The sensory profiles of flatbreads made from sorghum, cassava, and cowpea flour used as wheat flour alternatives

Sorghum, cowpea, and cassava are underutilised gluten-free sources of flour that have the potential to be used in bread products in sub-Saharan Africa. Excessive wheat imports affect the economies of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, driving the search for wheat flour alternatives. To extend the use of sorghum, cowpea, and cassava flours toward bread production, it is vital that the sensory properties of these flours are better understood. A trained sensory panel evaluated and described the sensory properties of flatbread models prepared from red non-tannin sorghum, fractions (whole and dehulled) of two cowpea varieties, cassava starch, and designated flour composites. The composites were prepared using cassava starch and sorghum flour at 0%, 35%, and 70%, respectively, with 30% cowpea flour. The addition of sorghum intensified sorghum aroma in flatbread, while cowpea flours contributed a beany flavour. Flatbreads from cassava-cowpea composites had a chewier and rubberier mouthfeel, an intense fermented aroma and flavour, and a sour aftertaste compared to single flours, but were most similar to the wheat flatbread, with a residual beany flavour. Information from this study can guide food product developers toward developing new bread products from sorghum, cassava, and cowpea composite flours, thereby moving Africa towards a more sustainable food system. Further research on the effects of the sensory characteristics on consumer liking of the flatbreads is needed.Supplementary Materials: Table S1: Sensory descriptors and food reference guide used by the trained descriptive sensory panel; Table S2: Training schedule for descriptive sensory evaluation of the flatbread samples; Table S3: Sensory attributes of cowpea flatbread from different varieties and milling fractions; Table S4: Effect of different composite ratios of cassava starch and sorghum flours on the sensory attributes of flatbreads; Table S5: First six factor scores of principal component analysis of 33 attributes of flatbreads from composites flours and control wheat flour, Video S1; Video demonstration on flatbread preparation.The National Research Foundation (NRF) and the European Union.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foodsam2022Consumer ScienceFood Scienc