The effect of solvent treatment on the chemical composition and organoleptic acceptability of traditional condiments from Nigeria.

Three Nigerian condiments from locust bean, melon, and soya bean were prepared by the traditional technique of uncontrolled fermentation and then partly defatted by hexane and di-ethyl ether extraction respectively. Proximate analysis and consumer preference tests were conducted. Results showed that while crude protein, ash and fibre contents remained virtually unchanged, the carbohydrate contents of the treated condiments (derived by difference) increased remarkably. The increase was associated with the significant reduction of about 50% (p = 0.05) in lipid contents of the three condiments. The observed solvent effect correlated positively with panelists' preference rating for the treated locust bean and melon condiments. Except with the soya bean condiment, higher mean scores were observed after the solvent treatment for the four sensory attributes assessed. However, condiment-type and treatment notwithstanding, colour and odour appear to critically determine the level of acceptability of condiments.