Functional, chemical and sensory properties of maize pudding enriched with soybean and pawpaw flours

Abstract

This study aimed at determining the functional, chemical and sensory properties of maize pudding enriched with soybean and pawpaw flours. The maize, soybean grains and pawpaw fruits were processed into flours, five samples were formulated and coded as: M123 (maize 100 %), M321 (maize 90 % soybean 5 % pawpaw 5 %), M132 (maize 85 % soybean 10 % pawpaw 5 %), M213 (maize 80 % soybean 10 % pawpaw 10 %), M231 (maize 70 % soybean 20 % pawpaw 10 %) and were used to produce puddings. Functional properties, proximate, mineral and vitamin compositions and sensory properties were carried out using standard methods. The bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity and swelling capacity of the samples ranged from 0.59 – 0.83 g/mL, 45.5 – 48.5 g/g, 65.85 – 71.22 g/g and 3.6 - 4.7 mL/g, respectively. The carbohydrate, protein, moisture and the fibre contents ranged from 65.55 % to 75.41 %, 7.07 % to 11.33 %, 12.06 % to 13.28 % and 1.15 % to 2.55 %, respectively. The mineral and vitamin contents increased with increase in the percentage of soybean and pawpaw in the formulated samples. The sensory attributes showed that M213 (maize 80 % soybean 10 % pawpaw 10 %) was the most acceptable by the panellists. This study revealed that incorporating soybean paste and pawpaw flour into maize pudding increased the vitamin A and protein contents of maize pudding, and could serve as a potential tool in the management of protein and micronutrients deficiencies.