SOAR is a research school. In addition to the focus on PhD students, SOAR also includes graduates, postdocs and supervisors in the activities and networks. This is important because they also constitute the research environment, in which the PhD student is under education. SOAR wants to contribute to the professional discussions with a special focus on the organic food and farming systems.
The research interests of SOAR cover a wide range of subjects within organic agriculture and food systems:
Åse Hansen, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Life Sciences
Søren Balling Engelsen, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Life Sciences
Mikael Agerlin Petersen, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Life Sciences
University
University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Life Sciences
The marama bean (Tylosema esculentum) is an underutilized legume crop native to the Kalahari Desert and neighboring sandy regions of Botswana and Namibia and the Transvaal region of South Africa. It forms part of the diet of the indigenous population in these countries. This PhD project is part of the EU-co-funded project “Development of Innovative and Healthful Marama Bean (Tylosema Esculentum) Products Targeting Niche Markets” with the acronym MARAMAII. The overall objective of MARAMA II is to improve food safety and diversify livelihoods for poor people in Southern Africa through the development of healthful marama bean products. The products will be targeted at niche markets initially in Southern Africa as well as internationally.
This PhD study will focus on two main objectives. First, the chemical components of marama beans will be characterized by use of chemical analysis and spectroscopy. Secondly, the quality of processed marama products will be evaluated. This includes analysis of the aroma profile and examination of the shelf life during storage.
Background
The Marama bean grows with minimum effort under semi-arid conditions and is part of the staple diet of the indigenous population of the Kalahari because of the high protein and oil content of its seeds. Both the seeds and tubers are of nutritional significance. The seeds are usually roasted, imbuing them with a more palatable flavor - comparable to cashew or chestnut. The seeds can also be ground or boiled. Very little information on marama beans is available as they have not been investigated intensively. This PhD study will contribute with chemical analyses of a wide variety of marama bean samples. In this way, it is possible to see the variations within samples from different regions and harvest years. The study will include screening of the bean samples by fast spectroscopic methods and chemical analysis of the macronutrients as protein, fat and dietary fiber. Furthermore, the content of tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E) will be determined in extracted oil form the beans, by use of a HPLC. Other minor chemical components such as phytosterols, phytoestrogens, cyanogenic glycosides, allergens, minerals etc. will also be analyzed. In addition, other partners in the MARAMA II project will develop products from the marama beans and the quality of these products will be evaluated in this PhD project. This includes storage stability under different storage conditions by determination of oxidation products by GC-MS and other methods for measurement of oxidative deterioration. Furthermore, the aroma profile of marama bean oil will be determined by use of SPME-GC-MS.
