The critical role of indigenous crops in the socioeconomic growth of developing nations has necessitated calls for accelerated exploitation of staples. Cocoyam, Xanthosoma sagittifolium, is food for over 400 million people worldwide and is the most consumed aroid in West Africa. However, it remains an underexploited food resource. This study reviews existing literature and also makes use of primary data from interviews with indigenous cocoyam farmers, processors, consumers, and cocoyam scientists in the research Institutes of Ghana, to provide insight into existing nomenclature of the species, indigenous knowledge on food uses, nutritional value, and potential novel food applications of cocoyam. Adaptable technologies in conformity to new trends in food science that could be employed for in‐depth molecular studies and further exploitation of the crop are also discussed. It is envisaged that the provided information would contribute to global efforts aimed at exploiting the full potential of indigenous crops for sustainable food and nutrition security.

Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) rhizome is a global spice with marked pharmacological activities and industrial applications. The demand for the powdered spice soared in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The present study sought to assess powdered ginger products on the Ghanaian market for some quality parameters and compare their chemical composition via chemometric analysis of their FT-IR data. A survey was conducted in three major markets in Ghana to determine the commercially available powdered ginger products. These products were purchased and assessed for microbial load, heavy metals contents and ash values using official methods. Also, principal component and hierarchical cluster analysis, as multivariate algorithms, were applied to their FT-IR spectral fingerprints, using Z. officinale, Z. zerumbet and some dried ginger rhizomes from Nigeria as reference samples. Seven products were found in the survey: three local and four foreign. The local products failed to meet regulatory label requirements. The microbial load, heavy metals and ash values of all commercial samples were generally within specifications except for the aerobic bacterial counts of some local samples. Pharmacopoeial identity test and the chemometric analysis revealed all the products to contain Z. officinale. The reference ginger sample from Nigeria also demonstrated some level of similarity with Z. officinale. The variations in physical attributes and slight difference in chemical composition of the different products was presumed to be due to chemical changes arising from different processing methods and possible adulteration with other flours. The sampled ginger products on the market originate from Z. officinale and have quality attributes that make them suitable for food and medicinal applications. The observed deviations, however, suggest an urgent need for standardized processing methods to ensure consistency in quality indices, as well as regular quality checks by regulatory bodies.

Yoghurt is one of the most popularly consumed fermented products which provides several nutritional benefits. Yoghurt products often include flavour and colour additives however, growing awareness of the risks associated with synthetic food additives has necessitated the need to explore more natural colour and flavour as food additives. This study evaluated the effect of beetroot puree as flavouring and colourant in yoghurt production and quality. To develop the yoghurt product, incubation time and proportion of beetroot puree were optimized based on the resulting pH, titratable acidity, colour, and viscosity using response surface methods. Optimum yoghurt formulations were obtained in products containing 2 %, 2.03 % and 8 % beetroot puree following an incubation of 2.5h. Increasing beetroot puree did not affect the pH and titratable acidity of the yoghurt samples but slightly influenced the viscosity of the yoghurt. The colour of yoghurt was mainly affected by the puree concentration. A consumer acceptance test was conducted on the optimized products compared to a control sample without beetroot. Yoghurt incorporated with 8 % beetroot puree was the least preferred with a mean score of 6.08, whereas yoghurt incorporated with 2.03 % beetroot puree was the most preferred (7.42), with a higher acceptance than the control (7.28). /Implications for industry: Findings from the study provide evidence for exploration of beetroot yoghurt as a natural product alternative to the use of synthetic flavour and colour additives in yoghurt.

