Nutrient composition and sensory properties of juice made from pitanga cherry (Eugenia uniflora L.) fruits

This study examined the nutrient composition and sensory properties of fruit juice produced from fruits of Pitanga cherry (Eugenia uniflora L.). Ripe Pitanga cherry fruits were harvested from the premises of the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Nigeria and used for the study. The fruits were sorted and washed thoroughly. The seeds were removed manually and the pulp was blended in a high speed Kenwood kitchen blender with little water (pulp: water; 4:1) for 10 minutes. The mixture wasscreened through a clean double folded cheese cloth into a beaker. The fruit juice was boiled in hot water for 15 minutes and poured into sterilized bottles for nutrient composition and sensory evaluation. Standard assay methods were used to analyze the nutrient content of the Pitanga cherry juice (PCJ). Standard black currant fruit drink (BCD) was bought from the market and used as control. A 9-point hedonic scale was adopted to evaluate the sensory properties of the two samples. Both samples had lowlevels of some of the proximate components but PCJ had higher fat (0.54%), fibre (0.553%) and ash (1.003%) contents. Total sugar for PCJ was 8.76% and BCD (13.72%). Energy value was 54.83 kcal for PCJ and 48.80 kcal for BCD. There were significant differences (P0.05).The Pitanga cherry juice contained significant quantities of potassium (101.26 mg),  magnesium (15.52 mg), phosphorus (11.26 mg), calcium (10.75 mg), sodium (10.35 mg) and zinc (3.74 mg). However, the iron content was low (0.27 mg). The mineral content of PCJ was higher (

Production And Evaluation Of Doughnuts And Biscuits From Maize – Pigeon Pea Flour Blends

Flour blends of maize and pigeon pea were composite at replacement levels of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% and 90%. The nutrient contents of the flour blends were determined using standard methods. The various flour blends were used for the preparation of doughnuts and biscuits. These products were analyzed for their proximate composition and sensory attributes. The protein content of the blends increased steadily with increasing content of pigeon pea flour (PPF) (9.05% in 90:10.MF: PPF to 22.72%in 10:90,MF:PPF) while carbohydrate decreased . Similarly the protein content of the biscuits and doughnuts increased with increasing supplementation with pigeon pea. Protein contents in biscuit increased from 8.76% in 90:10, MF:PPF to 14.83% in 10:90, MF:PPF samples. Corresponding figures for doughnuts were 9.13% to 16.45%. Biscuits made from either maize flour (MF) alone or wheat flour alone were more generally accepted than those made from the various blends (p0.05). Key words: Biscuits, doughnuts, Sensory evaluation, maize-pigeon pea flour blends. Nigerian Food Journal Vol.22 2004: 147-15

Evaluation of Glycemic Indices of Rice (served with stew) prepared from four Varieties of Rice in Abakaliki, Nigeria.

Objectives: The increasing rate of diabetic patients in Nigeria calls for concern. There is also the need for enough information on the glycemic index (GI) of many commonly consumed foods in Nigeria. This study was therefore designed to determine the glycemic indices of local varieties of rice produced in Abakaliki and to identify the variety that would be better tolerated by diabetic patients in the locality. Subjects/materials and methods: The GIs of four rice varieties namely FARO-44, FARO-51, FARO-52 and NERICA-1 were determined by feeding a fixed portion of the prepared rice containing 50g of carbohydrate to 12 healthy volunteers. Finger-prick blood samples were investigated at 30 minutes intervals after a period of 2 hours following the ingestion of the prepared meal. Blood glucose response was monitored using a glucometer. Blood glucose curves were then constructed using blood glucose values at time 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after the meals. The GIs were calculated by dividing the incremental area under the curve (IAUC) for tested food by that of the standard food IAUC (white bread). Results: The results showed that FARO-52 had GI of 75, FARO-44, with GI of 77; NERICA-1 had GI of 88, while the GI of FARO-51 was 98. Therefore FARO-44 and FARO-52 with the lowest GIs should be preferred to the other varieties for diabetic patients. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that some rice varieties (FARO-52 and FARO-44) in Abakaliki area could be used for dietary management of diabetes when appropriately prescribed