Nutritional, physico-chemical and sensory properties of <i>Robo</i> (A Nigerian traditional snack) made from sesame (<i>Sesamum indicum</i> Linn) seed

Abstract

Properties of traditional snack prepared from melon (Citrullus colocynthis L.) and sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum L.) respectively were investigated. The colour of the snacks, peroxide and iodine values of extracted oil were also determined using standard analytical methods. On the average, the samples contained protein (30.8 – 33.4 g/100 g), fat (40.5 – 45.6 g/100 g), fibre (7.04 – 7.64 g/100 g), ash (5.28 – 6.68 g/100 g) and carbohydrate (10.69 – 12.35 g/100 g). The gross energy ranged between 464.6 kcal/100 g in melon robo to 495.0 kcal/100 g in sesame robo. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium were the most abundant minerals in robo while zinc, iron and manganese were the least. The vitamins – thiamine, riboflavin and niacin in the melon robo were 2.87, 0.65 and 1.28 mg/100 g while sesame robo contained 2.13, 1.05 and 0.56 mg/100 g respectively. The phytate and oxalate concentrations were relatively low in all the samples. The sensory evaluation results revealed that melon robo was rated higher in terms of colour, taste, texture and overall acceptability.

Keywords: Melon, sesame, snacks, nutrition, acceptability.