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Background and objectives Consumption of food barley is increasing due to its health and nutritional benefits. Whole grain flours of two hulled barley varieties, Lyon and Muir, and three hull‐less barley varieties, Havener, 09WA‐265.12, and Meg's Song, were extruded with a co‐rotating twin‐screw extruder. The impacts of feed moisture, screw speed, and die temperature on functional properties of extrudates were investigated. Findings Expansion ratio (ER) of barleys was slightly lower co...

This annual report the activities performed by CSIR-Food Research Institute under the upscaling Millet sourdough technology in West Africa (MBOSS) for February 2018 to September, 2018. The report gives the breakdown of survey work, inception workshop, steps undertaken for acquisition of Twin screw extruder, millet sourdough bread trails, consumer acceptability of millet sour dough. The progress of three Master of philosophy students’ thesis is also presented in this report

A millet washing machine was fabricated to address and improve the hygienic conditions and reduce the drudgery involved in the traditional method of washing millet to improve timeliness before further processing. The major components of the millet washing machine include the washing chamber, the wastewater exit, the machine frame and the stirring system. The washing chamber consists of perforated vessel with vertical height, top and bottom diameters as 12", 19.5" and 16" respectively. The mac...

The study seeks to ascertain the levels of awareness and usage of reference management software (RMS) among researchers of the Council for Scienti¯c and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana. The purpose and bene¯ts as well as challenges associated with the use of these tools were also discussed. Descriptive survey methodology was employed for this study. A web-based questionnaire consisting of both multiple-choice and open-ended questions was used to collect data from 110 scientists in 13 resear...

The study focused on the implication of the introduction of new academic programmes on the resources of Balme Library in University of Ghana, Legon. The case study methodology was used with a study population of 47 staff constituting both senior members and senior staff of Balme Library and the Director of Academic Affairs respectively. Data collection instruments used were questionnaire and interview. The responses were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The st...

Information literacy skills have become a topical issue in the academic lives of university students. It is a skill needed to be able to identify an information need, knowing the sources of information, effectively searching for information and ethically using information in this era of the information age. Various studies have observed that university students lack the basic skills needed to make them effectively search for academic information and how to apply them. This situation, if n...

Inadequate or lack of prudent soil fertility management by cocoa farmers leads to nutrient depletion in cocoa production fields. The objective of this study was to assess current soil fertility status of cocoa farms from six cocoa growing regions in Ghana and to derive an integrated soil quality index (SQI). Composite soil samples from 0 to 30 cm depth were collected from 100 selected farms covering the six cocoa regions. Soil pH, %C, %N, total and available P, cation exchange capacity (CEC),...

To address the growing global demand for cocoa, sustainable intensification of its production in West Africa is considered crucial. This paper analyzes the determinants of cocoa productivity and profitability by smallholder farmers in Ghana to provide insights into challenges for future cocoa farming, which will guide the formulation and prioritization of tailored policies to address them. A four-stage sampling technique was used to select a total of 731 cocoa farmers from various districts i...

This review examined the factors that influence flavour volatiles of cocoa beans and the volume of work that needs to be done on these factors and their impact on the flavour volatiles of commercial cocoa beans. Cocoa bean flavour is one of the most important quality attributes as flavour is central to acceptability of cocoa beans and cocoa products such as chocolate. The complex composition of cocoa bean flavour depends on bean genotype, postharvest treatments such as pulp pre-conditioning,...

Changes in biochemical quality and cyanogenic safety in flours from different cassava varieties grown within the South-eastern African region as influenced by processing technique were investigated. Two local (Mweulu and Tanganyika) and four improved Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD)-tolerant cassava varieties (Chila A, Chila B, Bangweulu and Kampolombo) were processed using different processing techniques (chipping, grating and soaking). Flours obtained from these products were studied for change...

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) varieties are ethnobotanically classified by farmers into two distinct classes—“sweet” or “bitter”—based on their taste, most often reflecting the inherent cyanogenic glucoside potential and intended end use. Varietal preference based on general utilization as well as more targeted end use for preferred local and improved varieties is poorly understood and not well documented. The objectives of this study were to investigate prevailing varietal preferences b...

Fermentation and drying are critical to the development of flavour precursors that generate into distinctive chocolate flavour notes during industrial manufacture. These processes also lead to reduction in acidity and free fatty acids of nibs, which dictates the levels of bitterness and colour development in chocolates. This study investigated changes in nib acidity, flavour precursors (sugars concentration and proteins) and free fatty acids during drying of pulp pre-conditioned and fermente...

Investigations were conducted to establish effects of fermentation and drying on the fermentation index (FI) and cut test ofpulp pre-conditioned Ghanaian cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with the principal factors being pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 d) and fermentation time (0, 3 and 6 d) to study the changes occurring during the fermentation process. The study also used a 4 x 3 full factorial design with pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 d) and drying time (0, 3 and 7 d) ...

Changes in total polyphenols, O-diphenols and anthocyanin concentrations during fermentation and drying of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans were investigated using standard analytical methods. Increasing pod storage, fermentation and drying led to variable reductions in total polyphenols, O-diphenols and anthocyanins content of the beans. The rates of reduction were however more pronounced during fermentation than pod storage and drying. Storage of cocoa pods between 3-7 day...

Studies were conducted to establish changes in nib acidification and biochemical composition (sugars concentration, proteins and free fatty acids) during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 days) and fermentation time (0, 3 and 6 days) as the principal factors. Non-volatile (titratable) acidity, pH, sugars (reducing, non-reducing and total sugars), proteins and free fatty acids of the beans were stu...

Changes in acidification, sugars and mineral composition of cocoa pulp during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans were investigated using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with pod storage and fermentation time as principal factors. pH, non-volatile (titratable) acidity, reducing sugars, total solids and mineral composition of cocoa pulp were studied using standard analytical methods. pH of the pulp increased with increasing pod storage and fermentation...

Investigations were conducted to dete rmine changes in souring/acidification and starch behaviour during co-fermentation of cassava and soybean into gari, ‘farina’ an African fermented product. A 3 x 4 factorial experiment was performed with fermentation time (0, 24 and 48 h) and soybean conce ntration (0, 10, 20 and 30%) as variables. Titratable acidity, pH and starch content were studied using standard analytical methods. Starch breakdown and pasting characteristics were also evaluated...

Changes in acidification and starch behaviour were investigated during co-fermentation of cassava and soybean into gari, an African fermented product. Non-volatile acidity, pH and starch content were evaluated using standard analytical methods. Starch breakdown and pasting characteristics were also analysed using a Brabender viscoamylograph. Fermentation caused significant variations in the pH, non-volatile acidity and starch concentration. The pH decreased with concomitant increases in ...