Upload
others
View
4
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
44
Journal of ChemResearch Volume 1, No. 1, 2019
Effect of Deseeding and Domestic Cooking Times on the Proximate Composition, Some
Functional Properties and Mineral Contents of Plantain (Musa AAB)
Abiodun Oyeyemi1, Ebun Oladele1, Adewale Fadaka2, , Morounke Saibu3
1Chemistry Department, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria 2Department of Biochemistry, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
3Department of Biochemistry, Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of seed removal and heat treatment on the
nutritional composition, proximate and physicochemical properties of plantain. Flour samples
were prepared from raw and boiled samples of unripe, mature plantain (Musa AAB) and the
effect of boiling and seed removal on the proximate composition, functional properties and
mineral composition of the plantain flour were investigated. Results show that boiling had
significant effect on the proximate composition, mineral content, and functional properties of the
flour. However, seed removal had no significant effect on the functional properties except for the
water absorption capacity. The plantain flour contained 2.33–3.65 % crude protein, 6.70–9.82 %
moisture, 2.26–2.78 % ash, 1.45-2.0 % crude fat, and 1.75–2.50 % crude fibre and 80.56–82.58
% carbohydrates. The flour contained 3.2–6.5 mg/kg Sodium, 1.77–11.40 mg/kg Iron, 21.20–
49.75 mg/kg Calcium, 673.5–1140 mg/kg Potassium, 1.78–3.53 mg/kg Magnesium and 14.49–
24.15 mg/kg Phosphorus. The flour had bulk densities between 0.67–0.78 g/ml, least gelation
Concentration of 4–8 %, foaming capacities of 1.68–3.14 %. Water absorption capacities of
196.6 – 473 % and Oil absorption capacity of 96–216 %. Boiling considerably reduced the
foaming capacity and emulsion capacity while water absorption capacity, bulk densities and least
gelation concentration were increased by boiling.
Keywords: Proximate analysis; Plantain; Domestic cooking time; deseeding
www.jocrfuta.edu.ng
Journal of ChemResearch
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
45
1.0 Introduction
Banana plants are monocotyledonous
perennial and important crops in the tropical
and subtropical regions of the world (Strosse
et al., 2006). They include dessert banana,
plantain and cooking bananas. Plantain
(Musa paradisiaca AAB) and other cooking
bananas (Musa ABB) are almost entirely
derived from the AA-BB hybridization of
M. acuminata (AA) and M. balbisiana (BB)
(Robinson, 1996; Stover and Simmonds,
1987). Ripe plantain and cooking bananas
are very similar to unripe dessert bananas
(M. Cavendish AAA) in exterior
appearance, although often larger; the main
differences in the former being that their
flesh is starchy rather than sweet. They are
consumed in the ripe and unripe stages and
require cooking (Emaga et al., 2007).
Dessert bananas are consumed usually as
ripe fruits; whereas ripe and unripe plantain
fruits are usually consumed boiled or fried
(Surga et al., 1998). Plantain (Musa spp.) is
an important staple crop that contributes to
the calories and subsistence economies in
Africa. They are good sources of
carbohydrate (Marriott et al., 1981). Plantain
cultivation is attractive to farmers due to low
labour requirements for production
compared with cassava, maize, rice and yam
(Suntharalingam and Ravindran, 1993).
New high yield cultivars allow plantain
plants to be grown more extensively,
resulting in a higher economic value, as they
respond to plant improvement methods,
fertilization and pest and disease control
(Gwanfogbe et al., 1988). From the
nutritional point of view, these fruits are
among the green vegetables with the richest
iron and other nutrients (Aremu and
Udoessien, 1990). However, they are highly
perishable and subjected to fast
deterioration, as their moisture content and
high metabolic activity persist after harvest
(Demirel and Turhan, 2003). Air-drying
alone or together with sun-drying is largely
used for preserving unripe plantain. Besides
helping preservation, drying adds value to
plantain. Plantain chip is one such value-
added product with a crispy and unique
taste, consumed as a snack and as an
ingredient of breakfast cereals. It can be
consumed as produced or further processed
by coating with sweeteners, frying,
dehydrating or boiling (Demirel and Turhan,
2003). Banana powder is prepared from
dessert bananas after mashing and drying the
pulp in drum or spray dryers. The dried
product is pulverized and passed through a
100-mesh sieve, producing a free-flowing
powder which is stable for at least one year
after packaging. This powder is used in
bakery and confectionery industries, in the
treatment of intestinal disorders and in infant
diets (Adeniji et al., 2006). Dehydration is
one of the oldest methods of food
preservation (Adams, 2004) and converting
plantain into flour could contribute to reduce
losses and allow the food industry to store
the product throughout the year. In order to
use plantain flours as ingredients for the
food industry it is necessary to characterize
their chemical and nutritional composition,
as well as their physical, physicochemical,
rheological and functional properties.
