Comparison of Proximate Composition of Some Cultivars of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Cultivated in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

The proximate composition of some cultivars of chickpea grown in Department of Crop Science and Technology, Postgraduate Teaching and Research farm Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO was investigated and compared. Two chickpea types namely Kabuli (ICCK 7323 and ICCK 9895) and Desi (cultivars ICCD 867, ICCD 12866, ICCD 8522, and ICCD 9586) were used in the work. The chickpea seeds were respectively crushed into meal and analyzed for Moisture, Protein, Fat, Fibre, Ash, Carbohydrate and Energy value using standard methods. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using the Duncan New Multiple Test at (p<0.05). The proximate composition of all the chickpea cultivars were significantly (p<0.05) different from each other. The ranges were protein (12.72% to 19.46%); Ash ((3.05% to 10.85%), Energy value (345.6kcal/g to 450.67kcal/g) and Carbohydrate (8.81% to 39.80%). Cultivar ICCK7323 (Kabuli-type) had the highest protein content (19.46%), and cultivar ICCD867 (Desi-type) had the highest crude fibre (11.18%) and ash (10.85%) content respectively. Similarly, cultivar ICCK9895 (Kabuli-type) had the highest carbohydrate content (39.80%) while cultivar ICCD12866 (Desi-type) had the highest energy value (450.67kcal/g). Results show that chickpea cultivars (Kabuli-type) had higher values in protein, crude fibre, and carbohydrate, while cultivars (Desi-type) had higher values in fat, ash and energy. Keywords: Chickpea, cultivars, proximate composition, sensory compariso

Combined impact of freezing and soaking times on different cowpea varieties' flour functionality and resultant gel strength, sensory and product yield of moi-moi

The preparation of moi-moi either from cowpea flour (processed by dry-milling) or paste (processed by wet-milling) has evolved from the indigenous processing methods. Feasibly, freezing should enhance the characteristics of the cowpea grain, and when combined with conventional processing, help to improve emergent products. In this current work, therefore, the combined impact of freezing with soaking times on different cowpea varieties' flour functionality and resultant gel strength, sensory and product yield of moi-moi were studied. Analysis of flour functionality involved the determinations of moisture content, bulk density, oil absorption capacity, swelling index and water absorption capacity, whereas those of moi-moi products involved gel strength, sensory and (product) yield. Across the cowpea flour samples, the functional attributes significantly differed (p 0.05), except for the aroma (p < 0.05). Moi-moi products' yield varied widely (p < 0.05) by different reconstituted water volumes. Overall, combining freezing with conventional processing that involved reconstituted water volumes of cowpea promises an enhanced moi-moi yield

Functional, Cooking, Sensory and Microbial Properties of FARO 44 Brown Rice as Affected by Milling and Germination

Germinated brown rice (GBR) was produced from FARO 44 rice cultivar by sterilizing the paddy in sodium hypochlorite solution, steeping it in potable water and germination of the de-husked grain. Germination temperatures were maintained at 30 and 40oC for 12 and 36 h. The mould content, functional, cooking and sensory properties of the GBR were compared to non-germinated brown rice (BR) and non-germinated parboiled milled rice (MR) which were used as controls. The results showed that germination temperatures did not significantly affect (p&lt;0.05) the parameters analyzed. The germinating conditions did not encourage the growth of moulds. The foaming capacity (55.73%), foam stability (43.11%), water absorption capacity (1.24 g/g), and oil absorption capacity (1.07 g/g) of BR did not differ significantly (p&lt;0.05) from that of MR but they increased significantly in GBR to the range of 66.43-73.05%, 60.48-74.715%, 2.15-2.88 g/g, and 1.95-3.08 g/g respectively. These values were significantly higher (p&lt;0.05) at germination duration of 36 h than 12 h. The bulk density (0.93 g/cm3) and swelling power (6.78 g/g) of BR did not differ from that of MR but they decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05) in GBR to the range of 0.61-0.90 g/cm3 and 2.67-4.70 g/g respectively. Much significantly lower (p&lt;0.05) values were obtained at a germination duration of 36 h. The cooking time was least in MR (11.0 min) against BR (18.0 min) and GBR (12.0-15.0 min), and the water uptake ratio (g water/ g rice) was also least in MR (2.00) against BR (2.19) and GBR (2.20-2.37). MR and GBR germinated for 12 h were accepted while BR was rejected