Effect of oil seed thickeners on nutrient composition and sensory properties of fresh unripe pawpaw (<i>Carica papaya</i> L) soups

Abstract

Background: Data on nutrient composition and organoleptic attributes of Nigerian soups from far north, south, east and west are well documented, however, there is dart of information on soups consumed by the inhabitants of north-central Nigeria. Objective: The study evaluated the nutrient composition and sensory properties of fresh unripe pawpaw soups thickened with oil seeds.
Methods: Mature unripe pawpaw fruits were harvested, washed, peeled, and sliced into 2mm thick rectangular shapes, sun dried (30mins) and used to prepare soups with melon (FPM), beniseed (FPB) and groundnut (FPG) seed flours as thickeners. Proximate composition, vitamin and mineral contents of the soups were analyzed using standard methods while sensory properties were evaluated using nine-point hedonic scale. Data was analysed using analysis of variance while Duncan Stundentized multiple range test was used to compare means at p<0.05 level of significance.  
Results: Fresh unripe pawpaw melon soup had higher protein (13.38%), ash (5.39%), and fibre (12.75%) while the FPG and the FPB soups had higher carbohydrate (29.41%) and fat (45.02%) contents, respectively. All the soups had high magnesium (63.52 to 66.59mg/100 g), phosphorus (63.52 to 66.59mg/100 g), sodium (345.48 to 366.4mg/100 g) and potassium (160.18 to 165.47 mg/100 g) contents. The vitamin contents of the soups differed significantly (p< 0.05) with FPG soup having highest. The FPB soup was the most accepted for colour (7.40), taste (7.30), consistency (7.30) and general acceptability (6.33).
Conclusion: Addition of oil seed soup thickeners significantly improved the nutrient content and consumer acceptability of fresh unripe pawpaw soups. Further studies on digestibility and bioavailability of inherent nutrients, recipe harmonization and standardization are important.

Key words: Soup thickeners, nutrient composition, sensory properties, beniseed, groundnut