TITLE:
Sensory Characteristics Are More Pronounced in Baked Cookies than in Thin Porridges Made from Flours Obtained from Cassava Tubers Developed via Gamma Irradiation
AUTHORS:
Valentine Chebitok, Emmanuel Ayua, Miriam Kinyua, Heka Kamau
KEYWORDS:
Cassava, Gamma Irradiation, Sensory Evaluation, Colour, Browning Index
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.12 No.10,
October
30,
2025
ABSTRACT: In recent years, gamma irradiation has been adopted as one of the plant breeding approaches to ensuring food and nutrition security for the ever-growing global population in the face of unprecedented climate change. However, the sensory characteristics and acceptability of the products made from either pure or composite flours of the developed varieties have not been fully investigated. This is timely as cassava flour can be used to make thin porridges or used in baking when fortified with wheat flour. This study evaluated the sensory attributes of flour, thin porridges, and cookies made from developed cassava varieties (CAS 1, CAS 2, CAS 3) developed from KME 4 through gamma irradiation at a rate of 15, 20, and 30 Grays (Gy) at 2 Gy/min, respectively. The cassava flour of the CAS 1 variety, which had the least setback viscosities, was fortified with wheat flour. A consumer acceptability panel of 62 persons was conducted using 9-point Likert scale. Cassava flour exhibits high lightness (L*) and whiteness, with low redness (a*) and yellowness (b*). In the preparation of porridge and cookies, colour characteristics varied depending on the flour blend. Porridge exhibited a lightness (L*) value that indicated a bright and appealing appearance, with a consistent yellowish hue (b*) suggesting the presence of carotenoids inherent in cassava. The cookies displayed distinct lightness (L*) values, with the top of the cookies generally exhibiting higher lightness compared to the bottom, attributed to increased browning from direct heat exposure during baking. The Browning Index (BI) values indicated a greater degree of browning in the bottom of the cookies, reflecting the influence of heat transfer and temperature on colour development. Consumer acceptability for porridge was moderately liked across all the varieties, while for cookies, the V5 variety (50% cassava-50% Wheat) was the most liked.