The high-volume/high-viscosity character of many commercially available weaning foods is a major constraint in providing children with enough calorie density. An attempt was made to formulate low-cost, nutritive but bulk-reduced weaning foods using sorghum malt, green gram malt, and sesame flour. The formulations thus prepared were evaluated for functional properties such as particle size, water absorption, dispersibility, hotpaste and cold-paste viscosities, colour, and nutritive value with respect to calories, vitamin C, minerals, and available lysine. The ingredients showed variation in particle size: green gram malt was finer than sorghum malt, and sesame flour was much coarser. The laboratory formulations had finer particle size than a commercial sample. Green gram malt had a higher water-absorption capacity and a lower percentage of dispersibility in water than sorghum malt. The experimental formulations had lower water-absorption capacities and higher percentages of dispersibility than the commercial sample. The viscosities of 10% and 15% gruel concentrations of the experimental formulations were much lower than those of the commercial sample. CSH-I sorghum malt was darker than the other ingredients. Sensory evaluation found the experimental preparations to have good acceptability. A weaning food containing 60% sorghum malt, 30% green gram malt, and 10% sesame flour was found to have satisfactory functional characteristics and nutritive value and is recommended.

Potato flour is a highly versatile raw material that can be used in several processed food products. Two Mauritian potato cultivars were turned into flour and used to prepare mash, gulab jamuns, and paratha, three traditional Mauritian foods. The samples were compared for peeling losses, drying characteristics, chemical changes, and functional properties. The Exodus cultivar was more economical for producing potato flour due to its higher yield and lower drying ratio compared with Spunta. The chemical composition of the two cultivars did not vary, and most of the functional properties were comparable. A slight variation in water-absorption capacity was observed. Slurries of 8% potato flour were pseudoplastic. Mash prepared from Spunta flour was superior to that from Exodus, but both were comparable to the control. Experimental mash samples were superior to a commercial instant potato mash. Gulab jamuns with milk and potato flour in ratios of 3:1 and 5:1 were superior to commercial samples, and parathas made with 40% potato flour were more acceptable than those made with wheat flour alone.

Crisps adversely made from stored whole potatoes turn brown, whereas texture is adversely affected when crisps are made from dehydrated slices. Rehydration as a step prior to crisp-making has been investigated in two commercially grown potato varieties in Mauritius. The raw material was analysed for physical, chemical and processing characteristics including peeling losses, blanching time, drying rates and yield. Rehydration rates and ratios were determined. The sensory characteristics of the crisps were evaluated. Potatoes of the Exodus variety were smaller with more eyes and had higher peeling loss than those of the Spunta variety. The former had higher specific gravity and better drying characteristics. There were no significant differences between the varieties in respect of blanching time, chemical composition and crisp quality, and the drying curves were similar. Slight differences were observed in the rehydration characteristics. Crisps made from dehydrated slices were inferior in texture and taste to those of the control. However, crisps made from rehydrated slices were comparable to control crisps.

Opinion and suggestion mining on customer reviews is a system providing both organizations and customers with valuable insights into the quality of products and services. The system operates on two perspectives, the customer, and the organization. For new customers, the system analyses reviews from previous customers to help them determine whether the product or service offered by the organization is worth purchasing. For organizations, the system performs suggestion mining on negative reviews to provide actionable feedback for improvements. Additionally, the system provides organizations with the percentage of customers who have liked or disliked their products or services, offering valuable insights into customer satisfaction. Overall, this project offers a valuable tool for organizations looking to improve their offerings and for customers seeking reliable information to inform their purchasing decisions