Production and Quality Evaluation of Acha-Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato-Based Biscuit Enriched with Grasshopper (Zonocerus Variegatus) Flour.

The quality attributes of biscuits produced from acha-orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) flour substituted with edible insect flour was investigated. Acha-orange fleshed sweet potato flour blend was produced at a ratio of 50:50(acha:sweet potato). The produced composite flour was substituted with grasshopper flour at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 % and mixed with other ingredients (salt, baking fat, baking powder). The mixture was baked at 160oC for 12 mins to produce biscuits of uniform shapes. Proximate composition, phytochemical components, physical properties and sensory qualities of the biscuits were analyzed. The moisture, fat, protein, ash, crude fibre and carbohydrates contents ranged from 4.05-4.49, 4.90-6.47, 10.72-13.22, 1.71-2.29, 0.50-1.97, 74.55-77.31 %, respectfully. The total flavonoid, total phenolic and saponin contents ranged from 18.17-77.35, 349.97-542.36 and 0.58-3.23 ppm, respectively. Vitamin A and B contents varied from 0.03-0.17 and 0.12-0.18. Phosphorus and magnesium contents ranged from 150.19-202.28 and 15. 97-25.75 ppm, respectively, increasing as the grasshopper content was increased. Sensory studies revealed that the biscuit containing 12% insect flour substitution was the most preferred by the consumers. Conclusively, this study showed that the use of orange-fleshed sweet potato blend combined with grasshopper flour improved the protein, Vitamin A, phosphorus and magnesium contents of acha-OFSP biscuits. This research work recommends that acha-orange fleshed sweet potato flour blend supplemented with grasshopper flour should be adopted, for the production of biscuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]