Cowpea is an important staple in Ghana and many tropical and subtropicalregions. Improving food security and agricultural sustainability for these crops requires the development of climate-resilient varieties.This study aimed to classify five newly developed climate-resilient cowpea varieties—Bawutawuta, SAMPEA 14, SARI-tuya, IT13K-1070–2, and IT07K-299–6—using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for classification, while standard methods were used to evaluate their composition, functional and physico-mechanical properties. Proximate composition, including moisture, protein, ash, fat, crude fiber, and carbohydrates, was determined according to Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods. NIRS data was processed within the 950–1650 nm range to reduce spectral noise, employing Savitzky-Golay smoothing for baseline correction. Linear Discriminant Analysis facilitated multi-class classification, with cross-validation performed using a leave-one-sample-out method to evaluate recognition and prediction accuracy. The cowpea varieties exhibited significant differences in their chemical and physico-mechanical properties. Moisture content ranged from 7.21% to 10.88%, protein from 22.84% to 32.53%, ash from 0.90% to 1.81%, fat from 2.56% to 9.13%, crude fiber from 2.90% to 4.78%, and carbohydrates from 47.43% to 53.85%. NIRS analysis demonstrated high sensitivity, achieving a recognition accuracy of 98.08% and a prediction accuracy of 96.19%. Bawutawuta and SARI-tuya presented distinct spectral profiles, while SAMPEA 14, IT13K-1070–2, and IT07K-299–6 showed overlapping spectra. These findings provide valuable insights into the unique attributes of each cowpea variety, which can be leveraged to optimize agricultural practices, processing, and storage of these climate-resilient varieties.

Background: Using indigenous underutilized crops as a sustainable measure to mitigate food and nutrition insecurity is recommended globally. Few studies have explored the factors influencing the value placed on indigenous underutilized crops such as egusi in African food systems. Egusi, oleaginous edible seeds of cucurbitaceous plants with inedible pulp, are cultivated for the seeds and commonly used in West African cuisines.Objective: This study investigates the sociocultural importance of egusi and its value to nutrition and food security in growing communities of northern Ghana. It further explores the gender underpinnings and influences on egusi production and use and evaluates the strategies indigenous smallholder egusi farmers use to cope with the current climate dynamics.Methods: Gender and age-differentiated Focus Group Discussions (10) and Key Informant interviews (14) were conducted in Chereponi and Kpandai Districts of northern Ghana.Results: Our findings show that the primary factors influencing the premium placed on the crop(s) differ between males and females. There has also been a change in the social construct of egusi in recent years due to the impact of climate-induced food insecurities. For Chereponi which is relatively drier than Kpandai, egusi is now a must-farm crop if one’s household is to survive during lean seasons. It is no longer viewed as a woman’s crop. However, Kpandai, with a relatively wetter climate, has other cropping alternatives. A unanimous response from all study participants reveals latent functions of cultivating egusi, which includes children’s education and reduced financial burdens.Conclusions: This study underscores how egusi plays critical roles in the nutrition and livelihood of Ghanaian communities and can be the starting point for tailored and extensive investigations on the value of egusi to both enhance climate resilience and sustainable nutrition. The findings further demonstrate the critical need for a comprehensive study of the foodscapes of malnourished communities to enable appropriate policy directives for sustainable nutrition interventions.

Tomato paste is the most consumed tomato product on the Ghanaian market, the majority of which are imported into the country. This food product is easily adulterated, and thus, routine quality checks are necessary. Therefore, the current study is aimed at assessing the quality of eight tomato paste products on the Ghanaian market and checking for the presence of starch and artificial colourant erythrosine as possible adulterants. Routine quality metrics such as the pH, titratable acidity, total solids, and total soluble solids were assessed using standard methods. An HPLC method was employed to detect the presence of the colourant erythrosine, whereas starch content was determined by an enzymatic method using α‐amylase and then amyloglucosidase. Fifty percent of the products did not qualify to be called tomato paste based on total solid estimation. All the sampled products contained some amount of starch, with three having more than 10 g/100 g of this thickener. Additionally, the banned colourant erythrosine was detected in two of the products. All other parameters were consistent with regulatory standards. The present study has shown that some tomato paste products on the Ghanaian market contain additives that are not permitted under any circumstance and fall short of regulatory standards.