Abstract
This study was undertaken to evaluate the energy expended by Nigerian women in preparing two traditional foods from cowpeas, akara (fried paste) and moimoi (steamed paste), both by traditonal methods and using processed pea flour. Data were collected using a questionnaire, and energy expenditure was monitored with an Oxylog apparatus.
In making akara by the traditional method, a mean of 44.4 ± 1.5 kcal (185.5 ± 74 kJ) of energy was spent per kilogram of peas processed, as against 25.7 ± 0.6 kcal (1074 ± 2.8 kJ)/kg using pea flour. For moimoi, 276 ± 0.8 kcal (115.6 ± 3.3 kJ)/kg was spent by the traditional method, against 14.6 ± 1.5 kcal (61.2 ± 6.3 kJ)/kg using flour. While the overall energy cost of the methods using pea flour was significantly lower than the traditional methods, the energy cost of aerating the paste for making akara was almost 2.5 times as high as in the traditional method. This higher energy internsity is due to the slower solubilization of proteins in flour required to form and sustain foam. Longer soaking of the flour paste could reduce the energy required for aeration.