ABSTRACT

The study evaluated the the proximate composition, sensory properties and consumer preferences of steamed dough prepared from five bambara nut varieties. Five varieties of bambara nut seed (cream/white eye, speckled/flecked/spotted, brown, cream/brown and cream/black eye) were procured and processed into flour. The flour was analyzed for their functional properties while the proximate, mineral, phtochemical, starch profile, fibre profile and sensory characteristics of the steamed dough were examined. Functional properties ranged from 0.56 to 0.64 g/ml, 1.67 t 1.82 g/ml, 0.92 to 1.08 g/ml and 2.31 to 2.42 for bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity and swelling index respectively. The proximate composition ranged from 49.98 to 50.22 %, 12.03 to 12.36%, 13.07 to 19.53%, 1.27 to 1.67, 1.97 to 2.15%, 14.36 to 21.25 % and 257.75 to 282.34 kcal for moisture, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash, carbohydrate and energy value respectively. The mineral content ranged from 3.42 to 4.62 mg/100 g, 13.15 to 14.04 mg/100 g, 0.21 to 0.32 mg/100 g, 0.41 to 0.74 mg/100 g, 2.14 to 2.62 mg/100 g, 11.34 to 13.94 mg/100 g for sodium, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron and phosphorous respectively. The phytochemicals ranged from 1.26 to 1.49 mg/100 g, 0.13 to 0.33 mg/100 g, 5.63 to 6.53 mg/100 g for phytate, tannin and trypsin inhibitor respectively. The starch profile showed 21.32 to 23.04 %, 32.72 to 33.52 %, 54.70 to 54.87 %, 5.22 to 5.32 % for rapidly digestible starch, slowly resistant starch, total starch and resistant starch respectively. The dietary fibre profile showed 3.02 to 3.16 %, 4.03 to 5.23 % and 7.09 to 8.63 % for soluble dietary fibre, insoluble dietary fibre and total dietary fibre profile respectively. Sensory analysis showed that all the samples were well accepted and consumers indicated their willingness to accept the samples for normal consumption at a given price