Pro-vitamin A content of red palm oil emulsions formed with malted bambara groundnut, Brachystegia eurycoma (achi) and cowpea

This research determined the effect of red palm oil emulsification with malts of Brachystegia eurycoma, bambara groundnut and cowpea on the pro-vitamin A content of the emulsions. Bambara groundnut, B. eurycoma (“achi”) and cowpea seeds were processed by malting for 96 hours and oven dried at 50 oC before milling into flour. The malted flours were used to form emulsions with red palm oil. Pro-vitamin A contents of the emulsions were determined using standard methods and the results were as follows: B. eurycoma was in the range of 33.30 – 400.00 IU; bambara groundnut (66.67 – 333.33 IU) and cowpea (66.70 – 233.33). Emulsion stability tests indicated that the 72 and 96 hour malts gave stable emulsions after 3 hours. The emulsions obtained with the control, 72 and 96 hour malt were analyzed for anti-nutrient contents. Tannin ranged from 0.01 – 0.10 mg/100 g for achi, 0.03- 0.12 mg/100 g for bambara groundnut and 0.02 – 0.05 mg/100 g for cowpea malts, phytate was in the range of 0.03 – 1.09 mg/100 g for achi, 1.04 – 4.26 mg/100 g for bambara groundnut and 0.40 – 2.80 mg/100 g for cowpea. Malting of the achi seeds may have reduced the components that bind pro-vitamin A in the unmalted samples. Hence, malted achi is recommended for food fortification of plant based complementary foods to increase their pro-vitamin A content.