Quality assessment of Nigerian honey sourced from different floral locations

Comparative studies on the quality of honey obtained from different floral locations in Nigeria were investigated. Parameters such as physical properties, chemical, mineral, microbial contents and antimicrobial activity as well as organoleptic quality were evaluated. The results of the physico-chemical properties show the following range of values for acidity (1.36 – 1.55%), soluble solids (80.96 – 82.00%), specific gravity (1.41 – 1.44) and sweetness index (52.52 – 62.73). While the proximate values were: moisture (15.69 – 18.41%), protein (0.90 – 1.15%), fat (0.12 – 0.21%), ash (0.26 – 0.38%) and carbohydrate (79.94 – 82.71%). Potassium (55.31 mg/100 g) and calcium (5.14 mg/100 g) were the dominant minerals in the honey samples. The highest microbial count was observed in sample NSK (1.4±0.14 x 102 cfu/100 g). There were no observable coliform growths in all the samples. All the honey samples exhibited antibacterial activities with clear zones that range from 2.05 – 6.10 mm. Honey samples KAD and ABJ had the best overall acceptance scores of 8.49 and 8.27 respectively.Keywords: Honey, proximate, mineral, antibacterial, organoleptic

Evaluation of the nutritional and sensory quality of functional breads prepared from whole wheat and soybean flour blends.

The use of whole wheat and soybean flour blends in the production of functional breads was studied. The flour blends of whole wheat and soybean were composites at replacement levels of 10, 20, 30 and 40% while the whole wheat flour bread (sample A) served as control. The proximate composition of the various flour blends used for the preparation of the breads were determined using standard methods. The bread loaves were produced using the straight-dough procedure and were subsequently evaluated for their nutritional composition and sensory attributes. The physico-chemical analyses results obtained showed an increase in the range of 11.0% for moisture, 4.37% for protein, 2.40% for fat, 2.35% for crude fibre, 0.85% for ash and a decrease in carbohydrate and energy contents by 20.92 and 44.60% respectively. There was also a decrease in bread volume and dough expansion by 64.50 and 13.0% respectively, with progressive inclusion of the soybean flour. The sensory analysis showed that there was no significant difference observed between the whole wheat bread and the soy bread samples in the sensory attributes of crust colour and crumb appearance, While significant difference (p<0.05) was observed in texture, flavour and overall preference respectively. It was concluded that a substitution of 10% soy flour into wheat flour gave the bread with the best overall quality acceptability

Differential scanning calorimetry determination of gelatinization rates in different starches due to microwave heating

Wheat, corn and rice starch dispersions having water-starch ratios of 1.0:1.0, 1.5:1.0 and 2.0:1.0 (w/w) were heated in a microwave oven for 15 to 30 s and the degree of gelatinization was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. During 15 to 25 s of microwave heating, corn starch gelatinization rates were significantly lower and slower than wheat and rice starch rates. Beyond 25 s of heating no significant difference in the degree of gelatinization was detected. Microwave heating was nonuniform and produced chalky regions that were significantly less gelatinized than normally pasted regions. The chalky regions were due to the low water content. The quantitative quadratic model developed to depict the relation between water content and the rate of gelatinization during microwave heating of corn, rice and wheat starches showed a good fit with the experimental data

Nutritional and sensory quality of composite extruded complementary food

Complementary foods in Ethiopia have nutritional and sensory limitations which can be attributed to cereal‐dominated ingredients and lack of appropriate processing techniques. This study aimed to optimize the nutritional and sensory quality of complementary food product through compositing and extrusion of various local ingredients. A constrained D‐optimal mixture experiment with 13 runs was designed. Accordingly, 55–65 g/100 g oats, 11–23 g/100 g soybean and 6–11 g/100 g linseed, and a premix of 9.9 g/100 g sugar, 0.6 g/100 g table salt, three g/100 g moringa and 1.5 g/100 g fenugreek were blended and extruded using a co‐rotating twin screw extruder with set parameters. Statistical model evaluation and optimization were done using Minitab version 16 software package. There is a statistically significant (p < 0.05) association between the blend of oats and soybean, oats and linseed, soybean and linseed, and the protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, ash, β‐carotene content as well as aroma, taste, and consistency. On the contrary, there is a no statistically significant (p < 0.05) association between the blends and moisture, energy, and zinc content together with appearance and overall acceptability. The optimal blending ratio was 55.0 g/100 g oats, 21.0 g/100 g soybean, and 9.0 g/100 g linseed plus 15.0 g/100 g premix. Evidence‐based selection of locally grown plant‐based ingredients, an optimal mixture of these ingredients and optimal processing, can result in a complementary food product with an improved dietary quality for children in low‐income settings