The objectives of this study were to add value to three popular indigenous fruits found
in Namibia namely, Marula (
Sclerocarya birrea
), Monkey orange (
Strychnos
cocculoides
) and Eembe (
Berchemia discolour
) into processed food products and to
train rural communities on value addition for job creation, income generation and
food security. Indigenous fruits are receiving increasing interests from researchers and
scholars because of their nutrition and abundance in most African countries. The
fruits are important sources of food for rural communities especially at times of food
shortage, hunger and other disasters. In addition, they provide enormous health
benefits such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They are also known to create
jobs and generate income for rural communities. Because of their role in combating
food insecurity, nutrition and the problems of seasonality, studies on their value
addition were carried out in Namibia. Different types of food products were made
from the fruits namely; juice, jam, jelly and muffins (cakes). A pilot study was carried
out to determine the levels and preference range of ingredients in the mix to formulate
recipes of the products prior to processing and training the community members. The
results were subjected to paired preference tests and the best ratio was then used.
According to consumer preference test, marula juice was on the lower value (2.3) due
to its low pH (3.26). As for jam and jelly; quality, taste and colour were acceptable
and preferred. The three products made from monkey orange were all preferred but
those from eembe were downgraded (2.31-3.20) due to dark colour and lack of
flavour. The microbiological quality of the produced products confirmed their safety
characteristics. The products made in this study were shown to be viable, of good
quality and good sources of income for rural communities. The fruit flavour from
marula and monkey orange can be utilized in the dairy and other soft drink industries
for making yoghurts, sour milk, ice cream, juices and jams.
