Complementary Potentials of the Flour Blends Formulated From Sprouted Soybean (Glycine max), Sprouted Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and Unripe Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) Flour Intended for Infant Feeding

The effects of ripening on the chemical composition and functional properties of plantain at different post harvest stages were studied. The cake baking performance of composite flour made from the blends of the plantain flour and wheat flour at different substitution levels were also evaluated. The result of proximate analysis showed that there were slight increases in moisture content, crude fibre, and ash and fat content as ripening progressed. The carbohydrate was shown to decrease while the protein increased from 2.8% in unripe plantain to 3.5% in firm ripe plantain; it then decreased to 2.6% in softripe plantain. Emulsion capacity, oil and water absorption capacities, viscosity, and swelling capacity were found to be higher in unripe plantain flour than firmripe flour, while whipping capacity of firmripe plantain flour was slightly higher than that of unripe plantain flour. It was also observed that as ripening progressed, the drying rate of the plantain slices decreased. The result of the sensory evaluation of composite flour cake from the plantain showed that the unripe plantain flour produced more acceptable cakes than those made from the firmripe plantain flour at all levels of substitution of the wheat flour. Acceptable cakes could be produced from wheat flour substituted up to 50% with any of the plantain flours.

The functionality of blended samples is likely to be affected by incorporating other flour into wheat flour for baked goods, meanwhile this has not been fully researched. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to ascertain the functional and pasting qualities. of flour from wheat, mushroom and unripe plantain so as to maximize its potentials in baking industry. Using response surface methodology (optimal mixture design), different formulations were created from wheat, mushroom, and unripe plantain flour mixes. The ranges of values for bulk density (BD), water absorption capacity (WAC), swelling capacity (SC), solubility index (SI), dispersibility and least gelation concentration of the blends were 0.74-0.80 g/cm3, 76.15-94.63%, 478.45-574.01%, 8.10-13.72%, 73.30-77.50% and 15.60-20.70%, respectively. The ranges of values for pasting properties: peak, trough, break-down, final-viscosity, setback, peak time and pasting temperature were 842-1727, 473-926, 368- 806, 1190-1875, 716 -989 RUV, 5.46- 5.87 min and 80.90 -91.85 °C, respectively. The flour blend formulation, 80:10:10 (wheat : mushroom : unripe plantain) gave best functional properties in terms of bulk density, water absorption capacity and swelling capacity and comparable well with 100% wheat flour. The result therefore showed that quality flour blend obtained from wheat, mushroom and unripe plantain has improved functionality than the individual wheat flour. This will be a valuable element in the formulation of foods such thick dough, soups, and baked goods.

Flours were prepared from raw and blanched samples of unripe and ripe mature plantain Musa aab and examined for their proximate composition, physical characteristics and functional properties. The plantain flours contained 3.5 g crude protein, 2.5-3.5 g crude fat, 5.7-7.1 g moisture, 1.33-2.0 g crude fiber, 1.66-2.0 g ash, and 82.25-86.07 g carbohydrate per 100 g sample. The flours had bulk densities between 0.42-0.72 g/ml, emulsion capacities of 4.7-14.7%, water absorption capacities of 250-338%, oil absorption capacities of 214-371%, foaming capacities of 1.90-5.79%, least gelation concentrations of 6-8%, and viscosities of 23.7-46.7 CP at 2% slurry concentration. Foaming capacity increased with increasing flour concentration. Blanching considerably reduced the emulsion capacity and viscosity, while bulk density, water and oil absorption capacities were increased by blanching. Ripening was found to have a negative effect on all the functional properties examined except the bulk density, and gelation property. Unripe plantain could be used as an emulsifier and thickener in a food system.

