Research Journal of Food Science and Nutrition

The development of cheap, readily available and nutritious snack from indigenous crops (maize and cowpea blend) was carried out and evaluated. The objective of the study was to increase the nutrient content of the snack with respect to protein and mineral. The effect of processing methods; oven-drying and oil-frying on the quality attributes of the snack was investigated. Flour blends were produced from maize and cowpea flours in the following ratios of maize:cowpea; 90:10, 80:20, 70:30 and 100:0. Stiff paste of the blends seasoned with onion and pepper was divided into two parts; the first part was molded and deep-fried in palm oil while the second part was oven-dried at 150^oC for 2 h. Analyses carried out on the snack include: proximate, mineral, microbiological and sensory evaluation. For the snacks produced, protein content ranged from 5.86 to 12.50%, total ash, 2.32 to 4.32%; fat content, 8.89 to 25.04%; moisture content, 8.90 to 17.47% and fibre content ranged from 7.32 to 18.76%. It was observed that fat content was not affected by cowpea substitution but by oil-frying. Fried samples gave higher value when compared with oven-dried samples. Conversely, oven-drying had a significant (p<0.05) effect on all the proximate contents except ash. Result of Minerals showed that potassium, sodium, zinc, and iron contents increased with increase in cowpea substitution in the snacks, with 30% cowpea substitution having the highest values. Microbiological evaluation for the snacks showed that total viable count ranged from 1.80 to 2.70 x 10³ Cfu/ml, while yeast and mould count ranged from 1.0 to 1.9 x 10³ Sfu/ml. Sensory evaluation showed that there were significant differences (p<0.05) among the snacks produced in terms of aroma, appearance, texture (crispness), taste and overall acceptability. Oven-dried samples were scored lower than oil-fried in aroma, taste and overall acceptability but were preferred in terms of appearance and crispness. The overall result showed that 20% cowpea substitution is most adequate to produce an acceptable and nutritious snack (“ipekere agbado”). In conclusion, addition of protein-rich cowpea to traditionally and culturally acceptable snack will improve nutrient intake and livelihoods of the rural community.