Nutritional and sensory evaluation of akara made from blends of cowpea and hard-to-cook mottled brown dry beans

The effect of replacing cowpea with hard-to-cook beans on the nutritional and sensory properties of akara were evaluated. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), traditionally used for making akara, was substituted 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% with hard-to-cook (HTC) mottled brown beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Cowpea (CP) soaked for 60 min HTC beans soaked for 18 h were separately decorticated, ground to a paste, and mixed in the following CP:MBB ratios: 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0. The paste mixtures were each whipped and fried into akara. The samples were analyzed for bulk density, nutritional composition, carbohydrate and protein digestibility, alpha-amylase inhibitor and trypsin inhibitor activity, and sensory attributes. The bulk density of paste as well as of akara increased with the increasing content of HTC bean. Akara made from composite paste had a relatively better amino acid profile. Frying beyond 5 min destroyed the alpha-amylase inhibitors as well as the trypsin inhibitor activity. No significant difference was observed in the overall acceptability of akara made from cowpea substituted up to 50% with HTC beans. Hence, this approach permits the utilization of hard-to-cook beans.