Background and Objective: Oryza glaberrima (Oje-igbale) and Oryza sativa L. Oryza glaberrima hybrid (Adede-agidi) are two rice varieties cultivated in Ibaji LGA of Kogi State, Nigeria and each of them is used for only a singular purpose.Studies were carried out to find out the characteristics of these grains and further processes they could be subjected to contribute to the strive for food security.Materials and Methods: Three samples of each, of the two different rice varieties' paddy, were procured, cleaned, 2 kg portion parboiled, milled and thereafter analyzed for their physical and cooking, attributes.Un-parboiled paddy (500 g) of the two rice varieties were de-husked, milled into flour and samples were used to determine their physicochemical properties.Results: For the physicochemical properties, the starch content of Oje-igbales was of hard gel consistency (29.32-38.11mm) and intermediate-amylose content (20.78-24.68%) depicting it will be a good variety for a long time and high-temperature treatment processes.The starch content of the Adede-agidis' was of soft gel consistency (66.43-72.52mm), low-and intermediate-amylose content (18.47-20.23%)depicting it will be suitable for breakfast cereals, fermented rice cakes and baby foods.Conclusion: This research provides knowledge on the characteristics and other end-use qualities of Oje-igbale and Adede-agidi for value addition.

Soft tofu was used to produce a cake to ascertain its suitability in producing egg-free cake (EFC) for vegans and individuals allergic to eggs. A conventional cake (CVC) served as control and the quality characteristics of the EFC and CVC were evaluated. Results showed the egg-free cake had physical properties which were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in weight (1611 g), density (0.81 kg/m(3)) and specific volume (1.23%) than Conventional cake (1516 g, 0.61 kg/m(3) and 0.25%, respectively). CVC showed significantly p < 0.05 higher height (8.50 cm) and volume (2644.78 m(3)) which is desirable in the baked cake. EFC showed significantly p < 0.05 higher values in ash (3.13%), moisture (24.01%), fibre (2.40%) and carbohydrate (52.34%), while CVC had significant (p < 0.05) higher values in protein (7.38%) and fat (16.34%). The taste (0.55), colour (0.55), texture (0.55) and aroma (0.55) of EFC was more preferred than CVC (0.45, 0.40, 0.45 and 0.45, respectively). Soft tofu showed suitability and an acceptable replacement for egg in making Egg-free cakes for vegetarians and individuals allergic to egg.

Imported rice is perceived to have better cooking properties than locally grown rice in Nigeria and it has increased its market share while reducing patronage for local rice. Rice in Nigeria has many applications, including consumption as whole cooked grain or dumpling or use as an adjunct in making beverages. Eighteen varieties of parboiled milled local rice and three imported rice varieties, coded Ip1, Ip2 and Ip3, were studied for their cooking and functional properties using standard methods. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in the dimensions of all the rice varieties when cooked. There was a 25 g increase in the grain weight and an elongation ratio of more than 1.26 in all the rice varieties. Ghesua had the highest cooked grain weight (68.67 g) while Omor-Mas (6.00) and R-Bus (6.00) had the highest volume expansion ratio (VER). The VER was more than 3.00 for all the rice varieties. All the local rice varieties imbibed less water (17.67-25.33 ml) compared to the imported rice varieties (26.00-27.67ml) before they reached their optimum cooking time. The imported rice varieties were of soft gel consistency (89.67-73.50 mm) and intermediate amylose content (20.71-23.14 %) while the local rice varied in amylose and gel consistency. Abakiliki-Mas (27.00 mm) and R-8 (33.67 mm) were of hard gel-consistency, intermediate (21.11 %) and high amylose (27.21 %) content respectively and have not been exploited although they would be appropriate for making canned rice, dry mixes and rice-noodles.

Physical properties of rice grain is important for mechanisation and proper post-harvest handling operations to prevent post-harvest loss and achieve high head-rice grains. Knowledge on the physical properties of Nigeria's local rice is limited which has led to losses and production of low quality grains characterised by large amount of brokens and poor appearance. Physical properties of 18 local and 3 imported rice varieties (control), were evaluated using standard methods. The physical properties evaluated were grain dimensions, Arithmetic mean diameter, (AMD) geometric mean diameter (GMD), square mean diameter (SMD), sphericity, aspect ratio, surface area, general appearance, dockage and aroma. Most (77.78%) of the local rice varieties were long grain rice, 50% were slender grains and 50% were bold grains, 77.78% of the local rice varieties were heavy grains. The AMD, GMD and SMD of local rice grains ranged from 3.29-3.86 mm, 8.02-10.36 mm and 4.75-5.82 mm, respectively. The sphericity, aspect ratio and surface area were in the range of 51.25-59.23%, 0.31-0.46 and 21.87-29.44 mm(2), respectively. A significant percentage (50%) of the local rice were grey coloured and unappealing in appearance. All the local rice varieties had dockage (5-70%) while the imported rice varieties had no dockage and possessed translucent light-cream to yellow shades and were appealing in appearance. These data are important for correct coupling and adjustment of post-harvest processing machine to prevent losses and produce high head-rice with appealing appearance.

