The food industry is a major employer whether operating at the level of the small scale entrepreneur or commercial producer. NRI research in food processing helps the processor with limited access to capital who must meet international food standards of processing and quality management to gain access to international markets.

 

Processing of high quality cassava chips © University of Greenwich

Food processing research is directed at adding value to a base raw material. This is done by separation processes which extract or refine the raw material into a desired primary fraction and lower grade secondary fraction(s), by preventing raw material biodeterioration to increase shelflife and stabilise quality and/or by optimising nutritional value.

 

NRI has unique experience of the processing of raw materials of tropical and sub tropical origin, and is at the forefront of providing food quality management expertise to developing countries and eastern block countries seeking harmonisation of food legislation pending accession into the EU. Research focusses on small and medium scale processing of a wide range of food commodities. These include cereals, oilseeds, roots and tubers, fruits and vegetables, fish and animal products, legumes, beverage crops, and their byproducts.

 

Problem solving research is carried out by multidisciplinary teams involving food technologists, chemists, microbiologists, biochemists, engineers and economists. In the UK we have well-equipped processing and laboratory facilities for conducting physical, chemical, and microbiological analyses for determining changes in the quality attributes of commodities during processing and storage. Overseas we work with natinal and international organisations, NGO's and commercial companies.

Key areas of research expertise

• Cereal milling © University of Greenwich

  Cereals: parboiling of rice; processing and utilisation of small grains, sorghum and millets.
• Oilseeds: small scale processing of oilseeds, utilisation of by products in animal feeding systems, development of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in oilcakes, mycotoxins in oilcakes.
• Roots and tuber crops: processing of cassava for use as a food, feed or starch source; mechanisms of cyanogen reduction during processing;
• Fruits and vegetables: extended shelflife through modified environmental control, and a variety of drying technologies.
• Fisheries: improving the efficiency of fish processing and its impact on income generation.
• Beverages: Fermentation and the quality management of tea and coffee; water control in the wet coffee processing industry.
• Food safety: effectiveness of traditional fermentation systems for food preservation.

Post-graduate research

Opportunities exist for postgraduates to work with the upstream research programme. Current post-graduate research topics include:

• Mechanisms of cyanogen reduction during cassava fermentation under water
• Development of plant enzyme based systems for controlled conversion of cassava flour into malto-dextrin syrups.
• Controlling the solid substrate fermentation of cassava to optimise quality for consumers.
• Osmotic drying of food: development of predictive models
• Development of non-invasive and non-destructive techniques for rapid online assessment of quality of fresh fish

Staff

Dr Andrew Graffham
Ulrich Kleih
Keith Tomlins
Prof. Andrew Wesby

Projects

A0925 Use of sunflower cake from the ram press in rural diets for poultry and goats. (DFID).

C0521 and A0363: Improving the small-scale extraction of coconut oil. Collaborators Tanzania, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia. (Common Fund for Commodities and DFID)

A0704: To compare the performance of different types of ram presses to process hybrid sunflower, low-oil content sunflower seed, groundnut kernels and sesame seed. Funding source: (DFID)

C0320: Development of analytical methods for monitoring PAH in copra and coconut oil (FAO). B0084: Alleviation of pollution from agro-processing in developing countries. (DFID)

A0724: Field and desk based tools for assessing fish losses: adaptation and validation in West Africa (DFID)

C 1287: A study of the trade in smoked dried fish from West Africa to the United Kingdom. A1004: Market and credit access issues: Bangladesh.

A0498: Orientation of cassava chip production in relation to national and international markets - (DFID)

A0424: Small scale starch extraction and storage to improve process efficiency (DFID)

 

Publications

Cereals
Haines, C.P., Perfect, T.J. & Rothschild, G. (1999) Rice for the next millennium: realizing the potential. Opening keynote address to the International Symposium on Mechanised Rice Production & Marketing, 13-17 September 1999, Georgetown, Guyana.

Wang, N., Lewis, M.J. Brennan, J.G. And Westby, A. (1997) Effect of processing methods on nutrients and anti-nutritional factors in cowpea. Food Chemistry 58, 59-68

Wang, N., Lewis, M.J. Brennan, J.G. And Westby, A. (1997) Optimisation of germination process of cowpea by response surface methodology. Food Chemistry, 58, 329-339.

