Abstract

This study evaluated some properties of steam-heated kunun zaki flour and beverage produced from millet and malts of cowpea or soybean. Malting increased the diastatic activities and protein content of cowpea and soybean. The diastatic activity of the millet-cowpea malt (MC_m) or soybean malt (MS_m) increased as the solid-water ratio increased from 1:0 to 1:3. The instant blends produced from a 1:1 (w/v) slurry had crude protein contents of 203.4 (MC_m) and 317.1 g kg^-1 (MS_m), sugar contents of 0.6444 (MC_m) and 0.6378 g kg^-1 (MS_m), which were higher than millet’s (M). The apparent viscosity of kunun zaki from MS_m was 125 cP, MC_m (121.3 cP) and millet (1605 cP). Sensory evaluation by an 80-member panel showed that kunun zaki from millet-soybean malt (MS_m) was most preferred. The dry instant flour products can be stored and reconstituted on demand for consumption; the reduced viscosity of the blends would encourage increased nutrient densities.

Key words: Instant kunun, millet, cowpea and soybean malts.