Effect of fermentation duration on the nutritional and antinutritional content of watermelon seeds and sensory properties of their ogiri products (Published)
The proximate composition and antinutrients of fermented watermelon seeds (24-120h (1-5 days)) as well as the sensory attributes of soup prepared with the condiment (ogiri), produced from the fermented watermelon seeds were determined using standard methods. Protein increased from 11.79% in the fresh sample to 13.77% (96h fermented watermelon seeds) while the ash increased from 4.95% to 5.75% in the same sample. The comparative assessment of the proximate composition of the watermelon ogiri and commercial ogiri (control) showed that the watermelon ogiri had higher protein and fat content, 13.77% and 15.40% respectively than the commercial ogiri (9.98% and 7.96% respectively). The 96h fermented watermelon seeds had optimum increase in nutrients and was used as a condiment alongside with commercial ogiri from castor oil bean for oha soup preparation, both of which were subjected to sensory evaluation and they differed significantly (P<0.05). However, the control soup was most preferred by the panelists (7.68).
Keywords: Antinutrients, Fermentation, Ogiri, Sensory, Watermelon Seed