Nigerian Food Journal

Postprandial glycemic response of coconut fibre-enriched bread in apparent healthy subjects

O.P. Ibidapo — 2024-11-14

Increased intake of dietary fibre is becoming very relevant in the human diet as a result of the significant role played by dietary fibre in regulating the postprandial release of blood glucose. This study investigated the glycemic response and index of coconut fibre-enriched bread in healthy subjects. Proximate analysis and glycemic index (GI) of the samples were determined according to standard analytical procedures. Significant (p<0.05) differences existed in the chemical composition of the coconut fibre-enriched (CNB) and whole wheat bread (WWB) samples except in the ash contents. The CNB had significantly (p<0.05) higher protein, fat and total dietary fibre contents (9.60, 6.09, and 9.53%) than the WWB (control) with 9.01, 5.09, and 9.29% respectively. Significant (p<0.05) differences also existed in the mean blood glucose responses between time intervals from 30 min up to 120 min, but there was no significant(p>0.05) difference in the standard, control, and test samples at 0 min. The results showed that the GI of CNB was 93 while WWB was 97, although these GI values were not significantly (p>0.05) different. These findings, therefore, suggest that consumption of coconut fibre-enriched bread, being of lower GI, can, in the long run, have a better and healthier effect on the body system and will be of higher nutritional benefit.

Effect of drying methods on the functional, physicochemical, pasting, and sensory properties of unripe plantain flour and its cooked paste (Amala)

A.J. Anozie — 2024-11-14

The effects of drying methods on the functional, chemical, pasting, and sensory properties of unripe plantain flour and its cooked paste (amala) was investigated. Grated, dewatered and pulverized unripe plantain wet cake were dried using flash, solar, and sun drying to generate flour. Functional, physicochemical, pasting, and sensory properties of amala paste, were assessed. Values obtained were 5.90 to 9.91 for moisture, 80.51 to 85.78 for carbohydrate, 1.92 to 2.92 for crude fat, 1.85 to 3.53 for crude protein, 1.30 to 2.25 for ash and 1.38 to 2.22 for crude fibre. The lowest moisture content was obtained in the flash-dried sample. Sun and flash-dried samples gave the highest iron, sodium, and potassium values. The highest values for total starch, resistant starch, and amylose contents were obtained in flash and sun-dried samples, solar dried samples gave the lowest values. Flash-dried flour showed significantly high values for water absorption capacity. Flash and sun-dried flour showed significant values for wettability, while flash and solar-dried flours had high values for dispersibility, bulk density, and swelling index at 60, 70, 80 and 100°C (6.31, 6.36, 6.69 and 6.84 respectively). Sun-dried samples had the highest values for swelling power at 70, 80, 90, and 100°C (10.70, 10.73, 13.53, and 14.46, respectively). Flash- dried flour had the highest peak, trough, and final viscosity values for the pasting profile. Sensory scores showed that flash-dried amala had highest scores, while its flour had desirable proximate composition, functional and pasting properties.

Evaluation of proximate, physical and sensory properties of snacks produced from wheat, banana puree and roasted peanut grits

I.A. Sengev — 2024-11-14

The quality of snacks produced from blends of wheat, banana puree and roasted peanut grits was investigated. A workable ratio of 40% wheat flour (WF) to 60% banana puree (BP) was established via trial runs to form WBP0 as control and 5, 10, 15 and 20 % roasted peanut grits (RPG) was added at the expense of banana puree to produce WBP5, WBP10, WBP15 and WBP20, respectively. The proximate composition (%), physical and colour properties, and sensory attributes were determined using established methods. The protein, fat, ash and energy values increased significantly (p<0.05) and ranged from 13.14 to 18.77, 1.11 to 15.68, 1.93 to 2.47 and 394.90 to 467.50 kcal/100 g, respectively, as the amount of RPG increased while the moisture and carbohydrate decreased significantly from 26.55 to 17.78 and 86.09 to 64.34, respectively. The physical properties of the snacks in terms of diameter, thickness, weight and spread ratio ranged from 4.25 to 4.50 cm, 1.20 to 1.45 cm, 13.55 to 19.50 g and 3.07 to 3.75, respectively with no significant difference (p≥0.05). The colour attributes of the snacks and their derivatives changed significantly (p<0.05) with no definite trends. Lightness (L*), redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) ranged from 63.36 to 68.56, 5.42 to 5.64 and 11.88 to 12.64, respectively. The perception of the snacks in terms of appearance, aftertaste, flavour, crispness and acceptability showed marginal differences with no significant difference (p≥0.05). The inclusion of RPG up to 20 % increased the protein, fat and energy values of the snacks.

