ABSTRACT

Evaluation of nutrient composition and sensory properties was carried out on puddings produced from three (3) different cocoyam varieties (“coco-india”, “ede-ofe” and “ede-uhie”) and water-yam which served as the control. The quantities of ingredients and methods of preparation of the puddings were modified from “A taste of Calabar” selected recipes. The mean weight of each ingredient for each of the pudding were calculated and used in the preparation of the puddings followed by sensory evaluation carried out by twenty-five (25) panelists. Representative samples were taken from each pudding for nutrient analysis. From the results obtained, ede-uhie pudding had higher fat (1.82%), carbohydrate (26.90%) and energy (143.06kcal) content, coco-india pudding had higher content of moisture (65.82%) and crude protein (6.74%), water-yam pudding had higher values for dry matter (27.78%) and crude fiber (1.83%), while ede-ofe pudding had higher content of ash (3.86%). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the moisture content and dry matter content of the pudding samples. Higher calcium (49.42mg/100g), phosphorus (58.62mg/100g) and potassium (644.08mg/100g) content were obtained in ede-uhie sample. Coco-india had higher zinc (0.91mg/100g) and iron (1.16mg/100g) content. Higher sodium (251.77mg/100g) value was observed in water-yam, while ede-ofe had higher manganese (0.06mg/100g) content. The anti-nutrient levels of the puddings were generally low (within the safe level) and there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the tannin content of the puddings. Coco-india sample had higher values for thiamin (0.038mg/100g) and vitamin E (1.83mg/100g), ede-uhie had higher value for niacin (0.064mg/100g), ede-uhie had higher values for riboflavin (0.022mg/100g), while water-yam had the highest value for vitamin C (20.47mg/100g). There were significant differences (p<0.05) in the vitamin content of all the pudding samples. Coco-india of the Xanthosoma sagittifolium species was mostly preferred in terms of colour, texture, flavour, taste and general acceptability. This study showed that among the puddings analyzed, all had good potentials to contribute to meeting the nutrient requirement of individuals, food diversity, improve cocoyam production and utilization.