The Effect of Storage Condition on the Rheological/Functional Properties of Soup Thickener Mucuna sloanei (Ukpo)

Abstract

The effect of storage conditions on the rheological/functional properties of 'Ukpo' (Mucuna sloanei), was studied for 12 weeks and analysed at 4 week intervals. The seeds were subjected to five different storage conditions namely refrigeration, ambient, fire place (Ngiga), plastic, and mud pot. Rheological analysis showed that the values of the legumes significantly decreased (p�0.05) for viscosity, water absorption, oil absorption, foaming capacity, Emulsifying capacity, swelling index, wetability and solubility as the storage time increased from I week to 12 weeks; while there was no significant increase (p�0.05) in gelation, and bulk density as time of storage from I week to 12 weeks. The values of gelation of Ukpo stored under refrigeration increased from (24.00% - 32.00%) as the storage time increased from 1 week to 12 weeks. The protein content of Ukpo also decreased in fire place (Ngiga) after 12 weeks of storage from (19.80%) to (17.80%). (Nwosu, Justina. The Effect of Storage Condition on the Rheological/Functional Properties of Soup Thickener Mucuna Sloanei (Ukpo). Researcher. 2011;3(6):27-32). (ISSN: 1553-9865). http://www.sciencepub.net .