Abstract
The chemical compositions, functional and pasting properties of flour from three varieties of Brachystegia spp. (Brachystegia eurycoma, Brachystegia nigerica and Brachystegia kennedy) were studied. Results show that the chemical compositions of flour samples ranged from12.31 to 12.67% (protein), 1.66 to 1.72% (crude fiber), 2.06 to 2.39% (ash), 7.18 to 8.45% (fat), 3.85 to 4.75% (sugar) and 58.45 to 59.62% (starch). Functional properties such as water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, swelling power, solubility index, pH and amylose content were in the ranges of 80.14 to 80.77, 84.21 to 84.52, 15.64 to 15.78, 15.44 to 15.98, 5.48 to 6.74 and 20.42 to 20.69%, respectively. In addition, pasting properties values were 85.58 to 89.05°C (peak temperature), 128.54 to 133.45 (peak viscosity), 23.75 to 26.53 (trough viscosity), 419.6 to 449.5 (final viscosity) 53.5 to 59.0 (break down viscosity) and 402.6 to 413.4 Relative value units (RVU) (setback viscosity). No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in the functional properties of the flours. The pasting profile showed that peak and hot paste viscosities are the key pasting parameters in characterizing flours from the three Brachystegia varieties. The variation in peak viscosity of the Brachystegia flours might be due to varietals and geographical influence. The study shows that B. eurycoma flour had the best functional and pasting properties results that could be exploited in food formulations such as soup, and sauces. Key word: Brachystegia flour, variety, chemical composition, functional, pasting properties.
Highlights
There is a need to exploit the food and industrial potentials of Brachystegia spp. seeds
Functional properties such as water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, swelling power, solubility index, pH and amylose content were in the ranges of 80.14 to 80.77, 84.21 to 84.52, 15.64 to 15.78, 15.44 to 15.98, 5.48 to 6.74 and 20.42 to 20.69%, respectively
The results in this study reveal that the levels of protein and fat of Brachystegia spp. seed flour are lower compared to that of other legumes like Afzelia africana which was reported to have 16.52 and 16.35% for crude protein and fat, respectively Ogunlade et al (2011), and 21.88 and 23.38% (Igbabul et al 2014)
Summary
There is a need to exploit the food and industrial potentials of Brachystegia spp. seeds. This requires prior information and understanding of desirable functional properties and the behavior of the material in systems during processing, manufacturing, storage, preparation as well as consumption (Sai-Ut et al, 2009). Over the past 30 years, the use of flour from legume seeds has been on the increase because of greater knowledge of their functional properties, processing and nutritive value (Kisambira et al, 2015). Brachystegia spp. an underutilized legume crop consumed in Nigeria is a seasonal woody plant mainly found along river banks or swamps in Western and Eastern Nigeria, as well as well drained soils. Brachystegia spp. is a large tree with irregular and twisted spreading branches
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