Compositional and nutritional properties of tef and tef-based food products

In this PhD study, nutritional and health importance of tef, an ancient cereal, was studied. Tef is a cereal originated in Ethiopia where it has been used as a staple cereal. Currently, this cereal is becoming popular in the western countries, however, there is scarcity of information regarding its nutritional and health benefits. This study focused on key nutritional issues in tef flour, injera, porridge and bread: phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, mineral content and bioaccessibility, starch digestibility, protein digestibility and its compliance as a gluten free ingredient. The results showed that tef contains higher Fe, Zn and Ca than other cereals and fairly high amount of digestible proteins. Tef also contains high phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. It is also in compliance with the European Union Food Regulation Directive as a gluten free cereal. Fresh traditional foods such as tef injera-pancake and porridges may cause high post prandial glucose level, while fresh conventional tef bread could only cause a moderate increase in blood glucose level