Pigeon peas: An opportunity for improving nutrient content of food consumed among resource-poor households to ensure sustainable health

Abstract

Pigeon pea is an affordable legume and important source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Despite its nutritional importance, the crop has not been adequately utilized for human consumption in Tanzania due to limited recipes, knowledge and inadequate agricultural development. This study aimed utilising pigeon peas to enrich the nutrient content of food consumed among resource poor households Laboratory-based experiments and consumer preference tests were conducted in Morogoro and Lindi regions. A total of 452 consumers were involved to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Analysis of Variance was used to check whether there is a difference between sample means. Tukey test was used to determine differences between the samples at p<0.05. Pigeon pea-based noodles, instant porridge, chapatti, biscuits, African doughnut and bread were developed and tested for their sensory attributes at a five-point Likert scale. Developed products had more than 50% of recommended intake of protein, iron, zinc and pro vitamin A. Highest preference scores for colour, aroma and mouthfeel were observed in all pigeon pea-based products with differences between samples. Samples PPBN718 (noodles), PPIPofspr (porridge), PPBS123 (biscuit), PPBC412 (chapatti), PPAD234 (African doughnut) and PPBB917 (bread) were most preferred among others. The Pairwise Comparison counts indicated that 87% of consumers most preferred instant porridge and 58% preferred the bread. The reason for preferences differs significantly among age groups and sex. Incorporate pigeon peas flour into different foods significantly improve the nutrient content of developed foods products. This creates an opportunity of pigeon peas to enrich different foods products.