Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Sweet potato and sorghum are important crops with high nutritional value and potential health benefits. The effects of processing methods on the physico-chemical properties of these crops have been a subject of interest due to their impact on the nutritional quality and consumer acceptance. This research aimed to investigate the influence of various processing methods including boiling, steaming, and roasting on the physico-chemical properties of sweet potato and sorghum. For sweet potato, the processing methods significantly affected the proximate composition, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and color attributes. Boiling resulted in a decrease in protein content but an increase in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity compared to raw sweet potato. Steaming led to a significant increase in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity, while roasting resulted in a decrease in these parameters. The color attributes of sweet potato were also affected by the processing methods, with boiling and steaming leading to a lighter color compared to roasting. In the case of sorghum, the processing methods had varying effects on the physico-chemical properties including proximate composition, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and starch digestibility. Boiling and steaming of sorghum grains resulted in a reduction in protein content but an increase in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity compared to raw sorghum. However, roasting led to a significant decrease in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Starch digestibility was significantly higher in boiled sorghum compared to steamed and roasted samples. Overall, the results suggest that processing methods have a significant impact on the physico-chemical properties of sweet potato and sorghum. Boiling and steaming generally led to an increase in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity, while roasting had varying effects on these parameters. Understanding the changes in physico-chemical properties of these crops due to processing is essential for developing processing techniques that can enhance their nutritional quality and consumer acceptance. Further research is needed to explore the effects of different processing methods on the bioavailability of nutrients and sensory attributes of sweet potato and sorghum-based products.

Thesis Overview

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Menu plays an integral role in the restaurant industries as it serves as a communication tool between the kitchen and the customer. It presents the available foods and drinks within the restaurant and their respective prices to the customers.

Though menu is found in most of the restaurant worldwide but the mode, type and method differs from restaurant to restaurant base on location, type of the targeted customers and the standard of the restaurant. These include the human menu; which makes use of verbal communication between the customer and the waiter in which the waiter verbally tells the customer the available food and the customer make his choice verbally also without any documentation. The paper menu; this type of menu, uses the pen, the paper printed with the available food and the customer make use of the pen to make his or her choice. Lastly the digital/electronic menu; this is the most accurate and efficient type which deploys information and communication technology facilities to perform its functions.

Businesses in hospitality industry based on food services have grown significantly worldwide. In the last few years where many restaurants have opted to offering various types of menus for the customer, this has increased the competition in the hospitality industry. The restaurants have to provide the best services and maintain relationships with their customer in order to survive in this competition.

One way that restaurateurs have chosen to address this issue is through the introduction of technology in the industry. The use of technology has become very diverse within the industry and ranges from minimal to extensive use and has assisted in altering the way restaurateurs conduct business (Huber, Hancer & George, 2010).

With the upsurge in Information and Communication Technology, many industries use telecommunication network as a medium of exchanging information. To overcome the problems faced by the restaurants, an application could be designed and implemented in a medium or large scale restaurant. The application is installed on each of the devices on the restaurant table. The customer can select the food from the menu application installed on the device provided on the table and then the order from the customer can be sent via the network to the kitchen.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Though menu plays a vital role in the restaurant industry as it is seen as the key disseminator of information and provides users with detailed descriptions that serve as a guide in the ordering process. In Nigeria, especially in Bauchi of Bauchi state to be specific, almost all the restaurant within the city, still make use of the paper base menu which is error prone and slow in performance which has serious effect on customer satisfaction. Within this locality, little is known about the customer and restaurant manager views on computerized restaurant menu, and the effect of its information, the service of waiting staffs and the new technology on customer satisfaction.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The general objective of this study is to design and implement a computerized Restaurant menu and the specific objectives are:

1. To analyze the requirement of the proposed system.
2. To design and develop computerized restaurant menu system.
3. To test and implement the computerized restaurant menu system.

To fill the knowledge gap on this topic (design and implementation of computerized restaurant menu system), this study seeks to investigate the following questions.

Q1. What are the views of the customers on computerized restaurant menu system?

Q2. What is the view of the restaurant management on computerized menu system?

Q3. Does the information on the menu, the waiting staff and the innovative technology on menu displaying devices affect customer satisfaction?

• Significance of the Study

At the end of this study, computerized restaurant menu system will be design and implemented, the stance of the customer on the new system, will be determined and the effect of information on the menu, the waiting staff and the innovative menu technology on displaying devices, on customer satisfaction will be established and it conclusion shall be beneficial to the restaurateur and the scholars in the field of hotel and restaurant managemen