Development of healthy gluten-free crackers from African crops

Development of healthy gluten-free crackers
from African crops and applying bioprocessing

The consumption of gluten-free products has risen notably during the past years. Most gluten-free products are prepared from well-known cereals (e.g., maize, rice etc…), but the nutritional quality of these products may be deficient due to high starch and low protein and fiber quantity. This nutritional deficiency could be improved by using climate-resilient African crops (i.e., amaranth, sorghum, teff, Bambara groundnut, and cowpea. However, the use of those African crops poses various technological challenges. For instance, the beany flavour and bitterness of cowpea and Bambara might not be acceptable to all consumers. Furthermore, the grainy and sandy structure, especially in sorghum, has inhibited its large utilisation in food products. See the flyer below.