This study investigated some quality attributes of unripe cooking banana (UBF), pigeon pea (PPF), and sweetpotato (SPF) flour blends. Simplex centroid mixture design was used to obtain 17 blends from the flours. The nutrient composition, color, and functional properties of the blends were evaluated using standard methods. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and treatment means were compared using Duncan's multiple range test at 5% probability level. There were significant (p < .05) differences in the nutrient composition, and functional and pasting properties of the blends. The crude protein, crude fiber, ash, foaming capacity, emulsion capacity, and least gelation capacity of the blends increased as the PPF level increased. The blends had Na/K ratio of <1.0. The dispersibility, bulk density, water, and oil absorption capacities of the blends increased as SPF and UBF increased. The peak, setback, and final viscosities increased as UBF and SPF inclusion increased,whereas pasting temperature and time increased as the PPF level increased. The L*, a*, and b* values of the flour blends which were significantly (p < .05) different ranged from 79.58 to 102.71, −0.15 to 2.79, and 13.82 to 23.69, respectively. Cooking banana-pigeon pea-sweetpotato flour blends are desirable for alleviating malnutrition in Nigeria and developing new food formulations. K E Y W O R D SFunctional properties, nutrient composition, pigeon pea, sweetpotato, unripe cooking banana | INTRODUCTIONAccording to Noorfarahzihah, Lee, Sharifudin, Mohd-Fadzelly, and Hasmadi (2014), composite flour is defined as a mixture of flours from tubers (e.g. cassava, yam, sweetpotato) and/or legumes (e.g. soybean, pigeon pea, peanut) and/or cereal (e.g. maize, wheat, rice, millet, buckwheat). The use of composite flour has been identified by researchers as possible avenue of producing high-quality nutritious food productsand a means of reducing the huge amount of foreign exchange spent by Nigeria in the importation of wheat flour (Olaoye, Onilude, & Idowu, 2006;Nwosu, 2013;Vaughan, Afolami, Oyekale, & Ayegbokiki, 2014).Basically, banana is an essential source of minerals (iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium), vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, and C), polyphenols, resistant starch, and antioxidants , 2015). The objective of this study was therefore to determine the nutrient composition, functional, and pasting properties of flour blends from unripe cooking banana, pigeon pea, and sweet potato. | MATERIALS AND METHODS | Materials | Production of unripe banana flourThe procedure described by Daramola and Osanyinlusi (2006) in | Production of pigeon pea flourThe method described by Fasoyiro et al. (2010) seeds were cleaned, sorted, and cooked in boiling water for 20 min.The seed coats were dehulled using a Philips blender, drained, and dried in the Genlab Cabinet dryer at 60°C for 48 hr. The dried pigeon pea seeds were allowed to cool at room temperature, and milled and packaged, as described for banana flour. | Production of...

Biscuits were produced from 14 flour blends of cooking banana (UBF), pigeon pea (PPF), and sweet potato (SPF). The physical properties, nutrient composition, and sensory characteristics of the biscuits were evaluated using standard methods. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance, and mean values were separated using Duncan's multiple range test. The hardness of the biscuit samples decreased as PPF increased, while the fracturability decreased with increase in UBF. Biscuits were significantly (p < .05) different in their nutrient composition, with the crude protein, crude fiber, ash contents, and dietary fiber content increasing as the PPF level increased. Cookies were rich in magnesium (576.54–735.06 mg/100 g) with favorable Na/K ratio (<1.0). The antinutritional factors in the biscuit samples were within permissible levels. Biscuits prepared from flour blend of 21.67% unripe cooking banana, 21.67% pigeon pea, and 56.67% sweet potato were the most preferred in terms of shape, mouthfeel, taste, crunchiness, and overall acceptability. Flour blends of unripe cooking banana, pigeon pea, and sweet potato could therefore be used as raw materials for the production of biscuits, with high protein, total dietary, and energy content.

Indexing p. 1  Editorial Bord p. 1  Guide for Authors p. 3  Manuscript preparation p. 5

Sprouting of grains improves their nutritional value and functionality, but information on the appropriate sprouting time required to obtain an optimum quality of mungbean flour is limited. This study evaluated the attributes of mungbean flour as influenced by sprouting time. Mungbean seeds were cleaned, sorted, surface‐sterilised, rinsed and sprouted (28°C and 26% R.H) for 24 to 120 hr. Proximate, amino acids (AA), vitamins, mineral, anti‐nutritional (phytate, tannin, oxalate, trypsin inhibitor, raffinose and stachyose) composition, functional properties (viscosity, bulk density and swelling index), microbial quality (total plate and mould counts) and energy of the flours obtained from the sprouted seeds were analysed. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and the means separated by Duncan's Multiple Range Test. Significant (P < 0.05) differences were observed in the energy contents, chemical and functional properties of mungbean flour. There was no fungal growth in the samples until after 72 hr. Leucine, followed by lysine, was the dominant essential AA while methionine was the least. In conclusion, increase in sprouting period improved the nutrient composition but reduced the anti‐nutrients of mungbean flour. Samples sprouted for 24 hr had the highest total essential and conditionally essential AA.