Instant plantain flours were prepared from
ripe and unripe plantain (M. paradisiaca)
fingers, by cooking and subsequent oven
dehydration at 76 °C and at 88-92 °C,
respectively, by Ukhun and Ukpebor (1991).
These authors considered the products as
having commercial potential on their own or
as ingredients for other foods such as baby
weaning foods, puddings, soups and gravies.
Gwanfogbe et al. (1988) had shown the
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
46
usage of plantain flour at an industrial level,
with full or low starch content, in order to
maintain the texture of certain frequently
frozen and defrosted foodstuff. Dietary
fiber, resistant starch, proteins and mineral
contents increased in industrially elaborated
cookies when wheat flour was substituetd by
7% of unripe plantain flour, as shown by
Pacheco Delahaye et al. (2000). They also
showed that starch is the main component
(84%) of unripe plantain flour, while a
protein was 6.8%, fats0.3%, ash 0.5%, and
dietary fibre 7.6%. Juarez-Garcia et al.
(2006) also reported that plantain flour was
mainly total starch (73.36 %) and dietary
fibre (14.52 %); of the total starch, the
digestible starch one was 56.29 % and
resistant starch 17.50 %.
The aim of this study was to investigate the
influence of seed removal and heat treatment
on the nutritional compositions, proximate
and physicochemical properties of plantain.
There have been studies on the physical,
chemical, nutritional and microbiological
properties of plantain flour as well some
information on the effects of heat treatment
on some of these properties, however,
studies on the impact of domestic cooking
are few while information on the effect of
deseeding is scarce.
2.0 Materials and Methods
Sample collection
Mature, freshly-cut unripe plantain fruits
used for this research work were obtained
from a plantain farm in Akure, Ondo State,
Nigeria.
Chemicals and reagents
All the chemicals and reagents used in this
study were of analytical grade and were
products of British drug House Laboratory
(BDH) England. The distilled water used
was obtained from the Chemistry
Department at Federal University of
Technology, Akure.
Preparation of plantain flour
Plantain fingers were plucked from the
proximal end of the bunch following the
recommendation of Baiyeri and Ortiz
(1996). The fingers were washed with
portable water, peeled manually with
stainless steel kitchen knife and cut into two
equal parts. The seeds of one of the portions
were removed by cutting the fruits
longitudinally and scrapping off the seeds
while the second portion was left with the
seed. Cooking was carried out on some
samples of both parts by dipping in boiling
water of 100 oC for 5, 10 and 20 minutes
before slicing. The samples were cut into
thin slices of 2 mm thick and were sundried
for 3 days. Some samples were dried
directly in the sun without treatment, which
served as control. The dried samples were
milled with the aid of stainless Kenwood
Chef Blender, Model KM001 series to
obtain the flour. The flours were sieved and
stored in an air tight container for further
analysis.
Determination of Mineral Content
Mineral analysis was performed using the
procedure described by the AOAC (1990)
and Allen et al. (1974). The analytical
procedures used for sample treatment for
atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)
analysis as follows:
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
47
Digestion of sample
1 g of the sample was weighed into a pyrex
glass conical flask. 10 ml concentrated nitric
acid (HNO3) was introduced into the flask
with a straight pipette. 5 ml of per chloric
acid was also added. The mixture was
heated on an electro-thermal heater in a
fume cupboard for a period of 20 min until a
clear digest was obtained. The digest was
cooled to room temperature and diluted to
50ml with distilled water. The diluents were
filtered into a plastic vial for AAS analysis.
Mineral analysis
Potassium (K) and Sodium (Na) were
determined using Jenway digital flame
photometer FP 902PG (Bonire et al., 1990).
Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Iron
(Fe) were determined
spectrophotometrically by using Buck 210
VGP Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer
(Buck Scientific, Norwalk) (Essien et al.,
1992). Phosphorus (P) was determined by
vanadomolybdate colorimetric method
(Ologhobo and Fetuga, 1983) and their
absorption compared with absorption of
prepared analytical standards..
Proximate Analysis of Samples
The proximate compositions of each sample
was carried out according to the method of
AOAC (1990).Each analysis was performed
in duplicate.
Moisture Content Determination
Two grams of each of the sample was
weighed into dried weighed crucible. The
samples were put into an oven at 1050C and
heated for 3h. The dried samples were put
into desiccators, allowed to cool and
reweighed. The process was repeated until
constant weight was obtained. The
difference in weight was calculated as a
percentage of the original sample (AOAC,
1990).
