Application of spices in foods: consumer preferences, knowledge of health benefits, and quality of dried ginger

Human beings have battled with oxidative stress and its related illnesses such as inflammatory diseases, heart diseases, and even cancer for decades. Spices and herbs are known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that could mitigate oxidative stress. However, post-harvest loss of such spices make their production seasonal and solar drying could curtail this problem. Solar drying of ginger will add value and reduce post-harvest loss, yet consumer preference needs to be established. This study carried out a survey by administering semi-structured questionnaires to 398 willing respondents in the Accra metropolis to seek information on the knowledge of the health benefits and sicknesses that consumers had used ginger to treat as well as the acceptability of solar dried ginger locally. Respondents enumerated 22 illnesses in the category of anti-inflammatory disorders, stomach discomfort, weight loss, and an aphrodisiac which they had used ginger to cure. More than half of respondents (74.3%) had used ginger to cure upper respiratory infections with an almost unanimous response to the local production of dried ginger for all-year availability.