Evaluation of Pasting Properties of Plantain, Cooking Banana, Selected Cereals and their Composites as Indicators for their Food Values

The pasting properties of unripe plantain, unripe cooking banana, some selected cereals and their composite flours were investigated in relation to their food values. Each of the samples was cleaned, air–dried and pulverized to form the native flours which were mixed in different proportions to form the composite flours. Soft doughs were prepared from the flours and subjected to textural evaluation. The adjudged best from each set was analysed using Rapid Visco–Analyser followed by determination of their proximate composition and functional properties. The results showed that the breakdown viscosity (cP) of each of the composite flours was less than 920.50 in plantain and 915.50 in cooking banana, indicating improved ability to withstand shear stress. The values of the final viscosity of the composite flours were generally lower than the native flours of plantain and cooking banana which indicated better flow property. The setback viscosities of the composite flours were lower than the native cereal flours except sorghum which indicated lower tendency to undergo retro–degradation. Furthermore, the composite flours gelled at lower temperature (72.1–84.9 °C) when compared with the native flours (82.7–89.2 °C) reflecting less energy requirement for cooking. Combination of cereals with plantain or cooking banana had led to production of composite flours which gave better and improved pasting properties without depreciation in functional properties and nutritional composition. Keywords: Composite flour; Cereal–plantain; Cereal–cooking banana; Proximate composition; Functional and pasting properties