Percentage moisture = 𝑊2−𝑊3
𝑊2−𝑊1 × 100
Where
W1 = Initial weight of empty dish
W2 = Weight of dish + undried sample
W3 = Weight of dish + dried sample
Ash Content Determination
Three grams of each of the samples was
weighed into a dried, weighed crucible,
heated in a moisture extraction oven for 3 h
at 1000C before being transferred into a
muffle furnace at 5500C until it turned white
and free of carbon. The sample was then
removed from the furnace, cooled in a
desiccator to a room temperature and
reweighed immediately. The weight of the
residual ash was expressed as percentage
(AOAC, 1990).
Percentage Ash (%) = 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑠ℎ
𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 × 100
Crude Protein Determination
The micro kjeldahl method described by
AOAC (1990) was used. One gram of each
of the samples was mixed with 10ml of
concentrated H2SO4 in a digestion flask.
One tablet of selenium catalyst was added to
the tube and mixture heated inside a fume
cupboard until a clear solution was obtained.
The digest was transferred into distilled
water. Ten millimeter portion of the digest
mixed with equal volume of 45% (w/v)
NaOH solution and poured into a kjeldahl
distillation apparatus. The mixture was
distilled and the distillate collected into 2%
boric acid solution containing 3 drops of
mixed indicator. A total of 50 ml distillate
was collected and titrated as well. The
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
48
titration was duplicated and the average
value taken. The Nitrogen content was
calculated and multiplied with 6.25 to obtain
the crude protein content.
% Nitrogen = (𝑀×𝑁𝑓×𝑉1)𝑇
𝑆𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑡.×𝑉2 × 100
Where:
Nf= Nitrogen factor = 0.014
M = Molarity of the acid = 0.1 M
V1 = Volume of the digest = 50 ml
V2 = Volume of digest used for distillation =
15 ml
Fat Content Determination
Three grams of the sample was loosely
wrapped with a pre-weighed filter paper and
put into the thimble which was fitted to a
clean round bottom flask, which has been
cleaned, dried and weighed. The soxhlet
flask was filled to ¾ of its volume with
petroleum ether (boiling point of 40 °C – 60
°C). The sample was heated with a heating
mantle and allowed to reflux for 5 h with
constant running cold water for
condensation of the ether vapor until the oil
has been completely extracted. The heating
was then stopped and the thimbles with the
spent samples kept and later weighed. The
difference in weight was received as mass of
fat and is expressed in percentage of the
sample (AOAC, 1990).
% fat = 𝑊2−𝑊1
𝑊3× 100
Where
W1 = weight of the empty extraction flask
W2 = weight of the flask and oil extracted
W3 = weight of the sample.
Crude Fibre Determination
Three grams (3 g) sample was put into 200
ml of 1.25% of H2S04 and boiled for 30
minutes. The solution and content then
poured into Buchner funnel equipped with
muslin cloth and secured with elastic band.
This was allowed to filter and residue was
then put into 200ml boiled NaOH and
boiling continued for 30 minutes, then
transferred to the buchner funnel and
filtered. It was then washed twice with
alcohol; the material obtained was then
washed thrice with petroleum ether. The
residue obtained was put in a clean, dry,
weighed crucible and dried in the moisture
extraction oven to a constant weight. The
dried crucible was removed, cooled and
weighed. The crucible was then placed in
the furnace and ignited at temperature of
300oC for 30 minutes after which it was
cooled in a desiccator and weighed. Then,
difference of weight is recorded as crude
fibre and expressed in percentage (AOAC,
1990).
% Crude fibre = 𝑊2−𝑊3
𝑊1× 100
Where
W1 = weight of original sample.
W2 = weight of crucible + residue
W3 = Weight of crucible + ash.
Carbohydrate Content Determination
Carbohydrate content was calculated as
weight by difference between 100 and the
summation of other proximate parameters.
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
49
% Carbohydrate = 100 – (%M + %A + %F1 + %P + %F2)
Where
M = % Moisture
P = % Protein
F1 = % Fat
A = % Ash
F2 = % Crude fibre
Determination of Functional Properties
Determination of water absorption
capacity (WAC)
The water absorption capacity (WAC) was
determined by the method described by
Beuchat (1977). 1.00 g of flour sample was
mixed with 10.00 cm3 distilled water and
centrifuged for 30 min. at 3500 r/min. The
supernatant was decanted into a 10 cm3
graduated measuring cylinder. The volume
noted was used to determine the volume of
water absorbed by difference and was
converted to gram with the density of water
to be 1.00 g/cm3. WAC was expressed as g/g
of absorbed water to flour sample. Triplicate
measurement was made and average results
taken.
Determination of oil absorption capacity
(OAC)
Beuchat (1977) method was also used for
the determination of oil absorption capacity
(OAC) of the flour samples. 0.5 g each flour
sample was mixed with 10.00 ml JOF Soya
oil (Density=0.9095 g/cm3). The mixture
was centrifuged at 3500 r/min for 30
minutes. The excess oil was decanted into a
10.00 cm3 graduated measuring cylinder and
the volume noted. The absorbed oil volume
was determined by difference and converted
to grams. The OAC was expressed as g/g of
absorbed oil to flour sample. Triplicate
measurement was made and average results
taken.
