Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seeds are often discarded while the fruit is eaten. In this study, seeds of three (3) varieties of watermelon (Charleston gray, Crimson sweet and Black diamond) were analyzed for their proximate, minerals, phytochemicals, total phenols content and antioxidant activity. The proximate analysis and phytochemicals screening were performed using standard procedures whereas minerals content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. DPPH free radical scavenging activity and Folin-ciocalteau assays were used to determine antioxidant activity and total phenol content, respectively. The results indicated that the watermelon seeds had moisture content in the range of 7.40 - 8.50%; fat, 26.50 - 27.83%; protein, 16.33 - 17.75%; fibre, 39.09 - 43.28%; ash, 2.00 - 3.00%; carbohydrate, 9.55 - 15.32% and energy value of 354.05 - 369.11 kcal/100g. The seeds also contained appreciable minerals (Ca, P, Mg, Na, K and Zn) with K (3.40-3.5 mg/100g) being the highest while Na (0.07 - 0.08 mg/100g) was the least. DPPH% inhibition varied between 59.88-94.46% inhibition with trolox equivalent of 82.59-130.29 µM/g depending on the variety. Saponins, tannins, triterpenoids glycosides and alkaloids were present in all samples. Crimson sweet seeds had the highest total phenol content (5416 mgGAE/100g), followed by Black diamond (3949 mg GAE/100g) and the least, Charleston gray (1494 mg GAE/100g). Similarly, Crimson sweet had the highest antioxidant activity, followed by Black diamond and lastly, Charleston gray. The present findings suggest watermelon seeds as considerable source of nutrients in the diet and may have health and economic benefits due to its fibre, minerals, phenolics content and antioxidant activity.

The emulsifying characteristics of pectins isolated from six different okra genotypes were investigated and their structure-function relationships have been evaluated. Emulsion formation and stabilization of acidic oil-in-water emulsions (pH 2.0, φ = 0.1) were studied by means of droplet size distribution, ζ-potential measurements, viscometry, interfacial composition analysis and fluorescence microscopy. Fresh and aged emulsions differed in terms of droplet size distribution, interfacial protein and pectin concentrations (Γ) depending on the molecular properties of pectin that was used. Specifically, pectins with intermediate length of RG-I branching with molar ratio of (Ara + Gal)/Rha between 2 and 3 exhibit the optimum emulsification capacity whereas samples with the molar ratio outside this range do not favour emulsification. Additionally, low amounts of RG-I segments (HG/RG-I > 2) improve long term stability of emulsions as opposed to the samples that contain high amounts of RG-I (HG/RG-I < 2) which lead to long term instability. Protein was not found to be the controlling factor for the stability of the dispersions. The present results show that rational design of pectin should be sought before application as functional ingredient in food and/or pharmaceutical systems.

Some new cassava accessions have been developed and released because of their high yield, resistance to disease, adaptability to wider ecological environment, and less cost of production. However, their flour and starch properties have not been characterized for potential food applications. In the present study, starch and flour were produced from two new cassava accessions (Sika Bankye and Bankye Hemaa) and evaluated for their physicochemical and pasting properties. The flour samples recorded higher values for the various functional parameters compared to their starch counterparts. Both flour samples had a similar water absorption capacity (WAC) of ~263% but the associated starch from Bankye Hemaa recorded the lowest value of 38.6%. Bankye Hemaa flour recorded the highest oil absorption capacity (OAC) (121%) and could be exploited as potential flavor retainer in products. Flour from Bankye Hemaa also recorded the highest swelling power (882 ± 29%), which was indicative of their good thickening and stabilizing functionalities. Sika Bankye starch had the highest setback viscosity (723 ± 32 RVU), which was indicative of its lower susceptibility to retrogradation and potential use in products that require highly viscous paste and processed at high temperatures.

Okra (Abelmoschus spp.) is a staple vegetable in Ghana and several countries world-wide. It has potential for several uses but is mostly under-utilized in Ghana. In this study, the total phenol content and antioxidant activity of five different okra seed genotypes (Asha, Asontem, Agbagoma, Sengevi and Penkruma), subjected to different treatments, were determined. A sensory test was performed to determine the acceptability of tea made with the okra seeds. The total phenol content and free radical scavenging activity of the samples were determined by means of Folin-Ciocalteu method and DPPH assay, respectively. An affective test was used for the sensory analysis. The results indicated that undefatted samples had the highest total phenol content (34.89-39.39 mg GAE/100 g) whereas defatted samples recorded the least (27.83-30.39 mg GAE/100 g). Defatted samples had % DPPH inhibition in the range of 46.38 to 64.00%) whereas that of undefatted samples ranged 34.39-53.00%. However, for the tea infusion of the defatted samples, “Penkruma” had the highest % DPPH Inhibition 60.42±3.90%) whereas “Agbagoma”, the least (36.94±2.81%). “Agbagoma” and “Sengevi” okra seeds tea infusions had the highest total phenol content (31.56±2.28 and 31.72±3.06 mg GAE/100 g, respectively) while “Penkruma” had the least (28.17±0.31 mg GAE/100 g). About 40% of the sensory panellists liked the tea infusion and were willing to purchase if made available on the market. The remaining 60% however, disliked the infusion because of its taste and stated that they would prefer it with additives such as sweeteners and milk. However, the findings suggest that the okra seed genotypes have considerable amounts of phenols and antioxidant activity and their utilization as tea or in other diets could provide antioxidant benefits.