Optimised combination of rosemary, ginger and garlic improves microbial shelf-life and sensory acceptability of vitamin A and iron-enriched cassava-based pancake (Kabalagala)

• Selected spices rosemary, ginger, and garlic were optimised. • A special cubic simplex lattice mixture design was used for the optimisation. • Nutritionally-enriched pancakes treated with optimal spices were produced. • Optimal spices combination improved the microbial shelf-life of the pancake. • Optimal spices combination improved the sensory acceptability of the pancake. In Uganda, the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency is 8.3 and 9.0 % in the urban and rural areas, respectively, while iron deficiency is at least 53 % in CUF. This necessitated the development of vitamin A and iron-enriched cassava-based pancakes ( Kabalagala ) with desirable sensory and physical properties. However, enrichment reduced microbial shelf life by 66.67 %, from 72 to 24 h. Individual application of spices (rosemary, ginger, and garlic) resolved the microbial shelf-life challenge but the products were sensorially inacceptable. A special cubic-constrained simplex lattice mixture design approach was used to generate different ternary combinations of the three spices. Ridge analysis was used to determine the optimal spices’ proportions based on the pancakes' total plate count and sensory properties. Optimal values were 1.0 g rosemary, 0.5 g ginger, and 0.5 g garlic; and 0.5 g rosemary, 0.5 g ginger, and 1.0 g garlic, for products targeting children 2–3- and 4–5-years-old, respectively. Optimal spices combination improved microbial shelf-life by 44 and 34 h for products targeting children 2–3- and 4–5-years-old, respectively. The acceptability scores of the optimised products were largely better than the control products. It is therefore recommended that local processors adopt the new products and make them available to improve the intake of Vitamin A and iron among CUF in Uganda.