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Uncovered! locust bean (iru) processed with urine, preserved with dusting powder

By Maria Famakinwa

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Locust beans is enjoyed for its flavour and health benefits in a variety of dishes across parts of Africa, it is used as seasoning that gives African meals a pleasant natural taste. Commonly known in Yoruba as iru, in Hausa as dawadawa, Nune in Tiv, and in lbo as daddawa, African locust beans when boiled and fermented is rich in protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals such as calcium, fat, potassium, Vitamin C and phosphorus.

Over the years, the processing of locust beans to food condiment is mainly done locally by women. Starting with shelling of matured pods, boiling, dehulling, separation of the hull from the beans and fermentation which takes long hours or a whole day. Despite the  difficulty involved in the processing of locust beans, consumers can get it as cheap as N50 which makes it affordable for everyone.

 However, the once cherished nutritious value of locust beans could turn poisonous if consumers are not sure of the source and processing, as investigation revealed that some merchants of this well acceptable African seasoning have devised different ways of making the process faster in order to reduce the hours spent by adding human urine to the water used in its processing so as to aid its fermentation. Another unwholesome practice discovered was that most merchants of locust beans spray dusting powder on it for preservation which gives it fresh look and makes it attractive to unsuspecting consumers.

Some of the locust beans sellers visited in Akure, Ondo State only agreed to speak after they were convinced that it was for the purpose of academic project work on locust beans processing and fermentation. One of them who simply gave her name as Kehinde, explained that there are different stages of processing locust beans before it turns into mouth watering condiment for cooking.

“At first, we wash the seeds, then cook it for a whole day provided we start cooking it very early in the morning by 4am but if we start the cooking late, it can be on the fire till the next day.  After cooking, we roast it, wash and cook for the second time which will not be as long as the first time. When we are done with the second cooking, we then bring it out and spread in a big basket, allow it to cool then we cover it with clothes in a bowl for fermentation. Once you remove the cover clothes the second day, you will get the expected colour then, your locust beans is ready to be sold,” she said.

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This writer asked her why she subjected herself to such rigorous stages of locust beans fermentation when some processors are adding urine to the water used for the processing of locust beans to aid its softening. She said: “It is not every locust beans seller who uses urine in its processing. Though, I have heard that some locust beans processors use urine to make it soft faster instead of spending hours but not all of us do this. For instance, some of us who bring locust beans from Akoko area to sell don’t indulge in such practice. There are other sellers who bring locust beans from other states into the market for sale. The fact that some processors are adding urine to ferment it does not mean all sellers of locust beans are doing same. I don’t do it, besides, I also eat from it and cannot do such,” she said.

Another locust beans seller, who does not want her name in print also affirmed that some locust beans sellers use urine for its processing and dusting powder for preservation. The lady who said that she uses machine for locust beans processing disclosed that majority of those who uses manual form of dehulling add urine to aid its processing and dusting powder to achieve whitish colour after fermentation and salting.

 Her words: “Some locust beans sellers who dehull manually usually by the stream side don’t see anything wrong adding urine while processing it. Some of them when hard- pressed urinate where they are washing the locust beans.

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The use of dusting powder comes in when they could not achieve the whitish effect that is expected from the locust beans after fermentation and salting. So they will spray dusting powder on it to bring out the expected whitish look.”

On how she was doing it to get the actual results without adding dusting powder, she said: “I have my dehulling machine which makes the whole process faster and shorter. With the use of machine for its processing, one can be sure of getting a perfect result without being stressed. Many of the sellers who use urine and dusting powder for locust beans processing do theirs manually. Definitely, you cannot compare the locust beans processed manually with the one processed with machine which is faster and hygienic,” she said.

Another locust beans seller, Eni, who also does not deny the sharp practice by some locust beans sellers however maintained that not all the sellers engage in such. “I cannot doubt all these allegations because some locust beans sellers are illiterates and can easily believe any superstition. For instance, the lady who trained me on how to process locust beans told me to always add seven palm-kernels and seven stones in the locust beans while cooking which was the way she said she was taught by her grandmother without asking her the reason.

“I also learnt that some locust beans sellers are using dusting powder for preservative. However, the fact remains that not all of us who sell locust beans use urine or dusting powder to aid its fermentation or preservation  as being alleged. What I do is to cook it for hours until it is very soft, separate the hull from the beans, wash it thoroughly and cover it to ferment which is the normal processing. I don’t use either urine or dusting powder for iru processing,” she said.

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This writer spoke with a registered Dietitian, Dtn Rhoda Kolawole, who condemned the idea of using urine or dusting powder to process locust beans and advised people to try as much as possible to grow what they will eat.

Her words: “There is need for locust beans processors to upgrade from manual processing to  machine as it is the case with palm-oil processing. Processing locust beans seasoning with urine and dusting powder is strange, condemnable and nauseating. Aside adding urine and dusting powder to it, how safe is the stream where they carry out the processing especially now that some people dump refuses in streams? It is not unlikely to see people throwing faeces in such river. Sellers of locust beans need to be educated on modern way of processing. Locust beans have nutritional values but adding urine and dusting powder to it makes it unsafe for consumption. It can cause infection for consumers and lead to serious health challenge.

“I think it is advisable to go back to home garden but if we cannot produce what we need like locust beans, we should be sure from whom we are buying since not all of the sellers uses urine and dusting powder. Besides, we should wash it thoroughly before eating. I will appeal to those using urine or dusting powder to process locust beans to desist from such practice, because it exposes consumers to serious health risks,” she warned.

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