Development of Convenient Akyeke

Abstract

The decreased consumption of traditional foods over the past years, especially “akyeke”, due to the difficulty in preparation, motivated this study of developing a ready–to-eat “akyeke”. In developing the product, the effect of palm oil, inoculum and two pre-processing methods (steaming and microwaving) on the sensory properties of “akyeke”were studied. Palm oil and inoculum were added separately to freshly milled cassava, pressed and fermented for 12 h, sieved and steamed to obtain “akyeke”. The two products were dried and reconstituted by means of steaming and microwaving. Sensory analysis was conducted on samples of “akyeke” prepared with palm oil and with inoculum, including a control bought from the market. Akyeke obtained from the two processing methods were also analysed. Sensory attributes assessed included colour, aroma, texture, taste and overall acceptability. The pH and titratable acidity (TTA) were also determined on the samples. The “akyeke” prepared with palm oil (sample 202) was the most preferred for all the sensory attributes assessed, followed by that prepared with inoculum (sample 504) and the control (sample 304). Statistical analysis however showed that there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in panelists’ preference for the different sensory attributes (colour, aroma, taste, texture, overall acceptability) assessed on the “akyeke” samples. Microwaving was the most preferred pre-processing method for reconstitution of the dried “akyeke”. Sample 504 had a pH of 3.5 and TTA of 0.72% while sample 202 had a pH of 4.2 and TTA of 0.54%. A ready-to-eat “akyeke” has been developed with good consumer preference.