SENSORY EVALUATION OF CAKE PRODUCED FROM COMPOSITE FLOUR OF WHEAT AND RICE FLOUR [PDF]

CHAPTER ONE

INRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Cakes are convenient food products. They are usually sweet and often  baked, prepared from flour, sugar, shortening,  baking powder, egg, and essence as principal  ingredients . Wheat is the major flour used in cake production. Herbert (2000) reported that cake produced from wheat flour alone lack adequate  protein needed for growth, repair of tissues and  building of cells. In addition, cake made from  wheat flour is too expensive for an average  person from a developing country to afford.

This has greatly influenced the use of composite flours in which flours from locally grown crops and high protein seeds replace a  portion of wheat flour for use in bread and  other pasties production, therefore decreasing  the demand for imported wheat and increasing  the production of protein-enriched bread and  pasties (GOlaoye, 2006).

Literatures abound on the use of composite  flours in the production of cake. Fasano (2011), reported the use of fava beans and  cowpea flour in the production of cake The use of wheat-based  composite flours in the production of cookies  have also been reported.

Sanful (2010) reported that cakes made from wheat-rice flour were more acceptable than whole wheat flour cake and the nutritional contents increased as the amount of  rice increased. The production of cake from wheat, soya beans and rice flour  have  also been reported (Ugwuona, 2012).  These authors reported that cakes produced from composite flour blends were higher in protein, carbohydrates and fat contents than those made of 100% wheat flour.

In Nigeria, the consumption of cake is high, as celebrations takes place weekly across the country and thus, the consumption  of wheat flours. Attempts to remove the gluten ingredients in foods may result in the loss of nutritional balance (Olaoye, 2006). Wheat flour has also been known to be expensive in Nigeria compared to other cereals mainly because it is not produced locally, however, there are so many other crops grown in Nigeria and attempts have been made by many researchers to complement wheat flours with non-wheat flours particularly legumes flour for pastry products. Onwuka et al.,  (2005) reported that acceptable cakes could be produced from wheat flour substituted with up to 50% of rice flours.

The active ingredients of cake such as wheat flour, sugar and fat have been known to be linked to health related problems like the celiac disease, diabetes and obesity respectively. One way to solve this problem is to seek alternative sources of flour and sweeteners in cake production.

This project work, therefore evaluate cake making potential of composite wheat rice flours it also evaluate the sensory attributes of composite flour of wheat and rice flour.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

          There is a gross over dependence on improved wheat flour, Nigeria climate does not favour the cultivation of what. The demand for wheat is on the increase and has by far exceeded its supply. About 75% of our foreign exchange is lost through importation of wheat hence we are looking for a substitute which will even yield a foreign exchange through export for the country. Rice seems to have the potential for such again there is increase in the price of wheat, and therefore, there is the need to look for a very close substitute, cheaper, cost effective and at the same time having equal value in quantity and quality as wheat, again, there is need to find out whether the taste, flavour, colour, texture and other sensory attributes of rice closely compete with that of wheat. It is based on this gaps that this research work is intending to evaluate the sensory characteristics of cake produced with the composite flour of wheat and rice.

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