标题：CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, COLOUR, FUNCTIONAL AND PASTING PROPERTIES OF ORANGE-FLESHED SWEET POTATO, PLEUROTUS TUBERREGIUM SCLEROTIUM AND THEIR FLOUR BLENDS
摘要：Increasing emphasis is being laid on the search for readily available agricultural products which can compete
favourably with or surpass wheat in terms of functionality and nutritional composition. Fresh orange-fleshed sweet
potato (OFSP) and Pleurotus tuberregium sclerotium were subjected to proximate, sugar, colour and functional
analyses prior to processing into flour. Drying increased the proximate, sugar and functional properties but reduced
the lightness (L*), redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) of the samples. The flour samples were mixed into five different
ratios (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30 and 0:100) with 100% wheat flour as the control. The chemical, functional and
pasting properties of the flour blends were evaluated. Significant (p<0.05) differences existed among the proximate
composition, sugar content, colour and functional properties of the samples. The protein, ash, crude fibre, colour L*,
water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, pasting temperature and peak time of the composite flour increased
while moisture, fat, carbohydrate, fructose, glucose, sucrose, colour a*, colour b*, bulk density, swelling index,
solubility, peak and setback viscosities decreased with increase in the level of sclerotium flour substitution. The
sclerotium substituted OFSP flour blends compete favourably well with wheat flour in terms of chemical and functional
qualities. The use of these flour blends in food development will not only aid in combating malnutrition but will also
enhance OFSP and sclerotium utilization while reducing wheat importation and thus, ensure food security.