Determination of foaming capacity (FC)
and foaming stability (FS)
Foaming Capacity (FC) was determined
using the method of Coffmann and Garciaj
(1977). 2.00 g of the flour sample was
whipped with 50.00 cm3 distilled water in a
Lapriva LA-999A blender. The mixture was
immediately poured into a 100.00 cm3
graduated measuring cylinder. The Foaming
capacity was taken as foam volume
immediately after mixing. The Foaming
Stabilities (FS) of the samples were
determined as a function of time for 0 - 24
hrs. Triplicate measurements was made and
average of the results taken.
Foaming capacity (%) = Vol. after homogenization−vol.before homegenization
Vol. before homogenisation×
100
Foaming stability (%) = Foam volume after time (t)
Initial foam volume× 100
Determination of Least Gelation
Concentration (LGC)
The Least Gelation Concentration (LGC) of
the flour samples was determined using the
modified method of Coffmann and Garciaj
(1977). Sample suspensions of 2 %, 4 %, 6
%, 8 %, 12 %, 14 %, 16 %, 18% and 20 %
(m/v) were prepared in 10 ml distilled water
in test tubes. The tubes containing the
suspensions were then heated for 1 hour in a
gentle boiling water bath and rapidly cooled
under running water. Further cooling was
done at about 4oC for 2 hrs. Each tube was
then inverted one after the other.
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
50
The least gelation concentration was taken
as the concentration when the sample from
the inverted test tube did not fall or slip.
Triplicate measurements were made and
average results taken.
Determination of Bulk Density
The bulk density of the samples was
determined using the method of (Okaka and
Potter, 1979), 50 g flour sample was put into
100 ml measuring cylinder and the cylinder
was tapped continuously until a constant
volume was obtained. The bulk density
(gcm-3) was calculated as weight of flour (g)
divided by flour volume (cm3). Triplicate
measurement was made and average results
taken.
Bulk density (gcm-3) = Weight of sample (g)
Volume of sample (cm)
Determination of Emulsion capacity (EC)
and Emulsion Stability (ES)
Emulsion capacity and stabilities were
determined using the modified method of
Nwosu (2010). 0.5 gram of sample was
blended in a Kenwood major blender with 5
ml distilled water for 60 sec at maximum
speed. Executive Chef vegetable oil was
added in 5 ml portions with continued
blending. The emulsion so obtained was
centrifuged at 3500 rpm for 5 min. The
height of the emulsion layer was noted in the
graduated centrifuge tube. The emulsion
capacity was expressed as ml of oil
emulsified per gram of sample and was
expressed as a percentage. The emulsion so
prepared was then allowed to stand in a
graduated cylinder and the volume of water
separated at 0.0, 30 min. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hrs
were recorded in mlg-1 as emulsion
stabilities. Triplicate measurement was
made and average results taken.
Emulsion capacity (%) = 𝑚𝐿 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑
𝑚𝐿 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑥𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒×
100
3. Results and discussion
Table 1: Proximate Analysis of Plantain Flour
Result = mean ± SD of Duplicate Analysis
Note: BF0 = Raw Sample without Boiling
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
51
BF5= Boiled for 5 Min.
BF10=Boiled for 10 Min
BF20 = Boiled for 20 Min.
Table 2: Mineral Analysis of Plantain Flour (mgkg-1)
Result = mean ± SD of Triplicate Analysis
Note: BF0 = Raw Sample without Boiling
BF5= Boiled for 5 Min.
BF10= Boiled for 10 Min.
BF20 = Boiled for 20 Min.
Table 3: Functional Properties of Plantain Flour
Result = mean ± SD of Triplicate Analysis
Note: BF0 = Raw Sample without Boiling
BF5= Boiled for 5 Min.
BF10= Boiled for 10 Min.
BF20= Boiled for 20 Min.
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
52
Proximate Analysis
The result of proximate composition of the
raw and processed plantain flour samples are
presented in Table 1. Analysis of proximate
composition provides information on the
basic chemical composition of foods/ feeds.
The compositions are moisture, ash, crude
fat, protein, crude fibre and carbohydrates.
These components are fundamental to the
assessment of the nutritive quality of the
food being analyzed.
The moisture content of food or processed
product gives an indication of its shelf life
and nutritive value. Low moisture content is
a requirement for long storage life. The
moisture content values obtained for all
samples (6.74% - 9.82%) were significantly
higher than the result obtained by
Osundahunsi (2009) and Zakpaa et al.
(2010), with percentage moisture of plantain
flour said to be 5.0% and 3.4% respectively.
