Functional, chemical and organoleptic properties of moi-moi prepared from blends of cowpea (<i>Vigna unguiculata</i>) and sprouted pigeon pea (<i>Cajanus cajan</i>) flours

Moi-moi is a steamed bean paste usually made from cowpea paste blended with seasonings and other ingredients. This study was carried out to evaluate the functional, chemical and sensory properties of moi-moi produced from cowpea and sprouted pigeon pea flour blends. Flours were produced from cowpea and sprouted pigeon pea and blended in the ratios of 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20 and 50:50, where 100% cowpea served as the reference sample. The functional properties of the composite flours, proximate, mineral, and sensory characteristics of the moi-moi were evaluated. Functional properties ranged from 0.67 to 0.69 g/ml for bulk density, 1.33 to 1.70 ml/g for swelling index, 1.80 to 2.03 g/g for water absorption capacity, 1.27 to 1.73 for oil absorption capacity, 40.17 to 46.57 % for emulsion capacity and 30.30 to 34.00 % for foam capacity. Proximate composition results revealed that crude protein, crude fibre, and ash increased while moisture, fat and carbohydrate decreased with increased substitution of cowpea with sprouted pigeon pea. Mineral contents increased with increasing level of sprouted pigeon pea addition with values ranging from 26.30-63.37 mg/100g, 39.00-51.50 mg/100g, 272.00 to330.27 mg/100 g, 14.10 to 43.90 mg/100 g and 413.33-434.13 mg/100g for calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and phosphorous respectively. Sensory analysis revealed that moi-moi produced from 90% cowpea and 10% sprouted pigeon pea flour possessed the best organoleptic properties among the test samples. This study has demonstrated the production potential and nutritional benefits of sprouted pigeon pea complementation in the production moi-moi from cowpea.