Nutrition & Food Sciences

Biography

Biography: Oyebamiji Emmanuel Aanuoluwapo

Abstract

Micronutrient deficiencies is responsible for an estimated 1.1 million of the 3.1 million child deaths that occur each year as a result of under nutrition. Malnutrition is particularly prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa requiring urgent intervention through a sustainable integrated innovation. This work investigates the effect of thaumatin in formulated nutritional drink and snack on the nutritional status of Wistar rats. Cocoa, Moringa and composite flour in combination with Thaumatin isolated from the West African Thaumatococcus danielli as an organic sweetener.

Cocoa powder and Moringa leaf powder were locally sourced from organically grown farms in South Western Nigeria. Thaumatin was isolated from the fruit obtained from Thaumatococcus danielli collected from the wild. Isolation of Thaumatin protein was carried out in accordance with standard procedure. Twelve Wistar rats of an average weight of 120 g, were acclimatized for one week then subjected to the specially formulated organic drinks and snacks to determine the nutritional effects. The test animals were acclimatized and fed for two weeks. They were further grouped into three groups equally, the first group were given the formulated drinks, the second group formulated bread and third group was the control. The first group was given 1mL of the drinks (composed of Moringa, cocoa and spices,) alongside the normal rat diets, while the second group was given the formulated bread from Cocoa, Moringa, and Cassava flour using Thaumatin as an organic sweetener with normal drinking water, and the control group were given normal rat diets and normal drinking water. At the end of the two weeks, the experimental rats were weighed. Blood samples was taken from the animals for the determination of the Micronutrient (Vitamin A, iron, zinc, calcium and iodine) level