Effect of Incorporation of Osmotically Dehydrated Tricosanthes cucumerina Linn pulp on the Micronutrient Properties of Rice-Based Complementary Food Products

Project: Research

Project Details

Description

The Humboldt Research Fellowships are an initiative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany and enable highly talented young researchers to settle in Germany and finance their research project. Dr Esther Chinelo Omah will be supervised by Prof. Ute Weisz, Professor of Plant Proteins and Nutrition at the TUM School of Life Sciences in Freising-Weihenstephan.

Dr Omah studied Food Science and Technology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she also obtained her PhD. Since 2019, Dr Omah has been teaching and conducting research in the field of food science, with a focus on plant-based foods, at the same university.

During her Humboldt Fellowship, Ms Foster will investigate the influence of osmotic drying on the content of selected phytochemicals in Trichosanthes cucumerina L. Trichosanthes cucumerina, also known as snake gourd, is consumed as a vegetable in Nigeria when ripe and is very nutritious. As snake gourd, like all fresh vegetables, is highly perishable, it is important to find a processing method that preserves all the nutrients. Osmotic drying has shown great promise in Dr Ohma's preliminary trials and can be implemented in Nigeria and other African countries. The idea is to preserve the nutrients through drying and add them in powder form to various rice- or soy-based foods to increase their micronutrient content. The results of this study could help promote food security and combat hunger. In addition, the results can improve the nutritional status of the population by promoting the cultivation and processing of snake tomatoes.
Short titleSnakeTomato
StatusActive
Effective start/end date1/03/2431/05/25