Nutritional Profile Of Maize Drinks Produced From Different Varieties Of Maize.

Nutritional Profile Of Maize Drinks

Abstract

In the world of food product development, functional beverages are the fastest-growing market due to their convenience and ability to satisfy consumer demands regarding container contents, size, and appearance, as well as ease of distribution and storage for products that can be kept refrigerated and shelf-stable. Consumers enthusiastically embrace food products with health claims attesting to their functional capacity to promote health beyond the supply of essential nutrients.The study assessed the nutritional qualities non-alcoholic cereal beverages using different maize varieties. The study used experimental research design. Five varieties of maize (Honampa, Ahoofe, Mamaba, Abebe and Dzifo) were purchased from the Kumasi Metropolis CSIR-Crop Research Institute Fumesua. The raw materials were sorted washed properly to avoid contamination. Proximate composition, colour profile and chemical analysis of the maize drinks were evaluated using standard methods. The proximate composition showed moderate levels of carbohydrate (Mamaba-6.94%; Ahoofe-2.91%; Abebe-4.21%; Dzifoo-5.78% and Honampa-6.97%) and crude protein (Mamaba-1.25%; Ahoofe-1.55%; Abebe-0.97%; Dzifoo-0.94% and Honampa-1.26%). The chemical analysis of the maize drinks revealed a significant difference in the beta carotene of the maize varieties, with Ahoofe having the highest beta carotene content (84.45ug/100g). The pH of the maize drinks ranged from 3.30-4.62. The maize drinks also showed high lightness in colour (60.38-72.24), redness (1.94-4.54) and yellowness (18.54-24.91) which makes the products appealing to consumers.