternoon in farming villages, women sitting with their families will be deftly and rapidly shelling the seeds ready for sale or home cooking." 1Watermelon is also an African native. For details, see companion volume on the fruits of Africa.
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From page 156... ...
Most of all, though, this vigorous annual suppresses weeds. After a month, fields planted with egusi are typically weed free.
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From page 157... ...
Oil makes up the seed's largest nutritional component, averaging more than 50 percent...a figure so high that among major foods only peanut can match it.5 In composition the oil is almost ideal. One recent analysis recorded its fatty-acid makeup as 63 percent linoleic and 16 percent oleic.
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From page 158... ...
Schrader; in turn, this scientific binomial is not to be confused with Colocynthis citrullus Linnaeus, which is a botanical synonym for Citrullus lanatus, the egusi treated here. cassava, coffee, cotton, maize, or banana require two, three, or more weedings during the growing season.
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From page 159... ...
In this regard, foods produced from locally grown egusi seed could improve diets in many an African country whose population currently suffers inadequate diet. Egusi seed compares with the best-known high-protein/high-fat food plants, and it is indigenous.
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From page 160... ...
Thus, many tropical highlands as well as warm temperate locations are candidates for at least trialing the crop. Beyond Africa Egusi seeds are potentially a source of quality protein for many countries.
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From page 161... ...
The protein content compares favorably with that in the most renowned legume seeds.10 The exceptional level of essential amino acids makes the 10Egusi seed's protein content (average total nitrogen 5.75 percent) is higher than in
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From page 162... ...
In general, however, significant growth improvement was reported when egusi flour supplemented traditional West African diets. The biological value, net protein utilization, and protein-efficiency-ratio proved comparable to or higher than those of standard oilseeds.
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From page 163... ...
As noted earlier, neither pests nor diseases much affect the growing plant. Variegated locusts have been reported to eat egusi seedlings (and everything else of course)
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From page 164... ...
Cooking contests and other challenges would be both interesting and beneficial to the public awareness of the crop's importance. Rural Development Taken all round, egusi offers one of the best interventions for raising farm performance and nutritional performance in West Africa (and perhaps many other parts of the continent as well)
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From page 165... ...
This operation is probably not too difficult to mechanize, given that pumpkin seeds are already treated this way on a large scale.13 Nutritional Research Egusi seed comes in various types, and there is a crying need for critical studies of the variation in lipid and amino acid components between them. The parallel relation between the species' genetic diversity and protein quality also needs to be better understood.
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From page 166... ...
Extend Egusi Beyond West Africa This would be a good time to test this crop in research studies across Central Africa, East Africa, the Horn of Africa, and southern Africa. Citrullus lanatus and Lagenaria species are well known in West, Central, East and Southern Africa and even in North Africa, but their usage varies from region to region.
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From page 167... ...
It is worth getting egusi samples, using proper protocols, into the research programs on those related crops all over the world. Those specialists with lifetimes of experience with related cucurbits are likely to possess deep insights that can boost egusi and help Africa's food production right away.
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From page 168... ...
So, follow-up may actually expose a cluster of climbing, crawling, trailing, and creeping herbaceous plants with both individual and common promise -- all of them masquerading under the name egusi. SPECIES INFORMATION Botanical Name Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)
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From page 169... ...
Major egusi-growing nations include: Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Beyond Africa The crop exists outside Africa, but its uses vary and are little-documented.
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From page 170... ...
The wild melons in the southern African deserts grow where the temperature is often 36°C or more. Plants will tolerate even higher temperatures for short periods of time.
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From page 171... ...
Most are wild but a number are cultivated. Little-investigated relatives of economic importance include Coccinia barteri and several species of Cucumis, Zehneria, and Momordica.
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