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Effectiveness of Green Plantain Peel and Pulp Flour Blends as

Coating on the Textural Properties and Oil Uptake in Fried Fish Fillet

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 Nigerian Food Journal
Official Journal of Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology www.nifst.org
NIFOJ Vol. 36 No. 1, pages 124 – 134, 2018 FULL LENGTH ARTICLE

Effectiveness of Green Plantain Peel and Pulp Flour Blends as Coating on

the Textural Properties and Oil Uptake in Fried Fish Fillet
1*
Ajayi, F.F., 2Henshaw, F.O., 2 Sobukola, O.P. and 3Omemu, A.M.

ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of green plantain peel and pulp flour blends as coating on
the textural properties and oil uptake of fried fish fillet. Plantain peel flour and plantain pulp flour were mixed in
ratios 0:100, 5:95, 10:90, 15:85, 20:80, 25:75, 30:70, 40:60, 50:50 and 100:0% peel: pulp, respectively. Fresh fish fillets
were coated with the blends of plantain peel and pulp flour, while the uncoated and samples coated with wheat flour
served as controls. The results showed that plantain peel and pulp flour blends affected the textural characteristics of
the product significantly (p<0.05). The values of hardness, cohesiveness and springiness varied from 0.80-2.6N, 0.19-
0.43, 0.55-0.92, respectively. The lowest value of hardness was observed in sample coated with 100% peel flour. The
flour blends were effective in decreasing oil uptake and moisture loss of fried fish fillets than the control samples. Oil
uptake of samples coated with 100% peel flour (9.63 %) was significantly lower (p<0.05) than uncoated (11.49 %).
Increasing level of peel flour in the flour blends reduced the oil uptake and moisture loss more effectively than the
control sample. Samples coated with plantain peel and pulp flour blends had less shrinkage compared to the uncoated
sample. It is concluded that using blends of plantain peel and pulp flour is an effective coating material for fried fish
fillet. The plantain peel flour can be incorporated up to 20% in coating formulation without having significant impact
on the sensory characteristics on the fried fish fillet.
Keywords: Plantain pulp flour, plantain peel flour, quality attributes, deep-fat frying, fish fillets.

