Development of value added cassava-based foods enriched with Irish potato peels and moringa leaves for sustainable food security and improved nutrition

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a staple crop for millions in the tropics, commonly processed into flour for various culinary applications. Nevertheless, cassava flour has poor nutritional value due to its low protein, vitamin, and mineral content and anti-nutritional compounds such as cyanogenic glycosides. This study sought to develop value-added cassava-based flour fortified with Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum L) peels and Moringa oleifera leaves for better nutrition and long-term food security. Cassava, Moringa oleifera leaves and Irish potato peels were collected, dried (solar and conventional drying) and the proximate composition was analyzed both in raw state and formulations. The results showed that solar drying method preserved nutrients in the dried samples compared to their fresh state. Moringa oleifera flour had the highest moisture content (6.17-10.59 %), ash (12.49-12.68 %), crude protein (21.20-26.87 %), crude fiber (6.17-6.21 %) and crude fat content (6.43-6.74 %), whereby carbohydrate content was the highest in cassava flour (92.90-94.49 %). The cassava flour was enriched with Moringa oleifera leaves and Irish potato peels at different ratios. The results showed that the formulated flour R6 had the highest ash (5.43 %), crude protein (8.71 %) and crude fiber content (4.51 %). It was also observed that formulated flour samples R1, R3 and R10 had the highest moisture content (5.91 %), carbohydrate content (87.61 %) and crude fat content (4.58 %), respectively. These results suggest that cassava flour's nutritional enhancement can lead to better dietary through enrichment with Moringa oleifera leaves and Irish potato peels. More investigation into its economic viability and scale-up is necessary for this intervention to be widely adopted.