Influence of Soybean (Glycine max L.) on the Nutritional and Sensory Quality of African Dish (Konkonde) Made from Composite Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) and Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Flour

In the context of improving the texture of Konkonde (a traditional African dish) based on plantain, cassava flour is often incorporated. In order to improve the nutritional value of this dish and meet the nutritional balance, soy flour was chosen as an additional ingredient. The aim of this research was to assess the influence of soy flour incorporation on the nutritional, functional and sensory properties of Konkonde. To this end, different Konkonde formulations were prepared by adding 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% soy flour to the base composite flour of cassava and plantain. The different flours were analysed by determining their dry matter, protein, lipid, ash, and fibre content. Dry matter was calculated based on the estimated water content using the AOAC method. The fibre content is calculated as the ratio of the mass of the dried and incinerated samples to the mass of the test sample. The water absorption capacity (WAC) and water solubility index (WSI) of the powders were also determined. The collected data were analysed using STATISTICA software (version 7.1). The comparison of means between the different samples was performed using ANOVA. Results showed that the incorporation of soy flour led to a significant improvement in the nutritional value of the Konkonde formulation, notably in terms of protein (1.9% ± 0.1 to 12.9% ± 0.10), lipid (0.9% ± 0.10 to 4.27% ± 0.38), and ash (1.9% ± 0.10 to 3.27% ± 0.15) and fiber (1.03% ± 0.15 to 2.6% ± 0.13) content. Functional properties such as water absorption capacity and solubility index were affected by the addition of soy flour. Sensory evaluation revealed changes in the appearance, texture, taste and overall acceptability of Konkonde enriched with soy flour. After sensory evaluation, tasters showed a preference for the formulation containing 10% soy flour. Ultimately, the incorporation of soy flour improves the nutritional value of Konkonde, but an increasing rate of incorporation also leads to a change in the sensory properties specific to Konkonde. It is clear that the addition of soy flour had an impact on consumer perception.