Quantification of aflatoxins levels in selected retailed food stuffs in Osogbo using high performance thin layer chromatography (HP-TLC) and biodetoxification potentials of Lactobacillus casei strains

T. Ozabor — 2024-11-14

This study was designed to investigate the biodexofication potentials of lactic acid bacteria on aflatoxigenic fungi associated with food products. Fungi isolation, purification and characterization from golden morn, maize and yam flour was done using the standard plating techniques. Aflatoxins production was tentatively confirmed by subjecting the isolates to ultraviolet light at 365 nm. Positive isolates were further screened for aflatoxins quantification and qualification using HP-TLC. Invitro biodetoxification by Lactobacillus casei IPTA2 and ILRA2 isolated from nunu and warankashi respesctively was determined using the agar well diffusion assay. The isolated fungal species were Aspergillus flavus (54%), A. niger (21%), A. parasiticus (6%), A. tubingiensis (4%), A. versicolor (6%), A. fumigatus (4%) and Fusarium oxysporum (5%) in the analysed food samples while the fungal occurrence was: 37%, 36% and 27 % for maize, yam flour and golden morn, respectively. In addition, Aspergiullus sp. distribution according to the market locations were 46%, 38%, 31%, 23% and 21% for Owode, Orisunmbare, Ota-efun, Oja-oba and Igbona markets,
respectively. HP-TLC analysis revealed that golden morn had a total aflatoxins quantification of 32 ppb for aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂ while yam flour had 5 ppb for aflatoxins B₁ only. The invitro biodetoxification by L. casei showed that the highest and lowest activity was demonstrated by L. casei IPTA2 (27mm) and L. casei ILR A2 (16 mm) on A. flavus and A. tubingiensi, respectively. Hence, the L. casei strains can be employed as LAB of industrial importance with biodetoxifying/biodegrading potentials in raw and processed foods.

Influence of fermentation on carotenoids and the sensory appeal of a solid-state fermented biofortified cassava product

L.A. Oyafajo — 2024-11-14

The introduction of biofortified cassava (BC) varieties was aimed at addressing vitamin A deficiency identified in sub-Saharan African countries. However, the challenges lie in preserving the carotenoids during the processing of BC roots due to the susceptibility of carotenoids to degradation. This study focused on investigating the impact of fermentation conditions on the retention of carotenoids and the sensory appeal of its gari and its cooked dough, eba, using Hedonic and just-about-right (JAR) scales. The solid-state fermented samples consistently retained high levels of trans isomer of beta carotene after 48 h in samples subjected to daylight conditions as well as those in a dark environment. Additionally, a negative correlation was observed between the percentage retention of total beta carotene and the yellowness of the fermented samples. The fermentation time had a significant (p<0.05) effect on the sensory attributes on the hedonic scale. The colour, aroma, mouldability, and texture of eba, were significantly (p<0.05) affected by the light exposure during fermentation. The texture and overall acceptability were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by the fermentation time when assessed using the JAR scale. In conclusion, carotenogenesis was achieved during the solid-state fermentation of biofortified cassava, and the most bioactive isomer of beta-carotene was optimally retained.

Effects of food safety perception on health outcomes of urban consumers of ready-to-eat foods in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

C.P. Adekunle — 2024-11-14

This study examined the effects of food safety perception on health outcomes of urban ready-to-eat (RTE) food consumers in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Primary data was collected on demographics, perceptions and attitudes about food safety, food consumption frequency, and foodborne illness episodes. A multistage sampling procedure was employed among 120 consumers of RTE foods across the major restaurants in Ibadan. Descriptive statistics, cost of illness, Tobit, and Multiple regression models were used to analyse the data. The mean of food safety perception was 0.31 indicating a low level of food safety perception among the RTE food consumers. Food and snacks accounted for 58.58 per cent, and 14.64 per cent of the total share of RTE food weekly consumption expenditure. The financial cost was ₦11,070/year, and the time cost of illness was estimated to be ₦12,500.0/year. It was found that the young are more likely to be infected with a foodborne illness, yet those older than 18 years and above are more likely to die of the illness. It was found that age, education, and food safety perception of urban consumers RTE food are the significant factors influencing the health status of the consumers. It is concluded that out-of-home food consumption is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the Ibadan metropolis. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that policy issues aimed at improving the health status of RTE food consumers should focus more on increasing education and awareness of obesity, as well as food safety issues.

