PROCESSING AND UTILIZATION OF COWPEAS IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES - A REVIEW

Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata or Vigna sinensis), also known as blackeye beans or southern peas, are important grain legumes in Africa and other developing countries where they serve as good sources of protein, energy and other nutrients. Despite their potential in upgrading diets of the poor people of the world, there are certain constraints to optimal utilization of cowpeas as food. These are attributed to factors such as pest infestation of the beans, beany flavors, extended cooking times and presence of antinutrients that cause low digestibility and abdominal upsets. Methods of circumventing these constraints to cowpea utilization are outlined. The literature on various processing,techniques such as milling, dehulling, soaking, germination, fermentation and heat treatment are reviewed, and popular ways of preparing cowpea foods are discussed. Utilization of cowpeas in both infant and adult foods is recommended in the preparation of traditional and novel products in order to avert the perennial problems of malnutrition in developing countries.