• For the first time fermented Bambara nuts crackers were developed • They had a higher protein content than common wheat crackers • Their antioxidant activity was as high as 85% • More than 50% of consumers liked the crackers from like very much to like extremely Bambara nut, an underutilised pulse that is commonly consumed as boiled dry pulses or fried fritters. These products use unfermented and antinutrient-rich Bambara nut grains. Fermentation of grains removes antinutrients. There is however limited use of flours from fermented Bambara nuts in food manufacturing. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of fermentation on nutrients composition, physical and functional properties, in vitro starch digestibility and consumer sensory evaluation of the crackers that were made using the Cream and Red Bambara nut landraces fermented grains. Proximate composition of crackers was determined following the AOAC methods. Total phenolic content (mg GAE/g) was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and flavonoid by using the aluminum chloride assay. DPPH free radical scavenging assay was conducted. The K-DSTR Megazyme kit for in vitro starch digestibility. The protein, crude fibre and fat contents of the crackers were 17.50-18.81 g/100 g, 4.08-10.05 g/100 g and 7.67-13.88 g/100 g, respectively. The water absorption index of all the crackers ranged from 2.54-2.73 g/g. The individual crackers’ weight were in the range of 1.69-2.08 g. All the crackers’ radical scavenging capacities were above 85%, whereas their slowly digestible starch was 9.21-11.28%. More than 50% of consumers rated all the crackers at like moderately to like extremely (7-9 levels) on the 9-point hedonic scale. This study provides novel data on the protein contents and starch digestibility of low-sugar and low moisture crackers that were made wholly using fermented Bambara nut flours, ideal for children in the developing nations to potentially curb undernourishment.
Kanime et al. (Fri,) studied this question.