PRODUCTION AND DETERMINATION OF FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF PLANTAIN FLOUR

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) belongs to the genus Musa in the family Musaceae. It is a giant perennial herb and cultivated in many tropics and subtropical countries of the world. It ranks third after yam and cassava for sustainability in Nigeria (Akomolafe & Aborisade,2007). It is used as a source of starchy staple food for millions of people in Nigeria. Mature plantain pulp is rich in iron, potassium and vitamin A but low in protein and fat (Adeniji et al, 2006). The water content in the green plant is about 61% and increases in ripening to about 68%. The increase in water is presumably due to the breakdown of carbohydrates during respiration. The starch in the unripe plantain is mainly amylase and amylopectin and this is replaced by sucrose, fructose and glucose during the ripening stage due to the hydrolysis of the starch (Zakpaa et al, 2010). The chemical composition of plantain varies with the variety, maturity, degree of ripeness and where it is grown (soil type). When processed into flour, it is used traditionally for the preparation of gruel, which is made by mixing the flour with appropriate quantity of boiling water to form a thick paste (Mepba et al, 2007). Plantain is a common name for a herbaceous plants of the genus Dusa, it was classified formally as Musa Acuminata, Musa Balbisoana or Hybrids Musa Acuminataz Balbisoana depending on their genomic constitution.  (balell John in 2000) gare the archaic scientific name Musa paradisiacal which is no longer used,.  Most plantain come from the hybrid AAB and ABB cultirar group all members of the genus.  Musa are indigenous to tropical regions of South east Asia and Oceania including the making Archipelago. (Brian and Allan 1985).

Plantains are a major staple food in equantoria Africa and andian region.  Their attractiveness as food is that they fruit all year round making them more reliable all season.  This is particularly important for communities living in mountains or forests with Inadequate food storage, preservation and transportation, this tends to be frimer and lower in sugar content than desert, plantains are cooked or otherwise processed and are used either when green or unripe land therefore starchy or overripe and therefore sweet (William 1979) stated that an average plantain has about 220 calories and is a good source of poxassium and dietary fibre.  (Murray Tossler 1987).

Plantains is a perennial plant that consist of a roseete of basal leaves and one or more flowering stalks the basal leaves are up to “10 long and ¾ across”, “but more commonly about half this size the tenth most important staple food that feed the world. (Uwaegbufe 1996) plantains are treated in much as the same way as potatoes and with a similar neutral flavour and texture when this unripe fruit is looked by steaming boiling or trying.  It (plantain) fruits all year round which making the crop a reliable all season  staple, food, particularly in developing countries with inadequate food storage, preservation and transportation technologies, in Africa plantains provide more than 25 percent of the carbohydrate requirement for over 70 million people.  Plantain can be eaten raw as well.  As it ripen it becomes sweeter and changes colour from green to yellow to black, green plantain are firm and starchy and they resemble potatoes in flavour.  UNCST 2007) the yellow plantains are softer and starchy, but sweet.  Extremely ripe plantains have softer deep yellow pulp that is much sweeter than the earlier stages of ripeness. (Archy 1987).

Plantains in the yellow to black stages can be used in sweet dishes steam-looked plantains are considered a nutritious food for infants and the elderly.  A ripe plantain is used as food for infants at wearing.  Ut is mashed with a pinch of salt and is believed to be more easily digestible (FAOSTAT 2011).  Plantains are also dried and grouped into flour it is an important food stuff that constitute, water of about 1062%, proteins 55%, Fat 1.15%.  Carbohydrates 81.6% and Ash 3.01%.  Dried plantain provider is mixed with a little fennel seed powder and boiled either in milk or water to feed small children till they age of 1yr. (Oke 1998) stated that in Southern parts of Indian Roots and tubers, plantains, and bananas is good for human nutrion.

Plantain has been a good source of food and known to different countries with different names like, in Ivory Coast where plantains are dishes when fried with Onion and tomato sauce and serve to eat.  It is called ALOCO.  It is also used for a dish called Magu in Dominican Republic, where the green plantains are peeled smashed with hot water and boiled then served with sauce.  In West Africa plantains are served for eating with stew or beans or any food when fried it is known as BODO (Dough-Bough) (Forcylth 1988).  Plantains are also known as fufu De plantan a popular dish in Cuba where the plantains are boiled and mixed with chicken stock and sauce and the served.  Plantains can also be fried twice and served as a side appetizer or snack in countries like Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama.  It is known as potacones.  The popular known food Boli is usually made in Nigeria, whereby plaintain is roacted and eaten with red oil sauce.  (Adnan and Muyalia 1984). Most plantain foods are eaten as boiled, fried or roasted. Unripe plantain meal is usually consumed by diabetics to reduce postprandial glucose level. This is because the propensity of individual to develop diabetes and obesity is due to the increased consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods with a high glycemic index (Oboh &Erema, 2010). Pere-Sira (1997) had also indicated the use of plantain flour as a component of baby food. The proximate content, functional characteristics and properties of starch of ripe and unripe plantains have been evaluated (Izunfuo, 2006; Osundahunsi, 2009). The processing, utilization and effect of storage of plantain has also been reported (; Niba, 2004; Onwuka & Onwuka, 2005. Post harvest loss is a major problem limiting the production of plantain and banana in Africa due to unavailability of established storage conditions that can guarantee longer shelf life (Wills et al, 1989; Olorunda & Adelusola,1997). Traditionally, chips are often dried at road sides, displayed in markets in open containers to attract potential buyers and stored in sacks that are susceptible to insect infestation. Plantain and banana flour are currently on sale in some parts of Nigeria. These sales are strong indication that farmers and plantain processors are beginning to adopt processing options as a means of market diversification and consequently curtailing glut (Adeniji et al,2007). There are different varieties of plantain flour sold in Port Harcourt markets, sometimes with different nutritional labels and colour.

