Student makes yoghurt, wine from dreaded cactus

By Bob Koigi

Nairobi,Kenya; A masters degree student has turned the vilified cactus plant into a possible ingredient of key household foods.

A Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology graduate now builds a name by making juice, concentrates, jam, yoghurt and wine from the plant.

This is as he seeks to tap more farmers in arid areas where the tree thrives to exploit it commercially. Nelson Mutwa, now pursuing Master of Science degree, first noticed the unexploited potentially of the vast growing cacti as a third year student at the same university.

He he was pursuing food science degree. On a field trip, he noticed swathes of land where no other crop could flourish and was heavily surrounded by cacti.

By then, he was only studying the plant as part of his class project.  The more he thought of it, the more it dawned on him that the plant could actually turn lives around for arid and semi-arid farmers.

“They cry about barren land, nothing grows there. But there has to be an economical use to anything in the ecosystem, at least I believe so and I knew this one was no different,” says Mutwa. With extensive research and laboratory analysis, he has now managed to produce a host of items fit for human consumption. He now hopes to work with farmers on various value addition ventures.

He wants to invest more in research on the plant to help people understand and exploit its commercial value. He plans to contract farmers, supply them with seeds, and build their skills on cacti husbandry.

This, he said, would ensure consistent, quality, production of the plant, which would ensure commercialisation as he seeks accreditation to get the cacti products.

The plant produces a large quantity of green forage throughout the year if properly managed.

Research has shown that the plant is rich in antioxidants, which help to burn excess cholesterol from the body. It is also rich in phytochemicals, which help to detoxify the body and in the treatment of prostrate cancer and stomach ulcers.

Minerals present in cactuses include potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. It also has vitamins A, B C, and K.                                                                                —FarmBiz Africa