(OR16-03-26) Post-harvest Handling Shapes Nutrient Retention in Selected Indigenous Crops

Monday, July 27, 2026

8:54 AM - 9:06 AM ET

Location: Maryland Ballroom D

Presenting Author(s)

SM

Sheila Mensah, BSc

PTFI Good Food Fellow
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Co-Author(s)

LE

Linda Esi Aduku

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
PA

Pearl Agyekum

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
CA

Charles Apprey

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
NN

Nilendra Nair, PhD, MBBS, MSc

American Heart Association
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
SA

Selena Ahmed, PhD, FAHA

American Heart Association, United States
RA

Reginald Annan

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
HL

Herman Lutterodt

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana

Objectives: Post-harvest loss is often quantified as weight loss, but nutrient deterioration during handling and storage can also reduce diet quality. We quantified nutrition-relevant postharvest losses by assessing how routine practices affect proximate composition of tomato, cassava, and Bambara groundnut along Ghanaian value chains.

Methods: A mixed-methods study surveyed 310 value-chain actors (farmers, aggregators, traders, and retailers) and collected crop samples across defined postharvest stages or storage intervals. Proximate composition was measured using standard methods and reported on a consistent dry-matter basis to minimize moisture-driven artifacts. Stage differences were evaluated using analysis of variance with p≤0.05.

Results: Common practices included storing tomatoes in wooden boxes or plastic basins, sprinkling or soaking cassava roots with water, and preserving Bambara groundnut with sand, ash, or naphthalene balls. In market-sorted deteriorated tomatoes, crude protein declined from 19.27% at the market stage to 16.86% by day 5 in one sample set and from 19.92% to 15.11% by day 5 in another. In Bambara groundnut stored with naphthalene, crude protein decreased from 25.18% pre-storage to 16.86% after 2 months, while carbohydrate increased from 43.37% to 53.10%; ash- and sand-based storage showed smaller protein declines. Across crops, shifts in composition were observed over short timeframes that are common in informal markets.

Conclusions: Routine postharvest handling and storage can meaningfully shift macronutrient profiles in indigenous Ghanaian crops, indicating that nutrition losses can occur even when food remains available for sale. Improving protective packaging, moisture management, and safer storage practices, paired with extension and market-level guidance, could help preserve nutrient quality while also reducing food waste.

Funding Sources: N/A