CHEMICAL EVALUATION OF ORGANIC PROTEIN AND PHYTOCHEMICAL BASED FOOD SUPPLEMENTS

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the nutritional, phytochemical, and sensory qualities of formulated organic protein and phytochemical-based food supplements. Five samples (AAA–EEE) were developed using natural ingredients such as soybeans, cashew kernels, moringa seeds, pigeon pea, crayfish, egg albumin, turmeric, ginger, baobab, and pepper fruit. Proximate analysis revealed significant differences in composition, with moisture content ranging from 10.25% (DDD) to 14.00% (EEE), protein content ranging from 29.53% (DDD) to 38.81% (AAA), fat content ranging from 13.30% (DDD) to 20.38% (AAA), crude fibre ranging from 2.77% (EEE) to 3.25% (AAA), and carbohydrate content varying from 20.14% (AAA) to 39.67% (DDD). Phytochemical analysis showed higher concentrations of tannins, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, alkaloids, and cardiac glycosides in the formulated samples compared to the commercial control (EEE), with AAA exhibiting the highest levels of bioactive compounds. Sensory evaluation demonstrated that Sample CCC (65% protein, 35% phytochemical) achieved the highest overall acceptability (6.20), particularly excelling in taste, appearance, and mouthfeel. The findings indicate that optimized formulations can yield food supplements that are nutritionally adequate, rich in health-promoting phytochemicals, and sensorially acceptable. Sample CCC was identified as the most promising candidate for consumer acceptance and potential large-scale production.