There is need for dietary diversification which involves the use of commonly available cereals, legumes and other nutritious crops to meet nutritional needs of diabetic patients. Dietary diversification could be used to ameliorate micronutrient deficiencies by modifying the diet to include a greater diversity of nutrient - rich foods. The major aim of this study was to produce and evaluate ready-to-eat breakfast product for diabetics from African yam bean (Sphenostylis sternocarpa), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and unripe plantain (Musa paradisiaca L.) flour blends. Flours were produced from sorghum, African yam bean and unripe plantain and blended in 100:0:0, 65:30:5, 60:30:10, 55:30:15, 50:30:20 and 45:30:25 ratio of sorghum: African yam bean: unripe plantain flour, respectively. Ready-to-eat breakfast products were produced from each blend by toasting at 150°C for 5 min. The products hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic potentials and effects on hematological parameters were evaluated using rat study. The fasting blood glucose (fbg) of the rats were significantly (p5 (45:30:25) had the lowest mean fbg value of 81.63 mg/ml. The cholesterol level of rats fed sample SAUP5 (945:30:25) was reduced from 3.56 to 2.10 mg/dl, low density lipoprotein from 2.03 to 1.10 mg/dl, triglycerides from 1.03 to 0.63 mg/dl and high density lipoprotein was increased from 0.47 to 0.97 mg/dl. Liver function of rats fed sample SAUP4 (50:30:20) was reduced from 100 to 23 mg/dl, for Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), 49 to 23 mg/dl for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and 33 to 19 mg/dl for alkaline phosphatase (ALP), respectively. Conclusion: The formulated ready-to-eat breakfast product was adequate for diabetic patients.

This study investigated the phytochemical, physical and functional properties of flour blends produced from wheat, unripe plantain and pigeon pea, suitable for purposes of formulating food composition table for the flour blends by homogenously mixing wheat, pigeon pea and unripe plantain flour in the proportion of wheat flour (100%) 100:0 (WHF), wheat-pigeon pea flour 95;5:0 (WPF),wheat-unripe plantain-pigeon pea flour 85:10.5 (WPU1), wheat-unripe plantain-pigeon pea flour 75:15:10 (WPU2)and 65:20:15 (WPU3) respectively. WHF represent 100% wheat flour served as control. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) among samples of flour blends (WHF), (WPF),(WPU1), (WPU2) and (WPU3).The results obtained for proximate composition, phytochemical and functional analysis ranged: crude fiber (2.90-4.07%), protein (10.10-14.50%), moisture (5.00-10.50%), ash (0.50-0.7%), fat (2.04-3.50%), carbohydrate(67.95-79.26%), saponins (0.46-2.97 mg/100g), flavonoids (4.50-4.70 mg/100g), tannins(0.80-1.26 mg/100g) phenols (1.00-1.50 mg/100g), bulk densities (0.41-8.20g/cm3), emulsion capacity (9.20-5.20%), foaming capacity (2.90-10.60%), water absorption capacity (6.20-6.60g/g), oil absorption capacity (0.10-8.50%) and swelling capacity (25.00-29.00%) respectively. The results showed that incorporation of pigeon pea flour into wheat flour significantly (p>0.05) increased the protein, fibre and fat content of composite flour. As the ratio of wheat decreases and increase in the unripe plantain and pigeon pea, the carbohydrate content decreases significantly. WHF shows higher carbohydrate content among samples. This is evident that wheat has high carbohydrate content. Based, on the result from this study, it can be concluded that flour formulation from different four blends can improve the nutritional values of flour blends and reduce anti-nutrients drastically.

This study aimed to evaluate the quality attributes of flour blends and porridge produced from acha, unripe plantain, and malted soybean. The unripen plantain flour was substituted (0.5.10.15.20.25.30%) into the acha flour at the preliminary stage to determine the most preferred flour blends which formed the base of the research work. The most preferred flour blend of acha and unripen plantain (90:10) was supplemented with malted soybean flour (0,5,10,15,20,25,30%.) The flours were produced, blended in various ratios, formulated to porridges and analyzed using standard procedures. The average means scores for water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, bulk density, swelling capacity, emulsion capacity and foam capacity of the flour blends ranged from 0.95 – 2.45g/ml, 1.14 – 1.76g/ml, 0.82 – 0.98g/ml, 13.79 – 37.25%, 39.22 – 72.22% and 13.50 – 23.00%, respectively with increase in the added malted soybean flour. The protein digestibility of the porridge ranged from 71.31 to 78.57% and the carbohydrate digestibility decreased from 0.98 to 0.53%. All porridge samples contained detectable levels of microbes ranging from 98 to 140 CFU/ml (NA) and 84 to 127 CFU/ml (PDA). The average means scores for flavour/aroma, colour, texture/taste and overall acceptability of the porridge decreased (p<0.05) from 7.40 – 7.30, 7.25 – 6.35, 7.50 – 7.20, 7.60 – 76.25 and 7.55 – 6.65, respectively. All the produced products are generally acceptable. The average means scores for the appearance, aroma, taste and overall acceptability during the storge decreased from 7.55 to 5.45, 7.50 to 5.45, 7.25 to 5.15 and 7.40 to 6.30, respectively, with an increase in storage duration (0 – 6 weeks). In conclusion supplementing acha-unripe plantain flour with up to 50% malted soybean flour produced a qualitative and sensorially acceptable porridge. It is therefore recommended that this blend be adopted as a nutrient-dense food, with optimized packaging to improve shelf stability.

