1.1 Introduction
Plantain is traditionally grown in West Africa for food and used as part of local staple diets or processed into more durable products such as flour that can be stored for later use. Plantain is a major source of energy for millions of people in these regions. It constitutes the cheapest source of carbohydrate foods in terms of cost per hectare, per tonne and per calorie. Considering the health benefits of plantain, its incorporation as composite blend in the preparation of cake will help in enhancing the nutritional and health status of consumers, reduce total dependence on wheat flour and incidence of certain chronic non communicable disease.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
In recent years, more meals are eaten away from home, an increase in consumption of cereal foods such as biscuits/cookies, bread and cakes in Nigeria, especially among school children are on the increase. A number of different nutritional disorders may arise, depending on which nutrients are under or over abundant in these cereal products (Jade et al., 2013).
Cakes are soft bakery products produced by baking a batter containing flour, baking powders and beaten eggs with or without shortenings (IFIS, 2005). According to the final products desired, other ingredients such as flavourings, nuts, chocolate and dried fruits are also included. Cakes are a major snack in the fast food industry and highlight of many celebrations. They are highly cherished by women and children. It is a complete food, rich in fat and proteins. There are literally millions of cake recipes and can be classified based on their accompaniment such as coffee cakes, occasion cakes or based, primarily on ingredients and cooking techniques (Eke et al., 2008). Cake may be small and intended for individual consumption such as queen cake while longer cakes are cut, sliced and served as part of a meal or social functions. Akubor (2004) reported the protein content, physical and sensory qualities of some Nigerian snack foods particularly cakes, chin-chi and puff-puff prepared from blends of cowpea and wheat flours. Plant proteins are gradually gaining acceptance as food ingredients. Cakes have been produced from composite flours of wheat and plantain by Kiin- Kabari and Eke-Ejiofor (2013). They observed that plantain flour can be used in substituting wheat flour in cake production up to 30%.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Production and Evaluation of Enriched Fried Unripe Plantain Cake (Akara).
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation reveals that vendors are often poorly educated, unlicensed, untrained in food hygiene practices, and they work under crude unsanitary conditions with little or no knowledge about the causes of food borne diseases (Bello et al. 2007). Most of the foods are not well protected from flies, which may carry food borne pathogens. Safe food storage temperatures are rarely applied to street foods. Potential health risks are associated with contamination of food by Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas species, and Staphylococcus aureus during preparations and post-preparation stages (Ghosh et al. 2007).
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to evaluate the Production process of Enriched Fried Unripe Plantain Cake (Akara). In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To evaluate the produced enriched fried unripe plantain cake
- To prepare cakes from plantain composite flour blends
- To analyze the quality characteristics of the produced plantain cakes this included the physical, chemical and sensory properties of the product.
- To evaluate the composition of cake produced from different ratios of plantain
1.5 Significance of Study
This study will be of immense benefit to microbiologist and other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Production and Evaluation of Enriched Fried Unripe Plantain Cake (Akara) in Nigeria.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
