Authors: Henshaw, F.O., McWatters, K.H. and Akingbala, J.O
Abstract
Akara (fried cowpea paste) and moinmoin (steamed cowpea paste) are foods traditionally prepared from dehulled and wet-milled seeds. These products were prepared using flour produced from five varieties of cowpea as starting ingredient. The sensory properties of products from flour were compared with those from fresh paste (control) using the Difference from Control Test. Trained panelists (n = 9) rated samples on an 8-level scale, where 0 = no difference and 7 = extremely large difference at triplicate sessions on separate days for each product. Results showed significant differences (α ≤ 0.05) in mean scores for attributes of products among flour of different cowpea varieties. Mean scores ranged between 0.30 (no difference) to 3.1 (moderate difference) for all attributes of akara, while for moinmoin, a range of 1.0 (very slight difference) to 3.4 (moderate difference) were obtained. Canonical discriminant analysis showed that the most discriminating sensory attributes of akara were crumb sponginess, lightness and crust softness, while those of moinmoin were mouthfeel and moistness. Based on the most discriminating attributes, the varieties California Blackeye 5 and Mississippi silver gave products that were the least different from the control.