The effects of post-harvest handling on physical, chemical and functional properties of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seed
✍ Scribed by Abu, J?D; Arogba, S?S; Ugwu, F?M
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 96 KB
- Volume
- 79
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-5142
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Damage by insects and mould, proximate composition, cooking rate and functional properties of sun-dried and stored cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds were evaluated. Cowpea samples spread between black polythene ®lms were placed on cement (CS), Wooden (WS) and corrugated iron sheet (CIS) surfaces, respectively, and sun-dried for 5 h. Storage lasted 6 months in jute and polythene bags. Results show that sun-drying and storage in polythene bags signi®cantly (p 0.05) lowered the extent of insect and mould damage, moisture-loss at drying, emulsion activity and stability, foaming capacity and foam stability. Treated cowpea seeds could be stored safely for about 5 months. In contrast, storage in jute bags signi®cantly (p 0.05) lowered only foam stability. Moisture loss during sun-drying principally lengthened cooking time as storage duration progressed. Therefore, assessment of moisture content before and during storage is a preferred quality index of cowpea seeds stored in polythene bags.