The Potential of Raffia (Raphia hookeri) gum in stabilisation of ice cream, yoghurt and pineapple juice

P.N. Ekeocha — 2024-11-14

The study assessed the potential of raffia (Raphia hookeri) gum in ice cream, yoghurt, and pineapple juice stabilisation. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of extracted raffia gum in the stabilisation of some food products. Ice cream, yoghurt, and pineapple juice were produced and incorporated with the extracted gum. The physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of the treated three products were determined. The pineapple juice samples had pH range 3.55-4.25 and viscosity between 15.20 Pa.s and 25.32 Pa.s with total titratable acidity range of 0.44% -0.85 %. There was no syneresis in the pineapple juice and ice cream while the syneresis values in yoghurt ranged from 2.3 ml -8.3 ml in the first week and 2.5 ml -10.8 ml in the third week. All the three products had no coliform growth. The yeast/mold counts for the samples ranged from 2.76 × 10² CFU/ml-3.44 × 10² CFU/ml for pineapple juice, 2.43 × 10² CFU/ml-3.55 × 10² CFU/ml for yoghurt, and 2.14 × 10² CFU/ml-3.66 × 10² CFU/ml for ice cream. The study showed that raffia palm gum at 1.5 g/100 ml stabilised the sensory properties of the three products. This lends raffia palm gum as potential alternative to the food gum (acacia gum) in ice cream, yoghurt, and pineapple juice stabilisation.

Chemical composition, sensory property and glycemic response of ready-to-eat breakfast meal developed from partially milled rice

O.M. Mayaki — 2024-11-14

Ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast meals developed from brown rice milled to 9% degree of milling (DOM) were investigated for chemical composition, sensory properties, and glycemic response. A twin-screw laboratory extruder operated at 20 kg/h constant feed rate, 15.5% feed moisture, 284.5 rpm screw speed, and 176.5oC barrel temperature was used. The optimum proximate composition of the meal included 7.63% protein, 0.77% fat, 1.07 ash, 0.94% fibre and 81.62% carbohydrate with 3987.93 kCal/kg energy. The minerals were 3.5 calcium, 36.2 magnesium, 104.5 potassium, 8.4 sodium, and 223.4 mg/100 g phosphorus. Analysis showed significantly (p<0.05) higher protein, fat, ash, and energy and significantly (p<0.05) lower carbohydrate content in the RTE meal developed from 9% DOM compared to 12% DOM. The meal had higher calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and phosphorus than the meal developed at 12% DOM. The meal had high sensory scores for hardness, crispiness, adhesion, fracturability, and chewiness. Conversely, they had low scores for aroma, taste, and aftertaste, except for colour, the meal served with cold, lukewarm, and warm milk differed in sensory qualities. RTE meals hydrated with cold milk were the most preferred for texture attributes. The RTE with hot and lukewarm milk had better colour, aroma, taste, and after-taste scores than those with cold milk. Significant (p<0.05) reduction in the glycemic index of the developed product was observed, due to elevated protein and crude fat content, and reduced carbohydrate content. Brown rice at 9% DOM could provide nutrient-dense RTE breakfast meals with acceptable textural characteristics and moderate glycemic index.

Microbiological quality of fresh sugarcane juice as influenced by ginger and lemon extracts addition and pasteurisation

