Abstract:
African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) in Lake Victoria Basin that could provide micronutrients
to fight malnutrition contain oxalates that reduce bioavailability. These can be reduced through
appropriate traditional food processing techniques adopted by households. This study determined
oxalate levels in formulated AIV recipes. Eleven selected AIVs and five AIV mixtures were each
divided into two lots. One lot was boiled and fermented for 48 hours and other lot unfermented.
The unfermented were subjected to three treatments; cooked by boiling in water, cooked by
boiling with cow's milk and lye and cooked by sauteing. Oxalate levels in recipes were
determined using HPLC. Independent t-test was used to compare the mean oxalate levels
between fermented and unfermented recipes. One-way ANOVA was used to compare mean
oxalate levels between different methods of cooking. Oxalate levels in unfermented recipes
ranged from 2.62-10.17 mg/100g FW and in fermented, 1.54-20.36 mg/100g FW. The mean
levels in some fermented recipes were significantly lower than unfermented (p<0.05). Cooking
methods differently affected oxalate levels. Cooking methods and fermentation do not have a
uniform effect on oxalate level reduction in all AIV recipes but could still be employed as
household procedures in reducing oxalate levels in a number of AIV recipes. |
