Nutritious Raw Soumbala Seasoning: An Alternative for Its Valorization and Acceptability

Abstract

A healthy diet is essential for the prevention of certain diseases. Therefore, it is essential to test the formulation of unprocessed or minimally processed foods. The aim of this study was to formulate a soumbala-based food with high nutritional and nutraceutical potential. Despite its recognised nutritional and nutraceutical importance, the consumption of raw soumbala remains difficult due to certain physico-chemical parameters. Therefore, six spices commonly used by the local population were combined. Standard methods were used to evaluate the physicochemical and biochemical properties of the formulations. The sensory analysis was carried out by a panel of people aged at least 15 years who usually eat soumbala. The experiment produced 17 formulations using Minitab 18 software. The analysis showed that the protein content was (19.23 - 33.30% DM); lipids (19.51 - 27.99% DM); carbohydrates (35.95 - 86.66% DM) and the pH was between 6.37 and 6.88, i.e. slightly acidic. Sensory analysis showed that formulations F06, F05, F10, F13 and F17 were the most popular. In order to increase the value of soumbala, it would be worthwhile to popularise and promote the consumption of these foods.