Annals. Food Science and Technology 2018 Available on-line at www.afst.valahia.ro 265 Volume 19, Issue 2, 2018 NUTRITIONAL QUALITY AND SENSORY ACCEPTABILITY OF FERMENTED BREADFRUIT – PIGEON PEA BASED CUSTARD Ajani, Alice Olapade 1 and Adegoke, Gabriel Olaniran 2 1 Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, PMB 5054, Onireke, Ibadan, Nigeria. 2 Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan, PMB 23401, Ibadan, Nigeria *Corresponding author: popwie@yahoo.com (+2348036124853) Abstract Custard is a yellow food made from extraction of grain-bearing plant with some flavouring added to make a cereal solid food. Custard is majorly an imported food but due to its high cost of importation, there is need for diversification by usage of locally available food crops for replacement to reduce post-harvest losses and improve nutritional condition of Nigerians. Breadfruit is a good source of calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium and has similar levels of protein as many other tropical staple crops and many cultivars produce pro-vitamin A. Fresh breadfruit and wholesome brown pigeon pea was fermented differently at different conditions to produce custard. Proximate composition, anti-nutrients and sensory attributes of the breadfruit- pigeon pea custard in terms of appearance, colour, aroma, taste and overall acceptability were determined. Sensory evaluation results showed that 100% fermented breadfruit at 10 o C was the most preferred while little differences were observed from other samples at 5% significant level. The results obtained indicated that quality custard can be produced from breadfruit-pigeon pea, if more research is done in this area to curtail food insecurity in Nigeria. Also, the acceptability of the formulated products will add value to the produce through livelihood improvement of the growers and thereby increase the existing products. Keywords: Fermented Breadfruit, Pigeon-pea flour, Custard, Proximate Composition, Anti-nutrients, Sensory Acceptability Received: 29.03.2018 Reviewed: 22.05.2018 Accepted: 29.06.2018 1. INTRODUCTION Breadfruit is a fleshy fruit that grows best in the tropical regions of the world especially, in the humid climate. Breadfruit is widely cultivated to appreciable extent in South-West States and other Geo-political zones of Nigeria (Omobuwajo, 2003). The tree produces fruit twice a year, from March to June and from July to September with some fruiting throughout the year. It is highly nutritious, cheap and readily available in overwhelming abundance, especially at the peak of the two fruiting seasons in May and August but has for long been under exploited in Nigeria due to its low social esteem (Omobuwajo, 2007). The fruit has been described as an important staple food of a high economic value (Soetjipto and Lubis, 1981). Singh (2009) reported that breadfruit yields in terms of food are superior to other starchy staples such as cassava and yam. It is essentially a carbohydrate source, eaten in Nigeria, almost exclusively around the region where it is produced. The fruit is a valuable food resource on account of its high caloric content (68% starch, 4% protein, 1% fat on dry basis) and significant amounts of certain vitamins and minerals (Graham and De-Bravo, 1981). Breadfruit is seasonal, often so plentiful that it cannot all be eaten fresh; farmers helplessly watch their harvested stored breadfruits rot away because routine methods of processing are inadequate to utilize all the breadfruits harvested. Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a locally available and affordable grain legume of the tropics and sub-tropics that is underutilized. Pigeon pea varieties have protein content in the range of 23-26% (Onweluzo and Nwabugwu, 2009; ICRISAT, 1986) and it is a rich source of lysine. The protein content is comparable with those in other legumes like cowpea and groundnut. It is rich in minerals and fibre content (Fasoyiro et al., 2009a). Custard powder is an edible yellow coloured starch, sweetened and flavoured in which when