Physicochemical, Mineral and Sensory Characteristics of Instant Citrullus lanatus mucosospermus (Egusi) Soup

Abstract

Defatted egusi flour offers a food option high in protein and essential micronutrients. An instant processing method was adopted in a ready-to-eat instant soup using egusi grit, hydrocolloid, and defatted flour. A D-optimal quadratic mixture model was used to study the effect of the independent variables (grit, flour, and hydrocolloid) qualities. The quadratic model was adequate to navigate the design space for taste and appearance. The numerical optimization for appearance and taste of instant soup (IES) was used to obtain the optimal soup mix of 10 g of hydrocolloid, 57.2 of defatted flour and 17 g of grits. Sixteen trace and five major mineral elements were found in the egusi soup, with a high concentration of phosphorus (1220.4, 1326.2 and 1277.9 mg/100 g), potassium (1220.4, 1326.2 and 1277.9 mg/100 g), magnesium (822.2, 905.3 and 863.70 mg/100 g), calcium (172.3, 190.9 and 183.4 mg/100 g) and iron (53.7, 57.5 and 29.5 mg/100 g), and for instant egusi soups from boiled egusi grit (IESBG), instant egusi grit from spherified grit (IESSG) and instant egusi grit from extruded grit (IESEG), respectively. The amino acid profile of instant egusi soup offers all essential amino acids necessary to nourish the body. Phosphorus content was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) high across the three soups: 1742, 1836 and 1838 mg/100 g for IESBG, IESSG, and IESEG, respectively; IESSG and IESEG were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher in minerals when compared with IESBG. Instant egusi soup differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in lightness (L*), while the redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) did not vary significantly.

Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Citrullus mucosospermus, Citroides, and Moringa oleifera Seeds’ Hydrocolloids

“…citroides, locally called citron melon or makataan [2]. Makataan melons are under cultivation in South Africa [7]. Makataan seed can be dehulled, roasted, or eaten as it is, or its seeds can be cold-pressed to obtain a nutritious oil (68% w/w dry weight) high in omega-6 fatty acids [2].…”

“…The potential of makataan melon seeds is yet to be explored. This seed's sole industrial application, called 'Kalahari seed', involves cold-pressing to extract oil [7,8]. Limited information exists regarding its nutritional and functional attributes and the potential hydrocolloid properties of its flour.…”

“…Because egusi seeds have 30% w/w dry-weight pure protein and 50% w/w dry-weight edible oil as their nutrients, they are a valuable dietary supplement [11] and a potential hydrocolloid in the food industry. Hydrocolloids are materials that form colloids with water and comprise various proteins and polysaccharides frequently utilised in the food sector [12].…”

“…A notable advancement in the food hydrocolloid industry regards thickening, gelling, emulsifying, and water binding [8]. The hydrocolloid properties of egusi seeds have yet to be explored despite their use in regional soups as a thickener and emulsifier [11]. Our objective was to extract hydrocolloids from the three oil seeds using the hot water extraction method while considering the preservation of the hydrocolloid properties and profiling their physicochemical and functional properties.…”

Stimulation of ACE inhibitory and improving α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase and antioxidant activities of semi‐prepared and dry soup by incorporating with date kernel powder

“…It should be noted that none of these studies have mentioned the adverse toxicological effects of date kernel powder; however, El Sheikh et al (2014) have confirmed in vitro cytotoxic activity of roasted date kernels. Also, considering the available literature, no research on the evaluation of the effect of this valuable and cheap functional sub‐product on the quality of dry soup has still been undertaken (Abdel‐Haleem & Omran, 2014; Niththiya et al, 2014; Olubi et al, 2021; Upadhyay et al, 2017). On the other hand, based on the studies, the highest content of antioxidant compounds in dates is included in their kernels, which encompass phenolic compounds (Wahini, 2016).…”