Oilseeds
Head, S. and Swetman, A (1999). "Traditional methods for processing oilseeds". INFORM, Vol 10, No 2, 151-154. (February 1999).

Head, S. and Swetman, A. (1999). "Efficiency of coconut oil extraction using the aqueous process". INFORM, Vol 10, No 12, 1148-1158. (December 1999).

Swetman. A, Head. S and Evans. D(1999). "Contamination of Coconut Oil by PAH". INFORM, Vol 10, No 7, 706-712 (July 1999).

Roots and tuber crops
Kapinga, R., Westby, A., Rwiza, E., Bainbridge, Z.A., And Amour, R. (1999) Stakeholder participation in technology testing and dissemination of cassava diversification in the Lake Zone of Tanzania. In Food Security and crop diversification in SADC countries the role of cassava and sweetpotato. Pp 90-99. Edited by M.O. Akoroda and J,J, Terri, SARRNET, Malawi.

McNeill, M. and Westby, A. (1999) Ergonomics evaluation of a manually operated cassava chipping machine. Applied Ergonomics 30, 565-575.

Mlingi, N. and Bainbridge, Z. (1999) The efficiency of cyanogen removal in rapid processing methods at village level in Tanzania. Food Security and crop diversification in SADC countries the role of cassava and sweetpotato. Pp 415-422 Edited by M.O. Akoroda and J,J, Terri, SARRNET, Malawi.

Ndunguru, G.T., Thomson, M., Waida, T.D.R., Rwiza, E., Jeremiah, S. And Westby, A. (1999) Relationship between quality and economic value of dried cassava products in Mwanza, Tanzania. In Food Security and crop diversification in SADC countries the role of cassava and sweetpotato. Pp 408-414. Edited by M.O. Akoroda and J,J, Terri, SARRNET, Malawi.

Westby, A. and Gallat, S. (1999) Cassava chip processing in Ghana: participatory postharvest research and technology transfer in response to new market opportunities. In Enhancing postharvest technology generation and dissemination in Africa. Pp. 59-65. Ed J. Kwarteng. Mexico City: Sasakawa Africa Association. ISBN 2-940200-10-16

Westby, A., Kleih, U., Hall, A., Ndunguru, G., Crentsil, D., Bockett, G. and Graffham, A. (1999) Needs assessment in post-harvest research and development. In Decision Tools in Sustainable Development, Chapter 6. Edited by I. Grant and C. Sear. Natural Resources Institute, Chatham. ISBN 0 85954 500-8.

Bainbridge, Z., Harding, S., French, L., Kapinga, R., and Westby, A. (1998) A study of the role of tissue disruption in the removal of cyanogens during cassava root processing. Food Chemistry 62, 291-297.

Bockett, G. (1998) Safe methods of using bitter cassava varieties: an extension guide. Publication funded through the Crop Post-Harvest Programme of the United Kingdom's Department for International Development, London: UK.

Graffham, A. J. and Westby, A. (1998) Contributions for Africa.. In: Global cassava market study, business opportunities for the use of cassava. Guelph, dTp Studies.

Graffham, A. J., Ababio, J. T., Dziedzoave, N., Day, G., Andah, A., Budu, A., Ayernor, G. S., Gallat, S. and Westby, A. 1998. Market potential for cassava flours and starches in Ghana. Journal of Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad). 75, 267-270.

Graffham, A.J., Shegaonkar, V., Saxena, S., Thangaraj, G.S., Raghu-Raman, S.V. and Westby, A. (1998) Chemically acidified wet storage of cassava starch in India. In Tropical Tuber Crops in Food Security and Nutrition, pp. 27-36.ed. C.

Balagopalan, Nayar, T.V.R., Sundaresan, S., Premkumar, T and Lakshmi, K.R. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co.Pvt.Ltd, Calcutta.

Henry, G., Westby, A. And Collinson, C. (1998) Global Cassava End-Uses and Markets: Current Situation and Recommendations for Further Study. FAO, Rome.

Kajimbwa, M. G. A., Bockett G. N. A., Goodland A.D., and Mlingi N., (1998) Improving Traditional Cassava Processing Methods- A Case Study to Introduce a Village-based Monitoring System in Mtwara, Tanzania. A paper presented at the Global Symposium on Farming Systems Approaches in Rural Livelihood Empowerment and Environment: Going Beyond Farm Boundary. 30 November to 4 December 1998, Pretoria, South Africa.

