In an effort to combat global hunger, four students from Kabarak University are transforming grass into edible starch suitable for making Ugali.
The initiative is spearheaded by 24-year-old Faith Wandia, a Master’s student specializing in Business Administration with a focus on Finance.
She leads a team comprising Bahati Innocent, a medical student; Salome Njeri, who is studying economics; and Edgar Ruto, a computer science student.
In a recent interview, Wandia revealed that her research on this project commenced in 2020, two years prior to their significant breakthrough.
She also discussed the various challenges they encountered along the way, including unsuccessful trials and the high costs associated with necessary resources.
“Initially, we were engaged in trial and error to determine what would be effective, which resulted in substantial financial losses as we had to repeatedly purchase enzymes and contend with high shipping expenses,” she explained.
Given the increasing demand for a sustainable solution to hunger, Wandia and her team opted to convert cellulose, present in grass, from one form to another to generate starch.
“We harvest the grass, wash it to remove any contamination and we dry it depending on what source you want to use (sun or electricity). We then grind it to powder before adding our enzymes,” she explained.
Innocent explained that the grass must be grinded to make it safe for human consumption.
“Human beings can’t digest grass because we don’t have the enzyme cellulose in our gastrointestinal tract and since we don’t have that enzyme we can’t digest cellulose in grass which is the main thing in grass,” he said.
The reaction of ground grass with enzymes is initiated by the addition of distilled water to the cellulose, which is subsequently tested for starch using iodine.
Notably, the resulting product exhibits a texture and aroma akin to that of maize flour.
“We maintain the optimal temperature, pressure, and conditions necessary for the reaction to take place. The ground grass is already in an ideal state for this process,” Innocent stated.
“By incorporating distilled water and the requisite enzymes, it transforms into amylose, a starch that closely resembles that found in maize.”
The students are currently awaiting certification from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) prior to commencing mass production of the product.
Additionally, they have secured a patent for the product through the Kenya Industrial Property Institute, which oversees Intellectual Property rights.
If KEBS grants approval, the grass-derived maize flour will be sold at Ksh 35 per kilogram, with production costs limited to Ksh 23 per kilogram.
Wandia emphasized that the development of this product aims to mitigate hunger-related fatalities and reduce the number of individuals going to bed hungry.
