Assessment of biochemical, cooking, sensory and textural properties of the boiled food product of white yam (D. rotundata) genotypes grown at different locations.

Specific biochemical properties and textural attributes determine the final quality and acceptability of yam food products. This study assessed the flour and cooking qualities (boiled yam) of sixteen elite white yam genotypes (D. rotundata) grown in three locations. Fresh yam samples were cut into regular-shaped pieces and boiled using the standard procedure. Sub-samples were oven-dried at 65 °C for 72 h and milled to flour. The biochemical profiling for the yam flour showed, on average, 61.35 ± 5.15% starch, 5.35 ± 0.15% sugar, 1.55 ± 0.24% crude fiber, 1.91 ± 0.31% ash, 5.65 ± 0.66% protein, 0.33 ± 0.02% fat and 34.87 ± 1.94% amylose content. The boiled yam's water absorption and cooking time ranged from 0.35 to 5.17% and 7.00-18 min, with an average of 2.74% and 10.64 min, respectively. The hardness of boiled yam from the sensory assay correlated positively with the hardness of instrumental texture analysis (p < 0.001, r = 0.47). In contrast, the hardness of instrumental texture had a significant negative correlation with the chewiness of sensory profile analysis (p < 0.05, r = 0.37). Likewise, water absorption correlated positively and significantly (p < 0.05, r = 0.43) with the chewiness of the sensory analysis. The study shows that the sensory attributes that determine the acceptability of boiled yam could be determined using instrumental measurements to save time and cost.

Relationship between quality attributes of backslopped fermented gari and the sensory and instrumental texture profile of the cooked dough (eba).

Knowledge is scarce on the drivers of textural characteristics of cooked dough prepared from gari (eba). To address this need, quality attributes of backslopped fermented gari (BFG) were correlated with the sensory texture profile analysis (STPA) and instrumental texture profile analysis (ITPA) of the eba produced from six cassava varieties. The results showed that a significant and negative correlation exists between the STPA mouldability of the eba and the sugar (p < .05, r = -0.83) and amylose (p < .05, r = -0.86) contents of the BFG. The STPA stretchability of the eba had a significant negative correlation with the bulk density (p < .05, r = -0.83) and a significant positive correlation with the setback viscosity (p < .01, r = 0.92) of the BFG. A significant and negative correlation exists between the STPA stickiness of the eba and the amylose (p < .05, r = -0.84) contents of the BFG. The ITPA adhesiveness of the eba was significant and negatively correlated with the solubility index (p < .05, r = -0.89) and the ash content (p < .05, r = -0.87) of the BFG. The correlation between the ITPA stretchability of the eba and the peak (p < .05, r = 0.83) and breakdown (p < .05, r = 0.88) viscosities of the BFG was significant and positive, while a significant negative correlation (p < .05, r = -0.83) exist between the ITPA stretchability of the eba and the starch content of the BFG. The information provided in this study may assist the breeders in developing varieties with good textural attributes for eba. Practical applications: This study depicts the relationship between the quality attributes of backslopped fermented gari (BFG) and the sensory and instrumental texture profile of the cooked dough (eba). Both the sensory and the instrumental texture attributes of the eba have correlation with the quality attributes of the BFG. Apart from providing information on the drivers of the textural characteristics of eba, this study may also assist the breeders in developing varieties with good textural attributes for eba.