Effect of fortification with eggshell powder on injera quality

Abstract

In Ethiopia there is a severe calcium nutrient deficiency problem. Cereals are appropriate vehicles for food fortification along with eggshell powder (EP), a waste product, which contains a high amount of Ca. The objective of the current study was to enrich injera (Ethiopian flat bread from cereal teff) with EP to improve Ca content and to assess its effect on quality parameters. Injera was prepared by adding 4.5% and 9% EP to the teff flour (injera I4.5 and I9.0, respectively). The fortification resulted in significantly increased bioavailable Ca from 16.1 mg/100 g (control) to 742.7 mg/100 g (I4.5) and 1743.1 mg/100 g (I9.0). With the consumption of 200 g of injera, an adult could meet 60% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of Ca from I4.5 and 140% of Ca RDA from I9.0. The addition of eggshell powder affected pH, titratable acidity, color and texture. However, there was no significant effect on moisture content, aw, viscosity, microbial quality, and eye characteristics. Current research revealed that fortification of injera with EP could be a good source of total and bioavailable Ca without significant deleterious effects on the key physico-chemical quality parameters of injera.