Evaluation of proximate composition, functional and pasting properties of millet-based breakfast cereals supplemented with soybean and date fruit flours

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This study was designed to evaluate the proximate composition, functional and pasting properties of breakfast cereals produced from blends of millet, soybean and date fruit flour. Soybeans and date fruits were separately processed into flours and used at varying replacement levels (5-30% soybean and 5-20% date fruit) for malted millet flour in the production of breakfast cereals with breakfast cereal produced from 100% malted millet flour as control. The proximate composition, functional and pasting properties of the breakfast cereals were determined using standard methods. The moisture, crude protein, fat, crude fibre and ash contents of the breakfast cereals increased significantly (p<0.05) with increase in substitution of soybean and date fruit flours from 7.19-7.63%, 7.69-18.32%, 3.09-4.03%, 2.47-3.86% and 1.21-2.07, respectively, while the carbohydrate and energy contents decreased from 78.37-64.13% and 371.99-365.10KJ/100g, respectively. The functional properties (bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, solubility index, swelling and gelation capacities) of the samples increased significantly (p<0.05) with increase in substitution of soybean and date fruit flours from 0.36-1.55g/cm3, 43.54-86.54ml/g, 57.36-91.76ml/g, 76.72-132.72%, 1.55-2.14g/g and 1.32-1.72g/g, respectively. The pasting properties of the samples also showed that the peak viscosity, trough viscosity, final viscosity, peak time and pasting temperature increased as the levels of addition of soybean and date fruit flours increased in the products, while their breakdown and setback viscosities decreased. The study showed that the proximate composition, functional and pasting properties of millet‑based breakfast cereals could be improved by supplementing millet flour with different proportions of soybean and date fruit flours in the preparation of good quality breakfast cereal products.