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Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.), an indigenous underutilised tree fruit, has many valuable properties and almost every part of the tree is utilised by rural and urban dwellers. Nigerian tamarind fruits are grossly underutilised, with the rural dwellers utilising some of the fruits in beverage production using ancient processing methods. The ancient processes of manufacture are cumbersome, slow, non-hygienic and highly subjective, often resulting in non-uniform and low quality products which are less preferred to commercial imported ones. Furthermore, traditional tamarind beverage is not as popular among the populace as other traditional beverages. There is therefore a need to develop simple and affordable process of producing standard tamarind beverage which would be widely accepted by Nigerians. A simple, improved processing method was developed based on the traditional method of manufacturing tamarind beverage using the modified one-factor-at-a-time method to determine the experimental levels of the various ingredients used in the formulation of the beverage. A pilot study was carried out to determine the acceptable range of pulp to water blend. The beverages were evaluated by the paired preference, hedonic rating and multiple comparison tests using 50 semi-trained assessors within the age range of 18 and 45 years. The results of the paired preference tests were expressed as levels of significance while the mean scores of hedonic rating tests were subjected to analysis of variance. Tukey's test was used to separate the means. Samples of tamarind beverages produced by the traditional and improved processing methods were analysed for colour, pH, total acidity, soluble solids, ascorbic acid, total solids, browning index and cloudiness using standard methods. The colour (A 325nm ), cloudiness (A 660nm ), browning index (A 420nm ) and ascorbic acid (mg/100ml) of the traditional and improved beverages were 0.91±0.25, 0.68±0.16, 1.42±0.04, 9.5±0.69 and 0.60±0.01, 0.13±0.01, 0.19±0.01 and 10.4±0.21, respectively. While the traditional processing method took 10 hours to produce about 10 litres of beverage, the improved processing method took 2 hours to produce 250 litres of beverage. The improved beverage was rated much higher in terms of colour, aroma, taste and overall acceptability than the traditional beverage and compared favourably well with a similar commercial beverage. A beverage with more acceptable qualities than the traditional beverage was thus produced from the improved processing method.

The effect of sodium benzoate on the quality attributes of improved tamarind beverage during storage was investigated. Tamarind beverages were produced according to a previously reported improved method, with or without chemical preservatives (100 mg/100 mL sodium benzoate). Tamarind beverage produced according to traditional processing method served as the control. The tamarind beverages were stored for 4 months at room (29 ± 2°C) and refrigerated (4–10°C) temperatures. Samples were analyzed, at regular intervals, for chemical, sensory, and microbiological qualities. Appearance of coliforms or overall acceptability score of 5.9 was used as deterioration index. The control beverages deteriorated by 2nd and 10th days at room and refrigerated temperatures, respectively. Improved tamarind beverage produced without the inclusion of sodium benzoate was stable for 3 and 5 weeks at room and refrigerated temperatures, respectively. Sodium benzoate extended the shelf life of the improved tamarind beverage to 6 and 13 weeks, respectively, at room and refrigerated temperatures.

Underutilized and neglected legumes have numerous nutritional potentials with great contributions to food security but they are usually excluded from research and development agenda. This study evaluates the nutritional and functional properties of six different underutilized and neglected legumes; Lima bean (LB) (Phaseolus lunatus) (2006-009), Bambara groundnut (BG) (Vigna subterranea) (TVSU- 1482), winged bean (WB) (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) (Tpt-48), jack bean (JB) (Canavalia ensiformis) (Tce-4), sword bean (SB) (Canavalia gladiata) (Tcg-4) and African yam bean (AYB) (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) (TSS-95) from the Genetic Resources Unit (GRU), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Nutritional and functional properties were evaluated using proximate composition, mineral analyses and functional properties like bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, emulsion capacity and dispersibility. All the procedures were carried out using standard protocols. Statistical analysis was done using descriptive statistics. Results of proximate analysis showed that crude protein ranged from18.88 0.15%(WB) to 26.60±0.14%(AYB), crude fat ranged from 1.84 0.02% (JB) to 6.39 0.03% (BG), crude fibre ranged from 3.70 ±0.00% (AYB) to 5.04 0.03% (SB), ash ranged from 3.10 ± 0.14% (AYB) to 4.66 0.02% (LB), nitrogen free extract ranged from 55.60 0.04% (SB) to 62.97 0.12% (WB), moisture content ranged from 5.75 0.48% (AYB) to 10.77 0.03% (JB), dry matter ranged from 89.23 0.03% (JB) to 94.25 ± 0.488% (AYB) and gross energy ranged from 4.39 0.003 kcal/g (SB) to 4.66 0.00 (BG). Mineral content results revealed that calcium varied from 0.14 0.000% (LB) to 0.23 0.0003% (AYB), phosphorus varied from 0.20 0.0001% (AYB) to 0.38 0.00% (BG), sodium varied from 0.12 0.00% (LB and WB) to 0.35 0.0006% (AYB), potassium varied from 0.69 0.00% (LB) to 1.12 0.00% (BG), magnesium varied from 0.15 0.0002% (AYB) to 0.27 0.000% (BG) and iron varied from 44.84 0.03 (mg/g) (WB) to 80.98 0.0007(mg/g) (AYB). Results of functional properties showed that bulk density ranged from 0.45±0.04 g/mL (WB) to 0.77±0.08 g/mL (SB), water absorption capacity ranged from 168.33±0.03 g/100g (LB) to 183.62±0.01 g/100g (SB), oil absorption capacity ranged from 146.54 ±0.02 g/100g (LB) to 161.55±0.02 g/100g (JB), emulsion capacity ranged from 79.67 ±0.02 g/100g (LB) to 89.46±0.02 g/100g (SB) and dispersibility ranged from81.0±1.41%(SB) to 86.5±0.71% (BG). The study concluded that all the underutilized legumes have varying nutritional and functional properties, which should be exploited for nutritional benefits and industrial applications, as a solution to the problem of food shortage, especially in the developing countries.