Nutritional and Sensory Qualities of some Nigerian Cakes

Abstract

Minerals and vitamin composition and sensory qualities of some selected cakes in Port Harcourt were investigated. Three (3) of the five cakes were selected from popular fast food shops namely Megagrill, Mr. Biggs and Bovatti, and reputable super markets namely Peace Confectionery and Dubye foods. All samples were collected within 24 hours of production. There were no significant differences (p >0.05) in proximate composition except for fibre and energy contents of cake samples. Fibre contents ranged from 2.7 % for cakes collected from Bovatti to 7.9 % for cakes collected from Megagrills and Dubye Foods respectively. Energy values ranged from 403 KJ for cakescollected from Dubye Foods to 460 KJ for cakes from Bovatti. The values of minerals Fe2+, P+, Mg2+, K+, Ca2+, Mn2+ , and Na+ were not significantly (P > 0.05) different from each other. There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in the vitamin contents of cake samples. For Vitamin C, cakes from Peace confectionery and Megagrillhad the highest values, while for Vitaimin A, cake samples from Megagrill and Mr. Biggs had the highest values. The percentage mean sensory scores of appearance, odour, taste, texture, and general acceptability of Megagrill, Mr Biggs, Peace Confectionery, Bovatti and Dubye Food cakes were between 82 and 63. The Megagrill cake wasthe most preferred and had the highest score of 82 %, while Dubye Food cake was the least preferred, with the lowest score of 63 %.