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the potential of unripe plantain (UP) and orange vesicle (OV) composite flour for cookies production. Proximate composition, functional properties, vitamins and mineral composition of the composite flour were carried out. Data obtained was subjected to Analysis of Variance. The addition of OV flour to UP flour increased protein (5.59–7.50%), fat (0.67–1.25%), ash (2.67–4.40%) and fibre (0.56–7.19%) contents, while moisture (9.10–7.43%), carbohydrate (81.05–72.39%) and energy (380.43–360.84 calories) contents decreased. Swelling capacity, solubility index and water absorption capacity increased while dispersibility decreased with OV flour inclusion. Addition of OV flour enhanced the minerals and Vitamin C contents of the flour blends and the resultant cookies produced. Overall sensory acceptability of the cookies from the flour blends showed that it was slightly preferred by the sensory panelist. It can be concluded that (UP-OV) composite flours could be used up to 60:40 ratios for producing cookies.

Water yam is a tuber crop that is valued for its nutrient composition amongst other yam cultivars. This study investigated the quality of shortbread biscuits produced from water yam and wheat flour blends. Shortbread biscuits were produced from seven formulations of composite flours made from wheat and two varieties of water yam (purple and white) at 30%, 50% and 60% ratios. Shortbread biscuits produced from 100% wheat flour served as control. The functional properties of the composite flours as well as the proximate composition, physical and sensory properties of the shortbread biscuits produced were determined. The functional properties of the flour blends such as oil absorption capacity, water absorption capacity, foam stability, gelatinization temperature and gelatinization time significantly (p˂0.05) increased with increase in the incorporation of water yam flours. Foam capacity, emulsion capacity and wettability recorded highest for the control sample. Bulk density showed no significant difference (p˃0.05) among all the flour blends. Shortbread biscuits differed significantly (p˂0.05) in the proximate composition with the moisture content, crude protein, ash, carbohydrate and energy with the incorporation of water yam flours. The control recorded the highest values for crude fat (14.03%) and crude fiber (1.25%). The physical properties of the shortbread biscuits varied significantly (p˂0.05) in terms of weight, thickness, height and breaking strength. The result of the sensory properties revealed a high general acceptability for all the shortbread biscuit samples. The result of this study deduced that up to 30% water yam substitution can be used for baked food products.

The feasibility of partially replacing wheat flour with plantain flour in bread and biscuit making were investigated. Matured plantains (Musa paradisiaca) were pulped, blanched, dehydrated and pulverized. The wheat flour (WF) was substituted by plantain four at levels of 5, 10, 20 and 30% and 0, 50, 60, 70, 80 90 and 100% for bread and biscuit making, respectively. The protein content of composite breads ranged from 5.6 – 10.2%. No significant difference was observed in the nutrient contents of control (wheat bread) and composite bread at 5% level of plantain addition. Water and oil absorption capacities of composite flours increased with increasing levels of plantain flour in the blend. Emulsion and foam capacities as well as emulsion and foam stabilities decreased at higher (40–100%) levels of dilution with plantain flour. As the plantain flour content of the composite dough increased beyond 5%, alveograph values for dough resistance to extension (R), extensibility (E) and mechanical work of dough deformation (W) decreased. The oven spring and specific loaf volume decreased significantly with increased plantain content of blends. Sensory panel rating (80.2%) of the 10% plantain flour content of composite bread was not significantly different from the score (83.8%) of the 5% level of WF substitution but was significantly different from a score of 88.4% for the control (Wheat-bread) (P≤0.05). The flow and break strength of wheat-plantain composite biscuits decreased with increasing dilution of wheat with plantain flour. At 50 and 90% plantain flour substitution level the flow and break strengths were 54.2% and 1.90 kg and 50.8% and 1.20 kg, respectively, while the 100% wheat biscuit had a flow and break strength of 69.4% and 3.45 kg respectively. Thus the mean scores for colour, taste and crispness/aroma were generally high for all biscuits samples containing 0–70% plantain flour. Generally the biscuits were highly rated for colour (75.1%), taste (74.9%) and crispness/aroma, 71.6% of the total score for each characteristic on a 9-point hedonic scale. Technically, organoleptically acceptable breads and biscuits were formulated from wheat- plantain composite flours using up to 80:20 (w/w)% and 60:40/w/w) ratios of wheat:plantain flour as maximum acceptable levels of substitution for breads and biscuits, respectively. Key words : Plantain, composite, dough bread and biscuit.

