Effects Of Cooking With Potash On The Nutrient Content (Proximate Composition And Mineral Content: Zn, Fe, Ca, P And Mg) Of Some Selected Traditional Foods (Cowpeas, Breadfruit And Oil Bean Seed)

ABSTRACT

The effect of cooking with potash on the nutrient contents (proximate composition and mineral contents (Fe, Ca, P, Ca, Mg, and Zn) of some selected * traditional foods (Cowpea, breadfruit and oil bean seed) was investigated. Addition of potash into the cooking water affected some of the organoleptic properties of the foods such as colour, taste and texture. Sensory evaluation showed that potash can significantly result in darkening the colour of foods (Cowpea, breadfruit & oil bean seed), could improve flavour of the foods, with no sicnificant difference in the textures. For the cowpea samples, the crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, Fe and P were reduced with the addition of potash (PczO.05) and moisture, ash, carbohydrate, Mg, Ca and Zn increased significantly. The breadfruit samples were adversely affected in moisture, crude protein, crude fat, ash, Ca, and Mg, with the addition of potash at varying levels (O.5g, 1.Og, and 2.Og); Crude fibre, carbohydrate, Zn, P and Fe increased significantly (P>O.05). Crude protein, crude fat, ash, crude fibre and zinc reduced with the addition, of potash ( O.5g, 1 .Og, and 2.Og) in oil bean seed and increased the carbohydrate, moisture, Fe, P, Ca, and Mg. Thus, the addition of potash into' cooking water of the traditional foods (cowpea, breadfruit and oil bean seed) should be carefully used and regulated.