Three groups of students from the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Development Studies (UDS), have won grants to produce bread for commercial purposes using fonio grain.
Groups composed of four members each won GHc5,500, GHc4,500, and GHc3,000 as first, second, and third place prizes as part of a competition: the “Grand Challenge”, organized by UDS I went. In partnership with the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom.
A total of 50 students participated in the competition where the number was reduced to 16 students in four groups, with three groups eventually winning the competition.
Project Fonio by UDS and the University of Lincoln, UK, said Professor Francis Amagalo, Associate Professor of Food Science and Technology and Dean of the Graduate School, UDS, during an exhibition of fonio bread at Tamale to announce the winners of the Grand Challenge I was about adding value.
The students demonstrated baked bread as part of the competition using the Fonio, which was tested and evaluated by a panel of judges and other participants.
Fonio, an African grain, is classified as a super food with lots of bioactive properties, and it’s also gluten-free.
Therefore, using fonio to bake bread means that the country will reduce its dependence on imported wheat flour while improving the health of the population.
Talking about the Grand Challenge, Professor Amaglo said, “We taught the students how to make bread. We trained them, and today we have marketable products from Fonio. So, we have added value to Fonio, and have a positive The effect is reducing wheat flour in bread baking. So, this is a huge potential for the market.”
He added, “Fonio does not contain gluten. Wheat flour contains an element called gluten, which has negative health effects. So, by using Fonio, we have removed that negative health effect.”
He urged the public to patronize fonio bread to help improve the country’s economy and the health of the population.
UDS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Seidu Al-Hassan, who was represented at the event, advised the students to focus and bake bread to standard, stressing that the Fonio project needs to be further Research should be continued.
Dr Lillian Korir, who represented the UK partners under the project, appreciated the hard work of the students for coming up with the fonio recipes.
Miss Beatrice Noboilega, a member of the group that won first place in the Grand Challenge, expressed her excitement at the chalked feat, saying, “We never expected this.”
She said “we used natural fermentation to bake the bread. So, it’s sourdough bread” adding the group will work hard to diversify into other fonio products as well as baking more breads.
Meanwhile, students will be linked to UDS’s Business Incubation and Innovation Center for further coaching to refine their business ideas, where they will produce breads through the Department of Food Science and Technology.