Cowpea Composition, Processing, and Products

Cowpea is grown in the tropical lowlands, especially in dry areas and in warm temperate regions. Cowpea is an important starchy legume consumed widely in sub-Saharan Africa as an affordable source of nutrients including protein, essential amino acids, digestible and nondigestible carbohydrates and polyphenols. Cowpeas are also used in weaning foods by blending with cereal grains. This chapter provides an overview of the nutritional composition of cowpeas, its processing and consequent effect on nutritional and sensory quality. It focuses on specific processing techniques including traditional processes and the production of cowpea-based ingredients for potential industrial applications. Additionally, an extensive review of typical foods made from cowpeas is included. Current information on resistant starches in response to growing trends for application of starches from legumes is also discussed. Finally, it evaluates available evidence on biofortified cowpeas as an alternate strategy to address micronutrient deficiencies.