This investigation aimed at processing a local cultivar of plantain into a stable flour as a way of extending the shelf life of plantain fruits, to add value to plantain for both the local markets and for export, thereby ensuring food security. Low cost processing methods, such as solar drying etc., suitable for use in local Nigerian homes, were employed to obtain a product that was then subjected to various analyses to determine the quality of the resulting product. In Nigeria, two main cultivars of plantain, the “apem” (a triploid French plantain called French horn) and “apantu” (gaint horned) are grown. Plantain belongs to the genus Musa in the family Musaceae. Plantain (Musa sp. AAB group) is a giant perennial herb. It is a natural inter-specific cross between the two wild species Musa auminata colla which contributes genome A and Musa balbisiana colla, which contributes genome B (Simmonds and Shepherd, 1955). Morphological description has proven very useful for the identification of the large diversity of plantain cultivars that exist in the tropics (Tezenas du Montcel, 1987; Swennen, 1990a; Jarret and Gawel, 1995). In addition to the use of morphological description in identifying specific plantain cultivars, various DNA-based marker techniques have also been employed. These techniques can supply additional information not available from the examination of morphological characteristics alone (Jarret and Gawel, 1995; Shaibu et al., 2003). Plantain requires about two and a half to four months after shooting before the fruit becomes ready for harvesting or a total of about eight to twelve months after planting (Simmonds, 1948; Swennen, 1990a). At maturity, a constant weight is maintained for two to four days, and then the weight starts to decrease with changes in the  peel colour from green to yellow and then to black. The maturity of the fruit may be determined by the weight of the pulp to peel ratio, brittleness of floral ends and disappearance of angularity of the fingers.

Plantain (Musa spp.) belongs to the family of plants referred to as Musaceae. It is an important staple crop that contributes to the calories and subsistence economies in Africa. It is a good source of carbohydrate; (Marriott et.al., 1981). Nigeria is one of the largest plantain producing countries in the world (FAO, 1987) but despite its prominence, Nigeria does not feature among plantain exporting nations because it produces more for local consumption than for export. The consumption of plantain has risen tremendously in Nigeria in recent years because of the rapidly increasing urbanization and the great demand for easy and convenient foods by the non-farming urban populations. Besides being the staple for many people in more humid regions, plantain is a delicacy and favoured snack for people even in other ecologies. A growing industry, mainly plantain chips, is believed to be responsible for the high demand being experienced now in the country (FAO, 1987). Plantain flour for “fufu” is now popular to cater for the interest of diabetics, realizing its low glycaemic index. Plantain bread and biscuit have been reported by Ogazi (1996) but like its “fufu” product, the colour of the bread have not compared well with the present commercial bread including the cassava-blend bread, even after the normal blanching process. Thus acceptable plantain bread product to serve as breakfast for diabetics is still not available. Therefore the objectives of this study are to produce plantain flour through different blanching processes, produce bread with blends of wheat and plantain flour and evaluate the acceptability of the plantain/wheat bread in comparison to normal wheat bread. It is hoped that the successful execution of this project may encourage a regular production of plantain/wheat bread which can serve the interest of the diabetic patients besides whole wheat bread. It will create another variety in the bread industry/ market.

• Aim of the study

The aim, of this study is to ascertain the production and determination of the functional properties of plantain flour production, the study also aim at broadening the scope of Consumer awareness of the relationship between foods and health, together with environmental concerns, led to an increased demand for organically produced foods. In general the public perceives organic foods as being healthier and safer than those produced through conventional agricultural practices

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to ascertain and determine the functional properties of plantain flour. But in the cause of the study the researcher intends to achieve the following sub-objective;

1. To ascertain the determinant of functional properties of plantain flour
2. To produce plantain flour

• To determine the functional properties of plantain flour.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Nutritionally, plantain is a good source of carbohydrate. It is also rich in potassium and provitamin A (carotene) (Ogazi, 1982). Many scientists have tried to determine the food value of plantain by carrying out proximate and detailed chemical analysis on green and ripe plantain. Ogazi, (1982) also carried out extensive analysis of the green plantain pulp (dry basis) to be in close agreement with those observed by other scientist. The fruit contain vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K. It is also rich in potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorus. It is in view of this that the researcher intends to examine the production process and determination of the functional properties of plantain flour.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study covers the production and determination of functional properties of plantain flour in Uyo metropolis. Post-harvest loss is a major problem limiting the production of plantain flour in Africa due to unavailability of established storage conditions that can guarantee longer shelf life (Wills et al, 1989; Olorunda & Adelusola,1997). Traditionally, plantain flour is displayed in markets in open containers to attract potential buyers and stored in sacks that are susceptible to insect infestation. Plantain flour are currently on sale in some parts of Nigeria.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

The effectiveness of production and determination of functional properties of plantain flour is based on efficient production and storage system of plantain fruit. Most agricultural organizations have the cash but the challenge is effective production process. It is no doubt that the cost of labor is on the high side, but research has shown that its benefits supersede the cost.

As part of my requirement for the award of Bachelor of science degree (B.Agric) in agric engineering, this study is carried out to ascertain the functional properties of of plantain flour.

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