This result also showed that raw plantain
flour with seeds had a moisture content of
7.25% and shows no significant difference
from raw flour with seeds (7.49%). The
result also showed that boiling gives
significantly increase with increasing time
of boiling for both flour sample with seed
and those without seed. This may be
attributed to the absorption of water
molecule into the plantain. Hence, the
amount of water absorbed increases with
time spent inside the boiling water.
The percentage ash content fell within the
range reported in the literature of
Osundahunsi (2009), reported the ash
content of plantain in the range 2.2-2.8%.
However, the ash content of plantain with
seeds was slightly higher (2.71%) compared
to plantain without seeds (2.60%). From the
result obtained by boiling the samples. A
slight decrease was observed in the ash
content of the flour when boiled for 5, 10
and 20 minutes. These reductions may be
attributed to loss through leaching of soluble
inorganic matter/ minerals in the samples.
The percentage protein of the raw plantain
in this study was low and found to be
closely related to those reported on different
plantain varieties in Nigeria. Fagbemi
(1999) and Osundahunsi (2009) reported the
protein in raw plantain flour to be 3.50%
and 3.52% respectively which is consistent
to the 3.65 % and 3.35 % obtained for the
raw sample with seeds and raw sample
without seeds respectively in this study.
However, the insignificant difference in
percentage protein value obtained for the
flour sample without seeds showed that
plantain seed incorporate slight percentage
of protein to plantain. The study of the effect
of boiling showed slight decrease in the
protein content of both samples with seeds
and those without seeds. This slight
reduction might suggest a destruction of the
protein due to application of heat, as high
temperature results in protein denaturation
and destruction (Ihekoronye and Ngoddy,
1985). The percentage fat obtained in this
study was consistent and in agreement with
that obtained by Osundahunsi (2009) but
slightly differs from the findings of Fagbemi
(1999), that reported higher fat content in
the range of 2.5- 5.5% for raw plantain
flour. The observed differences may
possibly be due to genetic or environmental
factors. The percentage fat obtained for
plantain flour without seeds was
significantly lower than the one without
seeds. Likewise, there was slight reduction
in the fat content of the boiled samples
compared to the raw samples. Hence,
cooked plantain is a suitable food product
for the obese due to its low fat content. More
so, the low fat content in boiled sample will
enhance the storage life of the flour due to
the lowered chance of rancid flavor
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
53
development as crude fat is a property used
as basis in determining auto-oxidation which
can lead to rancidity and affect flavor of
food.
The result of percentage crude fibre for
uncooked samples (Table 1) showed no
change between plantain flour with seeds
and flour without seeds and the result
obtained was consistent with that obtained
by Fagbemi (1999) and Osundahunsi (2009)
who reported the crude fibre of plantain in
the range 1.30 – 2.00 % and 1.30 %
respectively. However, boiling was
discovered to bring significant
improvements in crude fibre content with
samples boiled for 10 minutes with the
highest value. The amount of crude fibre in
the flour sample may influence the
digestibility of menu or diets prepared from
the products and may also help to maintain
normal internal distention of the intestinal
tract and thus aid peristaltic movements
(Pearson, 1981).
The result of percentage carbohydrates
(Table 1) showed no significant difference
between plantain flour with seeds and those
without seeds and the result was also in
accordance and closely related to that
obtained by Ogazi (1996) and Adeniji et al.
(2008) with 82.25% and 80.70%
respectively. The slight reduction observed
in boiled samples was believed to be due to
loss through leaching of soluble
carbohydrates into the boiling water. The
overall result showed that plantain is a rich
carbohydrates food which provides energy
for the body, especially the brain and the
nervous system.
Mineral Analysis of Plantain Flour
The results of mineral composition of raw
and processed plantain flour with seeds and
without seeds are presented in the table 2.
Result showed that plantain is rich in
Potassium (673.5 – 1140 mg/kg), moderate
in Calcium (21.2 – 49.75 mg/kg) and
Phosphorus (14.49 – 24.15 mg/kg) but very
low in iron (1.77 – 11.4 mg/kg) and Sodium
(3.15 – 6.5 mg/kg) which these values are
consistent with results obtained by Adepoju
et al. (2010). However, the result showed no
significant difference in sodium
concentration between plantain flour with
seeds and flour without seeds. Boiling was
however discovered to cause significant
increase in the sodium concentration.
Significant difference was however noted in
the calcium, potassium, iron and phosphorus
concentration between raw plantain flour
with seeds and raw samples without seeds
with boiling causing reduction effect on the
calcium and phosphorus concentration and
increase in potassium and iron
concentration. These increasing results
however does not tallies with the findings of
(Ebuehi et al., 2005) who reported
significant losses in various mineral
including iron, sodium, phosphorus, calcium
and magnesium in the roots and raw leaves
of cassava as a result of boiling. The
different outcomes might be the nature of
the binding process of the metals.
