Mombasa: By Luis Javier Campuzano, Ambassador of Mexico, at the 5th
African Grain Trade Summit,
October 1, 2013:
It has been a long dream for me to be able to share a little part of
Mexican culture to all of those countries in Africa who took maize as a
staple food.
As you may know, Kenya hosted in November 2010 a meeting of the UNESCO
Committee examining the new inclusions into the List of Immaterial Heritage
of Mankind.
In that occasion Mexican Traditional Food was the first food to be included
in that list. Mexican Traditional Food had and has maize as one of the
central ingredients , but equally important it had and has the
nixtamalization process of maize as an integral part of it.
It should be noted that the huge variety of dishes prepared in Mexico with
that grain is really impressive. We have more that 600 ways to prepare
maize with many combinations of other ingredients that enhance considerably
the nutritional value of the grain and of the dish as a whole.
It was a great revelation for me to learn that many other countries of
the World have taken maize from our region, but that they didn’t take the
culture of maize.
Maize as you know has several nutritional limitations, especially
the quantity and quality of its essential amino acids and
niacin. It is thought that unless it is prepared by
specific techniques, its nutritional value is marginal and
any human population that depends on it as a major staple
would suffer some degree of malnutrition.
Nixtamalization or limestone cooking was the main technique used to
improve its nutritional value and to facilitate its handling by the
Aztecs and the Mayas indigenous peoples. Presently, nixtamalization is
widely used in Mexico and Central America to process
maize.
Nixtamalization is very much alive. Just one year ago the 4th World
Nixtamalization Congress was held in Mexico. New Studies on the subject
are being produced.
During the Nixtamalization process or limestone cooking kernels of dried
maize are cooked in an alkaline solution at or near the mixture’s boiling
point. After cooking, the maize is steeped in the cooking liquid for a
period. The length of time for which the maize is boiled and soaked varies
according to local traditions and the type of food being prepared, with
cooking times ranging from a few minutes to an hour, and soaking times from
a few minutes to about a day.
Nixtamalization of maize is a simple process that results into the
following benefits:
1. Converting corn bound niacin into free niacin (vitamin B3) and making it
available for absorption by the body and thus preventing diseases as
pellagra, and increasing the nutritional value of maize, as well as other
food consumed with that maize;
2. making the maize more nutritious through the absorption of calcium and
other minerals:
3. partial decontamination of maize from micotoxins, including aflatoxin –
thereby rendering the maize safe to eat, obviating both acute health
problems resulting in death or chronic diseases as lever cancer:
4. Reduction of maize lost due to micotoxins, reducing economic loss as
well as enhancing food security.
As you know, Maize is the main staple food in some Eastern and Southern
African countries. In Malawi, the consumption per capita is estimated at
133 kg/year, in Tanzania at 107 kg and in Kenya at 77kg (FAO, 2011)
Mycotoxicosis often resulting from maize contaminated with aflatoxin is a
regular occurrence in Kenya. In 2011, more than 2.3 million bags (about 6%
of total production) of maize were condemned and were not allowed for sale
by the small growers. However, it is believed that this same maize was
partly consumed by the households in the same growing areas. This had two
consequences, farmers losing revenue and families being exposed to the risk
of aflatoxin poisoning. There have no concrete methods of preparation of
the maize kernels for consumption which can reliably reduce the aflatoxin
levels to an acceptable limit.
There have also been reported cases of pellagra (niacin deficiency) in
parts of the country, mainly the Eastern region, where maize is sometimes
eaten predominantly alone
These are the two main problems encountered by Kenyans from consumption of
maize.
With the introduction of this traditional technique, integral part of maize
culture, farmers could be saved of some loss revenue: instead of aflatoxin
contaminated maize being condemned, an important amount could be rendered
safe for consumption through Nixtamalization. This would also support food
security.
As I said before, this procedure also has very valuable nutritional
impacts through niacin, calcium and other minerals rendered and adhered
during the process.
Introducing nixtamlization in East and Southern Africa is as well an
opportunity to introduce other products prepared with maize, thus expanding
the gastronomic culture of maize. These countries have around 10 different
ways to prepare maize. Imagine 600 more!
This technique can be done both at the local as well as at commercial
levels. Its cost is extremely low, and its benefits are very impressive.
Mexico is promoting with the University of Nairobi, the Kenyan Agricultural
Research Institute, CIMMYT Kenya and CIMMYT Mexico a project with three
fold specific objectives:
– To assess the feasibility of transfer of the technology of
nixtamalization of maize to Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania;
– the transfer of nixtamlization technology to the three East African
Countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi); and
– to promote nixtamlized products in these countries.
I hope that this Project can be implemented and expanded in the near future
to all African countries that have maize as staple food and I hope as well
that all of you dealing with the whole production and commercialization
chain of maize, and that the ministries of agriculture and of health of
all these countries, can take a closer look to the huge benefits of this
technique and that you can support it.