Exploring the Nutritional Benefits of Tigernut Milk: A Sustainable Alternative.
Dr. Chinasa Okorie-Humphrey has emerged as one of Nigeria’s boldest voices in food innovation, recognized internationally for her pioneering work on underutilized crops.
With a foundation in Biochemistry, advanced studies in Food Science, and a doctorate in Food Chemistry and Biotechnology, she embodies an interdisciplinary approach that connects scientific discovery with real-world solutions.
She is among the few African researchers actively integrating green chemistry into food processing: a field where less than 10% of global publications currently originate from sub-Saharan Africa, positioning her research as both rare and urgently needed on the continent.
Tigernuts (Cyperus esculentus) are packed with digestible carbohydrates (~50 %), about 10 % protein, and nearly 9 % dietary fibre, with strong levels of minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and micronutrients including vitamins C and E.(Frontiers in Food Science & Technology, 2023.)
Her current research on the effect of pretreatment on the nutritional composition of tigernut milk (Cyperus esculentus) showed that tigernut milk products are rich in vital nutrients and minerals (Agriculture and Food Sciences Research, 2024), confirming that tigernut milk can supply key vitamins to diets that are otherwise deficient.
Dr Chinasa explains: “For many households, the challenge is not just food scarcity but poor food quality. Tigernut milk can step into that gap, providing nutrients in a form that is familiar, affordable, and culturally acceptable.”Tigernut also contains phytochemicals, including phenols, glycosides, tannins, steroids, and saponins, in small but significant amounts, which contribute to its antioxidant activity and potential health benefits. Energy values for processed tigernut products vary but can reach up to 230-480 kcal per 100g depending on moisture and fat content, making them good energy sources for low-income settings.
From a sustainability angle, tigernut requires less intensive agricultural inputs, is drought-tolerant, and can grow in marginal soil, maregions whereable crop for regions where dairy is expensive or environmentally taxing. Further, oil or residual pulp (after oil or milk extraction) has high protein (18-22 %) and fibre, which can be repurposed as animal feed, helping create a circular economy in agriculture.
Dr Chinasa Okorie-Humphrey says: “Tigernut nutrition is a rare combination: high nutrition for low environmental cost. My goal is to staple alternative novelty but a staple alternative for families facing hidden hunger. By whatadds, “
We often measure food by what it lacks; with tigernut milk, the story is what it offers, either, micronutrients, fibres, healthy fats, all in what could be sourced locally and produced sustainably.”Instead of focusing only on preservationexploring the is pushing boundaries by exploring the potential of tigernut milk as an added value that can be used to fight food insecurity.
She explains, “The real breakthrough isn’designing iting tigernut milk fresh, but designing it to work harder for the body: helping people get more from the food they already eat.
With Nigeria among countries battling high rates of stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, and food insecurity, innovations like these play a key role. Dr Chinasa Okorie-Humphrey could play key roles in national and regional strategies for nutrition, health, and sustainable agriculture.
