Effect of skimmed milk and vegetable powders on shelf stability of millet-based composite flour.

BACKGROUND: Millet porridge is a major complementary food used in Uganda but it is limited in protein and micronutrients like zinc and beta-carotene. Addition of milk and vegetable powders are known to greatly improve the nutrient content of millet flour. However, there was limited information on the shelf stability of the resultant composite flour. This study aimed at assessing the effect of milk and vegetable powders on the shelf stability of millet based composite flour.

RESULTS: There was a general increase in the moisture content (MC), peroxide value (PV), free fatty acids (FFA), Thiobaturic Acid (TBA) and total plate count (TPC) of both composite and millet flours over the 8 weeks storage period. However, higher MC, PV, FFA, TBA and TPC values were recorded in the composite flour compared to millet flour (control) at each sampling interval. Sensory evaluation results revealed that panelists preferred porridges prepared from millet only compared to those from composite flour. The degree of liking of porridges from both composite and millet flours generally decreased over the storage period. However, both porridges were deemed as acceptable by the end of the storage period. The TPC also remained below 105 cfu/g which is the maximum limit recommended by the National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).

CONCLUSION: The study findings indicated that addition of milk and vegetables powders negatively affected the stability of the composite flour. We recommend further studies to stabilize the product during storage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.