Four types of protein sources were used in the preparation of pepper soup dishes using Itsekiri pepper soup spices were evaluated. The protein sources used for the pepper soup dishes were:  Cow-leg, goat meat, fresh fish and dry stock fish. Sensory evaluation of the four pepper soup dishes was done using 40 trained panelists based on a 5-point hedonic scale. Result on the acceptability of the soup dishes revealed that dry stock fish pepper with 4.58±0.50 was highly acceptable, cow leg pepper with average score of 3.93±0.80 was moderately acceptable, fresh fish pepper soup with 3.85±0.86 was also averagely acceptable while goat meat pepper soup with score of 3.48±0.64 was the least acceptable. Based on the results of the ratings of the dishes, it was recommended that the pepper soup seasoning was generally acceptable and hence, should be promoted on a wider level.

 

Key words: Pepper soup, Itsekiri spices, protein sources, sensory evaluation, acceptability.