ABSTRACT
A wide variety of snacks are available in the Nigerian market, however, individuals with health condition are usually limited in their choices due to the high fat, low fibre and nutrient content of most wheat-based snacks. This study was designed to formulate nutritionally adequate and acceptable chin-chin from indigenous food materials and determine their nutrient composition and sensory characteristics. The two (2) commonly available food materials used in the study were collected from Marian market, Calabar and were processed into ready-to-use flours. The food materials include; dried and ground pink-skin sweet potato (Sp) and dehulled, dried and ground Brachystegia eurycoma (Bf). Standard analytical procedures were used to determine the proximate composition. Five (5) samples of chin-chin with varied proportions of the flours were formulated and their sensory and general acceptability accessed by students of the Human Nutrition and Dietetics unit and other departments using a 9-point hedonic scale. The two most generally accepted formulations were evaluated for their nutrient composition by comparing then with the commercial chin-chin. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS), version (20) was used to analyse the data obtained. Data were presented as mean SD. Analysis of variance was used to compare means, and means were separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD). Significant difference was accepted at P<0.05. Two formulated chin-chin samples; BF30:SP40:WF30 (B. eurycoma + sweet potato + wheat) and BF20:SP60:WF20 (B. eurycoma + sweet potato + wheat) were well acceptable in terms of colour, texture, aroma, taste and overall acceptability. Brachystegia eurycoma was the main source of protein and fat. However, the overall result revealed that the proximate composition of the formulated chin-chin were comparable and in some cases higher than the values in the control. The formulated chin-chin; BF30:SP40:WF30 (B. eurycoma + sweet potato + wheat) recorded the highest value for dietary fibre (3.56 0.007g/100g) and fat (6.180.007g/100g) while the control recorded the least value for dietary fibre (0.540.007g/100g) and fat (2.90 0.007g/100g). Thus, the utilization of these indigenous food materials in food, will enhance the nutritional status of the population in Nigeria in particular, and developing countries in general.