Biochemical Assessment, Functional Properties, and Mineral Fingerprinting of Underutilized Cereal Grains from West Africa

International Journal of Chemistry | Vol. 7, No. 5, May 2016 | pp. 33–40

DOI: 10.46882/2016/IJC/000092

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Biochemical Assessment, Functional Properties, and Mineral Fingerprinting of Underutilized Cereal Grains from West Africa

Names of Authors: A. E. Ogunkoya¹, A. M. O. R. de Sousa²*

Authors’ Affiliations:
¹Department of Chemistry, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
²Department of Food Science, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal.

Abstract: Underutilized indigenous cereal grains serve as resilient agricultural reservoirs in arid zones, yet detailed mapping of their dietary matrices is required to expand their commercial adoption. This research evaluates the proximate nutritional composition, functional properties, and mineral mineral profile of three underutilized West African grains (Digitaria exilis, Pennisetum glaucum, and Eragrostis tef) gathered during the dry season harvest. Proximate analysis established high total carbohydrate contents ranging from 68.4% to 74.2% on a dry weight basis, alongside significant crude protein profiles (9.2% to 12.8%) and very low crude lipid levels (1.5% to 2.4%). Mineral profiling using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) revealed that iron and zinc were highly concentrated within D. exilis fractions (5.4 mg/100g and 3.8 mg/100g respectively), while toxic heavy metals remained well below international safety benchmarks. Quantified antinutritional matrices showed exceptionally low baseline concentrations of tannins (0.12 to 0.24 mg/g) and phytic acid (1.15 to 1.84 mg/g). Functional parameter tracking confirmed high water absorption capacities and stable gel formation limits, proving that these grains are excellent dietary matrices for developing gluten-free infant weaning formulations.

Keywords: Underutilized cereals; Proximate composition; Mineral profile; Antinutrients; Digitaria exilis; Gluten-free matrices

Manuscript Timeline: Received: October 18, 2015; Revised: November 28, 2015; Accepted: January 05, 2016; Published: May 04, 2016.

Citation: Ogunkoya, A. E., & de Sousa, A. M. O. R. (2016). Biochemical Assessment, Functional Properties, and Mineral Fingerprinting of Underutilized Cereal Grains from West Africa. International Journal of Chemistry, 7(5), 33–40.

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