ABSTRACT

The nutrient composition, minerals and anti-nutrient properties of fresh, steamed and baked tofu coagulated with grape juice was studied. The proximate composition, mineral content, anti-nutrient properties and sensory attributes of the fresh, steamed and baked tofu samples were determined using standard laboratory procedures. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using Statistical Product of Service Solution (SPSS) version 23.0. The proximate composition of the tofu showed there was decrease in moisture content of the fresh tofu from 64.83% to 21.79% on baking. Baking also helped to increase the protein of fresh tofu from 16.46% to 18.65%. Fat increased from 2.73% in fresh tofu to 3.45% on steaming. Baking increased the fibre, ash, carbohydrate and energy value of the fresh tofu from 0.32% to 1.21%, 1.18% to 2.29%, 14.45% to 52.68% and 148.19 Kcal/100g to 315.79 Kcal/100g, respectively. The mineral contents of the tofu showed that baking decreased the calcium (110.49 mg/100g to 108.93 mg/100g), magnesium (122.14 mg/100g to 120.48 mg/100g), potassium (58.58 mg/100g to 56.85 mg/100g) and sodium (4.21 mg/110g to 3.40 mg/100g) contents of fresh tofu whereas steaming increased the iron content of fresh tofu from 3.86 mg/100g to 4.03 mg/100g. The antinutrients of the fresh tofu showed that the tannin (1.56 mg/100g), saponin (0.86 mg/100g), phytate (0.95 mg/100g) and oxalate (0.35 mg/100g) contents decreased to 0.64 mg/100g, 0.43 mg/100g, 0.72 mg/100g and 0.72 mg/100g, respectively on baking. Fascinatingly, the anti-nutrients of all the tofu samples were below the lethal dose for humans. The outcome of the sensory evaluation showed that beside the texture of deep-fried chicken (Control) that was liked moderately, its colour, taste, flavour and general acceptability were liked very much compared to the other tofu samples. Tofu can serve as a healthy and nutrient-dense snack or mid-day meal alternative