EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL AND PHYSIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SWEET POTATO-PIGEON PEA FLOUR BLENDS FOR BREAKFAST MEAL

This study evaluated the nutritional and physiochemical properties of sweet potato-pigeon pea flour blends for breakfast meal. Sweet potato and pigeon pea were processed into flour and their flours were mixed in the following proportion; 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50 and 0:100 respectively. The proximate, functional and pasting properties of the samples were determined using standard methods. Breakfast meal produced from the flour blends was subjected sensory evaluation. Sweet potato-pigeon pea flour blends exhibited variable functional and pasting properties. Swelling capacity, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, dispersibility, wettability, packed bulk density, loose bulk density, peak viscosity, trough viscosity, breakdown viscosity, final viscosity, setback viscosity, peak time and pasting temperature were in the range 2.39 - 2.81, 1.70 - 2.00 ml/g,1.50 - 2.00 ml/g, 63.50 - 70.00%, 36.53 – 170.17 secs, 0.87 – 0.99 g/ml, 0.61 – 0.65 g/ml, 981.0 – 4342.0 cP, 975.0 – 2551.0 cP, 6.0 – 1791.0 cP, 1449.0 – 4041.0 cP, 4.60 – 6.40 mins and 81.55 - 83.15oC. Sweet potato - pigeon pea flour blends were found to be more dense in proximate composition with higher ash (2.67 – 4.27 %), protein (7.62 - 18.77 %), crude fat (1.99 – 10.06 %) and crude fibre contents (3.62 – 4.48 %). The sensory evaluation of the breakfast meal revealed that 60 % sweet potato – 40 % pigeon pea flour blends were the most acceptable by the panelists