Food poverty affects almost one billion people worldwide. According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), food protection requires having constant physical and economic access to enough food to fulfill nutritional requirements for a prosperous and stable life. Simply put, families can afford and access sufficiently healthy food. A family is food safe because none of its members are hungry or fearful of going hungry. Food deficiency is often associated with hunger in both the United States and developed countries. Shifts in the global economy, such as increases in global food and energy prices, can impact food production globally, with low-income countries
Tropical root and tuber crops' (TRCs) contribution to energy and calorie supply varies by zone. The annual global production of these crops, which is approximately 836 million tons, demonstrates their relative significance. Asia is the most prolific producer, followed by Africa, Europe, and North America. TRC demand in developing countries is expected to rise by 58 percent (from 232 million tons to 635 million tons) between 2003 and 2020. With cassava rising by 44 percent, potato increasing by 29 percent, sweet potato increasing by 27 percent, and yam increasing by 27 percent. Food demand will outpace feed demand for cassava and potatoes, while the situation will be reversed
With a world's population of 7.3 billion people, food supply and health continue to be issued. The global undernourishment rate ranges between 6 and 20%. Undernourishment is widespread in the South Pacific Islands, ranging from 3 to 14 percent. Food shortages exist, and $12,669 million in goods are imported. Furthermore, obesity and diabetes are rising due to globalization and shifts in eating habits, necessitating the scramble for healthier foods. Taro, cassava, sweet potato, and yam root crops are the primary sources of 40-50 percent of energy and nutrients. These are high in electricity, fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamins. Root crops can provide up to 24% of the energy needed and 100% of Vitamin C. Root crops are also functional foods, and nutraceutical ingredients that protect against chronic diseases aid in maintaining good health
Starchy roots and tuber crops are essential components of the human diet. Several roots and tubers belong to several species and make extensive biodiversity even within the exact geographical location. Starchy roots and tubers have been a component of human food habits since the dawn of humanity, and they provide diversity to the western diet while also providing several nutritional benefits and health implications such as antiobesity, antioxidative, hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemic, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory roles, to name a few
However, many consumers find the bitter taste of vegetables or other sensory features undesirable, threatening dietary guidelines to increase vegetable intake. Food is a multisensory experience, with diverse relationships between senses and human variations in sensory perception
Food scientists must work with agriculturists, nutrition experts, society organizations, and policymakers to develop an integrated plan for sustainably feeding an expanding population. The current emphasis on food security is primarily on agricultural production and nutrition, sanitation, and well-being. The required conversion of raw materials into nutritious, usable, and culturally appropriate food items is vital in the food supply chain between production and consumption. Without a greater focus on the importance of food production in ensuring a healthy food supply, we are unlikely to solve the mounting difficulties in providing sustainable diets for all
With this, the researchers were able to develop different mixtures of taro and sweet potato root crops flour to put value improvement, leading to an accepted polvoron product. Polvoron is one of the pastry foods that can be quickly done by local entrepreneurs, unemployed youths, and Filipino households as a source of income. It may also improve the welfare of the farmers because they are allowed to increase their income by venturing into the massive production of these two crops. Moreover, local food products may be more advantageous to consumers than being constantly dependent on imported food products.
The descriptive correlational analysis approach was used to achieve the study's objectives. Descriptive analysis entails collecting evidence explaining activities, organizing, tabulating, depicting, and describing the data gathered. The purpose of this study was to shed light on an agreed formulated blending of taro and Sweet Potato into polvoron and to evaluate acceptability through sensory assessment.
The products were presented for evaluation to the 30 panelists. There were fifteen males and fifteen females from the age bracket of 15 to 40 chosen to evaluate. The palatability, texture, flavor, moldability, and overall acceptability of the treatments were assessed through organoleptic sensory evaluation. Each panelist was given three coded samples of polvoron and a score sheet in which they have checked the corresponding space of their assessment.
Collect Taro and Sweet Potato, wash and clean it thoroughly to remove unnecessary particles, and start peeling. Prepare the Taro and Sweet Potato for paring and washing. After which, cut it into thin slices and dry it under the sun or use a dryer. When the products are dried, start grinding it. Sieve the ground taro and sweet potato powder to produce a better quality of the flour.
Strain the taro and potato flour. After which, toast Taro and Sweet Potato flour until light brown. Mix the toasted Taro and Sweet Potato flour powder, milk, and white sugar. Start melting the butter and mix gradually with the mixture of toasted flour. If the mixture is ready for molding, use a polvoron molder, then wrap it with celluloid or Japanese paper.
