How Bioprocessing Can Turn Nigeria’s Plant Foods into a Nutrition and Economic Giant-Don

By Correspondent in Minna.

A leading food scientist has urged Nigeria to adopt a deliberate national policy to unlock the vast nutritional and economic potential of plant-based foods through bioprocessing, describing the technology as a low-cost pathway to food security, public health, and foreign-exchange savings.

Delivering the 121st Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Minna on Thursday in Minna,Professor Chiemela Enyinnaya Chinma said systematic bioprocessing of local crops could transform Nigeria’s food system while creating new industrial opportunities.

Speaking on the theme “Unlocking the Potentials of Plant-Based Foods Through Bioprocessing,” the don explained that techniques such as soaking, germination, fermentation, enzymatic treatment, and their combinations can significantly improve the nutritional quality and functional properties of cereals, legumes, tubers, and underutilized indigenous crops.

“Bioprocessing represents a powerful, affordable, and sustainable strategy for unlocking the full nutritional, bioactive, and techno-functional potential of plant-based foods,” he said.

Professor Chinma noted that research findings consistently show that bioprocessing reduces harmful antinutritional factors while enhancing essential amino acids, dietary fibre, resistant starch, vitamins, antioxidants, and other health-promoting compounds.

According to him, foods produced from bioprocessed flours not only demonstrate superior nutritional value but also retain appealing taste, texture, and aroma, a key factor for consumer acceptance.

He added that such composite foods can replace imported raw materials with locally sourced alternatives, thereby strengthening domestic agriculture and food industries.

“These outcomes provide strong scientific justification for substituting imported inputs with locally available, value-added plant resources,” he said, noting that this would support food sovereignty and reduce pressure on Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

The food technologist described bioprocessing as particularly suited to developing regions because it is scalable, culturally adaptable, and inexpensive.

He said wider adoption could help tackle persistent challenges such as hunger, malnutrition, and environmental sustainability across sub-Saharan Africa.

The don said by promoting the use of under exploited indigenous crops, the technology could diversify diets, boost rural economies, and reduce dependence on a narrow range of staple foods.

Professor Chinma also stressed that the approach aligns with global and continental development frameworks, including those of the United Nations and the African Union, particularly goals related to nutrition, poverty reduction, and sustainable economic growth.

While acknowledging progress in research, the professor emphasized the need for sustained investment to move innovations from laboratories to factories and markets.

He warned that without coordinated policy backing, Nigeria risks missing a major opportunity to transform its abundant plant resources into high-value products capable of feeding a rapidly growing population.

Professor Chinma, who has served as a visiting scholar at the University of Johannesburg and currently directs research and innovation at FUT Minna, called for collaboration among government, industry, and academia to scale up the technology nationwide.
University Commends Scholar’s Contributions

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of FUT Minna, Professor Faruk Adamu Kuta, described Chinma as one of the institution’s finest scholars and praised attendees who travelled from within and outside Niger State for the event.

He said the lecture underscored the university’s commitment to research that addresses real-world problems and contributes to national development.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.