The study is focused on the effect of partial substitution of dried plantain flour on the sensory and functional properties of maize flour based snack (kokoro).Snacks are food substances usually consumed in between meals and usually have low nutritional values . Kokoro is a maize based snack widely consumed in the south western part of Nigeria. Due to the need to encourage regular consumption of snacks such as Kokoro, nutritional improvement of snacks should be embarked upon. In this case, improving the nutritional value and crunchiness of kokoro snack was studied by blending it with plantain (sun dried and oven dried) flour in the ratio (90:10, 80:20, 70:30) respectively, while Kokoro made from 100% maize serves as(control). The bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, solubility and swelling index of the blends were: (0.60% to 0.65%), (2.13 to 2.47), (1.96 to 2.08), (2.81 to 7.65), and (212.30 to 333.25) respectively, while the control had 0.64, 2.53, 2.37, 4.57, and 324.60. Kokoro made from pure maize (100% maize flour) was found to be the most acceptable overall which could likely be due to its familiarity to the consumers. Blend of 90:10 maize flour to sundried plantain flour (sample B) was the next acceptable. The least accepted were 90:10 and 70:30 oven dried samples. It is concluded that plantain flour can be successfully blended with maize flour for the production of good kokoro product. Recommendation is made for the large scale production of fortified kokoro.Keywords: Kokoro, crunchiness, fortification, plantain flour, maize, drying

Matured, unripe plantain (Musa paradisiaca) fruits from a local cultivar, “Agbagba” were processed into flour. Protein concentrates were prepared from the flour of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean L. Verde) using the alkaline extraction process. Bread was produced from the substitution levels of wheat/plantain/Bambara groundnut protein concentrate (BGPC) flour blends (100 – 30%, 0 – 40% and 0 – 30%), respectively and the physical, chemical and sensory properties of the product evaluated. The result showed that the loaf height, volume and specific volume decreased with an increase in the levels of plantain/BGPC flour blends. Loaf height decreased from 11.2cm (sample A) to 6.2cm (sample G) and loaf volume reduced from 2291.4cm3 to 1238.6cm3 for samples A and G, respectively. There was no significant difference in loaf height up to sample C (20% PF and 10% BGPC) when compared to the control (sample A). Specific volume also reduced with increasing levels of the blends from 6.3cm3/100g to 2.2cm3/100g for samples A and G, respectively. There was a corresponding increase in loaf weight in all samples as the plantain flour and BGPC increased. There was no significant difference in loaf weight up to sample C which also represents 20% PF 10% BGPC when compared to the control (sample A).The protein content in the fortified bread increased progressively from 10.4% (sample A) to 17.3% (sample G). From the result, it was observed that the addition of 10% BGPC in the formulation improved the protein content of the bread to 13.6%. Fat content increased significantly from 0.76% to 2.51% (samples A and F), respectively with increase in the protein concentrate added. Ash, crude fibre and energy values were also observed to increase with increasing addition of BGPC (0.76% - 2.21%, 9.1% - 11.29% and 276.88kcal/100g – 282.43kcal/100g), respectively. The sensory result showed that the bread produced from 15% BGPC and 25% plantain flour was acceptable with respect to flavour, crumb texture and general acceptability.