The effect of process variables (feed composition, feed moisture, and exit barrel temperature) on the vitamins, antinutrients, and sensory profile of extruded snacks produced from sorghum and charamenya flour blends using response surface methodology were investigated in this study. Feed composition (FC, 10-30%), feed moisture content (FMC, 25-30%) and exit barrel temperature (EBT, 110-130°C) were the independent process variables considered while vitamins, anti-nutrients and sensory evaluation were the response variables. Flour produced from sorghum (SF) and charamenya (CF) seeds were blended in the ratio of 3.2:96.8, 10:90, 20:80, 30:70 and 36.8:63.2%. The blends were conditioned to desired moisture content and allowed to equilibrate overnight in a refrigerator (4°C). Feeding temperature, cooking temperature, screw speed, and pressure of the extruder were set at 90 and 100°C, 250 rpm, and >300 psi, respectively. Extruded snacks from each run were collected when steady state extrusion conditions were attained and dried overnight at 40°C in a cabinet dryer. The vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, and D) and antinutrients (phytate, oxalate and tannin) content reduced post extrusion when compared with the flour blends prior to extrusion. They were significantly (p 0.05), indicating the extrusion process’s ability to reduce the beany flavor associated with legumes. Key words: Extrusion, snacks, micronutrient, antinutrients, sensory, cereal-legume.

Rice imported into Nigeria is generally perceived to be of higher quality nutritionally than local rice which has caused low patronage and low market share for local rice. It is therefore essential to compare the nutritional composition and sensory quality of these local and imported rice varieties to verify the perceived claims. Eighteen local and 3 imported rice varieties coded Ip1, Ip2 and Ip3, were evaluated for proximate, mineral and sensory properties using standard methods. All the local rice varieties had significant (p<0.05) higher protein content (7.72-12.32%) than the imported rice varieties (6.36-7.30%) except Taraba rice (4.71). Omor-Mas had the highest ash content (2.73%). Ip2 had the highest fibre content (3.70%) though it was not significantly (p>0.05) different from Omor-Mas (3.50 %). The imported rice varieties had higher carbohydrate content (72.20-76.21%) though all the rice varieties had high carbohydrate content (67.72-76.21%). Local parboiled rice were extremely rich in phosphorus (235.02-421.01 mg/L), magnesium (106.32-296.12 mg/L), potassium (109.01-238.02 mg/L) and sodium (124.01-169.01 mg/L) though Ip1 and Ip3 had the highest phosphorus (550.01 mg/L) and potassium content (260.01 mg/L) respectively. Eighty-eight percent (88.89%) of the local rice varieties were not significantly (p >0.05) different from the imported rice varieties in their sensory overall acceptability. Different percentages of the local rice varieties were better than the imported rice varieties in protein, ash, magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, manganese and sodium. This knowledge is expedient to educate, increase patronage of local rice and enhance value addition. Keywords: Oryza sativa L, proximate composition, mineral composition, imported rice, local rice.

Effect of different roasting times on the yield and selected physicochemical properties of the oil extracted from groundnuts was investigated. Raw groundnut seeds purchased were cleaned, roasted (110-120oC for 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 min), dehulled and milled into paste. Unroasted groundnut seeds served as control. N-hexane was utilized for oil extraction (1000ml n-hexane per 500g peanut paste). Proximate composition of the seeds and physicochemical properties (acid value, iodine value, peroxide value, refractive index and free fatty acid value) of oil extracted were determined. Results indicated that the seeds contained 43.30% crude fat, 32.50% crude protein, 3.20% crude fiber, 2.20% ash, 4.11% moisture and 9.70% carbohydrate. The volume of oil extracted ranged from 130 to 175ml for 0 to 12 min. Data for acid value were 1.89-2.50 mgKOH/g, 0.39-0.90 meq/kg for peroxide value, 91.15-105.50mg/ KOH for iodine value, 167.60-204.70 mgKOH/g for saponification value, 0.95-1.26mgKOH/g for free fatty acid, and 1.46-1.47 for refractive index. Overall results indicated that roasting time of six (6) min at a temperature range of 100-120oC could be chosen for optimum yield and enhanced selected physicochemical properties of groundnut oil. Besides, the method of extraction can be adopted at both rural community and urban level in Nigeria and other developing countries.Keywords: Acid value, extraction, groundnuts, roasting time, yield