INFLUENCE OF CULTIVAR DIFFERENCES IN OKRA (Abelmoschus esculentus) ON NUTRIENT COMPOSITION AND QUALITY OF "ORUNLA"(OKRA) POWDER.

"Orunla" is a dehydrated product of okra, which is often consumed as vegetable soup in Nigeria. In this study, pods of 12 okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) cultivars were evaluated for differences in their physical characteristics and quality of "orunla" powder produced from them. Weight, diameter and length of okra pods were determined while "orunla "powders obtained from them were evaluated for yield, nutrient composition, functional and sensory characteristics. Cultivar differences significantly (p>0.05) affected the physical characteristics of okra pods and the nutrient composition and quality of "orunla" powder. Pod weight, diameter, length and appearance of okra pods varied significantly among cultivars; while "orunla" powder obtained from different cultivars of okra were significantly different (p>0.05) in their yield, moisture content, crude protein, energy, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, bulk density, dispersibility, water hydration capacity, wettability and viscosity. A significant difference (p>0.05) was also observed in the colour and sliminess of reconstituted "orunla "powders. Although, the component plot and dendogram (average linkage) grouped the "orunla" powders obtained from the twelve cultivars of okra into three groups, two cultivars (NI and ON) were the most acceptable. The differences in the properties of the okra cultivars may have implication in their potential application as food thickeners in the food industry. This study provides a baseline data which may be useful to geneticists for breeding okra samples of desirable qualities for "orunla" production.Â