The effect of blanching and drying temperature upon proximate composition of okra flour

Abstract

Okra is one of the flagship products of Jember with its potential as a source of functional food due to its components. Okra’s components comprise protein and fat. However, Okra has been used in limited chores, take dishes for instance, through boiling, grilling and frying, not to mention that okra is a perishable food. Therefore, the methods to process Okra to become various types of food need to be developed such as transforming it into form of flour. This study aims to determine the effect of processing on proximate okra flour. It used Randomized Block Design with two factors. Blanching process was taken as the first factor, followed by drying temperature, 50°, 60° and 70° C. The results showed no significant interaction between blanching process and drying temperature on the precise content of Okra flour. Blanching process did not indicate a significant difference in the precise content of Okra flour. Boiling temperature will significantly reduce the moisture and carbohydrate of the flour content, and will also increase the ash, protein, and fat of the content of okra flour.