Sensory Analysis of Dishes Based on Mucilages of Abelmoschus esculentus, Beilschmiedia mannii, Corchorus olitorius and Irvingia gabonensis from Côte d’Ivoire

Aims: The present work evaluates the sensory properties of culinary recipes based on mucilage extracted from mucilaginous food plants derived from the Ivorian flora.

Study Design: MFPs edible parts were dried, mucilage were extracted and sensorial analysis was done on recipes based on mucilage.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Laboratory of Biochemistry and Food Sciences, Biosciences Unit, at Felix Houphouet-Boigny University between January and December 2014.

Methodology: The study was carried out on fruits of A. esculentus (okra), B. mannii (sran), I. gabonensis (kplé) and leaves of C. olitorius (kplala) collected. The mucilage of different plants has been extracted by optimization methods; dishes were made from the mucilages and subjected to a sensory description (aroma, appearance, flavor and viscosity) and a hedonic appreciation.

Results: These dishes have been tested against commonly used recipes. Meals prepared from B. mannii mucilage provided a more appreciable viscosity than other dishes; however this sauce is less preferred than the reference recipe. On the other hand, the bitterness, the astringency and the sour aftertaste were more perceived in the mucilages than in the references recipes. The flavors and appearance of dishes base on mucilage were generally less perceived. As a result, the references were more preferred for A. esculentus, I. gabonensis and C. olitorius respectively between 71.87% and 81.25%, while the recipe based on mucilage of B. mannii (sran), the reference preference remains identical to that of the mucilage.

Conclusion: Culinary recipes could also be considered from mucilage extracted from mucilaginous food plants.