Lost Crops of Africa Volume I: Grains (1996) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix C: Potential Breakthroughs in Convenience Foods
Appendix C: Potential Breakthroughs in Convenience Foods
Pages 297-311
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From page 297... ...
These African cereals are relegated to the limbo of foods suited only for personal use in rural regions by individual families who have to prepare their own food from raw grain. But possible ways to upgrade Africa's own grains are on the horizon, and these deserve thorough investigation and development.
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From page 298... ...
Once the popped grains are available, many new foods are likely to be created. Indian food scientists have blended popped finger millet with legumes such as puffed chick pea or toasted green gram to form nutritious and very tasty new foods.' In Africa, something similar might be done using legumes such as peanut, cowpea, or bambara groundnut.
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From page 299... ...
Malting is particularly good for children because they can better assimilate the partially digested nutrients.3 During World War II, government authorities in Great Britain (to mention just one country) seized on malting as a way to prevent childhood malnutrition brought on by wartime food shortages.
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From page 300... ...
Lactic acid fermentations make foods resistant to spoilage, thereby performing an essential role in preserving wholesomeness. The bacteria rapidly acidify the food to a pH so low that dangerous organisms are no longer able to grow.
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From page 301... ...
. For another, lactic acid fermentations are promising as commercial methods of processing and preserving food as well as for creating business enterprises.
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From page 302... ...
Malian families tested the parboiled grains in local dishes and condiments (such as peanut sauce) and rated them very acceptable.9 At first sight, the extra energy and effort needed to parboil grains would seem to be a major disadvantage.
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From page 303... ...
Sorghum and millet are much cheaper, but they are unprocessed and therefore less convenient to use. As a result, markets for locally grown sorghum and millet are diminishing, incentives for local production are deteriorating, and foreign exchange reserves are dwindling to meet ever-rising demands for preprocessed flours.*
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From page 304... ...
The pearled grains are first soaked for a day or two, then drained, mashed, cooked, extruded, and dried. Noodles prepared from blends of finger millet and legume flours are already being used in India to form nutritionally balanced foods that can be used as supplementary foods for malnourished children.
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From page 305... ...
So he did something never before attempted in his country: he sold shares to fellow Africans, building on the centuriesold custom of stokvels small, informal savings societies in traditional communities. National Sorghum Breweries ended up with 10,000 shareholders, more than 90 percent of whom are black a novel arrangement in a country where few blacks own the roof over their heads.
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From page 306... ...
This is surprising because sorghum beers are an important part of life throughout most of Africa below the Sahara. Opposite: In his executive suite in a suburban office tower in Johannesburg.
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From page 308... ...
These compounds act to bind the starch granules together, making it possible for the dough to hold carbon dioxide gas and thereby to rise. Baked products obtained this way have greater volume, softer crumb, and a more regular texture.
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From page 309... ...
To help reduce the region's dependence on imported wheat, researchers in Zimbabwe have developed hybrid strains of sorghum and millet that are designed for use in making flour and bread. The work at the Matopos Research Station near Bulawayo forms part of a drive to reduce food shortages in the SADCC countries.
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From page 310... ...
It is a fermentation that enables raised breads to be The Wheat Trap Africa is finding itself more and more caught up in what is being termed the "wheat trap." During the past 20 or 30 years, certain governments as well as private companies have responded to consumer demand by establishing wheat mills. As a result, various countries now spend large amounts of foreign exchange importing wheat to feed those mills.
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From page 311... ...
Biotechnology With all the advances in biotechnology these days, it seems likely that the genes that cause gluten to form in wheat will soon be isolated. Inserting them into the chromosomes of Africa's native grains could bring profound changes.
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