Influence of edible termite flour supplementation on the functional and pasting properties of maize ogi powder and the sensory acceptability of the gruel

Ogi is a traditional staple food rich in carbohydrates but low in protein. The inclusion of termite flour (TF) apart from increasing the protein content could affect other attributes, thus, the need for this study. The functional and pasting properties of the Ogi samples and the sensory evaluation of the gruel, produced from the blends of Ogi powder (OP) (50-100) with termite flour (TF) (10-50), were evaluated using standard methods. The result showed that adding TF to the OP slightly reduced the water (WAC) and oil absorption capacity (OAC), and increased the bulk density, swelling power, and all the pasting properties (except the peak time and pasting temperature) of the Ogi samples. The overall acceptability of the gruel from the 100g OP (control sample) was not significantly different from that of the 75.0:1.7 and 75.0:30.0 grams of the OP and TF blends. Consequently, the inclusion of the TF in the OP may not only increase the nutritional composition as reported by other researchers but produce an acceptable Ogi gruel of good pasting properties and comparable functionality to that of the control sample, which could be achieved by blending 75.0g of OP with either 1.7 or 30.0 g of TF.