THE NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF SOYMILK-KUNNU BLENDS

THE NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF SOYMILK-KUNNU BLENDS

CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION

Cereals are the most important source of the world’s food and have a significant impact in human diet throughout the world. In India and Africa cereal products comprise 80% or more of the average diet, 50% in central and Western Europe. Onwueme and Sinha (1991)

However, cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ and bran cereal grins are grown in greater quantities and provide more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop. They are therefore staple crops in their natural forms (as in whole grain) they are rich source of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate, protein, fats and oil.

Millet is the most staple food of millions of people in  tropical Africa. Ihekoronye and Ngoddy (1985)

Air-dried grains contain approximately 12.4% water 11.6% protein, 5% fat, 67.1% carbohydrate, 1.2% fibre and 2.7% ash. And there are good source of minerals e.g. calcium, iron, zinc copper and manganese. The small-grained cereals, sometimes referred to as “poor man’s cereals” because of the preference of other cereals by those with a choice. They are high in starchy components (61.5-89.1%) and thus serve as energy food. Products from millet varies depending on people’s taste and cultural preference. One of the common traditional products is kunnu, a non-alcoholic beverage made mainly from millet. It is of low viscosity and has a sweet-sour taste, milky cream appearance and is popular with people in northern Nigeria. It is generally consumed on its own by adult as refreshment in some communities. It is sometimes used as a weaning drink for infants. However, since this drink is produced from cereals, its proteins is incomplete and needs to be supplemented. Millet protein should be supplemented with legume protein soybean is a goad substitute since it is a good source of protein (about 40%), edible oil of high quality that is cholesterol free (about 21%) and carbohydrate (34%). it is one of the most prominent food in Africa available to improve the diet of million of people. Hulse, Laong and Pearson (1980).

Research has been carried out on the fortification of carbohydrates-rich foods with protein-rich food especially soybean, in order to improve their nutritional value. These improved carbohydrate food have helped in correcting malnutrition in children and for maintenance and repair of adults body tissue with example such as soy-eba, soy-moi moi, soy-garri, soy-ogi etc. soybean is also an excellent economic source of nutrients and the cheapest source of protein for rural households in a nutritional and economic comparative analysis, with other major source of protein like eggs, beet, milk and cowpea. Thus, it is a most efficient source of protein. Most anti-nutritional factors of soybean are eliminated by heat treatment, it is also a good source of many required vitamins and minerals. Among cereals and other legumes, it has the highest protein content about 40%, whereas other legumes have 20-30% and cereals have a protein content of 8-15%. Messina and Setchell (1994).

Soy protein has been used and accepted as food, ingredients to enhance the value of finished foods,  soybean and soy foods have been identified with their protein contents from a nutritional perspective and as such, there is much interest among researchers on their potential role  in preventing and treating chronic diseases. One of the products of soybean, which is to be used to fortify kunnu, is soymilk. This study is thus carried out to determine the effect soymilk fortification on the nutritional and sensory properties of kunnu.

• STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Kunnu alone has a low protein content which is mainly starchy in nature and does not have a good effect on the people that consumes it however fortifying soymilk  with kunnu  increase the amount of protein, found  in it and which is  good for human consumption.

• AIM OF THE STUDY

1. Determine the effect of soymilk fortification on the nutritional and sensory properties of kunnu

1.4   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. Determine the nutritional value of soymilk-kunnu blend