Proximate and antioxidant activities of bio-preserved ogi flour with garlic and ginger

Ogi from locally available cereals remains a relatively affordable complementary food in West Africa, but has a tendency to spoil due it high moisture content. This study explored effects of garlic and ginger as biopreservatives in ogi flour.

Although not well known to ogi consumer, the bio-preserved ogi flours showed better nutritional values and have potential as a health food.

Ogi flour was prepared from sorghum and quality protein maize grains with different concentrations of garlic and ginger powder (2 and 4% w/w) by fermentation technique. These samples were stored for 16 weeks during which the total titratable acidity, pH, proximate composition, mineral content and total antioxidant activities were determined.

The proximate compositions of bio-preserved ogi samples were relatively stable throughout storage. The addition of garlic and ginger slightly increased the ash (0.04%), crude protein and mineral contents (mg/ 100g) of the samples. Magnesium (10.85-13.13 and 5.17-9.72); zinc (1.37-1.78 and 7.01-8.50), manganese (1.30-1.71 and 0.45-0.86) and iron (1.53-1.77 and 0.68-2.77) contents increased on addition (of garlic and ginger) to maize ogi and sorghum ogi flours respectively. The free radical scavenging activity; total phenolic and flavonoid contents increased correspondingly with the antioxidants activity.