Influence of weevil on the physicochemical characteristics, functional properties, and nutritional value of rice (Oryza sativa L.) produced at Yagoua (far-north Cameroon)
Serge Cyrille Houketchang Ndomou,
Beatrice Tapita Balti,
Stephano Tene Tambo,
Marie Madeleine Nanga Ndjang,
Katlafadaou Kaskawa,
Christiant Kouebou,
Hilaire Macaire Womeni
Affiliations
Serge Cyrille Houketchang Ndomou
CRESA Forêt-Bois, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Science, University of Dschang, P.O Box 188, Yaounde, Cameroon; Research Unit of Biochemistry, Medicinal Plants, Food Sciences and Nutrition, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon; Corresponding author. CRESA Forêt-Bois, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Science, University of Dschang, P.O Box 188, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Beatrice Tapita Balti
CRESA Forêt-Bois, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Science, University of Dschang, P.O Box 188, Yaounde, Cameroon
Stephano Tene Tambo
Research Unit of Biochemistry, Medicinal Plants, Food Sciences and Nutrition, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon; Corresponding author.
Marie Madeleine Nanga Ndjang
Research Unit of Biochemistry, Medicinal Plants, Food Sciences and Nutrition, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon
Katlafadaou Kaskawa
Society for the Expansion and Modernization of Rice Cultivation in Yagoua, P.O. Box 46, Yagoua, Cameroon
Christiant Kouebou
Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, P.O. Box 415, Garoua, Cameroon
Hilaire Macaire Womeni
Research Unit of Biochemistry, Medicinal Plants, Food Sciences and Nutrition, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon
The infestation of rice by pests during the post-harvest phase is one of the consequences of the deterioration of its technological and nutritional quality. Therefore, the present study was carried out to determine the physico-chemical characteristics, functional properties and nutritional value of uninfested and weevil-infested rice during storage. To this end, rice samples were collected from a rice production unit in the Far North Region of Cameroon. The physico-chemical and functional properties of uninfested and infested rice flours were determined using standard methods. The results showed that among the functional properties, only porosity showed a significant difference (p˂0.05) between infested (13.88 %) and uninfested (17.30 %) rice flours. Concerning the proximate composition, except for the carbohydrate content, where a significant decrease (p˂0.05) was observed between infested (68.15 %) and non-infested (58.43 %) rice flours, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed for the other nutrients evaluated. It was also observed that weevil infestation had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the mineral content of the rice samples. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed the presence of smaller granules with imprecise shapes in non-infested rice flour. Thus, this study showed that weevil infestation had a significant negative impact on the nutritional quality of rice and that good practices must be adopted by producers to ensure the quality of rice grains during storage.
