Abstract:
Injera is one of the common food which is highly consumed daily in all parts of Ethiopia. This study was conducted to investigate the development of functional food (injera) through the addition of Cissus quadrangularis stem powder to teff flour. Cissus quadrangularis has been documented in Ayurveda for its medicinal uses in gout, syphilis, venereal disease, piles, osteoporosis, anorexia, diarrhoea, scurvy, menstrual disorders, otorrhoea and epistaxis. Despite the health benefit it offers, it is not used in Ethiopian cuisine. Considering its health benefits and good nutritive properties, Cissus quadrangularis is having the potential to be developed as functional food by blending it with cereals like teff. In this study, efforts have been taken to determine the effect of Cissus quadrangularis stem powder on the nutritional properties of injera. Blends of teff flour and Cissus quadrangularis stem powder (98:2, 96:4 and 94:6) were used to prepare injera and 100 % teff flour injera was used as control. When compared with control injera, percentages of moisture, ash, crude fiber, crude fat and crude protein of the Cissus quadrangularis stem powder incorporated injera increased from 52.23±0.34 % to 53.98±1.41 %, 3.12±0.06 % to 4.79 ±0.82 %, 2.55±0.71 % to 3.94±1.52 %, 2.43±0.38 % to 3.68±0.63 % and 10.01±0.17 % to 12.58±0.42 % respectively; while carbohydrate content decreased with increased level of incorporation from 81.89±0.41 % to 79.61±0.63 %. When compared with control injera, mineral content of the Cissus powder incorporated injera increased from 10.82 0.201 mg/100 g to 13.67±0.01 mg/100 g (Na), 131.27 0.023 mg/100 g to 136.74±0.03 mg/100 g (K), 90.43 0.60 mg/100 g to 97.67±0.16 mg/100 g (P), 58.25 0.024 mg/100 g to 64.56±0.07 mg/100 g (Ca), 12.56 0.205 mg/100 g to 14.05±0.071 mg/100 g (Fe) and 103.54 0.01mg/100 g to 110.29±0.32 mg/100 g (Mg). The proximate and mineral content of injera significantly (P increased with the incorporation of Cissus quadrangularis stem powder. The best possible combination was selected through sensory analysis and it has been observed that until 4 % incorporation of Cisssus quadrangularis stem powder, the injera was acceptable. The control sample and 2 % Cissus quadrangularis stem powder incorporated injera were rated high by the panelists. However, up to an incorporation level of 4 % Cissus quadrangularis stem powder, the injera was found to be sensorily acceptable and hence it be adopted as a method to improve the nutritional composition of this food item.
