Abstract

Tofu was produced from blends of sesame seed (Sesamum indicum) and soybean (Glycine max Merr) and the quality attributes were assessed. Soybeans and sesame seeds of selected quality were used singly or in blend viz., 100% soybean, soybean:sesame blend at 70:30, 50:50 and 100% sesame. Soybean was soaked, dehulled and parboiled to soften the beans, while sesame seed was soaked overnight. The samples were washed and ground with added water to a milky slurry. The slurry was heated and filtered to obtain milk. Coagulation was done at 70–80°C through use of calcium chloride and the precipitate was pressed. A soft cake-like tofu resulted which were cut into desired size. Tofu samples were subjected to proximate analysis, microbiological examination, anti-nutrient test and sensory tests. The highest protein content obtained from 100% fried sample of soybean tofu (100% FSO) was 30.89% and found to be significantly the same with the protein content of 30.33% for 70% soybean+ 3. 0% sesame (70:30) tofu blend. Total viable count of the tofu samples ranged from 10²-10³ cfu/g while Escherichia coli were absent. Anti-nutrients were found to reduce with heat treatment; fried samples had lower anti-nutrients than the unfried ones. It was observed that the phytate and alkaloid in sesame tofu were higher than soy tofu. Soybean tofu were higher in calcium (270.66 mg/kg), iron (14.56 mg/kg) and potassium (200.66 mg/kg), while, sesame tofu were higher in magnesium, phosphorus and sodium. Similar to what obtained from the anti-nutrient results, the mineral content of blends produced a good combination. Sensory quality was found to be highest for the product made from 50:50 blend. The interaction between sesame and soybean yielded the best result at 50:50 proportion, followed by 70:30 proportion.

Key words: Soy-sesame blends, tofu, composition, sensory profile.