Ibok,
Nsikakabasi Umoh1& Asuquo, Maryam Garpiya2.
1Department
of Food Science and Technology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture
Umudike,
2Department
of Hospitality Management Technology, Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State.
Email: nsikak.ibok54@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
There
is a need to create awareness for cultivation and consumption of Underutilized Indigenous Vegetables (UIVs) considering that they
are nutritious, health promoting, easy to cultivate and produce stable yields
even under difficult climatic conditions. The
consumption of these vegetables is capable of preventing and protecting against
some of the diseases arising from the effect of oxidative damages cause by free
radicals. For food welfare and livelihoods around the world, vegetables play a
crucial role. Although animal foods are often too costly for low-income
families, various underexploited vegetables can be a replacement for vitamins,
micronutrients, and secondary plant metabolites that promote health, food security, income generation
and environmental services. UIVs
continue to play an important role in the subsistence and economy of poor
people and vulnerable groups throughout the developing world, particularly in
the agro biodiversity-rich tropics.Value-addition is a key consideration to
increase the market share of indigenous vegetables. Some crops with a short
shelf life can be processed to add value. Processing may include packaging, drying,
salting, fermenting, pickling, canning and juice production, such as moringa
juice. In
addition to expanding the range of products of these vegetables and ensuring
long shelf life of the value-added products, processed products are more likely
to fetch a higher market value than the fresh produce. More
than ever before, lies the need to exploit global innovative approaches in the
industrial circle to tackle hunger, the potential of underutilized plants contributing
to industrial development is high and expanding. Across the globe such
contributions as food processing, food security, product development, commerce
and industry have been examined. This will offset malnutrition and also provide
a source of income as indigenous vegetables
represent inexpensive but high-quality nutritional sources, food security
for rural and urban dwellers especially where malnutrition is wide spread as in
Nigeria.
Keywords: Diversification, Underutilized Indigenous Vegetables, Food Security, Food Processing
