An Investigation of the nutritional potential of non- alcoholic maheu: study of protein content

Author

Ncube, Collen.

Title

An Investigation of the nutritional potential of non- alcoholic maheu: study of protein content

Abstract

Non-alcoholic beverages are the most favoured drinks by the majority of the people in
Zimbabwe due to their high nutritional content which is also favoured by the school going children. There is an increase in the rate at which non-alcoholic beverages are being consumed in Zimbabwe. These beverages are widely consumed in rural areas in Africa. The commonly used raw materials used in the preparation of these non-alcoholic beverages are maize mealie meal, sorghum and millet. The protein content in these raw materials and non-alcoholic beverages are of paramount importance to the physical development, well-being and growth of children. These non-alcoholic beverages are a good dietary source of antioxidants which are also important in fighting against disease. The Kjeldahl method of protein content determination was used to determine the protein content in non-alcoholic beverages. The results showed that the traditional maheu with chimera contains more proteins and thus with a bit of fortification, it can be an important dietary source of proteins and antioxidants which are important for health as it contains 0.12% proteins.

Date

November 2024

Publisher

BUSE

Keywords

Protein Content

Nutritional Potential

Traditional beverages

Food fortification

Supervisor

Mr Shasha, D.