Frequencies and Chi-square (x2) were used to interpret the data, which were gathered meaningfully. The frequency was used to quantify the sensory evaluation of the panelists on the different attributes per treatment through the 5 Point Likert Scale shown in
Value |
Limits |
Description |
||||
Palatabilty |
Texture |
Moldability |
Flavor |
Overall Acceptability |
||
5 |
5.00 |
Extremely Palatable |
Extremely Smooth |
Extremely Molded |
Extremely Flavored |
Extremely Accepted |
4 |
4.00 – 4.99 |
Very Much Palatable |
Very Much Smooth |
Very Much Molded |
Very Much Flavored |
Very Much Accepted |
3 |
3.00 – 3.99 |
Moderately Palatable |
Moderately Smooth |
Moderately Molded |
Moderately Flavored |
Moderately Accepted |
2 |
2.00 – 2.99 |
Slightly Palatable |
Slightly Smooth |
Slightly Molded |
Slightly Flavored |
Slightly Accepted |
1 |
1.00 – 1.99 |
Not Palatable |
Not Smooth |
Not Molded |
Not Flavored |
Not Accepted |
Treatments |
|||
1 (Control) |
2 |
3 |
|
Taro Flour |
1 ½ cups |
2 cups |
1 cup |
Sweet Potato Flour |
1 ½ cups |
1 cup |
2 cups |
Skim Milk |
1 ½ cups |
1 ½ cups |
1 ½ cups |
Sugar |
1 ½ cups |
1 ½ cups |
1 ½ cups |
Margarine |
1 ½ cups |
1 ½ cups |
1 ½ cups |
Chi-square (x2) statistic was used to test the significant differences among the treatments. The measure for independence measures two variables in a contingency table to determine whether they are associated. In a broader context, it examines why the distributions of categorical variables vary from one another.
Formula:
Where:
C = degrees of freedom
O = observed value (s)
E = expected value (s)
Where:
r = row in question
c = column in question
n = corresponding total
This section presents the discussion of the organoleptic evaluation of blended Taro and Sweet Potato polvoron regarding palatability, texture, flavor, moldability, and overall acceptability.
Over-All Acceptability |
T1 (control) |
T2 |
T3 |
Extremely Accepted |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Very Much Accepted |
9 |
10 |
6 |
Moderately Accepted |
14 |
10 |
14 |
Slightly Accepted |
3 |
6 |
6 |
Not Accepted |
3 |
1 |
4 |
The Chi-square (x2) statistic reveals no significant differences among the treatments regarding palatability preference since the computed F-value of 8.22 is lower than the F critical value of 15.5 at a 0.05 level of significance. This indicates that the amount of taro and sweet potato flour in all the treatments does not significantly differ in taste and preference. The statistic reveals that all the treatments significantly differ regarding texture preference since the computed F-value of 24.4 is greater than the critical value of 15.51 at a 0.5 level of significance. This may be attributed to the pulverized sun-dried taro and sweet potato consistency and the granulated sugar.
The Chi-square (x2) statistic indicates that the treatments are not substantially different in flavor preference since the computed F-value of 14.3 is less than the crucial value of 15.51 at a 0.5 level of significance. This suggests that the inherent flavor of the raw materials does not affect the panelists' flavor preferences. The statistic indicates that all treatments are substantially different from one another in terms of moldability choice, as the computed F-value of 21.6 is larger than the crucial value of 15.51 at a 0.5 level of significance.
The statistic indicates that the treatments are not substantially different in terms of the overall acceptability of the three (3) mixtures since the computed F-value of 8.332 is less than the crucial value of 15.51 at a 0.5 level of significance. This indicates that all the treatments don't differ as to overall acceptability by the panelists. In the study, Sameen et al. (2016), it was also evident that there is no significant difference in sensory characteristics values of samples containing sweet potato and taro starch at different concentrations
Based on the analysis of the sensory evaluation of the polvoron as to palatability, flavor, and overall liking of the three (3) mixtures, the computed F-value of 8.332 is less than the crucial value of 15.51 at a 0.5 level of significance. The texture and moldability in all the treatments showed that they significantly differ from one another. However, Treatment 1 (control) got a better frequency than overall acceptability and preferred mixture for commercialization. However, the study did not include the blended flour's chemical and nutrient value analysis, which is also essential.
Further studies should be done on the acceptability of blended taro and sweet potato polvoron as influenced by the indigenous preparation of the root crops flour in shelf life and packaging. More Product development studies should be done utilizing the two root crops as raw material for they are locally accessible. To enhance the polvoron, further research should be done.