Diets and food are indisputably core facets of human society. The great apes still rely on plants to supply most of their nutritional needs. Humans, however consume a diet that is nearly... Show moreDiets and food are indisputably core facets of human society. The great apes still rely on plants to supply most of their nutritional needs. Humans, however consume a diet that is nearly unrecognizable from that of early hominin and human ancestors. While the virtues of plant foods are widely extolled, it is done so without a regard for how wild and unrefined plant foods must have contributed to the diets of our pre-agricultural ancestors. The purpose of my dissertation was to examine how wild African tubers, which are targeted by the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania, contribute the nutritional elements that are essential for health and survival in the East African mosaic environment. To accomplish this objective, I conducted three projects. First, I tested the efficacy of brief roasting, used by the Hadza, on starch gelatinization. Second, I submitted four species of Hadza tubers to an in-vitro simulation of the gastro-intestinal tract, and measured the bioaccessibility of glucose from digestion. Finally, I led an analysis of the Hadza gut microbiome to explore the polysaccharide degrading potential of mutualistic microbiota and learn whether Hadza may be better provisioned by metabolites from fermentation of the residual indigestible plant fibers in their diet. Show less
