UTILIZATION OF BREADFRUIT AS GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR PRODUCT

Abstract

Along with recent health challenges, there is a need to develop more convenient, nutritious, ready-to-eat and tasty breadfruit products to increase available food source and minimize postharvest losses. Hence, this study was conducted at the Food Technology laboratory of the University of the South Pacific, Alafua campus to evaluate healthy product innovations from indigenous crops of the Pacific Island Countries which include breadfruit. The different gluten-free breadfruit flour products developed at the Food Technology laboratory, University of the South Pacific, Alafua campus, Apia, Samoa were breadfruit cookies, breadfruit cake and breadfruit polvoron (powdered candy). The breadfruit flour was analyzed for proximate contents and its products were tested for acceptability of taste using a nine hedonic rating scale. Proximate analysis of the breadfruit flour revealed a higher protein (6.56%), ash (4.78%) and crude fat (1.84%) but lower DM (85.29%) and crude fibre (4.10%) contents than fresh crushed breadfruit. Sensory tests revealed that thirteen percent (13%) of the 30 panels disliked (<5) the breadfruit cookies and polvoron (powdered candy) while eighty-seven percent (87%) rated the products as acceptable (<5) based on a nine-point hedonic rating scale. Moreover, seventeen percent (17%) disliked (<5) the breadfruit cake and eighty-three percent (83%) liked (>5) the product based on a ninepoint hedonic rating scale. These showed that these gluten-free breadfruit flour products are nutritious and tasty with great potential for commercialization.