Evaluation of physico-chemical properties and sensory attributes of cassava enriched custard powder

Abstract

In view of the increasingly produced biofortified cassava roots in Nigeria, it becomes necessary to assess more of its utilization. This study therefore aimed at evaluating the nutrients value of custard powder produced from HQYCS (High quality yellow cassava starch) enriched with PDSF (Partially defatted soybean flour) at varying proportions of 10, 20, 30 and 40%. Proximate composition, carotenoid content, functional and pasting properties of the mixture were determined. Gruel prepared from the mixture were evaluated for consumer acceptability using commercial custard as control. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and significant means were separated using Tukey’s Test. Correlation analysis were performed on the data to determine the association between the parameters. Proximate composition that contains 13.29% protein, 8.31% fat, 1.24% fibre, 1.18% ash at 10% PDSF enrichment level increased to 15.45, 10.05, 3.96 and 2.15% for protein, fat, fibre and ash at 40% PDSF respectively. The highest total carotenoid content (9.42 ± 0.70 μg/g) was obtained in 100% custard powder. There was significant difference (p < 0.05) in the water absorption capacity of custard sample with a range of 103–189 g/g. Range values for pasting properties were peak viscosity (170.12–393.4 RVU), final viscosity (49.25–346.12 RVU), trough (104.00–264.92 RVU), setback (45.25–81.21 RVU), and breakdown (66.13–144.59 RVU). The sensory colour and the degree of (redness) of the sample were correlated at (p < 0.05) level. There was a significant difference between the overall acceptability of the entire enriched products and the control.