Traditional process for making cowpea doughnuts: innovating to facilitate production and meet nutritional and sensory expectations.

The study focuses on the processing of cowpeas into Ata doughnuts in Benin, with the aim of improving the work of women processors. Traditionally, cowpeas are dehulled manually using water, a tedious and time-consuming step. Two innovative products have been developed using the dry method: partially dehulled cotyledons and flour made from these cotyledons. The use of these products, and in particular the flour, simplifies the doughnut-making process and reduces water consumption, but with higher material losses. Sensory tests and nutritional analyses show promising results, although adjustments are still needed, particularly to the alpha-galactoside content of the flour. These innovations are helping to improve processing methods and add value to local products, thereby supporting food security and the local economy.