Effect of Heat Treatments on Pasting Properties of Local Thickening Seeds and Blending Ratios of Cocoyam Flour

Abstract

The effects of pre-milling heat treatment types on the pasting properties of the resultant flour blends of some indigenous thickening seeds and cocoyam (ede–ocha) at various percentages were examined. Flours of indigenous thickening seeds of achi, ofo and ukpo, and that of cocoyam were used in this work. The mean values of the pasting properties were assessed as functions of Indigenous Thickening Seeds (ITS), Treatment Types (TT) and Blending Ratios (BR), which fitted into a 3(ITS) X 4(TT) X 5(BR) factorial design. The data obtained from the analyses were analyzed statistically using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method with the application of SPSS Version 20. The difference between the mean values was determined by Tukey test. Significance was accepted at 5% probability level. Pasting determinations showed that the blend type of achi-Cocoyam flour had better pasting ability among the other variables of the BT factor (peak viscosity, PV = 272.85 RVU; trough viscosity, TV = 234.25 RVU; final viscosity, FV = 436.51RVU; and setback viscosity, SV = 202.26 RVU); flour of the steamed samples (with respect to treatment type factor) ranked best among the other variables (PV = 245.61RVU; TV = 215.04 RVU; FV = 355.10 RVU and SV = 140.07 RVU while the control samples (among the Blending type factor) exhibited better pasting properties than the other variables. Further work should be directed to investigate this experiment with another species of cocoyam to check whether remarkable improvements can be obtained in the characteristics of the resultant flour blend with achi, ofo, ukpo.