EFFECT OF MALTING ON PROXIMATE COMPOSITION AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF GRUEL MADE FROM MALTED WHEAT, RICE, GROUNDNUT, SESAME, AND CARROT BLENDS

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of malting on the proximate composition and sensory attributes of a multi-ingredient gruel formulated from wheat, rice, groundnut, sesame, and dried carrot. Four different formulations (A, B, C, D) with varying proportions of each raw materials were analyzed in both malted (AI, BI, CI, DI) and unmalted forms. Proximate and sensory analyses were carried out on the samples. Proximate results revealed significant changes (p < 0.05) in moisture, ash, crude fat, crude protein, crude fiber, total carbohydrate, and energy content due to malting. Malted samples exhibited reduced moisture (4.96–7.07%) and crude fat (4.95–5.60%) but increased ash (3.85–4.20%), crude protein (10.98–12.33%), and crude fiber (7.62–9.48%). Total carbohydrate remained high (63.87–65.52%), while energy content decreased (350.35–355.28 kcal) compared to unmalted samples. Sample CI is highly rated by the panelist with overall acceptability of 8.7 ± 0.3. These findings suggest that malting improves protein and fiber content while reducing fat, making the gruel more nutritionally balanced.