Quality evaluation of chin-chin produced from a blend of wheat flour and an underutilised edible plant: Cissus populnea flour

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition in most developing countries like Nigeria can be reduced by promoting the use of geographically available underutilized edible plants.

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the proximate composition and sensory properties of chin-chin made from Cissus populnea-wheat composite flours

Methods: Cissus populnea stems were processed into flour (CPF) and used to substitute wheat flour at different portions of 0% (sample A), 10% (sample B), 20% (sample C), 30 % (sample D), 40% (sample E), 50% (sample F) and 100% (sample G). The composite flours were processed into chinchin. Proximate composition of the chin-chin was determined using AOAC methods while the acceptability was determined from sensory attributes of the chin-chin using 25 panellists. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), means were separated using Duncan New Multiple Range Test and considered significant at p ≤ 0.05.

Results: The proximate values of the chin-chin ranged from 3.18-3.54%, 5.22-12.98% ,6.33-10.66%, 2.00-3.56% ,2.28-3.02% and 59.61-79.89% for moisture, protein, fat, ash, crude fibre and carbohydrate, respectively. Protein, ash and fat contents increased with increased substitution of wheat flour while moisture, fibre and carbohydrates decreased. All the samples were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) different from the control especially in the protein content. The most accepted sample was the 100% wheat flour (WH). There was no significant (p ≤ 0.05) difference in the overall acceptability of sample D and sample E.

Conclusion: Chin-chin made from Cissus populnea-wheat composite blend had good nutritional quality when compared with the 100% wheat flour chin-chin as the protein, ash and fat content increased. Although its acceptability needs to be improved.

Keywords: Cissus populnea, chin-chin, proximate analysis, sensory attributes.