E.M Tersoo-Abiem — 2024-11-14

This study was carried out with the aim of minimising potential health risks posed to consumers of fresh sugarcane juice. Fresh sugarcane juice was produced with ginger and lemon as additives, pasteurised and held at ambient temperature for 24 h. The microbial safety of the sugarcane juices, enumeration and identification of the microbial species were carried out using standard microbiological techniques. There were significant (p>0.05) decreases in the total plate, total fungal, and lactic acid bacteria count with addition of ginger and lemon extracts, and pasteurisation. Values decreased from 4.11 log CFU/ml to 2.33 log CFU/ml, 3.43 log CFU/ml to 2.62 log CFU/ml and 4.11 log CFU/ml to 2.07 log CFU/ml for total bacterial, lactic acid bacterial and fungal counts, respectively. No Bacillus cereus growth was observed. The pH values of the fresh juice ranged between 5.50 and 4.00, depending on the treatment.
Bacteria identified from the various juice samples included Klebsiella spp, Enterococcus spp, Micrococcus spp, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, while fungi included Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Debaromyces spp, Aspergillus niger with Saccharomyces
spp having the highest population. Although the microbial load was within acceptable limits, safer sugarcane juice can
be produced using a combination of ginger and lemon extracts with pasteurisation.

Chemical composition, physical, functional, and sensory properties of cakes produced from blends of wheat, orange-fleshed sweet potato and moringa seed flours

P.C. Ibe — 2024-11-14

Cakes produced from blends of wheat, orange-fleshed sweet potato, and moringa seed flours were quality evaluated. Flours were prepared from sweet potato roots and moringa seeds. Ten samples with different ratios (100:0:0; 90:5:5; 80:15:5; 85:5:10; 70:25:5; 85:10:5; 65:30:5; 60:35:5; 80:10:10; 75:20:5) of the flours were generated using completely randomised design. The ash, carbohydrate, crude protein, and fat contents of the samples showed significant (p≤0.05) differences ranging from 2.45% to 3.20%, 56.57% to 65.95%, 12.62% to 14.74%, and 6.26% to 8.74%, respectively. The crude fiber ranged from 1.87% to 4.37%. The physical properties of cake samples evaluated were specific volume (2.43-2.84 mg/100g), weight (34.66-40.36 g), oven spring (9.36-0.53 cm³), and cake volume (2.42-2.74 cm³), which were significantly (p≤0.05) different. There were significant (p≤0.05) differences in the functional properties such as water absorption capacity (10.66-16.26%), oil absorption capacity (3.21-3.84 g/g), bulk density (0.46-0.67 g/cm³), and swelling index (6.26-10.63 g/cm³). The mineral contents of the cake samples were sodium (0.75-2.86 mg/100g), magnesium (0.56-0.84 g/100g), calcium (0.27-2.08 mg/100g), and iron (2.65-3.94 mg/100g). The β-carotene contents of the samples ranged from 218.6-2768.3 μg/100g, while the vitamin C contents ranged from 2.16-4.59 mg/100g. Significant (p≤0.05) differences existed in sensory parameters evaluated, with the 90:5:5 (wheat:orange-fleshed sweet potato:moringa seed) flour cake comparing favorably with the control (100% wheat cake). The sample HPI (60%:35%:5%) was recommended due to its high micronutrient value in terms of β-carotene, protein, fat, fiber, and ash contents, while sample BPI (90:5:5) was preferred by the panellists.

Nutrient composition and sensory evaluation of air and deep-fried yam chips

I.S. Asogwa — 2024-11-14

The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of air frying on the nutritional and sensory properties of yam chips. Yam chips of approximately equal dimensions (0.1 cm thickness, 0.8 cm width, and 9.0 cm height) were either deep or air fried for 10 min at 170^oC. Un-fried yam chips (RY) served as control. Proximate composition and vitamin content of the raw, air (AFC), and deep-fried (DFC) chips were determined, using standard methods. The free fatty acid, peroxide, and anisidine values, % oil uptake, and sensory properties were evaluated. There were significant (p<0.05) differences among the samples in the proximate composition, vitamin C, fatty acid, peroxide, and anisidine value (AV). The crude fat content of AFC was 7.8% while that of DFC was 17.40%. The moisture content of AFC (37.71%) was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of DFC (13.61%). The vitamin C content of the samples ranged from 0.70 mg/100 g to 1.20 mg/100 g with DFC having significantly (p<0.05) higher value than either RY or AFC. Free fatty acid, peroxide value, and AV of AFC (0.12%. 1.30 meq/Kg, 0.48) were lower than those of DFC (0.32%, 1.38 meq/Kg, 0.87Anv). The air-fried samples had significantly (p<0.05) higher scores for taste and overall acceptability but lower scores were recorded for oiliness. There was no significant (p>0.05) difference in the colour scores of the samples. This study showed that more acceptable low-fat yam chips can be produced using the air-frying method than the deep-frying method.