Effect of Frozen Storage on the Quality of Akara, Fried Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata) Paste

Akara, a fried food of West African origin, is made from whipped cowpea paste flavored with fresh onion, fresh hot or bell pepper, and salt. Akara has potential for U.S. markets as a fully cooked, frozen, reheatable product. Akara was stored at −18°C for 9 months and compared to freshly prepared akara in selected quality characteristics. Frozen, thawed akara had a higher moisture and lower crude fat content, required significantly less force to shear, and had a lighter, less intense color than freshly prepared product. Frozen/thawed/reheated akara received lower senson scores for color, moistness and flavor than the fresh product. Analysis of headspace volatiles of freshly prepared akara and akara frozen 3, 6 and 9 months resulted in fifteen peaks. Two peaks were significantly affected by frozen storage.