Nutritional Composition and Sensory Properties of Iron Fortified Fufu Flour

Abstract

Cassava fufu flour was fortified with iron Sulphate, iron fumarate and sodium iron EDTA at three concentrations (25, 35 and 45 mg/kg) in this study. The samples were analyzed for proximate and minerals composition as well as sensory and pasting properties.  There were significant differences (p< 0.05) in the proximate and pasting properties of iron-fortified fufu samples compared to unfortified samples. Iron contents of unfortified samples ranged from 8.50 to 11.36 mg/kg compared to iron contents of fortified fufu. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in sensory taste, texture and odour of unfortified and fortified samples.  In terms of overall acceptability, panelists rated unfortified cassava products higher followed by samples with 25 mg/kg NaFeEDTA and iron sulphate respectively. The rate of return on investment for iron fortified fufu flour was 1.41. The study has shown that the use of iron fortified cassava products has potentials for practical application and economic viability.