Quality Characteristics and Sensory Properties of Noodles Produced from Blends of Wheat, Acha (Digitaria exilis), Bambara Groundnut, and Cocoyam Composite Flours

The objective of this study was to investigate the quality characteristics and sensory properties of noodles produced from composite flours of wheat, acha, bambara groundnut, and cocoyam. Composite flours of wheat/acha, wheat/bambara groundnut, wheat/cocoyam and wheat/acha/bambara groundnut/cocoyam were formulated by substituting acha, cocoyam and bambara groundnut flours at 10, 20 and 30% each while 100% wheat flour was used as the control. The composite flours were used to produce noodles and the noodles subjected to chroma meter analysis, proximate analysis, culinary and sensory properties evaluation. Proximate analysis revealed that the noodles contained moisture content of 10.11-11.11%, 2.72-3.99% ash, 10.34-17.52% protein, 1.25-7.51% lipid, 0.56-1.64% crude fibre and 59.38-75.03% carbohydrate. There was an increase in the moisture, ash, protein, lipid and crude fibre contents with a decrease in carbohydrate as substitution with cocoyam, acha and bambara groundnut flours increased without observed significant (p>0.05) differences. With the addition of acha, bambara groundnut and cocoyam composites into wheat flour, water absorption progressively increased from 1.75 (control) to 2.07ml/g (Wheat-Acha-bambara-cocoyam 60:10:20:10). There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in the cooking loss of the noodle samples as substitution levels of acha, Bambara groundnut and cocoyam flour increased. Cooking time decreased for wheat: acha flour noodles and increased for wheat: cocoyam flour noodles as substitution levels of acha and cocoyam flour increased. The composite flour of wheat: acha: cocoyam: Bambara groundnut flour also showed a decrease in cooking time as acha, cocoyam and Bambara groundnut flours were incorporated. There was no significant (p 0.05) difference in the L*, a* and b* values of wheat-bambara composite noodles. L* values of wheat-acha composite noodles increased significantly (p 0.05) with the increase in substitution with acha composite. Substitution of wheat flour with 10% to 30% acha flour and 10% to 20% Bambara groundnut flour resulted in noodles with acceptability sensory attributes.