Proximate Composition, Rheology and Sensory Qualities of Corn – cocoyam Salad Cream

Objective: The study examined how much of corn starch can be substituted of with cocoyam starch in salad cream without affecting its functional properties. Materials and Method: Corn – cocoyam salad cream was prepared from varied percentage substitution of corn starch (Cs) ingredient with cocoyam starch (Cy) (100Cs, 75Cs: 25Cy, 50Cs:50cy, 25Cs:75Cy, and 100Cy) and compared with that of commercial Heinz salad cream in terms of their proximate composition, rheology and sensory properties . Results: The results showed that varied quantities of corn-cocoyam starch in salad cream did not affect the moisture and protein contents of the cream (48.98 – 49.79 and 2.63 – 3.28%) compared to that of Heinz salad cream (48.80 and 2.96%) respectively. The carbohydrate, fat and ash contents of corn-cocoyam salad cream (18.96 – 19.95, 27.04 - 27.99 and 0.59 -0.79 %, respectively) were significantly different (p < 0.05) from that of Heinz salad cream (17.92, 29.68 and 0.64%, respectively). As the percentage of cocoyam starch in the salad cream increased, the carbohydrate content gradually increased, while the fat and ash contents reduced gradually. Conclusion: Replacement of corn starch with cocoyam starch up to the level of 50% in salad cream will not negatively affect the rheology and sensory attributes of salad cream. Thus inclusion of 50% corn starch and 50% cocoyam starch could be recommended for production of salad cream. Key words: proximate, rheology, sensory, corn- cocoyam, salad crea