Characterization of Kenyan grown Mondia Whytei roots and their potential uses

Abstract

The Mondia Whytei roots inner core dimension and the whole root dimensions were determined and recorded. The length of roots selected was 100 mm for ease of measurement. It was observed that the length of the roots before the selection was done ranged from 300 mm to 1000 mm. The diameter of the whole root (root+peel) ranged from 5 mm to 25 mm while that for the inner core only ranged from 3 to 15 mm. The thickness of the root peel ranged from 0.6 to 3 mm. The moisture data obtained for the root showed that the moisture content ranged between 42-55% averaging about 46.4%. The root peelings showed less resistance to rupture compared to cone shape type 1. However the wedge shaped probe recorded the highest resistance to rupture readings from the root peelings. The ash content was high averaging about 7.5% showing high fibre content in the peel. This makes it quite suitable as a fibre source. The first simple products from the roots were solar dried roots which maintained their flavours and the peel got detached from the core when they were chewed. Although the dry roots were hard to chew, they crumbled completely being crushed as it is chewed. The dry roots can therefore be marketed directly for chewing, milling or as a flavouring source in drinks. The solar dried roots were also milled as peel alone, core and as whole. The taste for the whole root powder was sweater compared to that of the peel or core alone.