Kapinga, R., Westby, A., Rwiza, E. Bainbridge, Z. and Nsanzugwanko, A. (1998) Diversification of cassava utilisation in the Lake Zone of Tanzania: a case study. Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad) 75, 125-128.

Bainbridge, Z., Wellings, K And Westby, A. (1997) Introduction to village level cassava processing. A distance learning package. Natural Resources Institute: Chatham. ISBN 0-85954-456-7.

Sanni L. O., Akingbala, J. O., Oguntunde, A. O., Bainbridge, Z. A. Graffham, A. J. & Westby, A. 1997. Processing of fufu from cassava in Nigeria: Problems and prospects for development. Science Technology and Development. 16, 58-71.

Westby, A., Kleih, U., Hall, A., Bockett, G., Crentsil, D., Ndunguru, G., Graffham, A. J., Gogoe, S., Hector, D., Nahdy, S. & Gallat, S. 1997. Improving the impact of interventions in the post-harvest sector of non-grain starch staples. The needs assessment approach. Journal of Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad). 75, 143-146.

 

Fruits and vegetables
Myhara, R.M. and S. S. Sablani, 2000. Unification of fruit moisture sorption isotherms using artificial neural networks. 12th International Drying Symposium. Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands, August 28-31, 2000.

S Kasapis, IMA Al-Marhoobi, AJ Khan and RM Myhara. 1999. Viscous solutions, gels and the glass transition in high sugar galactomannan and k-carrageenan systems. 10th Annual Conference on Gums and Stabilizers for the Food Industry.

Myhara, R.M., S. S. Sablani, S. M. Al-Alawi and M. S. Taylor . 1999. Water sorption of dates: modelling using GAB equation and artificial neural network approaches. Liebensmittal und Wassersmittel Technologie. 31:699-706.

Myhara, R.M., S. S. Sablani, S. M. Al-Alawi and M. S. Taylor. 1998. A neural network approach for modelling moisture sorption isotherms of Omani dates. In: Drying 98. Proceedings of the 11th International Drying Symposium. Ed. Akritidis, C.B., Marinos-Kouris, D & Saravakos, G.D. Ziti Editions Thessaloniki, Greece pp. 1335-1342.

Myhara, R.M., Taylor, M., Slominski, B. and Al-Bulushi, I. 1998. Moisture Sorption Isotherms and Chemical Composition of Omani Dates. J. Food Engineering 37: 471-479.

Myhara, R.M. and Kruger, G. 1998. The performance of decolorized bovine plasma as a replacement for egg whites in high ratio white cakes. Food Quality and Preference 9, 135-138.

Myhara, R., Taylor, M. and Al-Bulushi, I. 1996. The moisture sorption isotherms of Omani dates. In: Drying 96. Proceedings of the 10th International Drying Symposium. Ed. Strumillo, C. & Pakowski, Z. Lodz Technical University Press, Lodz, Poland. pp. 989-996.

Fisheries

Cheke, R. and Ward, A.R.. (1998) Modelling post-harvest fish losses. Fisheries Research 35: 219-227.

Ward , A.R., Schoen, V., Joseph, M.J., Kumar, S. and D'Cunha, J. (1998) Monsoon post-harvest fish losses in India: exploratory studies. In: Processings of symposium on advances and priorities in fisheries technology. Society of Fisheries Technologists (India) Cochin. ISBN: 81-901038-0-6.

Beverage crops
Wood, J.F. Noble, J. Horan, N, Mburu, J.K, Copeman, V. 2000 Management of coffee processing effluent in Kenya. NRI Research Report.

Tomlins, K. I and Mashingaidze, A (1997) Influence of withering, including leaf handling, on the manufacturing and quality of black teas - a review, Food Chemistry, 60, 573-580.

Tomlins, K. I., Mashingaidze, A and Temple, S. J (1996) Review of withering in the manufacture of black tea, Tea Research Foundation (Central Africa) Quarterly Newsletter, No 122, 12-19.

Food Safety
Reilly, P.J.A. and Westby, A. (1997) Food fermentation - traditional low-cost food preservation systems. In Food Processing Technologies for Africa. Ed. H.A. Dirar pp. 69-78. Emerging technology series. UNIDO, Vienna.

Westby, A., Reilly, P.J.A. and Bainbridge, Z.A. (1997) Review of the effect of fermentation on naturally occurring toxins. Food Control. 8, 329-339.