Durban - Move over rooibos and biltong, soon there may be a new kid on the block.
That’s the new Amaranthus biscuit now in the prototype stage at the University of Zululand, which is leading the way in a new trend of food based on traditional African foods.
These are high in nutritional value, grow abundantly in KZN and are hardy when it comes to drought.
In these tough economic times – and possibly even tougher years ahead – a good steak may become a rare treat, with protein intake being replaced with insects, as well as vegetables.
Unizul’s head of department for consumer science, Professor Unathi Kolanisi, said the spotlight was on food product development from traditional African foods, with the tasty Amaranthus biscuit being developed either as a savoury rusk with tea or coffee or a round biscuit to dunk in soup called Umfino On The Go.
The plant is also being used in a new pesto, as well as a bread.
“The Amaranthus plant is a combination of spinach and lettuce. It was popular around the 1980s as a nutritional leafy vegetable, but in the 2000s started to lose this popularity because of the increased use of exotic vegetables,” said Kolanisi.
She said the leafy plant was most popular in Limpopo, but the number of consumers had also declined there, particularly among the younger generation.
“In other provinces, Amaranthus might be known but is no longer regarded as food for human consumption. However, this vegetable is twice as nutritious compared with exotic leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach. (It contains) iron, protein, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.
“There is also growing demand for healthy foods with few or no chemicals, but also food that will reflect one’s identity. We plan to keep our products as close to a natural state as possible,” she said. Sugar, salt and preservatives were used as little as possible.
“The biscuit and (other) Amaranthus-based foods are intended to appeal to the younger generation’s needs. These products will give an alternative food selection of healthy traditional foods that promote indulgence without (the guilt),” she said.
Kolanisi works with a team of researchers from different universities and across disciplines such as agronomy (crop science), agri-business, consumer science (product development, nutrition, consumer behaviour and product acceptability), food security and food science.
The inspiration for the Amaranthus came about when the team considered what could go well with a cup of soup.
“We have developed the round biscuit to go with soup and a rusk to have with tea or coffee.
“We have also developed an Amaranthus pesto, which is delicious with goat’s cheese or cottage cheese, as well as a bread. The bread is green, a bit like focaccia bread. Amaranthus leaves are also great in a salad with some mushrooms and onions,” said Kolanisi.
With much poverty and drought across the continent, the research team are looking for food solutions.
Apart from Amaranthus products, they have developed an instant cereal from bambara groundnuts and a cowpea instant soup.
“We are working on foods that are suitable for the future. The global trend is that insects and plants will become the protein source. Zulus are people who really love their meat, we love our nyama, but we do have to come up with other ways,” said Kolanisi.
She told of a recent course facilitated by the SA Network for Biological Research at which the Unizul team partnered with researchers from Lesotho and Malawi and developed a mopane pumpkin cake.
“We served it with home-made ice cream and people who would never have tried mopane worms enjoyed it. We are also considering a mopane shake. We need to change our perceptions,” she said.
Clearly passionate about her subject, Kolanisi started her academic career with research in food security, but moving from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban to Unizul, she started working in consumer science.
“People are excited about this. We are going, quite literally, to the roots of traditional foodstuffs. The motivation is not to turn back the clock, but rather to take the best of the past and add it to the future, that is, interfacing traditional and modern food systems. People must look at traditional food and associate it with class and sophistication – food they can indulge in and not feel guilty,” she said.
The University of Zululand is on the lookout for investors who can assist with funding a production facility on the Kwa Dlangezwa campus for the university, to not only develop and market new foods, but also produce and process them.