Effect of fermentation on biochemical and sensory characteristics of millet flour supplemented with whey protein

• Published in: International journal of food science & technology 2010-11, Vol.45 (11), p.2387-2393
• Main Authors: Mallasy, Limya O, El Tinay, Abdullahi H, Elkhalifa, Abd Elmoneim O, Ali, Maha A.M, Mohiedeen, Iman E, Yousif, Nabila E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fermentation; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; millet; protein digestibility; protein fractions; sensory evaluation; supplementation; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; whey protein
• ISSN: 0950-5423; 1365-2621
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2010.02412.x

Pearl millet like other cereals shows qualitative and quantitative deficiency in protein. The main objective of this study was to obtain the food of high nutritive value with high protein content and biological value by supplementing pearl millet, with whey protein. Two levels of whey protein were considered (20% and 25% protein content). Supplemented samples and control were fermented in the presence of starter for 14 h according to the traditional method utilised in Sudan. The pH, crude protein, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) and protein fractions of the fermented and supplemented pearl millet were determined at 2‐ h intervals. Supplementation of whey protein resulted in significant increase in protein content compared to the control, i.e. 14.8%, 23.9% and 28.7% for Ashana control (AC), Ashana plus whey protein (20% protein content) (AW₁) and Ashana plus whey protein (25% protein content) (AW₂), respectively. Fermentation was found to cause a highly significant (P ≤ 0.05) improvement in IVPD for AC, AW₁ and AW₂. The major protein fraction in the whey protein supplemented doughs was the globulin. This would indicate an improvement in the nutritional quality of pearl millet. Sensory evaluation revealed higher acceptability for whey protein supplemented formulas compared to control.