Background:
The food preparation methods have evolved over time from the traditional manual to the modern automated. The Paste grounding from cereals for sauce is a delicacy in northern and eastern Uganda. The most popular grains used to prepare Paste are Simsim and Groundnuts. These parts of Uganda are also associated with grinding Millet, Sorgum and Cassava flour for making Bread.
Traditionally,the ground nuts is poundedina motor made from mahogany or any hard wood which is carefully and professionally crafted by scooping-out wood from a log. The flour is traditionally ground manually using silver-hard-granite stonesas indicated in the picture below.
Image: A woman grinding peanuts or simsim seeds using a granite stone
NB: in the right hand corner of the photo is a wooden mortar used for pounding peanuts or cassava floor. These traditional methods are being discarded for modern semiautomatedmethods. Both small and medium scale entrepreneurs are investing in andup-grading to mechanized waysfor massproduction ofpeanut paste and flour for the increasing market. The semi-automation processis proving fast and convenient, hence rapidly replacing the traditional methods. The automation is powered by electric motors where there is access to electricity and fueldrivengenerators, where there is no electricity supply.
Implication for Human Health:
The machinery used in food processing, especially for small and mediumprocessors are usually fabricated locally. It is the propellant engines that are imported to fit the fabricated grinding components. The local fabricators use materials which they calculate to be cost-effective on their side but not necessarily health-friendly to the consumers of the processed foodstuff. Most ofthe materials used are metallic in nature whose supply sources may raise questions.
For instance, some could be steel, tin alloy scrap materials which arecorrosive. The traditional wooden stone processors could contain residue materials which are shade-off in the process of grinding. However, these couldbe largely organic in nature and likely to cause minimalhealth effects to the consumers.
Implication for Human Health:
Many local small scale paste processors are using electric powered paste grinding machines. These are locally fabricated in informal cottage workshops whose unit cost price start from Uganda Shillings (UGX) 2,000,000/=(approximately USD 536.20 or EUR 536, 00) on average. This is deemed affordable to small scale entrepreneurs wishing to engage in this type of
business activity.
The fabricator I have transacted with uses imported electric motors most of which are 5.5HP for grinding simsim and groundnuts. The cost is UGX2,000,000. There are also heavier duty motors of 10 HP that cost UGX 2,700,000(approximately USD 723.87/EUR 678.78). The grinding bucket and blades are made from stainless steel which is thought to be less corrosive than galvanized steel. Thepicturebelow shows the machine assembly, with the bottom component comprising a motor and the upper part the grinding bucket.
I procured one unit of 5.5HP and the fabricator cautioned me on the Rotor blades which wear out in an estimated period of 6 monthsfrom the time it is used, calling for service maintenanceor replacement of the blades. The picture below shows the rotor blades.
The point of concern to note here is the wearing of the blades which are
metallic, most likely depositing the molecules in the ground paste in tinny
undetected particles.
The point of concern to note here is the wearing of the blades which are
metallic, most likely depositing the molecules in the ground paste in tinny
undetected particles.
The point of concern to note here is the wearing of the blades which are
metallic, most likely depositing the molecules in the ground paste in tinny
undetected particles.
Caution
How safe are the food processors manufactured in the informal cottage
factories? There is a likelihood that the ground paste gets contaminated in tinny
proportions by the metallic processor which over time can be hazardous to the
consumers’ health.
