Changes in nutritional, texture, rancidity and microbiological properties of composite biscuits produced from breadfruit and wheat flours enriched with edible fish meal

Open Access Article; Published online: 30 Apr 2021The use of indigenous crops in the preparation of nutritious snacks such as biscuits has been reported as a means of alleviating the perennial problem of malnutrition among Nigerians, especially children. However, storage has been recognised as a factor affecting the attributes of these biscuits. This study investigated the quality changes of biscuit produced from fish meal enriched-composite flour of breadfruit and wheat. Freshly harvested seedless variety of breadfruit, matured catfish, wheat flour and other ingredients were procured from local outlets in Ogun State, Nigeria. Breadfruit flour (BF) was produced by washing, manual peeling, washing, grating, bagging, dewatering, pulverizing and drying. Edible fish meal (EFM) was produced by washing, eviscerating, steaming and drying Catfish. Five blends of BF, WF and EFM were obtained from the optimised solutions of the D-optimal mixture design. Samples were stored (HDPE; 28 ± 2 °C) for 12 weeks. The proximate and mineral compositions, rancidity, texture profile and microbial counts of the biscuits were determined. Data were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and independent sample t-test. The means from ANOVA were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at p ≤ 0.05. At the end of the storage period, the biscuit blends were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) different in moisture, protein, fat, fibre, ash, carbohydrate, calcium, iron and zinc. Increased levels of EFM in the blends led to increase in protein, fat, calcium, peroxide value (PV) and free fatty acid (FFA) value of the biscuits. At the end of the storage period, moisture increased, while fat decreased. The PV and FFA of most samples increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with storage, and were within the maximum permissible level. Total bacterial and mould counts also increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) and exceeded the permissible level after 4 weeks of storage. Hence, the biscuits are suitable for consumption within 4 weeks under the investigated storage conditions

Nutritional, texture, and sensory properties of composite biscuits produced from breadfruit and wheat flours enriched with edible fish meal

Open Access Article; Published online: 30 Sept 2020This study aimed to develop biscuits with improved nutritional contents using edible fish meal from catfish as the source of macro‐ and micronutrient enrichment while trying to reduce the input of wheat flour in biscuit‐making process. The biscuit was produced using edible fish meal (EFM: 0%–40%) from catfish, improved quality breadfruit (IQBF: 0%–60%), and wheat flours (WF: 0%–40%). Macro (crude protein, fat, fiber, ash, and carbohydrate)‐ and micro (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and iron)‐nutrient contents of the biscuit were determined. The color (lightness—L*, redness—a*, and yellowness—b*), texture (hardness, springiness, and adhesiveness), and sensory (taste, texture, and overall acceptability) attributes of the biscuits were assessed using standard methods. Model characteristics of the responses were profiled, and numerical optimization technique was used to predict combination/blends that produce biscuits with desired nutritional contents. Moisture, crude protein, fat, fiber, and ash values were in the range of 3.50%–5.57%, 3.06%–15.52%, 13.62%–26.00%, 0.31%–1.40%, and 1.98%–5.32%, respectively. The iron, calcium, and phosphorus contents of the biscuit ranged from 103.85 to 201.30 mg/100 g, 100 to 754 mg/100 g, and 8 mg/100 g to 304 mg/100 g, respectively. Interaction between the models for WF and EFM was significant and this significantly affected the L* (36.37–51.90) and adhesiveness (0.01–0.29) values for color and texture, respectively. Similar observations were also noticed for most of the nutrients. The quadratic models selected for the nutrients were all significant (p < .05) and the adjusted R2 ranged from 0.61 to 0.84 and 0.59 to 0.97 for the macro‐ and micronutrients, respectively. In conclusion, a biscuit from IQBF, WF, and EFM of 61.33, 0.07, and 38.60 with protein, fat, ash, iron, and calcium contents of 10.41%, 17.59%, 2.05%, 120.52 mg/100 g, and 500.00 mg/100 g, respectively, was produced

Socioeconomic determinants of food waste among households in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeris

Due to rapid urbanization, population growth, rising living standards as well as changing lifestyle and diets, food waste has emerged as a crucial issue with far reaching implications on food security and environmental sustainability in developing countries, including Nigeria. Consequently, this study examined socioeconomic factors influencing household food waste in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Data were collected using multi-stage sampling procedure, and analysed using descriptive statistics and Tobit regression. The average value of food waste was N1, 499.67 per month with cereals accounting for the largest percentage (27.97%) of total value of food waste. Food waste is mostly experienced during storage and as left-over across various food groups. The results of the Tobit regression model showed that gender and age of household, location of households (rural dummy), household income, type of work of household head, presence of children, presence of refrigerator and unawareness of the environmental effects of waste had varying significant influences on household food waste of different food groups in the study area. The study recommends that government should improve the level of infrastructure development (electricity), in order to encourage households to utilize refrigerators and other electricity dependent storage equipment, which can help reduce the amount of food waste. In addition, public enlightenment about the moral and environmental effects of food waste should be pursued vigorously