Browsing by Author "Afotey, Benjamin"

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    Determination of health and nutritional benefits of jackfruits (artocarpus heterophyllus)
    (Journal of the Ghana Institution of Engineering, 2024-02-28) Afotey, Benjamin; Yuorkuu, Emmanuel; Akinie, Simon Y.; Eshun, Frederick F.; Sufyan, Mohammed A.
    Jackfruit (artocarpus heterophyllus)is one of the tropical fruits uncommonly consumed in Ghana. In this study, the nutritional and health benefits of the jackfruit pulp, together with its bark and leaves, were assessed. The methodology was centred on determining the macro-and micro-nutrient composition and some potential health benefits of the jackfruit pulps, barks, and leaves. The proximate analytical methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) were used to quantify the macronutrients. The micronutrient contents were determined using spectrophotometric and non-spectrophotometric methods. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), and the β-carotene contents were determined using spectrophotometry as a means of measuring the health benefits of the samples. The crude protein, carbohydrates, and fibre content of the pulp were 1.05±0.06, 17.40±0.36 and 0.46±0.15 g/100 g of fresh fruit sample, respectively. The K, Ca, and P contents of the jackfruit pulps were 422.36±9.60, 69.91±1.66, and 61.17±0.01 mg/100 g of fresh fruit sample, respectively. The TPC, TFC, and β-carotenes content of the pulps were 65.9302±0.0163 mg GAE/100 g, 5.7620±0.0291 mg QE/100 g, and 2.43±0.06 mg/100 g, respectively. The results showed that jackfruit is rich in nutrients including minerals, phytochemicals, and in relatively higher amounts compared with other fruits.
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    Fuel Properties and Emission Characteristics of Biodiesel Fuel Produced from Waste Cooking Oil Using CaO/CaFe2O4 catalyst
    (Journal of Ghana Science Association, 2024-01-20) AbdulRasheed, Tawakalitu; Afotey, Benjamin; Ankudey, Emmanuel Godwin; Anang, Daniel Adjah
    Abstract This study investigates the fuel properties and emission characteristics of biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil (WCO) feedstock utilizing a novel CaO/CaFe2O4 composite catalyst. The biodiesel production process involves transesterification, yielding a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel source. Fuel properties such as density, kinematic viscosity, flash point, cetane number, and calorific value of the produced biodiesel and its blends were determined and compared with the ASTM biodiesel standard. The chemical composition of the fatty acid methyl ester of the produced biodiesel was confirmed with a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer and a Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectrometer was used to determine the functional groups and chemical bonds present in the biodiesel. The characteristics of the exhaust emissions of the different blends of biodiesel with petro-diesel (B20, B50, and B80) as well as pure biodiesel (B100) and petro-diesel (D100) were evaluated through the exhaust gas emissions analysis at a constant speed of 1500 rpm in a four-stroke diesel engine. Exhaust gas emissions such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX ), were measured. The results indicate that the WCO produced biodiesel meets the ASTM standard specifications for these properties, showcasing its potential as a feasible alternative to petrodiesel. Additionally, emission study results indicate that utilizing B20, B50, and B80 blends resulted in reduced CO, HC, and CO2 emissions when compared to petro-diesel fuel amounting to (7.88, 25.29, and 31.26%), (9.24, 5.54, and 27.85%) and (10.04, 6.02, and 21.96%) respectively. All biodiesels (blend or raw) emit more NOX than petro-diesel
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    Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) pectin yield as influenced by particle size and extraction solvent
    (Food Chemistry Advances, 2023) Afotey, Benjamin; Agbenorhevi, Jacob K.; De-Souza, Leonard D. K.; Logosu, John K.; Kpodo, Fidelis M.; Falade, Kolawole O.; 0000-0002-8516-7656
    Pectin extractable from okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is known to have various food and non-food applications. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of particle size of milled samples on okra pectin yield using two different extraction solvents. Phosphate buffer (PB) and citric acid solution (CAS) (at pH 6, temperature of 80°C and for 1 h) were used to extract pectin from 10 g of milled okra sample with varying particle sizes (0.5, 1 and 2 mm). Ethanol was added to the aqueous extract to precipitate the pectin. The crude pectin obtained was then freeze-dried and the % pectin yield was calculated. The average okra pectin yield when PB was used for extraction were 19.6±4.0%, 15.8±1.0% and 11.9±1.5% for 0.5 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm particle sizes, whereas that of the CAS counterparts were 32.7±8.1%, 25.6±0.8% and 35.6±5.5%, respectively. However, considering purity of the pectin extracts (PB > CAS), the present findings indicated that a higher pectin yield is achievable with 0.5 mm as the optimal particle size of okra pod powder using phosphate buffer as extraction solvent.