By Maria Famakinwa
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The unwholesome practices of local producers of locust beans, a popular condiment known as ‘iru’ in local parlance is unsettling its users and consumers, an investigation by The Hope has revealed.
An investigation conducted by The Hope revealed that 95 percent of locust beans processors in the country make use of urine and Dusting Powder during its processing.
The product is a condiment savoured by millions of Nigerians.
According to the investigation, processing of locust beans takes very long hours or a whole day to soften the beans.
It was gathered that instead of going through the very rigorous process, some of the sellers add human urine, to the water for boiling their locus beans to aid its softening and fermentation.
One of the condiment sellers based in Akure, Ondo State capital who simply identified herself as Kehinde, in a chat with The Hope explained that there are different stages of processing locus beans before it turns into mouth watering condiment for cooking.
Her words: “First, we wash the seeds, then cook it for a whole day that is if we start very early in the morning like 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 it the second time. We then spread it in a big basket, allow it to cool down, then cover it with cloth in a bowl to ferment.”
She said that after the fermentation, the expected colour and aroma of locust beans will be all out.
Kehinde, however, noted that many processors of locust beans who nowadays are no longer patient to go through these rigorous stages of long cooking and fermentation, add human urine to the water for boiling it. This, she said aids softening.
She pointed out that not every locust beans processor that uses urine to aid its quick softening.
Besides, she hinted that some also use dustin powder for preservation and to bring out a perfect colour.
Apart from processors that are using machine, she said majority of those processing it manually indulge in the unwholesome act.
“You cannot compare the locust beans processed manually with the one processed with machine. The one with machine is more hygienic,” she added.
Another locust beans seller, who simply identified herself as Eni did not deny the use of urine and dusting powder by some sellers during the processing.
However, a Dietitian, Mrs Rhoda Kolawole who condemned the act, advised people to try as much as possible to grow what they eat.
She equally advised locust beans processors to upgrade from manual to machine as it is done in palm oil production.
She noted that processing locust beans with urine and dusting powder is strange and condemnable.
She said it is not unlikely that people will throw faeces in rivers or streams where processors using manual method do their locust beans.
She called for more education of processors on modern trend, saying adding urine and dusting powder make it unsafe for consumption and may lead to serious health challenges.
