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Chemical composition of teff (Eragrostis tef) compared with that of wheat, barley and grain sorghum

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Abstract

The chemical composition of teff, analyzed from uncontaminated seeds, revealed the superiority of the species in mineral nutritive value. Teff’s exceedingly high iron and calcium content was confirmed. The high iron content of teff reported by the Ethiopia Nutrition Survey must have been due to certain inherent factors of the species, not only a result of contamination. The magnitude of mineral absorption varied among tested teff strains which was considered an important criterion for future selection program within the species.

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Undiscussed portion of a Ph. D. research project at Purdue University, Agronomy Department, West Lafayette, Indiana, supported by Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship.

An Amharic name for a flat, very soft, circular and slightly sour homemade bread, made only in Ethiopia from teff, wheat, barley, maize, grain sorghum or from their mixtures.

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Mengesha, M.H. Chemical composition of teff (Eragrostis tef) compared with that of wheat, barley and grain sorghum. Econ Bot 20, 268–273 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904277

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