Abstract:
Texture is one of the key desirable sensory attributes of fufu, a cassava-based staple of most West Africans. To optimize the processing parameters for cassava-plantain fufu flour, a convenient form of traditional pounded fufu, the texture attributes of the reconstituted fufu flour were assessed and characterized using instrumental and sensory methods. Local foods that are common in Ghana were used as descriptors to exemplify the texture attributes being assessed and conventional pounded fufu was used as a control. Parameters assessed included hardness, adhesiveness, gumminess and springiness. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance and mean separations were calculated by the general linear model procedures. The ranges of values for some of the sensory attributes were: hardness: 1.24-1.99, gumminess: 2.43 - 4.00 and adhesiveness:1.57 - 2.71. With the exception of type of breakdown, all the texture attributes of the reconstituted fufu from the cassava-plantain flour samples were comparable with that of the pounded fufu. The study thus established that sensory texture profile analysis can be effectively used for assessing the texture attributes of cassava-plantain fufu.