Nutritional and food potential of cornmeal cakes enriched with wild fruit pulps (Tamarindus indica, Adansonia digitata, Parkia biglobosa) consumed during the lean season in Côte d'Ivoire

Kagbèlè with baobab, Kagbèlè with tomi , and Kawarague are cornmeal-based cakes enriched with baobab pulp ( Adansonia digitata ), tomi pulp ( Tamarindus indica ), and néré pulp ( Parkia biglobosa ), respectively, traditionally consumed during the lean season in northern Côte d’Ivoire. This study aims to promote these traditional products by examining their nutritional and metabolic characteristics. To this end, the cakes were prepared using traditional techniques and analyzed to determine their phenolic compound composition, SAIN and LIM scores, as well as their glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL). The results revealed that Kawarague had the highest levels of polyphenols (72.54 mg GAE/100g) and flavonoids (34.50 mg QE/100g), with a medium GI (60.28). Kagbèlè with tomi stood out for its low tannin content (15.80 mg TAE/100g), low GI (52.21), and high GL (23.21). As for Kagbèlè with baobab , it achieved the highest SAIN score (9.39) and the lowest LIM score (0.29). Due to their nutritional values and potential as food resources, Kagbèlè with baobab, Kagbèlè with tomi , and Kawarague can play a crucial role in ensuring food security and resilience for populations during the lean season .