Asian Food Science Journal

Sensory acceptability and their willingness to purchase value-added products are significant factors influencing the consumption of and commercial potential for such products. This study aimed to determine the sensory acceptability of nutrient-enhanced porridges containing orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), grain amaranth, biofortified beans, and maize flour, as well as the willingness of consumers to purchase and consume the new products. Porridge prepared from four composite flours, made from OFSP, biofortified bean, maize, and grain amaranth using formulations optimised using response surface methodology, were compared to one made from a commercial composite flour (control). Fifty consumers (26 females, 24 males) assessed the attributes of the samples using a 9-point hedonic scale for sensory acceptance and a 5-point Likert scale for willingness to buy. Relationship between sensory attributes and overall consumer’s liking of porridges was evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). The study found that the new OFSP-based composite porridges were equally acceptable to consumers as commercial porridges (5.14–7.14). Mouthfeel and taste were the major contributors to overall acceptability. Panelists indicated higher likelihood (52%) to purchase the raw composite flours comprised of 20% OFSP, 30% maize, 40% bean, 10% grain amaranth (RF2) and the extruded composite comprised of 49% OFSP, 5.9% maize, 35.1% bean, and 10% grain amaranth (EF2). Most panelists were willing to pay between between 5000 and 10000 Ugx for raw flour (RF2) and less than 5000 Ugx for extruded flour (EF2). The results show that the formulations resulted acceptable nutritionally enhanced porridges, with good prospects for success on the market.