Physicochemical, nutritive and safety evaluation of local cereal flours sold in areas of the District of Abidjan-Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this work was to contribute to the food safety of Ivorian consumers by investigating the nutritive value and the microbial quality of local cereal flours offered for retail sale on different markets located on selected areas of the District of Abidjan.
Methodology and results: Local cereal flours samples were collected and their physicochemical and microbiological characteristics determined. Mean value intervals were as follow: moisture (22.53 – 35.36 %), pH (4.46 – 7.95), ash (0.38 – 1.93 %), proteins (3.93 – 7.46 %), lipids (1.20 – 3.84 %), carbohydrates (72.13 – 89.19 %). The cereal flours analyzed in this study contained remarkably high amounts of potassium (162.92 – 1363.93 mg/100 g) with highest value (718.08 - 1363.93 mg/100 g) for potash-treated samples. The calculated [Phytates]/ [Fe] and [Phytates]/[Zn] ratios in all the maize flours ranged in the values of 10.27 – 46.28. The total microbial species isolated ranged from 3.65 to 8.33 Log cfu/g with Enterococcus (1.27 – 1.86 Log cfu/g) and thermotolerant coliforms (1.06 – 1.60 Log cfu/g). These retailed market flours contained also relatively high amount of yeast and moulds ranged from 2.05 to 3.33 Log cfu/g. Local cereal flours sold in retail markets of Abidjan have a quite heterogeneous physicochemical, nutritive and microbiological quality, which do not display a sanitary guarantee for consumers.
Conclusion and application of results: Given the results obtained, awareness campaign on good hygiene practices and good manufacturing processing should be considered. Such initiatives need to be carried amongst local cereal producers to help minimize food safety risk and limit nutritive depletion in flour meals due to practices inherited from traditional processing methods.

Keywords: cereal flours, proximate composition, nutritive value, microbial quality.