CHEMICAL, GRANULOMETRIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WHOLE FLOURS FROM COMMERCIAL CULTIVARS OF COWPEA

Authors

  • Maiara Jaianne Bezerra Leal Rios Postgraduate Program in Food and Nutrition, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, PI
  • Kaesel Jackson Damasceno-Silva Embrapa Meio-Norte, Teresina, PI
  • Regilda Saraiva dos Reis Moreira-Araújo Department of Nutrition, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, PI
  • Evânia Altina Teixeira de Figueiredo Food Engineering Department, Universidade Federal do Ceará, CE
  • Maurisrael de Moura Rocha Embrapa Meio-Norte, Teresina, PI
  • Jorge Minoru Hashimoto Embrapa Meio-Norte, Teresina, PI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252018v31n125rc

Keywords:

Vigna unguiculata. Cowpea flour. Chemical composition.

Abstract

Flour production through milling is an alternative for the cowpea processing, when the aim is to obtain a product with higher added value. The objective of this work was to determine the chemical composition, the granulometry, and evaluate the microbiological characteristics of whole-bean flours from five cowpea cultivars (BRS Cauamé, BRS Guariba, BRS Xiquexique, BRS Novaera and BRS Itaim). Cowpea beans were dried in a oven (Fanem, 320-SE) at 50 °C for 6 hours, milled in a cyclone-type rotor mill (Tecnal, TE-651/2) and, subsequently, in a pulverizer-type semi-industrial mill (Fritsch, Pulverisette 14) to obtain the flour. The flour centesimal composition, total energetic value, mineral content, granulometry, microbiological characteristics, and technological properties—flour water absorption and solubility in water—were analyzed. All analyzes were performed in triplicate and the results expressed in mean ± standard deviation. The means were compared by the Scott-Knott test (p ≤ 0.05). The flour centesimal composition presented (g per 100 g of flour): 7.13 to 10.33 of moisture, 2.06 to 3.65 of ashes, 1.53 g to 2.90 of lipids, 21.73 to 25.77 of proteins, and 58.08 to 64.02 of carbohydrate. The flours had on average 359.04 Kcal (100 g) and presented high iron, zinc, copper, manganese, phosphorus and magnesium contents. The whole-bean flours from the cultivars BRS Cauamé and BRS Xiquexique are sources of calcium. Regarding the microbiological characteristics, all flours are innocuous. The water absorption index were within 1.77 and 2.20 g g-1 and the water solubility index within 17 and 23%. All whole-bean flours had good nutritional, technological and microbiological characteristics, and thus potential for use in bakery products.

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Published

11-12-2017

Issue

Section

Food Engineering