Copyright © 2017 IJAIR, All right reserved 820 International Journal of Agriculture Innovations and Research Volume 5, Issue 5, ISSN (Online) 2319-1473 Sensory Evaluation of Bambara Groundnut (Vignasubterranea (L.) Verdc.) Food Products in Ibadan, Nigeria John Olayinka Atoyebi a,b, , Odutola Osilesi b , Olugbenga Adebawo b a National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, F.M.S.T., Moor – Plantation, PMB 5382, Ibadan, Nigeria b Department of Biochemistry, Babcock University, Ilisan – Remo, Ogun – State, Nigeria *Corresponding author : johnatoyebi@ymail.com Abstract – Earlier reports of the nutrition analysis (Atoyebiet. al., 2015) shows potentials in Bambara groundnut (Vignasubterranea (L.) Verdc.) of African origin. With a view to predict the perception or sensory evaluation of its products; commercial purchase of cream coloured Bambara groundnut (BG) from Bodija market, Oyo – state, Nigeria was made into two main products (cooked Bambara groundnut beans and cooked Bambara groundnut paste ‘okpa’) and served to fifteen (15) respondents each; representing employees of the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Ibadan, Nigeria, serving as taste panelists / perceptionists for these products. The results obtained showed that 58.32% of the respondents preferred the look of the beans as appealing to consume while the okpa appeals to 64.27% of them. Also, the product smell and taste were scored 49.91% and 58.22 % respectively for the cooked Bambara beans, as against those for okpa, which were 85.71% and 71.42% respectively, as attested by the respondents. The overall product acceptability was scored at 62.84% of the respondents for desirability for the consumption of cooked Bambara beans, while 71.42% of them scored the same criteria for the okpa food product. The result of this evaluation indicated that developing countries, like Nigeria can tap into the immense acceptability of the Bambara groundnut food products, with the aim of improving on its sustenable utilisation and consumption towards reducing hunger, malnutrition and enhance food security in a developing country like Nigeria. Keywords – Cooked Bambara Beans, Okpa, Sensory Evaluation, Utilisation. INTRODUCTION Bambara groundnut (Vignasubterranea (L.)Verdc.)is a neglected and under-utilised species (NUS), that is often cultivated extensively by smallholding farmers of the semi-arid regions of Africa (Azam-Ali et. al.,2001). Sometimes, it is often intercropped with cereals, root and tuber crops, with an average yields of (650–850 kg ha-1), though this depends on the soil type and other climatic conditions (Stanton et al. 1966). Bambara groundnut out- yields other legumes under some non - favorable conditions, particularly under limited rainfall and on infertile soils (National Research Council 1979). The crop is predominantly grown in Africa, where it has been found to be the third most important legume crop after peanut and cowpea (Howell 1994). It is a preferred food crop by many local people, since it has been considered as a poor – man food; and secondly due to the nutrition potentials, though the cooking constraints exists for the beans. It is a good supplement to a cereal-based diet and this makes it to be nutritionally superior to other legumes (Azam-Ali et al. 2001).It is a complete food, with dietary requirements to meet the daily needs of the body. Research has shown that in most developing countries, because of the high price of meat and fish, the interest is focused on grain legumes as a source of protein. Hence, legumes like the Bambara groundnut are rich not only in proteins, but in other nutrients such as starch and fat, as well as minerals and amino acids. However, nutritional potentials in the seeds of Bambara groundnut is somehow restricted by the presence of anti-nutrients such as tannin, phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Different processing methods such as cooking, roasting and autoclaving, significantly affects some parameters such as the tannin content in Bambara groundnut. For example, activities such as, dehulling, soaking and boiling had being found to also have effects on the amount of tannin, as discarding cooking water had been shown to be effective in reducing the tannin content (Murevanhema, Y.Y. et. al, 2013).Apart from carbohydrate, protein is the highest and most important nutrient parameter in Bambara groundnut profiles. The amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, where they serve as important precursors for its synthesis. Amino acids are biologically important organic compounds containing amine (-NH 2 ) and carboxylic acid (-COOH) functional groups, along with a side-chain (R group) which are specific to each amino acid (Catherine et. al., 2013). The structural components of an amino acid are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, although there are other elements, which are found in the side-chains of certain amino acids. About 500 amino acids are known, even though only 20 appear in the genetic code and can be classified in many ways. On the other hand, essential amino acid or indispensable amino acid is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized de novo by the organism, and thus must be supplied in its diet. They are nine in this category of amino acids, which the humans cannot synthesize. They are phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, and histidine. There are also six other amino acids, which are considered conditionally essential in the human diet, meaning their synthesis can be limited under special pathophysiological conditions, such as prematurity in the infant or individuals in severe catabolic distress. These six are arginine, cysteine, glycine, glutamine, proline, and tyrosine. There are also five amino acids, which are Manuscript Processing Details (dd/mm/yyyy) : Received: 14/02/2017 | Accepted on : 18/02/2017 | Published : 05/04/2017