Nutrition and Foods Program

Dr. Makafui Borbi is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Health Care Management at Appalachian State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Food Science and completed the Didactic Program in Dietetics at Michigan State University.

Prior to her academic career, Dr. Borbi served as a Principal Food Technologist at the Food Research Institute in Ghana. Dr. Borbi's early research explored the microbial and heavy metal contamination of vegetables cultivated on abandoned refuse dump sites in developing countries. Her subsequent work focused on incorporating legumes and fruits into ready-to-eat foods for children in resource-poor settings to combat malnutrition. Currently, her research investigates the impact of various food processing methods on nutrients such as iron, folate, and bioactive compounds in opportunity food crops, with a particular emphasis on improving nutrition and health outcomes for women of reproductive age. 

Education

• PhD, Food Science, Michigan State University

• Didactic Program in Dietetics, Michigan State University

• MS, Food Science, Michigan State University

• BS, Biochemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana 

Current Courses Being Taught

• NUT 2202 Nutrition and Health

• NUT 2351 Global Nutrition: Emerging Health Challenges

Professional Affiliations

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

• Institute of Food Technologists

Research Interests

• The role of Indigenous foods and opportunity food crops in food and nutrition security

• International nutrition

• Interrelations between food processing, nutrition and health

• Food safety and nutrition education in resource-poor settings

Selected Publications 

Borbi, M., Weatherspoon, L., Wiesinger, J., Jackson, J., Glahn, R., Bourquin, L., & Dolan, K. (2024). Effects of different processing methods on the functional, nutritional, and physicochemical profiles of cowpea leaf powder. Journal of Food Science, 89(12), 8715–8729.https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.17569

 Anwar, R., Borbi, M., & Rakha, A. (2024). Significance and the Use of Legumes in Developing Weaning Foods With a Balanced Nutrition—A Review. Legume Science, 6(3), e249.https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.249 

Uebersax, M. A., Siddiq, M., & Borbi, M. (2022). Hard‐to‐Cook and Other Storage‐Induced Quality Defects in Dry Beans. In M. Siddiq & M. A. Uebersax (Eds.), Dry Beans and Pulses (1st ed., pp. 105–127). Wiley.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119776802.ch5

Borbi, M. A., Dolan, K. D., Siddiq, M., Hooper, S., & Sami, A. (2020). Development and quality evaluation of banana-rice-bean porridge as weaning food for older infants and young children. Legume Science, 2(3), e41.https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.41

Twumasi, P., Tandoh, M. A., Borbi, M. A., Ajoke, A. R., Owusu-Tenkorang, E., & Okoro, R. (2016). Assessment of the Levels of Cadmium and Lead in Soil and Vegetable Samples from Selected Dumpsites in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 11, 1608-1616. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2016.10907