Thesis Abstract

Changes in physicochemical properties of instant kunun zaki flours produced from millet (Pennisetum typhoiduem) and malts of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and soybean (Glycine max) during storage were investigated. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of storage on the quality of instant kunun zaki flours in terms of physicochemical properties. Instant kunun zaki flours were produced from millet, cowpea, and soybean malts through a modified steeping, germinating, and drying process. The samples were stored at room temperature for up to 90 days, and analyses were conducted at 30-day intervals. The results showed that the moisture content of the instant kunun zaki flours increased significantly during storage, with the cowpea malt-based flour having the highest moisture content compared to millet and soybean malt-based flours. This increase in moisture content could be attributed to the hygroscopic nature of the flours and the environmental conditions during storage. The protein content of the flours decreased over the storage period, with the soybean malt-based flour showing the highest protein degradation, followed by cowpea and millet malt-based flours. The reduction in protein content could be due to enzymatic activities and oxidation processes during storage. Furthermore, the fat content of the instant kunun zaki flours remained relatively stable during the storage period, with no significant differences observed among the three types of malt-based flours. The ash content increased in all samples over time, indicating mineral accumulation during storage. The carbohydrate content decreased slightly in all samples, which could be attributed to enzymatic activities leading to carbohydrate degradation. In terms of color properties, the lightness (L*) values of the instant kunun zaki flours decreased during storage, indicating darkening of the flours. The redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values also showed variations over the storage period, suggesting changes in the color attributes of the flours. Overall, the study demonstrated that storage significantly influenced the physicochemical properties of instant kunun zaki flours produced from millet and malts of cowpea and soybean. The findings highlight the importance of proper storage conditions to maintain the quality of instant kunun zaki flours for extended shelf life and consumer acceptance.

Thesis Overview

INTRODUCTION
      Kunun zaki is a traditional, non-alcoholic and non-carbonated beverage widely consumed in Northern Nigeria and is becoming popular in the South .It is consumed at any time of the day by both adults and children, as breakfast drink. It an appetizer and it is commonly served at social gatherings. The ingredients used in its manufacture include, millet (Pennisetum typhoideum), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), maize (Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa), spices [ginger (Zingiber officinale), garlic (Allium sativum), red peeper (Capsicum annuum), black pepper (Piper nigrum), clove (Syzygium aromaticum)]. Also Cadaba farinosa, potatoes (Ipomea batatas)(Efiuvwevwere and Akoma, 1995). Tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus) and groundnut (Arachis hypogea) may be added to sweeten and enrich protein content.

Kunun zaki is rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals but it is low in protein (Ayo and Okaka, 1998). Sugar may be added instead of pepper to meet the demands of some consumers (Onuorah et al, 1987; Akoma et al 2006). Some consumers consume kunun zaki without sugar or pepper (Adeyemi and Umar, 1994). Kunun zaki is accepted based on its colour (cream) and flavour (millet mixed with ginger flavour).

Traditionally, kunun zaki is produced by steeping the grains in water, wet milling with spices and sieving, the overall process taking 24 hours (Adeyemi and Umar, 1994). This traditional method has been improved by shortening the processing time to 12 hours by steeping the grains in warm water containing 15% sodium metabisulphate, wet-milling, liquefication and saccharification with enzymes in the grain, filtering, bottling and pasteurization at 80oC for 30 minutes before refrigeration at 4-8 oC (Gaffa and Ayo, 2002). Traditionally produced kunun zaki has a shelf life of about 24 hours (Adeyemi and Umar, 1994) at ambient temperature. The improved method can however extend the shelf life to 8 days after pasteurization followed by refrigeration storage (Osuntogun and Aboada, 2004) which can last for 90 days when chemical preservation is applied as has been achieved by FIIRO, Nigeria (Haard, 1998). Also instant kunun zaki flour has been produced by Dala Foods Limited Kano, Nigeria and commercialized Kunun Tsamiya, the product being made only from millet. Further work was done by Amazikwu (2007) where she produced instant kunun zaki flours from millet-cowpea malt and millet-soybean malt to enhance protein content and sensory quality. She also carried out sensory evaluation and the samples were rated acceptable by consumers. However no packaging or storage studies have been carried out on the instant powders and shelf life is also largely dependent upon the storage conditions and packaging materials used. This work is therefore a follow up of the work done by Amazikwu (2007). Against this background, this project was designed to produce instant kunun zaki flours from millet-cowpea malt and millet-soybean malt combinations and store in good flexible packaging material. Specific attention was therefore directed at;

(i) producing instant kunun zaki powders from millet-cowpea malt and millet-soybean malt by steam heating.

(ii) studying the changes in physicochemical and functional properties of the packaged flours during storage.

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