Proximate and Sensory Evaluation of Snack Bars Made from Water Yam and Oat Spiced with Cinnamon and Mustard Seed

Abstract

Aims: To produce snack bars from water yam and oat spiced with cinnamon and mustard seed, to determine the proximate composition of the snack bars and to rate the sensory attributes of the snack bars. Study Design: Quantitative and laboratory experiment. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Science and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Methodology: We applied a mixture design matrix in completely randomized design (CRD) layout which yielded 8 samples and 2 controls. The formulations are: W100 (Water yam 100%), O100 (Oat 100%), WC90 (Water yam 90; Cinnamon 10), WC5 (Water yam 95: Cinnamon 5), OC10 (Oat 90: Cinnamon 10), OC5 (Oat 95: Cinnamon 5), WM10 (Water yam 90: Mustard seed 10), WM5 (Water yam 95: Mustard seed 5), OM10 (Oat 90: Mustard seed 10) and OM5 (Oat 95: Mustard seed 5).  The proximate evaluation was determined using AOAC (2015). The sensory evaluation was carried out using 25 semi-trained panelists and rated for appearance, taste, flavour, texture, crispiness and overall acceptability on a 9-point hedonic scale. Results: The proximate composition of the snack bars had moisture content of 2.83-7.33%, ash content of 1.80-4.00%, fat content of 0.30-1.50%, fibre content of 3.33-12.33%, protein content of 0.21-0.89% and carbohydrate content of 74.79-87.23%. The sensory evaluation of the snack bars showed that snack bars with oat formulations were more preferred in appearance, taste, flavour, texture, crispiness and overall acceptability when compared to their water yam counterparts on the 9-point hedonic scale. The controls W100 (Water yam 100%), O100 (Oat 100%) were the least preferred on all parameters evaluated for the sensory properties. Conclusion: This study revealed that snack bars can be made from water yam, oat, cinnamon and mustard seed. Analytically, the proximate composition showed a low protein, low fat, high fibre composition. Sensory evaluation revealed that the oat sample blended with mustard seed of 5% was the generally accepted on appearance, texture, taste, crispiness and flavour.