No abstract

Along with recent health challenges, there is a need to develop more convenient, nutritious, ready-to-eat and tasty breadfruit products to increase available food source and minimize postharvest losses. Hence, this study was conducted at the Food Technology laboratory of the University of the South Pacific, Alafua campus to evaluate healthy product innovations from indigenous crops of the Pacific Island Countries which include breadfruit. The different gluten-free breadfruit flour products developed at the Food Technology laboratory, University of the South Pacific, Alafua campus, Apia, Samoa were breadfruit cookies, breadfruit cake and breadfruit polvoron (powdered candy). The breadfruit flour was analyzed for proximate contents and its products were tested for acceptability of taste using a nine hedonic rating scale. Proximate analysis of the breadfruit flour revealed a higher protein (6.56%), ash (4.78%) and crude fat (1.84%) but lower DM (85.29%) and crude fibre (4.10%) contents than fresh crushed breadfruit. Sensory tests revealed that thirteen percent (13%) of the 30 panels disliked (<5) the breadfruit cookies and polvoron (powdered candy) while eighty-seven percent (87%) rated the products as acceptable (<5) based on a nine-point hedonic rating scale. Moreover, seventeen percent (17%) disliked (<5) the breadfruit cake and eighty-three percent (83%) liked (>5) the product based on a ninepoint hedonic rating scale. These showed that these gluten-free breadfruit flour products are nutritious and tasty with great potential for commercialization.

The objectives of this study are two folds. Firstly is to identify the advantages and disadvantages factors of electronic learning’s adoption. Secondly is to measure the influence of innovation adoption components toward users’ attitude in using electronic learning. A mixed method of study was carried out in response to the research’s objectives. The qualitative approach was conducted by means of interviewing 25 participants of users to identify e-learning advantages and disadvantages. The quantitative approach was used to test the hypotheses. A questionnaire was distributed to 313 e-learning system users. The results show that the three advantages and disadvantages of e-learning adoption factors were formed. SEM-Smart PLS was used to test the hypothetical relationships. The results indicate that three dimensions of innovation diffusion significantly influenced the attitude toward e-learning, while two dimensions were not significant. The findings suggest that education-based business services should use the advantages factors and influential dimensions to promote their teaching-learning services delivery and eliminate weaknesses and insignificant dimensions.