Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health & Well-being (SDG 3)
Assessment of the effect of wheat flour and different proportions of xanthan gum on the quality of a sweet potato flour cracker
Rhoda Wallerson, Samantha Joseph * E-mail: rhodaw83@gmsil.com, samantha.joseph@uog.edu.gy
Sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas ) has been traditionally cultivated in Guyana in a group of crops locally referred to as “ground provisions”. Within the last decade local and regional policies have promoted the production of sweet potato flour with the aim of increasing food and nutrition security. One major hurdle in the production of baked products using the sweet potato flour is the low gluten quality which affects the physical and physicochemical characteristics of the finished product. This research project assessed the effect of wheat flour (25% wheat flour: 75% sweet potato flour) and different proportions of xanthan gum (1% and 0.5%) as gluten replacers on physical, sensory, and overall acceptability of sweet potato crackers. The observed physical characteristics; thickness, diameter, mass and volume; decreased as the proportion of wheat flour deceased and the proportion of xanthan gum increased, while spread ratio and density increased. There were statistical differences(p>0.5) in appearance, flavor and shape but not texture. There was no statistical difference(p>0.5) between the three batches of crackers. Xanthan gum did not statistically alter the acceptability of the product when compared with wheat flour and can therefore be used as a gluten alternative to reduce dependency on wheat. Key words: Sweet potato flour, xanthan gum, gluten, sensory characteristics, acceptability References 1. Aboulnaga, E., Ibrahim, F., Youssif, M., & Mohamed, A. (2018). Influence of Various Hydrocolloids Addition on Pan Bread Quality. Journal of Food and Dairy Sciences, 9(10), 339–346. https://doi.org/10.21608/jfds.2018.36025 2. Adetola, O. Y., Onabanjo, O. O., & Stark, A. H. (2020). The search for sustainable solutions: Producing a sweet potato based complementary food rich in vitamin A, zinc and iron for infants in developing countries. Scientific African, 8, e00363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2020.e00363 3. Bhardwaj, A., Purohit, S., & Sharma, V. (2023). Asian fermented root and tuber-based products. 285–296. https://doi. org/10.1016/b978-0-323-98341-9.00005-0 4. Correa, D. A., Montero Castillo, P. M., & Martelo, R. J. (2018). Physicochemical characterization of sweet potato flour from the Colombian Caribbean. Contemporary Engineering Sciences, 11(37), 1845–1851. https://doi.org/10.12988/ces.2018.84167 5. Culetu, A., Duta, D. E., Papageorgiou, M., & Varzakas, T. (2021). The Role of Hydrocolloids in Gluten-Free Bread and Pasta; Rheology, Characteristics, Staling and Glycemic Index. Foods, 10(12), 3121. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10123121
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