ABSTRACT

Freshly harvested unripe plantain (2 heads) were sorted, cleaned and peeled. The pulp were sliced, oven dried at 550C for 6 hours. These were milled and sieved through 300 µm mesh into fine flour. Fruits of piper guieense were sorted, cleaned, washed, and oven dried at 550C for 6 hours. These were milled and sieved into fine flours. The plantain flour was weighed, into 8 portions of 100 g each and coded S1 to S8.  Then 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 (g) of piper guineense fruit powder were added to S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 and S7 respectively. Each of these batches was thoroughly homogenized with the spice. The sample S1, had no spice and was the positive control, while the sample S8, had 0.1g of sodium benzoate and was the negative control. These samples were packaged in polythene bags and stored at ambient temperature (26± 20C) in the laboratory cabinate for 6 months. The samples were analyzed monthly for proximate, vitamins, functional, and microbial properties for 6 months. Results show that the proximate composition of the unripe plantain flour samples, did not show a significant difference (p< 0.05) in moisture content, dry matter, crude protein, crude fat and crude fiber. However differences in carbohydrate composition were significantly differences (p < 0.05) during the period of storage.  The vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, C ) showed significant differences during the period of storage (p < 0.05). Similarly, the functional properties (bulk density and soluble index) also showed significant differences.  During storage, it was evident that bacteria sucession took place. The primary species of bacteria isolated from the freshly prepared samples were streptococcus, bacillus, staphylococcus, pseudomonas and   klebsella.. At the end of the first month of storage, the surviving bacteria were bacillus, staphylococcus and streptococcus species.. In the second month, the surviving bacteria were bacillus and staphylococcus. This occurrence was same in all the samples of the plantain flour. As the period of storage increased, the bacillus and staphylococcus were still present until the sixth month, when staphylococcus could not be detected and only bacillus could be detected in the sample S1 and S2. The staphylococcus could not be detected on the third month but bacillus were detected up to the sixth month of storage period in samples S3, S4, S5, S6, S7 and S8.