FLOUR POWER: Africa’s ancient grains find new favour with gluten-free foodies

As health-conscious consumers increasingly look beyond wheat, Africa’s indigenous crops are finding new commercial value. Growing demand for gluten-free foods is encouraging bakeries, researchers and food manufacturers to transform traditional staples such as cassava, millet, sorghum and teff into premium products for domestic and export markets.

Wheat has long dominated Africa’s bakeries. But at Nairobi’s Kirsten Bakery, shelves increasingly feature breads, cakes and pastries made from naturally gluten-free ingredients such as cassava, millet and sorghum.

It’s one example of a broader shift unfolding across Africa, where changing consumer preferences are creating new commercial opportunities for entrepreneurs, food scientists and manufacturers to transform indigenous crops into premium food products.

“Nowadays, people are choosing gluten-free foods not only because they have coeliac disease, but also because they are sensitive to gluten and experience allergic reactions after consuming products that contain it,” said Nairobi nutritionist Judith Moraa.

There is no medical reason to stop eating gluten if you can tolerate it, she says, but naturally gluten-free indigenous crops offer valuable nutritional benefits. They are rich in dietary fibre that supports digestion.

New markets

These changing dietary preferences are increasingly translating into commercial opportunity. The global gluten-free bakery products market was valued at about $2.6-billion last year and is projected to reach $7.38-billion by 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights.

Although Europe and North America dominate the market, African businesses are increasingly positioning indigenous crops as locally sourced alternatives capable of supplying both domestic consumers and international markets.

For many African food manufacturers, indigenous crops offer advantages beyond nutrition. Cassava, millet and sorghum can often be sourced locally, reducing dependence on imported wheat while strengthening domestic agricultural value chains. Many of these crops are also more resilient to drought and changing climatic conditions, making them increasingly attractive as governments pursue food security.

Researchers are developing technologies that could make African gluten-free ingredients more competitive. At the University of Pretoria, food science PhD researcher Daddy Kgonothi has developed a patent-pending modified marama bean protein concentrate designed to improve the quality and affordability of gluten-­free baked products.

Marama beans are drought-resistant and nutrient-rich legumes native to southern Africa. They are being used to tackle one of the biggest technical and commercial challenges facing gluten-free baking: replicating the structure, elasticity and soft texture that gluten naturally provides in bread.

“A growing number of consumers with coeliac disease are unable to consume gluten-­containing foods such as bread and therefore rely on alternative gluten-free products,” Kgonothi said. But many commercially available gluten-­free products are expensive.

Kgonothi’s invention, which is at the prototype stage with a patent application filed, is aimed at food manufacturers producing gluten-free bakery products. “I hope that this invention will ultimately reach the right stakeholders, particularly those actively involved in the fast-moving consumer goods industry,” he said.

Rejected but useful

South African researchers are also exploring ways to transform cosmetically rejected potatoes into premium gluten-free foods, creating new markets for produce that would otherwise go to waste.

About 140,000 tonnes of potatoes worth about R759-­million are rejected from the formal market each year because they fail to meet retailers’ aesthetic standards, despite being suitable for consumption, according to Potatoes South Africa.

Researchers are investigating how those potatoes can be converted into gluten-free flour and other value-added products. At Stellenbosch University, food science researcher Tanja du Toit has developed gluten-free breads, muffins and pancakes using potato flour. Potato flour is naturally gluten-free, she said.

At the University of Pretoria, researchers have also developed gluten-free ready meals, including beef and potato lasagne, using lower-grade potatoes.

Consumer trials found that the willingness to buy the products increased significantly once shoppers learned that they helped to reduce food waste, suggesting sustainability is becoming another important driver of purchasing decisions.

Researchers believe such innovations can create new value chains for potatoes previously treated as waste, improving farmers’ returns while supplying the expanding market for gluten-free food products.

Greater acceptance and support

Governments are also beginning to build the institutional foundations for the sector. Nigeria recently secured approval through the Codex Alimentarius Commission to lead the development of an international standard for root and tuber flours, including cassava, yam and sweet potato flour.

Similar developments are emerging all over the continent. Cassava is increasingly being processed into gluten-free flour in West and Central Africa, while sorghum and millet are finding new applications in speciality foods in eastern and southern Africa.

In February, British International Investment committed $5-million to Lovegrass Ethiopia to expand production of teff-based foods for domestic and export markets.

Kenya’s Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization is piloting drought-­tolerant teff varieties in Marsabit as part of efforts to strengthen climate resilience while positioning farmers to serve the expanding global market for gluten-free foods.

Fonio, cultivated in West Africa, is also attracting commercial interest as demand grows for nutrient-rich alternative grains.

Finished consumer products are also benefiting. South African producer Colleen’s Handmade Sauces recently expanded into the United Arab Emirates through premium online grocery retailer Kibsons, for example.

This commercial momentum is becoming increasingly visible at industry exhibitions such as the Afmass Food Expo in Nairobi, where millers, ingredient suppliers, equipment manufacturers and food processors are paying attention to specialised flours and value-added African ingredients.

New product development is also accelerating. Companies such as Mugala Naturals are formulating snack bars using indigenous ingredients, including teff and amaranth, to meet growing demand for clean-label foods, which are made with as few ingredients as possible and without artificial additives. – Bird Story Agency/DM

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.