Abstract:
A pre-cooked food has developed from cornmeal and cowpead
flour . The cowpea seeds were germinated and also dehulled. Control
seeds of these treatments were made. Method used in the preparation
of the product was steaming and traditional roasting in the earthen-
ware mashing boul.
Chemical analysis on the products Showed that the product
developed had a higher protein content than cornmeal .
Evaluation of the functional characteristics revealed that the
water absorbed by the products increased with an increase in the number
of germination days . The undehulled products also absorbed water and
swelled more than the dehulled products. This ws attributed to the
presence of the seed coat in the undehulled sead products. There was
not much difference in the water absorption and swelling properties with
respect to the levels of corn and cowpea.
Viscoamylograph runs showed no change in the gelatinisation of
the germinated seed products , however there was a little increase in
the viscosity of the ungerminated seed product during the holding and
cooling sections.
Sensory evaluation of the corn-cowpea product showed that the
product was acceptable. Anaalysis of variance calculations showed a
significant (p~ 0.01) effect of dehulling and cersination on the
colour, odor, flavor and tho beneral acceptability of the nroducts
The panelists could detect differences in the different products
subjected to the different treatments.
A second product similar to the corn-cowpea product was developed
from corndough. Fermented and unfermented corndough were used.
Functional characteristics analysis showed a high water absorption
and swelling of unfermented corndough products. Analysis on the
product Showed no significant difference in the colour, odor etc .
of the fermented and unfermented corndough products . However, the
unfermented corndough product was more acceptable.
