Physicochemical and sensory properties of corn starch custard soured with tamarind, soursop and lime

Abstract

Custard is a convenient food product, similar to ogi in appearance and viscosity, but lacks the sour taste typical of ogi. In this study, extracts (10% w/w) from tamarind, soursop and lime was added to custard samples and the physicochemical and sensory properties of the mixture was analysed. Corn gruel was included as the reference sample. Carbohydrate was the major component of the corn gruel (61.72%) and custard samples (66.27-74.42%). Corn gruel had substantially higher protein content (18.03%) than custard samples (8.03-8.62%). Custard samples were more dispersible in water, showed higher swelling power and significantly higher peak and final viscosities than the corn flour sample. However, the addition of souring agent did not significantly alter the cooking time and pasting temperature of custard. Custard may be soured with lime, tamarind and soursop to improve dispersibility, consistency, appearance, viscosity and sourness without significant changes in the overall acceptability of the product.