Enhancing the nutritional content of noodles produced by small scale processors in Tanzania
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Date
2024
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Background: Noodles have become increasingly popular in the
country due to their convenience and affordability in terms of price.
This trend can be attributed to urbanization and changing lifestyles.
However, the widespread consumption of noodles has raised
concerns about their nutritional deficiencies. Many noodle products
lack essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and protein,
crucial for maintaining a balanced and healthy diet. Excessive
reliance on noodles as a staple food can lead to nutritional
imbalances and deficiencies, contributing to health problems among
the population. As such, promoting a diverse and well-balanced diet
is important to address these nutritional shortcomings in Tanzania.
This research aimed to address this issue by enhancing noodle’s
nutritional composition and sensory qualities by incorporating
Moringa oleifera leaf powder and sardine powder, targeting small-
scale processors.
Methods: an experimental research design was employed to
investigate the nutritional, textural, cooking quality and sensory
acceptability impact of adding Moringa oleifera leaf powder and
sardine powder to wheat-based noodle formulations. Six
formulations were prepared, altering the ratios of wheat, Moringa
oleifera leaf powder, and sardine powder. For the Moringa-fortified
noodles, ratios included 99.6% wheat and 0.4% moringa (WM1),
99.2% wheat and 0.8% moringa (WM2), and 99% wheat and 1%
moringa (WM3). For sardine-fortified noodles, formulations
comprised 95% wheat and 5% sardine (WS1), 90% wheat and 10%
sardine (WS2), 85% wheat and 15% sardine (WS3), with a 100%
wheat control (WC). The nutritional parameters assessed included
crude protein, fibre, fat, ash, carbohydrate, energy content, and
mineral composition, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.
For the proximate and mineral composition, data were analyzed
using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version
26.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software whereby one-way Anova and post- hoc test (HSD) were performed to check if there is
a significant difference in nutritional composition at level of
significance p<0.05 and all the data were reported using mean
values of determinations ± standard deviation. Similarly, Textural
properties, including hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, and
adhesiveness, were measured. Additionally, cooking quality
attributes such as cooking loss, volume increase, and water
absorption were assessed. Sensory evaluations were conducted at
Morogoro Secondary School, where 60 panellists aged 14-19 were
to gauge consumer acceptability concerning colour, aroma, texture,
taste, and overall acceptability. The quantitative descriptive analysis
was also performed at the Sokoine University of Agriculture,
Department of Food Science and Agro-processing, with 10 trained
panellists to identify specific changes in attributes like colour, aroma,
saltiness, and hardness due to the inclusion of moringa and sardine
powders. Statistical data analysis was performed by using SPSS
(Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 26.0, SPSS
Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), using the one-way analysis of variance
(one-way ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey’s Honestly Significant
Difference (HSD) test at a significance level p < 0.05. All the data
were reported using mean values of determinations ± standard
deviation. Principle component analysis (PCA) was done by R
software (R Core Team) to assess the association between sample
and attributes as well as partial least square regression (PLSR) was
performed by unscrambler X software version 10.4 to check the
relationship between quantitative descriptive data and consumer
data. Results: The results indicated significant variations in the nutritional
composition of the different noodle formulations compared to the
control sample. Incorporating Moringa oleifera leaf powder and
sardine powder led to notable increases in crude protein and mineral
content, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. The nutritional
profile of the noodles was positively altered, suggesting that the
incorporation of moringa leaf and sardine powders enhances the valuable insights into a viable approach to improve the nutritional
quality of commonly consumed foods, benefiting both the food
industry and consumers in Tanzania.
Description
Dissertation
Keywords
Nutritional Content, Noodles Production, Small Scale Processors, Tanzania