EVALUATION OF FUNCTIONAL, PASTING AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF “AMALA” PRODUCED FROM CASSAVA AND SORGHUM FLOUR BLENDS

ABSTRACT The study investigated the production and evaluation of amala from cassava and sorghum flour blends, focusing on their functional, pasting, and sensory properties to determine the optimal blending ratio for improved quality and acceptability. Four composite flour samples were formulated: 100% fermented cassava flour (sample A), 90:10 cassava–sorghum flour (sample B), 80:20 cassava–sorghum flour (sample C), and 70:30 cassava–sorghum flour (sample D). Standard analytical procedures were employed to assess the functional characteristics, pasting behavior, and sensory attributes of the resulting amala products. Results from the functional properties revealed that bulk density ranged from 1.82 to 2.35 g/ml, with the highest value observed in sample D (70:30 blend), indicating that increasing sorghum substitution enhanced packing ability and flour heaviness. There were also increases in water absorption capacity and swelling capacity which showed increase in hydrophilicity and starch granule expansion potential. However, excessive substitution reduced uniformity, indicating that sorghum altered starch–protein interactions during processing. The pasting characteristics showed that the peak viscosity increased gradually from 1518 cP (sample A) to 2045 cP (sample D), indicating greater starch granule resistance to heat and shear due to sorghum enrichment. Final and setback viscosities also increased with higher sorghum addition, showing greater gel stability and retrogradation properties. Pasting temperature increased slightly across the blends (83.20–96.80 °C), indicating that energy demand during cooking rose with sorghum addition, possibly due to its higher amylose and protein contents which delay gelatinization. In the sensory evaluation, 100% cassava amala (sample A) was most preferred in all attributes colour, flavour, texture, taste, and overall acceptability with scores ranging from 8.7 to 9.0. Increasing sorghum levels resulted in darker colour, firmer texture, and reduced taste acceptability due to the cereal’s characteristic flavour and tannin content. Nevertheless, the 90:10 cassava–sorghum blend (sample B) retained high sensory scores, showing that moderate substitution maintains consumer appeal while improving nutritional quality. Overall, the study established that partial replacement of cassava flour with sorghum flour at 10–20% levels significantly enhanced the functional and pasting qualities without compromising sensory acceptability. The 90:10 cassava–sorghum formulation emerged as the optimal blend, providing a nutritionally enriched amala with desirable physical and sensory characteristics.