OluwamukomiM. O. and M. O. Adeyemi
Samples of soy-melon enriched ‘gari’ a protein enriched, fermented and toasted granular cassava product were produced and subjected to Accelerated Storage Stability study to determine the effect of BHT used as an antioxidant, the type of packaging used and the temperature of storage on the shelf life of the product. 200gms of each sample was packaged into: (i) woven sack (Bacco, Nig PLC) (ii) high density polyethylene (HDPE) film. The packaged samples were stored under three (3) different temperatures, viz: 20 ± 2oC , 30 ± 2oC, and 40 ± 2oC. Butylated Hydroxyl Toluene (BHT) at 200ppm level based on 10% fat content was as added as an antioxidant to some while some contains no antioxidant. Samples were brought out at weekly intervals and subjected to sensory evaluation over a period of 32 weeks by 20 member sensory panel of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigerian in order to determine its shelf life. A nine-point hedonic scoring system was used for the evaluation, where 1 = Extremely disliked and 9 = Extremely liked. Results obtained from the replicate evaluations of each set of samples were pooled and statistically analyzed. Other data on the flavor difference scores for each product were subjected to regression analysis based on the critical minimum panel mean score of 5.0 for shelf stability of the samples. The shelf lives for the samples were determined from the slopes (k) using the half life equation. The shelf lives of samples packaged in HDPE were significantly higher than those packaged in woven sack at lower temperatures but samples packaged in HDPE at 40oC reduced faster in flavor score than those in the woven sack after about 29weeks of storage. Sample without BHT started to depreciate in flavor with burnt off flavor after about 16 weeks of storage.
