Nutritional and Organoleptic Evaluation of Tempeh Made from Four Types of Legumes

This study investigates the production of tempeh using four types of legumes red beans (a), pigeon peas (b), cowpeas (c) and soybeans (d), with the aim of developing tempeh with favorable chemical and organoleptic properties as a healthy, nutritious food. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used with each legume type as a treatment, conducted in three replications. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, followed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at a 5% significance level (P ≤ 0.05) when significant differences were found. The results showed that cowpea tempeh (c) was the most favorable in terms of color and taste with scores comparable to soybean tempeh (d). color (cowpea tempeh=4.19c; soybean tempeh=4.44c) and taste (cowpea tempeh=4.19c; soybean tempeh=4.44c). Soybean tempeh had the highest texture rating (4.69c) indicating strong consumer preference. Amino acid analysis revealed that all four tempeh types contained 17 amino acids, with glutamic acid, leucine, and aspartic acid being the most abundant. These findings suggest that tempeh made from various legumes can serve as a nutritious food source offering potential to address nutritional deficiencies, especially for children.