Physical, Sensory and Microbiological Properties of Wheat-Fermented Unripe Plantain Flour

This study evaluated the functional properties of fiber-enriched breakfast cereals formulated from millet, malted mungbean and tigernut flours using quadratic response surface models. The data obtained were subjected to regression/statistical analysis as prescribed by the RSM. The regression coefficients were used to test the models. The linear, binary and ternary blends were generated and further highlighted by the response surface plot. The blend ratio ‘31.16g millet, 21.72g mungbean, 47.11g tigernut’ with high desirability of 0.951 was selected after optimization and were validated. The blend will be suitable for production of high gluten-free fiber breakfast cereal and other food products such as bread, cake, sausage and biscuit. The developed regression models will enable food industries maximized/optimized the blending of these flours in production of aforementioned food products so as to increase the product quality. The results showed that blend composition significantly influenced bulk density (BD), water absorption capacity (WAC), oil absorption capacity (OAC), solubility (S), emulsification capacity (EC), and foam stability (FS) (p<0.05), while wettability, viscosity, swelling index, gelatinization temperature, and foam capacity were not significantly affected. Malted mungbean flour played a key role in reducing BD and improving WAC and OAC, indicating its suitability for producing lighter cereals with improved hydration and flavor retention. Significant (p<0.05) interaction effects among the flours, particularly for WAC and EC, highlighted the importance of optimized blend combinations. Foam stability exhibited the highest model predictability (Adj. R² = 0.8596), mainly enhanced by millet inclusion. However, these findings support the development of nutritionally enhanced, consumer-acceptable breakfast cereals with improved reconstitution, texture, and stability, suitable for children, adults, and the elderly, and valuable for commercial cereal formulation and product optimization.

This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritive value, phytochemicals and functional properties of flour blends from unripe plantain, soybean and ginger. Fresh samples of unripe plantain, soybean and ginger were dried and milled to produce five flour blends. Laboratory analyses of functional properties, phytochemicals and chemical proximate were determined according to standard procedures. Data generated were subjected to analysis of variance. The results showed that there were significant differences (P<0.05) among the samples. Sample showed higher carbohydrate content (84.21%) while the other flour blends had lower values with sample B (75.15%), C (68.71%), D (60.57%) and E (57.40%) in decreasing order. The protein content observed in the samples were; sample E (23.91%), D (22.53%), C (15.54%), B (11.81%) and sample A was the least (5.25%). The mineral analysis showed that flour blends B, C, D and E had higher values for all minerals determined except for sodium. The results obtained for functional properties of flour blends from sample B to E were higher in foaming capacity, solubility, water absorption and oil absorption capacity. The highest alkaloid content (6.43%) was observed in blend A and was followed by B (6.23%), C (5.99%), D (5.75%), and E (4.84mg/kg) in that decreasing order. From all indications, it was evidence that these flour blends sample had higher nutritional value, functional properties and lower amount of phytochemicals to cause any deleterious effects.

Purpose: The study focused on evaluating proximate compositions and functional properties of different flour blends.
 Methodology: Three representative flour samples were produced from each mixture of maize-millet, soybean-wheat, and rice-wheat in the ratios of 70:30, 50:50, and 30:70 percent for all combinations. The proximate composition and functional properties of flour blends were determined using the methods of AOAC.
 Findings: There was significant difference in the proximate compositions of the flours (p =0.05). The moisture content of the blends was highest at 5.41% for maize-millet blend ratio of 70:30% and lowest at 1.8% for soybean-wheat blend ratio of 30:70%. The crude protein content of the grain flour samples ranged from 16.32% to 44.10%. Soybean-wheat flour blend had the highest fat content of 7.34% for 70:30% and maize-millet blend had the least fat content of 1.30 for 50:50%. Maize-millet flour blend had the highest ash content of 4.02% for 30:70% and lowest for rice-wheat with 0.35% for 50:50%. The percent carbohydrate content of the flours ranged from 42.60% to 65.01%. The percent crude fibre content of the flours ranged from 2.13% to 10.01%. Soya bean-wheat flour blend had the highest average crude fibre content. There was significant difference in the functional properties of the flour blends (p =0.05). The oil absorption capacity (OAC) of the flours ranged from 1.00 to 2.25 ml/g. The rice-wheat flour blend had the highest water absorption capacity (WAC) of 2.60 ml/g for 30:70% blend ratio, while the lowest WAC was 0.50 ml/g for soybean-wheat blend. The foaming capacity (FC) of the flour blends ranged from 10.83 to 15.40%, while the emulsion capacity ranged from 35.05% to 50.95%. The swelling index ranged from 1.13% to 1.98%. The high emulsion capacity of soybean-wheat flour blend suggested that it was more digestible and therefore could be suitable for use as ingredient in infant food formulations.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The high swelling index indicates that rice-wheat flour blend could be more suitable in food systems where swelling is required. The high emulsion capacity of soybean-wheat flour blend suggested that it was more digestible and therefore could be suitable for use as ingredient in infant food formulations.