ABSTRACT
Masa is a cereal based snack made from rice, maize or millet. It is popularly consumed in the northern regions of Nigeria. The objective of this work was to assess the nutritional and sensory properties of the rice-Masa, enriched with soybean and crayfish. The enriched rice-Masa produced were labelled sample A (100% rice), sample B (rice: soybean blend (80:20), sample C (rice: crayfish blend (80:20) and sample D (rice: soybean: crayfish (80:10:10). The proximate and mineral composition was evaluated according to standard methods. Anti-nutrient content was also determined. Sensory evaluation was carried out to assess the acceptability of the enriched rice-Masa. The chemical analysis showed that protein, fibre, iron, zinc and vitamin A and beta carotene contents were highest in sample D with values 8.35 (±0.08) g/100g, 1.08 (±0.02) g/100g, 2.82 (±0.03) mg/100g, 4.20 (±0.03) mg/100g, 602.3 (±1.28) μg/100g and 420.2 (±0.98) μg/100g respectively, while calcium was highest in sample C with a value of 27.34 (±0.06) mg/100g. Moisture and ash contents increased from 47.4 (±0.50) g/100g to 50.9 (±0.80) g/100g and 0.40 (±0.01) g/100g to 1.15 (±0.01) g/100g respectively, while carbohydrate and energy contents decreased from 28.1 (±0.03) g/100g to 21.9 (±0.04) g/100g and 308.42 kcal/100g to 285.64 kcal/100g respectively. The sensory evaluation showed that with regards to taste, aroma, texture and overall acceptability, the sample enriched with soybean was more preferred to that enriched with crayfish, or a combination of both. Enrichment of Masa could contribute to improvement of nutritional status if promoted as a nutritious, healthy indigenous snack not only where Masa is already widely consumed, but also in other parts of Nigeria where it has not found wide acceptance.