Since the plantain flour used in this study
have higher concentration of most of these
minerals, it could be formulated into instant
flours for convalescence and in formulation
of baby foods as these categories of human
requires high amount of minerals for growth
and repair. Plantain is low in sodium
contains very little fat and no cholesterol.
Therefore, it is useful in managing patients
with high blood pressure and heart disease
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
54
(Dzomeku et al., 2006). Due to low sodium
and protein contents, plantain is used in
special diets for kidney disease sufferers.
Functional Properties of Plantain Flour
The result of the functional properties of raw
and boiled plantain flour with seeds and
without seeds are as presented in Table 3.
Water absorption capacity
Water absorption capacity is the ability of
the flour to absorb water for improved
consistency. Result showed that raw plantain
flour without seeds has higher value (226%)
than raw flour with seeds (196%). This
result falls within the range reported in the
literature, Fagbemi (1999) in his work on the
effect of blanching and ripening on
functional properties of plantain reported the
WAC of plantain to be between 250% –
338%. Boiling of each samples for 5, 10
and 20 minutes was discovered to have an
increasing effect on the water absorption
capacity with increasing time of boiling
(333% - 473%). The high water absorption
capacity of the boiled flour samples is due to
increased temperature and macromolecular
structure of the carbohydrates in plantain.
Unripe plantain has high amylose/
amylopectin content implying high hydroxyl
(–OH) groups to form hydrogen bonding
and hence ability to bind more water. The
good water absorption capacity of the boiled
sample will enhance their uses as binding
agents in food processing and in
pharmaceutical industry.
Oil absorption capacity
The result of oil absorption capacity of the
raw plantain flour with seeds was higher
than that of corresponding flour without
seeds which are 216 % and 206 %
respectively. This is due to the higher
protein contents of the flour with seeds
which encourages hydrophobicity with polar
amino acids (Fagbemi, 2004). The result
obtained for both samples with seeds and
without seeds are comparable with the value
of 210 % reported by Osundahunsi (2009).
The result of boiled samples gives lower
values compared to their corresponding raw
samples. Boiling was discovered to bring
reduction in the oil absorption capacity
value with increasing time of boiling. The
reduction in the oil absorption capacity
obtained for boiled samples was due to
decrease in protein content observed in each
sample which is caused by protein
denaturation by the influence of heat
through boiling.
Foaming capacity and stability
The result of the foaming capacity (Table 3)
of the plantain flour showed that plantain
used in this study has low values (1.68 –
3.14%) which are comparable with the result
obtained by Fagbemi (1999) who reported
the values of raw and blanched plantain
flour to be between 1.90% – 5.79%. The
result showed no significant difference
between the samples with and without seeds
which implies that seeds do not have any
effect on the foaming capacity of plantain. It
was also noted that there was a decreasing
trend in the foaming capacity of the boiled
plantain flour with samples boiled for 20
min. having the least values of 1.84% and
1.68% for flour with and without seeds
respectively. The low values obtained for
plantain used in this study indicates that
plantain cannot be incorporated into food
products that requires foam such as ice
cream because improved foaming capacity,
improved functionality to be used for the
production of some foods such as cake and
ice cream (Abbey and Ibeh, 1988).
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
55
Bulk densities (gml-1)
The bulk densities of both plantain flour
with seeds and those without seeds showed
no significant difference. Likewise, boiling
does not show significant difference from
the raw samples, which implies that removal
of seeds and boiling does not have any
significant effect on the bulk density of
plantain flour. However, the bulk densities
obtained in this study is slightly of higher
values (0.67 gml-1 – 0.78 gml-1) than that
obtained by Osundahunsi (2009) who
reported 0.43 gml-1. The results were
however comparable with result of Fagbemi
(1999) who reported 0.42 gml-1 – 0.72 gml-1
on bulk densities of raw and blanched
plantain flours.
Least gelation concentration
The least gelation concentrations determined
did not have any significant difference
between samples of plantain flour with seed
and those without seeds. However, boiling
was discovered to cause increasing trend in
the gelation properties of the flours with
increasing time. The result obtained for raw
sample with seeds and without seeds was
lower than that reported by Fagbemi (1999)
for plantain flour with values ranges from
6.0% –8.0%. However, samples boiled for
10 and 20 mins were discovered to fall
within this range with values noted as 6%
and 8% respectively. These results may
indicate that boiling will not be a suitable
processing technique for plantain in various
food applications such as in comminuted
sausage products and in new product
development where gelation may be needed
to provide increased gel strength.
