Quality Evaluation of Malted Pigeon Pea –Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Flour Blends and Biscuits Using Albino (Wistar) Rats

The use of underutilized food crops and their fortification could add value to food products. Malted pigeon pea was produced and substituted into orange fleshed sweet potato at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 100% to produce flour blends which was used to feed albino rats on addition of salt, bone meal, blood meal. The blend flour was also used to produce biscuits on addition of baking fat, sugar and salt. The biscuit was analysed for physical and sensory properties. The albino rat feed was analysed for nutrition and haematological qualities. The ash, protein and energy value content of the flour increased from 2.34 to 3.11, 4.64 to 13.27%, 379.83 to 384.19 Kcal/100g, respectively, with increase in added malted pigeon flour. The flavonoid, saponin, phenol, phytate, tannins contents increased from 2.11 to 3.43, 6.61 to 9.70, 0.03 to 0.07, 33.74 to 50.28, 0.04 to 0.08 mg/kg, respectively. The water absorption capacity and bulk density capacity decreased from 0.38 to 0.15% and 0.73 to 0.46 g, while the swelling, oil absorption and foam capacity increased from 1.60 to 3.65, 0.91 to 1.82 and 7.15 to 12.20%, respectively, with addition of malted pigeon pea. The highest break strength was observed in biscuit produced with 85:15 (85 % orange fleshed sweet potato, 15 % malted pigeon pea flour blends) (3000g). The Feed Efficient Ratio (FER) and the Protein Efficient Ratio (PER) of the feed albino  rats improved with addition of malted pigeon pea. The Haemoglobin (HB), Park Cell Volume (PCV), Total White Blood Cells (TWBC), White Blood Cells (WBC), Red Blood Cell (RBC) of the feed albino rats generally increased with increase in the quantity of malted pigeon pea over the three weeks feeding duration. All the blend flour biscuits were generally accepted; however, the 15% malted pigeon pea biscuit was the most preferred. Quality and acceptable biscuits can be produced from malted pigeon pea –orange fleshed sweet potato.