Agriculture and Food Sciences Research

Bulla is the water insoluble starchy product which is separated from Kocho during the decortications process of Enset. However, this extract lacks pro-vitamin A. This study enriched the Bulla with Orange-fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) a plant with high levels of β-carotene that can be useful for combating vitamin A deficiency. The porridge was made of composite flours of bulla blended with 30, 35, 40 and 45% OFSP flours were investigated for proximate composition, β-carotene, functional property and sensory acceptability of products using standard methods. The data were analyzed using SAS 1.9 Software. The composite flours percentage moisture, crude (fiber, protein, fat), ash, carbohydrate, gross energy, β-carotene, pH, bulk density and water absorption capacity were found to be in the range of 29.54 to 40.25, (1.66 to 2.05, 2.11 to 2.55, 0.55 to 0.71), 1.76 to 2.11, 53.86 to 63.31, 227.49 to 268.11 Kcal/100 g, 386.68 to 558.05 μg/100 g, 4.46 to 5.71, 0.58 to 0.80 and 1.70 to 4.87 ml/g, respectively. While, the composite flours porridge percentage moisture, crude fiber, ash, crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrate, gross energy, β-carotene, pH and viscosity content found to be in the range from 43.42 to 58.03, 1.32 to 1.79, 2.39 to 2.78, 2.01 to 2.31, 0.71 to 0.82, 35.21 to 48.63, 155 to 211.11 Kcal/100 g, 201.46 to 301.50 μg/100 g, 5.71 to 5.82 and 515 to 728 cps, respectively. The porridge OB4PM2 (45% OFSP and 55% Bulla) was most preferred due to its color, odor, flavor and overall acceptability with panelist scored value of 4.28, 4.33, 4.39 and 4.45, respectively. Moreover, OB4PM2 porridge was found to be good source of ash, energy and β-carotene content.