Emulsion capacities
The result of emulsion capacities in Table 3
was discovered to show no significant
difference between raw flour with seeds
(18.63%) and raw flour without seeds
(20.02%). However, significant decrease is
observed as boiling was done on the samples
whilst the decrease follow trend from
boiling for 5minutes to boiling for 20
minutes. Hence, boiling has significant
effect on the emulsion capacity of plantain
flour. The result obtained for the emulsion
capacities falls within the range reported by
Fagbemi (1999) with values ranging
between 7.27% - 19.09%. The decrease in
emulsion capacity is due to reduction in the
interfacial tension between water and oil in
the emulsion. The surface activity is a
function of the ease with which protein can
migrate to, adsorb, unfold and rearrange at
an interface and presumably boiling reduce
the surface activity of plantain flour and
thereby increase the interfacial tension
which leads to a decrease in emulsion
capacity (Kinsella, 1979).
4.0 Conclusion
The results showed that removal of plantain
seeds did not have any significant effect on
moisture, ash and protein contents. Boiling
however, resulted in a decreasing trend in
fat, crude fibre and protein contents of both
samples with seeds and those without seeds.
This shows that boiling of plantain for a
long period of time reduces the quality of
this food since proximate composition is an
index of quality characteristics. The Least
gelation, water absorption, foaming
capacity/stability, and emulsion capacity are
affected by boiling and boiling time.
Therefore, boiling may be selectively used
to improve or inhibit these functional
properties of plantain flour. Removal of
plantain seeds however has no significant
effect on most of the functional properties
except for water absorption capacity which
increases. Hence, boiled plantain will be
highly useful as binding agents in food
processing and in pharmaceutical industry.
There is need to investigate the applications
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
56
of whole Musa flour in baking and
confectioneries from the point of view of
their pasting properties and also investigate
the effects of other cooking methods such as
frying and roasting on the functional
properties, mineral contents and proximate
composition of plantain in other to ascertain
the best cooking methods of plantain.
References
Abbey, B. W. and Ibeh, G. (1988).
Functional properties of raw and heat
processed cowpea (Vigna
unguiculata, Walp) flour. Journal of
Food Science, 53, 1775-1777.
Adams, K. (2004). Food dehydration
options. Value added Technical
Note. www. attra. org/attra.
pub/PDF/dehydrate. pdf
(08/28/2007).
Adeniji, O., Kehinde, O., Ajala, M. and
Adebisi, M. (2008). Genetic studies
on seed yield of West African okra
[Abelmoschus caillei (A. Chev.)
Stevels]. Journal of Tropical
Agriculture, 45, 36-41.
Adeniji, T. A., Barimalaa, I. S. and
Achinewhu, S. C. (2006). Evaluation
of bunch characteristics and flour
yield potential in black Sigatoka
resistant plantain and banana
hybrids. Global Journal of Pure and
Applied Sciences, 12, 41-43.
Adepoju, O., Adekola, Y., Mustapha, S. and
Ogunola, S. (2010). Effect of
processing methods on nutrient
retention and contribution of cassava
(manihot spp) to nutrient intake of
Nigerian consumers. African Journal
of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and
Development, 10.
Allen, S. E., Grimshaw, H. M., Parkinson, J.
A. and Quarmby, C. (1974).
Chemical analysis of ecological
materials, Blackwell Scientific
Publications.
AOAC (1990). Official methods of analysis
(14th ed.). Association of Official
Analytical Chemists, Washington,
DC.
Aremu, C. and Udoessien, E. (1990).
Chemical estimation of some
inorganic elements in selected
tropical fruits and vegetables. Food
Chemistry, 37, 229-234.
Baiyeri, K. and Ortiz, R. (1996)Agronomic
evaluation of plantains and other
triploid banana. I International
Symposium on Banana: I
International Conference on Banana
and Plantain for Africa 540, 125-
135.
Beuchat, L. R. (1977). Functional and
electrophoretic characteristics of
succinylated peanut flour protein.
Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry, 25, 258-261.
Bonire, J. J., Jalil, N. S. and Lori, J. A.
(1990). Sodium and potassium
content of two cultivars of white yam
(Dioscorea rotundata) and their
source soils. Journal of the Science
of Food and Agriculture, 53, 271-
274.
Coffmann, C. and Garciaj, V. (1977).
Functional properties and amino acid
content of a protein isolate from
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
57
mung bean flour. International
Journal of Food Science &
Technology, 12, 473-484.
Demirel, D. and Turhan, M. (2003). Air-
drying behavior of Dwarf Cavendish
and Gros Michel banana slices.
Journal of Food Engineering, 59, 1-
11.
Dzomeku, B., Bam, R., Abu-Kwarteng, E.
and Ankomah, A. (2006).
Comparative study on the nutritional
values of FHIA-21 (Tetraploid
Hybrid) and apem (Triploid french
plantain) in Ghana. J. Plant Sci, 1,
187-191.
Ebuehi, O., Babalola, O. and Ahmed, Z.
(2005). Phytochemical, nutritive and
anti-nutritive composition of cassava
(Manihot esculenta L) tubers and
leaves. Nigerian Food Journal, 23,
40-46.
Emaga, T. H., Andrianaivo, R. H., Wathelet,
B., Tchango, J. T. and Paquot, M.
