| Popis: |
This paper reports the effect of pepper content (PC = 0.5-2.5%), salt content (SC = 0.5-3.0%), moisture content (MC=60-70%), whipping time (WT = 0-120 s) on the quality of cowpea paste (CP) held at ambient temperature for 24 h. The pH and lactic acid bacterial (LAB) and total plate counts of the CP and sensory acceptability of akara- a fried cowpea product were studied over 24 h of holding. Longer whipping time reduced LAB counts in freshly prepared CP. Increased pepper powder content significantly enhanced microbial counts (p0.97). The best before (BBT) and expiry times (ET) of the CP were 5.60 and 11.64 h, respectively.Keywords: Cowpea paste, ingredient combination, lactic fermentation, optimization |
