SENSORY EVALUATION OF KUNU DRINKS PRODUCED FROM POTATO TUBER WITH DIFFERENT SPICES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

For many years, the Nigerian soft drink industry has been heavily dependent on imported raw materials. In order to conserve foreign exchange, emphasis is now on the development of indigenous beverages and the country’s attention has begun to shift toward the local sourcing of raw materials for economic development (Obadina et al., 2008). Kunu-zaki is an indigenous fermented beverage made from unsprouted cereal grains (Adeyemi and Umar 1994).

The drink has its origin in the northern parts of Nigeria but is now popular in almost all the states in Nigeria (Gaffa and Ayo 2002).  Cereal grains form a major source of dietary nutrients for all people, particularly those in the developing countries (Slavin 2010). However, the nutritional quality of cereal grains and sensory properties of their products are inferior due to lower protein content, deficiency of certain essential amino acids, lower protein and starch availabilities, presence of certain antinutrients, and the coarse nature of the grains (Kahlon 2009). Germination of cereal seeds has been reported as an effective processing treatment to improve the nutritional quality of cereals (Amadou et al., 2011). Sprouting of grains for a limited period causes increased activities of hydrolytic enzymes, improvement in the contents of certain essential amino acids, total sugars, and B-group vitamins, and a decrease in dry matter, starch, and antinutrients (Akinhanmi et al., 2008). The digestibility of storage proteins and starch is improved due to their partial hydrolysis during sprouting (Inyang and Zakari 2008). The magnitude of the nutritional improvement is, however, influenced by the type of cereal, seed quality, and sprouting conditions (Kahlon 2009).

The consumption of sprouted cereals is gradually becoming popular in various parts of the world (Slavin 2010). Kunu-zaki (sweet kunu) is a cheap traditional nonalcoholic fermented beverage widely consumed especially during the dry season (Adeyemi and Umar 1994). Kunu-zaki processing is mostly done by women using simple household equipment and utensils. Depending on cereal availability, the unsprouted cereal grains used for kunu-zaki processing are sorghum, maize, millet, guinea corn, or rice in mostly noncomposite proportions. Even though kunu-zaki is popular and fast becoming a household technology in the country, the cereal grains used are selected randomly and diversely. For instance, some women use millet only or sorghum only, while others use only maize. Some also use sorghum with rice, while others use millet with sorghum.

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