The study on chemical composition and nutritional values of Moringa oleifera leaves has been carried out by analysing samples of this plant leaves collected from three different sectors of Ouagadougou. The analysis of nutrients contents including elemental has been done using recommended method of analysis. The result of analysis shows that the percentages (%) of proteins, moisture, fat, carbohydrate of the leaves are respectively 11.9; 73.9; 1.1 and 10.6% for the cool matter. For the dry matter, the contents in proteins, moisture, fat and carbohydrate are respectively 27.2; 5.9; 17.1 and 38.6%. The result of the mineral composition expressed in mg for 100 g of matters are 847.1; 151.3; 549.6; 17.5; 1.3 and 111.5 in the cool matter respectively for the Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, Zinc and Phosphor. The contents of same minerals analyzed for the dry matter are respectively 2098.1; 406.0; 1922.0; 28.3; 5.4 and 351.1. The result showed a satisfactory composition and a significant variability between the nutrients contents of different sectors. This plant can be valorized for a balanced nutrition of populations.

Biscuits are ready-to-eat foods that are traditionally prepared mainly with wheat flour, fat, and sugar. Recently, biscuits’ technologies have been rapidly developed to improve their nutritional properties. This study aimed to determine the strategies of improving the nutritional quality of biscuits and the potential health benefits associated with them. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted, including articles on biscuits improved by technological processes and raw materials variation. Studies were searched from Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science published between 1997 and 2020, in English and French. The meta-analysis was performed using RStudio software, version 4.0.4 to classify the biscuits. One hundred and seven eligible articles were identified. Rice, pea, potato, sorghum, buckwheat, and flaxseed flours were respectively the most found substitutes to wheat flour. But the meta-analysis shown that the copra and foxtail millet biscuit fortified with amaranth, the wheat biscuits fortified with okra, and rice biscuits fortified with soybeans had a high protein content. These biscuits therefore have a potential to be used as complementary foods. The substitution of sugar and fat by several substitutes lead to a decrease in carbohydrates, fat, and energy value. It has also brought about an increase in other nutrients such as dietary fiber, proteins/amino acids, fatty acids, and phenolic compounds. Among the sugar and fat substitutes, stevia and inulin were respectively the most used. Regarding the use of biscuits in clinical trials, they were mainly used for addressing micronutrient deficiency and for weight loss.

Background: Momordica charantia Linn. (Cucurbitaceae), the wild variety of bitter melon and Morinda lucida Benth (Rubiaceae) were commonly used as a popular folk medicine in Benin. This research focused to measure the antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory effects of M. charantia and M. lucida leaves and their antidiabetic activity. Methods: Antioxidant activities were evaluated by micro-dilution technique using DPPH free radical scavenging activity and β-carotene-linoleate bleaching assay. The α-amylase inhibition assay was carried out utilizing the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid procedure, while β-glucosidase inhibition assay was demonstrated using as substrate p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (PNPG). HPLC-DAD analysis was realized using a high-performance liquid chromatography systems with diode-array detector, L-3000. Results: Chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, daidzein, rutin, naringin, quercetin, naringenin and genistein were identified as polyphenol compounds in the both plants extract. Dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts showed a good α-amylase inhibitory activity (56.46 ± 1.96% and 58.76 ± 2.74% respectively). M. lucida methanolic extract has shown IC₅₀ of 0.51 ± 0.01 mg/mL, which is the lowest for DPPH scavenging activity. M. lucida dichloromethane extract showed the highest inhibitory capacity of β-glucosidase activity (82.11. ± 2.15%). Conclusion: These results justify some traditional medicinal uses of both plants. The purified fractions could be used in future formulations, possibly incorporated in functional foods to combat certain diseases.

Eight strains of lactic acid bacteria producing bacteriocin were isolated from Burkina Faso fermented milk samples. These strains were identified to species: Lactobacillus fermentum, Pediococcus spp., Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. meseteroides, Lactococcus. Isolated bacteriocin exhibited antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis 103907 CIP, Bacillus cereus 13569 LMG, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25293, Escherichia coli 105182 CIP using the agar drop diffusion test. The inhibition diameters obtained with bacteriocin are between 8 mm and 12 mm. Gram-positive indicator bacteria were most inhibited. The activities of the bacteriocin were lost after treatment with all the proteolytic enzymes (alpha-chymotrypsin, trypsin, pesin), whereas treatment with lipase, catalase, alpha-amylase did not affect the activity of the bacteriocin.

Plants and animals are potential sources of food, particularly lipids. They are sources of nutrients for humans, and are used in various applications in food industries. Foods whose lipids consumed, have benefits for animal and human health. Sterols are among the compounds essential to the well-being of living beings. Phytosterols are derived from plants and algae, and zoosterols from animals dominated by cholesterol. Cholesterol is found in small quantities in some plant lipids. Also, cholesterol is produced by herbivorous insects by metabolizing phytosterols. Oilseeds and vegetable oils contain sterols and are the richest natural sources of phytosterols. Vegetables and fruit also contain small quantities. These compounds play an undeniable role in our diet. Foods, particularly vegetable oils, when produced, preserved and used according to established prescriptions, help to ensure consumer health and prevent certain pathologies. Sterols, and in particular phytosterols, play a number of roles in the pharmaceutical field (therapeutic steroids), nutrition (anti-cholesterol, anti-cancer properties). These natural molecules with their nutritional and therapeutic properties have a positive impact on human and animal health, and possibly on vegetative growth (development cycle of plants). The same is true for cholesterol, which has multiple functions in humans and animals. Also, a diet based on plants or their by-products with positive effects on human and animal health is closely in line with the objectives of the 'One health approach'. Indeed, sterols can have adverse effects on health when established standards are not respected. As a result, the health benefits of sterols (cholesterol and phytosterols) require particular attention, given their contribution to the public health problems facing our countries. The aim of the present research is to highlight the health benefits of cholesterol and phytosterols for living organisms, particularly humans, and their contribution to the One Health approach.