ABSTRACT
Dairy milk is an indispensable food for the nourishment of
animals and man due to its treasured nutritional content and thus remains an
important part of daily meals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the
microbial and sensory properties of canned Tigernut milk. The Tigernut were
sorted, washed and divided into three batches for further processing. Cans were
filled with 100 mL of the Tigernut milk produced and double seams made using a
metal box 1 seamer. Retorting was done at 121 °C for 15 min. Microbial assay
was carried out for 8 weeks to determine the total viable count of
microorganisms in the canned Tigernut milk. The assessment of the microbial
load of the products over the 8-week storage period showed results exhibiting
similar trend as observed for the hourly study. The microbial loads over the
storage period had no significant increase in load over time for some of the
product formulations. Others however recorded some microbial growth with
increasing counts over time. Even though the shelf life cannot be accurately
predicted from such observation, an emphatic conclusion of the shelf stability
of the product being far beyond an 8-week period can be ascertained.
Microwaving as a method was seen to have resulted in producing sweet-smelling
compounds leading to a higher preference over the other samples. Sensory
evaluation was done. The results showed that the processing methods variably
affected the various sensory attributes with no significant differences
recorded for smell (p < 0.05). The cooked and microwaved samples were the
most preferred for all the given attributes over the other samples. However,
consumer preference had a slight shift towards the cooked sample in terms of
overall acceptability. The microbial storage profile showed no growth up to the
seventh week of storage for all samples.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Research continues to provide
information on the links between dietary pattern and health. Diabetes, obesity
and stroke are some conditions that have been strongly linked with diet. As a
result, many consumers are shifting towards plant-based diets. A number of
plant-based diets are now receiving considerable attention because of their
reported health benefits. This includes plant-based milks such as soymilk,
coconut milk, almond milk and Tigernut milk Beaulieu, J. C. et al, 2007).
Makinen et al. (2016) defined plant-based milk as aqueous extracts that have an
appearance like that of cow’s milk and result from the homogenisation of plant
sources.
Consumer’s choice of plant-based
milk is driven mainly by the prevalence of lactose (Lomer et al., 2008). Ethical
considerations by animal rights’ activists and vegetarians against animal products
is also increasing the movement of consumers towards plant-based milks (Jeske et
al., 2015). Plant-based milks such as soymilk, quinoa milk, flax milk, oat
milk, hazelnut milk exist on the market (Kim et al., 2012). Soymilk has the
biggest market share of these (Mintel Group, 2011). According to Jeske et al.
(2015), about 14% of people who have allergic reactions to cow’s milk are
allergic to soy products as well. This presents a huge market base for emerging
products such as Tigernut milk.
Tigernut is widespread across the
world and considered as a weed in some countries (DeFelice, 2002). It is
cultivated in many parts of Ghana in commercial quantities for its edible
tubers and for the purposes of medication (Sanful, 2009). Tigernut are mainly
composed of carbohydrate and fats, with a low protein content (Oladele and Aina
2007; Ekeanyanwu and Ononogbu, 2010; Codina-Torella et al., 2014).
Tigernut milk also known as ‘atadwe milk’ in Ghana. It is a water extract of
Tigernut and may be consumed sweetened or unsweetened.
Tigernut milk is however highly
perishable and is characterized by a relatively shorter shelf life. The milk is
often consumed immediately after production. Canning over the years has proven
to be an effective and efficient for long time preservation of milk products.
The technique has been typically defined as a method of food preservation which
involves an initial sealing of the food in air-tight jars, cans or pouches,
followed by subsequent heating to a temperature that destroys microorganisms
that poses health risk or reserves spoilage potential (Huang et al., 2016).
Thus, the objective of the study is to investigate the potential canning on the
shelf stability of newly developed Tigernut milk beverages.
1.2 Problem Statement and
Justification
In Ghana, Tigernut (Cyperus
esculentus) is an edible perennial grass-like plant of the Sedge family. It is
widely used for human and animal consumption as a nutritious food and feed in
Africa, Europe and America (Belewu, et al., 2007). About 1.3 million cases of
active diarrhoea in children less than five years in the developing world due
to contaminated milk (Belloin, 1988). Milk contains a natural inhibitory system
which prevents a significant rise in the bacteria count during the first 2 -3 h
and if it is cooled within this period to 4 C,̊ it maintains nearly its
original quality. Timely cooling ensures that the quality of the milk remains
good for processing and consumption (Asekan, et al., 2012). However, in rural
places where there is no refrigerator facility people use traditional
approaches to maintain the quality and safety of milk. Tigernut can be eaten
raw, roasted, dried, baked or made into a refreshing beverage, which is very
nutritive, healthy for both the young, and old. There were many attempts to
industrialize the locally prepared Tigernut beverage, but the inability to
preserve the drink for a long time without spoilage has been a major
drawback (Chukwu, et al., 2013). Therefore, evaluating the Microbial and
Sensory Properties of Canned Tigernut Milk are the major objectives of this
research study.
1.3 Objectives
The objective of this study was to
evaluate the microbial and sensory properties of canned Tigernut milk.
For more Food Science & Technology Projects Click here
===================================================================Item Type: Ghanaian Topic | Size: 57 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
===================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.