ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to produce different kunnu and kunnu-like blends using tigernut, sorghum and millet. The effect of fortification with carrots juice on nutritional, sensory and microbial qualities was evaluated. The results revealed that the moisture content ranged from 84.58% to 86.64% with significant difference (P0.05), the pH level of all the drinks were less acidic ranging from 5.35 to 5.86. The tigernut blends have improved crude protein (3.57% - 4.61%) and fat content (0.75% - 0.94%) over other blends. The vitamin A, vitamin C and mineral contents of the carrot fortified kunnu samples were higher than respective plain kunnu samples The ash and crude fibre decreased while sugar content increased, with the addition of carrot juice. Comparatively, the sensory and nutritional qualities of the kunnu and kunnu-like samples were boosted significantly (P0.05) with addition of carrot juice. Microbiologically, bacteria isolated were fermenting bacteria like Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus plantaruin from all the samples, while fungi isolated were Penicillum spp., Aspergillus niger, and Sacharomyces cerevisiae. Coliform test done on all the samples showed the absence of E. coli.