CHARACTERISTICS OF PROCESSED FOODS FROM WHOLE COWPEAS (VIGNA SINENSIS)

Abstract

This research study was designed to develop new food product formulations from whole cowpeas (Vigna sinensis) with high protein content and specific nutritional characteristics adequate to meet the requirements of both malnourished and well-nourished children. Highly acceptable food products were developed from either spray-dried or dry-roasted flours. These included a chocolate-flavored pudding, cowpea "butter," cookies, frozen desserts and all-purpose, whole wheat/cowpea breads. A rat feeding experiment to evaluate the nutritional qualities of the flours was carried out using Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) as the evaluated parameter. Weanling male rats were fed diets with 10% protein (unsupplemented and supplemented) from cowpeas or casein (control). Methionine (0.36%), threonine (0.06%) and lysine (0.1%) were the supplementing amino acids used. Unsupplemented diets had very low PERs. The spray-dried flour diet supplemented with methionine had a PER about 15% greater than that of the control. The dry-roasted diet supplemented with methionine, threonine and lysine had a PER approximately equal to the control. It is concluded that it is possible to avoid or alleviate child protein malnutrition with either industrially- or home-produced food products formulated from whole cowpeas.