Tef: The Rising Ancient Cereal: What Do We Know About Its Nutritional and Health Benefits?

Overview

Journal Plant Foods Hum Nutr

Specialties Biology
Nutritional Sciences

Date 2017 Nov 4

PMID 29098639

Citations 14

Authors

Habtu Shumoy

Katleen Raes

Affiliations

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Abstract

This review covers the nutritional significance of tef cereal as compared to other common cereals with emphasis on carbohydrate content and starch digestibility, protein content, iron and zinc bioavailability and antioxidant potentials. Tef is a gluten free cereal and contains the highest iron and calcium among other cereals. It has high micro- and macro- nutritional profile and is becoming globally popular in the healthy grain food chain. Tef starch has a high gelatinization temperature, an essential precondition in the preparation of low glycemic index foods. There are significantly conflicting reports of iron content of tef ranging from 5 to 150 mg/100 g dm. The traditional fermentation of injera reduced majority of the phytic acid but no significant change to mineral bioavailability was observed. This review indicated that studies on starch digestibility, protein characterization, amylase and protease inhibitors, mineral bioavailability and antioxidant potentials are needed to further explore the nutritional and health benefits of tef.

Citing Articles

Biggest of tinies: natural variation in seed size and mineral distribution in the ancient crop tef [ (Zucc.) Trotter].

Whisnant E, Keith C, Smieska L, Chia J, Bekele-Alemu A, Vatamaniuk O Front Plant Sci. 2024; 15:1485819.

PMID: 39726428 PMC: 11669528. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1485819.

Tef as a case for investment in orphan crop breeding and seed systems development.

Tadele Z, Renou C, Chanyalew S, Johnson-Chadwick V, Osure G, Robinson M Front Plant Sci. 2024; 15:1479840.

PMID: 39634070 PMC: 11614643. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1479840.

Unlocking the Potential of Teff for Sustainable, Gluten-Free Diets and Unravelling Its Production Challenges to Address Global Food and Nutrition Security: A Review.

Adepoju M, Verheecke-Vaessen C, Pillai L, Phillips H, Cervini C Foods. 2024; 13(21).

PMID: 39517178 PMC: 11545792. DOI: 10.3390/foods13213394.

Evaluating the Antioxidant Properties of the Ancient-Crop Tef () Grain Extracts in THP-1 Monocytes.

Cotter C, Wright A, Romanov A, Graf T, Whisnant E, Flores-Bocanegra L Antioxidants (Basel). 2023; 12(8).

PMID: 37627557 PMC: 10451390. DOI: 10.3390/antiox12081561.

The Role of Ancient Grains in Alleviating Hunger and Malnutrition.

Majzoobi M, Jafarzadeh S, Teimouri S, Ghasemlou M, Hadidi M, Brennan C Foods. 2023; 12(11).

PMID: 37297458 PMC: 10252758. DOI: 10.3390/foods12112213.

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