(2007). Effects of the stage of
maturation and varieties on the
chemical composition of banana and
plantain peels. Food chemistry, 103,
590-600.
Essien, A., Ebana, R. and Udo, H. (1992).
Chemical evaluation of the pod and
pulp of the fluted pumpkin (Telfairia
occidentalis) fruit. Food Chemistry,
45, 175-178.
Fagbemi, T. N. (1999). Effect of blanching
and ripening on functional properties
of plantain (Musa aab) flour. Plant
Foods for Human Nutrition, 54, 261-
269.
Fagbemi, T. N. 2004. Processing Effects on
the Chemical Composition and
Functional Properties of Three
Tropical Seeds: Breadnut
(Artocarpus Altilis/Cashewnut
(Anacardium Occidentale) and
Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia
Occidentalis). Federal University of
Technology, Akure.
Gwanfogbe, P., Cherry, J., Simmons, J. and
James, C. (1988). Functionality and
nutritive value of composite plantain
(Musa paradisiaca) fruit and
glandless cottonseed flours. Tropical
Science, 28, 51-66.
Ihekoronye, A. I. and Ngoddy, P. O. (1985).
Integrated food science and
technology for the tropics,
Macmillan.
Juarez-Garcia, E., Agama-Acevedo, E.,
Sáyago-Ayerdi, S., Rodriguez-
Ambriz, S. and Bello-Perez, L. A.
(2006). Composition, digestibility
and application in breadmaking of
banana flour. Plant foods for human
nutrition, 61, 131.
Kinsella, J. E. (1979). Functional properties
of soy proteins. Journal of the
American Oil chemists’ society, 56,
242-258.
Marriott, J., Robinson, M. and Karikari, S.
K. (1981). Starch and sugar
transformation during the ripening of
plantains and bananas. Journal of the
Science of Food and Agriculture, 32,
1021-1026.
Nwosu, J. (2010). Effect of soaking,
blanching and cooking on the
antinutritional properties of
Abiodun O., Ebun O,, Adewale F., Morounke S, jocrfuta.edu.ng. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2019: 44-58
58
asparagus bean (Vigna sesquipedis)
flour. Nat Sci, 8, 163-167.
Ogazi, P. (1996). Plantain: production,
processing and utilisation, Paman
Assoc. Ltd., Imo State, Nigeria.
Okaka, J. C. and Potter, N. N. (1979).
Physico‐chemical and functional
properties of cowpea powders
processed to reduce beany flavor.
Journal of Food science, 44, 1235-
1240.
Ologhobo, A. and Fetuga, B. (1983).
Trypsin inhibitor activity in some
limabean (Phaseolus lunatus)
varieties as affected by different
processing methods. Nutrition
Reports International.
Osundahunsi, O. F. (2009). Scanning
electron microscope study and
pasting properties of unripe and ripe
plantain. Journal of Food,
Agriculture & Environment, 7, 182-
186.
Pacheco Delahaye, E., Maldonado, R., Díaz,
D. and López, I. (2000). Valor
nutricional de las musáceas y uso en
la tecnología de alimentos.
Memorias. Primer Seminario
Venezolano de Plantas Agámicas
Tropicales. Universidad Central de
Venezuela, 172-186.
Pearson, D. (1981). Pearson's chemical
analysis of foods-H. Egan, RS Kirk.
And R. Sawyer (eds) 18th ed.,
London, New York.
Robinson, J. (1996). Bananas and plantains,
crop production science in
horticulture 5. CAB International,
Wallingford.
Stover, R. H. and Simmonds, N. W. (1987).
Classification of banana cultivars.
Bananas and Food Security, New
York, Wiley, 3, 97–103.
Strosse, H., Schoofs, H., Panis, B., Andre,
E., Reyniers, K. and Swennen, R.
(2006). Development of
embryogenic cell suspensions from
shoot meristematic tissue in bananas
and plantains (Musa spp.). Plant
Science, 170, 104-112.
Suntharalingam, S. and Ravindran, G.
(1993). Physical and biochemical
properties of green banana flour.
Plant Foods for Human Nutrition,
43, 19-27.
Surga, J., Bolívar, A. and Trujillo, L.
(1998). Caractérisation de la
production et de la
commercialisation des Musa au
Venezuela. Bananas and Food
Security, 67.
Ukhun, M. E. and Ukpebor, I. E. (1991).
Production of instant plantain flour,
sensory evaluation and physico-
chemical changes during storage.
Food chemistry, 42, 287-299.
Zakpaa, H., Mak-Mensah, E. and
Adubofour, J. (2010). Production
and characterization of flour
produced from ripe" apem" plantain
(Musa sapientum L. var.
paradisiacal; French horn) grown in
Ghana. Journal of Agricultural
Biotechnology and Sustainable
Development, 2, 92.