Physico-thermal and Pasting Properties of Soy-Melon-Enriched “Gari” Semolina from Cassava.

The physical, thermal and pasting properties of “gari”, a fermented and toasted cassava granule, enriched with 10% full fat soy-melon protein supplements, at different processing stages, were studied.  The stages at which the gari meal was enriched were: after fermentation but before toasting (PRT, soak-mix method) and after toasting (AFT, dry-mix method).  Based on the result of the analysis of the physical properties, the swelling index of the samples decreased from 3.79 for the control sample to a range of 3.15-3.34 for the enriched samples.  Wettability values increased from 49 s for the control sample to about 135-148 s for the enriched gari.  A decrease in porosity from 42% for the control sample to 29.33%-32.33% for the enriched samples relative to their moisture contents was observed in the enriched samples.  Enriched “gari” sample of minimum average particle size (AFT) have the highest angle of repose of 37° while the control sample of maximum average particle size have the lowest angle of repose of 29°.  There was an increase in the degree of penetration by cone penetrometer from 19 mm for the control sample to a range of 22.43-23.90 mm for the enriched samples indicating higher gel strength for the control sample.  On the basis of the thermal properties, there was increase in swelling power and the solubility of all the samples with increase in temperature.  The control “gari” had significantly higher swelling power in a range of 5.17-6.68 g/g compared to that of the enriched samples (4.61-5.27 g/g) between the temperature of 45 and 90℃.  The control sample exhibited higher specific heat capacity of 1.222 kJ/(kg·K) than the enriched samples that ranged between 1.085-1.118 kJ/(kg·K).  On the basis of the pasting properties, the control sample had the highest viscosity of 300.92 RVU while the enriched samples had lower viscositiy.  The enriched samples formed paste at lower temperature 79.20-80.05℃ and took shorter time 3.93-4.07 min to gelatinize.  The enriched “gari” sample exhibited high setback and breakdown viscosity values of indicating that its paste will have lower stability against retrogradation than the un-enriched gari samples. Keywords: Physico-thermal, pasting, toasting, enrichment, soy-melon “gari”&nbsp

Nutritional Composition, Antioxidant and Sensory Properties of a Maize-based Snack (Kokoro) Enriched with Defatted Sesame and Moringa Seed Flour

Kokoro, a maize-based snack was made from maize flour and supplemented with Moringa seed flour (MSS) and defatted sesame flour (DSF) flours with the aim of improving its nutritional quality. An experimental design was carried out using optimal mixture model of response surface methodology which yielded 16 formulations in which three blends in terms of the best proximate composition and the control sample (100% maize) were selected. The snacks were analyzed for proximate, mineral, amino acid composition, sensory and antioxidant properties. Proximate analysis results showed significant (p<0.05) increase in protein (9.25–24.23%), fat (15.07–35.25%), ash (2.25–4.25%) content, and energy value (508.43–607.71 KJ/ g), while crude fiber (7.58–5.80%), moisture (4.58-3.64%) and carbohydrate (61.27–26.83%) content decreased with inclusion of MSF and DSF. Potassium (4.02-5.03mg/100 g) was the predominant mineral, followed by calcium (3.31-5.41mg/100 g) and potassium (1.67-3.75mg/100 g). Glutamic acid was the most abundant non–essential amino acids while leucine was the predominant essential amino acid in the enriched “kokoro”. There was an increase in the amino acid content (except for aspartic acid, arginine and histidine) of the kokoro samples as the proportions of MSF and DSF increased. The result also showed that the essential amino acid index, predicted biological value, protein efficiency ratio and nutritional index of the enriched kokoro were higher than the control sample with values ranging from 0.6108-0.8944, 54.88-85.79%, 1.63-3.49g/100g and 5.65-21.67%, respectively. The result also showed that there was a significant (p<0.05) increase in the flavonoid, phenolic content and DPPH of the kokoro as supplementation with MSF and DSF increased. The control sample compared favourably with kokoro supplemented with 6.25% and 17.5% MSF and DSF, respectively, in terms of sensory evaluation. Hence, acceptable and nutritious kokoro snacks from this blend can be formulated which could enhance the nutritional wellness of consumers

Safety Assessment of Locusta migratoria Powder Enriched Peanut-Based Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF)

Migratory locust has been widely reported as a quality protein source. However, there are food safety problems related with the usage of insects as food. In this study, migratory locust powder (MLP) was used as a protein supply alternative to milk powder (MP) in peanut-based RUTFs. Seven formulations were obtained at different substitution levels (0 – 30%) of MP with MLP. Pesticide residues, aflatoxins, triazine and toxic metals were analysed using a GC-MS system and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Formulation with 30% MLP and without milk have the highest level of organochlorine (3.22 µg/kg), organophosphorus (0.40-4.56µg/kg) amongst others. Aflatoxins of the therapeutic foods increased with increasing levels of MLP. The heavy metals, melamine, and cyanuric acid of the RUTFs were below the standard permissible limits. Migratory locust powder could be used as an alternate protein source in the formulation of peanut based RUTFs without posing health threat