Quality evaluation of snack produced from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), plantain (Musa paradisiaca L.), and tigernut (Cyperus esculentus L.) flour blends

Chin-chin has been identified to be one the favored food items and a much-relished pastry which has been eaten as dessert or snack. This study aimed at evaluating the nutritional quality and organoleptic properties of black-pepper enriched chin-chin produced from plantain-tigernuts composite flour. Matured plantains (Musa paradisiaca), tigernuts (Cyperus esculentus), and black pepper were processed into flour. Chin-chin was processed from different blends of plantain and tigernuts composite flour at the ratio of 100:0, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70, and 0:100 for plantain and tigernuts, respectively. Five percent (5%) black pepper spice was added to each of the samples for chin-chin production. Proximate, mineral and vitamin, compositions were determined using standard methods. The results of proximate composition of the different snack samples showed significant differences (P < 0.05) with values ranging from 6.50% to 10.00%, 4.45% to 6.75%, 2.25% to 32.75%, 1.33% to 2.00%, 3.50% to 6.13%, and 46.07% to 78.48% for moisture, protein, fat, ash, crude fibre, and carbohydrate contents, respectively. There was significant difference (P < 0.05) in the minerals and vitamins contents, and organoleptic properties of the black pepper chin-chin samples. In conclusion, chin-chin of improved and acceptable nutritional and organoleptic properties could be obtained using plantain-tigernuts composite flour and black pepper spice for improved nutrition. This product could add to range of snacks available for those with special dietary needs.