1.0 Introduction supermarkets as ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare

entrées for immediate consumption (Worapang et al.,
Fried foods have been highly consumed and
2005). Equally, one of the basic sensory properties
ever popular among today’s consumers of all
in determining the quality of food is texture, it has
age groups. This is as a result of modification in
a large influence on the acceptance of food by its
lifestyle of consumers in terms of preparation
consumer (Drewnoski, 1997). Crispness is perhaps
and consumption of food in respect to less time
the most critical coating physical appearance
been spent. The importance of fried foods has
of breaded fried foods. However, crispness is
increased into the restaurants, fast food joints and
demanding to maintain once the product is removed
1
Department of Home Science, Federal University, Gashua, from the fryer due to moisture movement from
P.M.B. 1005, Gashua, Yobe, Nigeria. the core of the product to the crust and moisture
2
Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal absorption from the environment.
University of Agriculture, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
3
Department of Hospitality and Tourism, Federal University of Deep-fat frying is an established process of food
Agriculture, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
* Corresponding author: feyigld16@gmail.com
preparation worldwide. It refers to the simultaneous
 Effectiveness of Green Plantain Peel and Pulp Flour Blends as Coating on the Textural Properties and Oil Uptake ... Ajayi et al.
heat and mass transfer process where moisture
leaves the food in the form of vapor bubbles,
while oil is absorbed simultaneously (Lui-ping et al.,
2005). It is frequently used as a method of cooking
to create unique flavors and texture in processed
foods (Patterson et al., 2004) and results in
modification of the physical, chemical and sensory
characteristics of the food. Deep-fat frying is done
by immersing the product in oil at high temperature
under atmospheric pressure causing the absorption
of a high amount of fat, which could be up to 50%
of the total weight of the fried food (Rungsinee,
2011). High oil content in fried foods is a major
challenge limiting consumers’ acceptance of fried
products today and the low fat food products are
becoming popular among the populace (Bunger
et al., 2003). During the past recent times, the
American Heart Association and other health
organizations have encouraged and emphasized on
the reduction of fats in foods to less than 30% of
calories for the consumers (USDA, 1990). absorption of fried foods. Therefore, the objective
To minimize this problem, studies are being carried
out to process food with very low or no oil content.
A number of ways are explored for this purpose,
these include the use of pre-drying before frying,
frying under high temperature and short-time
conditions, and the use of edible film as coating
agent (Krodike et al., 2001; Khalil, 1999; Rayner et
al., 2000). The use of coating materials has been an
alternative approach to reduce oil absorption in fried
foods in order to comply with both health concerns
and consumer preferences. The application of
edible coating and film has been carried out on a
direct coating to product surface as reported by
Albert and Mittal (2002), (Balasubramaniam et al.,
1997). The common application methods were
dipping, spraying or casting. Material was coated
or wrapped with film prior to the further process.
On the other hand, several studies have been done
on the effect of adding edible ingredients into a
batter formulation (Sanz et al., 2004; Holownia et
al., 2000).
125
Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) is one of the major fruits
in the world and been produced in many countries,
such as Africa, Latin America and Asia (Akubor and
Adejo, 2000). It complements the dietary needs of
the population and it also helps to generate revenue
into countries through exportation to Europe and
other countries that do not produce plantain. Most
parts of plantain, including its stalk, flower, fruit,
leaf and stem have been used for various purposes.
However, plantain peel is normally discarded during
the processing of plantain and these wastes are
being disposed as fertilizers or used as animal feed
(Eun-Hye et al., 2010). In fact, peel from plantain
makes about 40% of the total weight of the fruit.
Plantain peel is a rich source of starch (3%), crude
protein (6-9%), crude fat (3.8-11%), total dietary
fibre (43.2-49.7%), pectin and micronutrients (K,
P, Ca, Mg) (Mohapatra et al., 2010). Since limited
research work has demonstrated the use of flour
ingredients as a surface treatment in reducing oil
of this research was to evaluate the textural
properties and oil reduction capacities of different
blends of green plantain peel and pulp flour as
coatings for deep-fat frying of fish fillets.
2.0 Materials and Methods
2.1 Plantain pulp and peel flour production
Unripe plantain fruits were washed with water, the
peels were cut into thin slices (2 mm thick), hot-
water blanched (500C, 3 min) and then submerged
in 0.5% (w/v) ascorbic acid solution for 5 mins.
Plantain pulp were sliced into 2 mm thickness and,
hot-water blanched (500C, 3 min). The pre-treated
peel and pulp slices were oven dried at 500C to
constant weight, milled in an attrition mill, sieved
through 250µm (British standard) and then packed
in high densely polyethylene bags until used for
further analysis (Akubor and Ishiwu, 2013).
Flour blends of plantain peel and pulp were used
to evaluate the coating effect on some quality
attributes of the fried fish fillets and the samples
were then compared with fried fish fillets coated
126 Nigerian Food Journal Vol. 36 No. 1, 2018

with wheat flour that is commonly used for coating uptake, moisture loss, shrinkage, texture) of the
of fried fish. Uncoated fried fish fillets were used fried fish fillets with the ones coated with different
as control to compare the quality attributes (oil flours.

Table 1: Formation of the coating mixture

samples Sample code X1 X2
1 PF100P0 100 0
2 PF0P100 0 100
3 PF95P5 95 5
4 PF90P10 90 10
5 PF85P15 85 15
6 PF80P20 80 20
7 PF75P25 75 25
8 PF70P30 70 30
9 PF60P40 60 40
10 PF50P50 50 50
Where X1 + X2 = 100%; X1 = Plantain pulp flour, X2 = Plantain peel flour

2.2 Flour blending 2.4 Analytical methods

The plantain pulp flour (PF) and plantain peel
flour (P) were mixed in a ratio of 100:0, 0:100,
95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, 75:25, 70:30, 60:40 and
50:50, peel and pulp, respectively in a Kenwood
food processor that was operated at full speed for
10 min as shown in Table 1. The flour blends was
packed in high density polyethylene bags prior to
use.
2.3 Preparation of coated fish fillet
Blue whiting (Micromesistiu spoutassou) fish weighing
340 ± 15 g and 20 ± 3 cm in length were purchased
from a local market under aseptic condition. The
fishes were manually filleted on both sides. Each
piece of fillet was again cut into halves. The fillets
were then washed and dripped dried for 10 min in
a colander. The prepared fish fillets were dipped
in flour coated with 3g of plantain peel and pulp
flour, and fried at 1800C for 5 mins which was
monitored with a thermometer. The frying oil was
used only once.
2.4.1 Evaluation oil uptake and moisture loss
(d/b)
The oil content was determined by solvent
extraction using the Soxhlet (Thermo Scientific
EME3100/CEB, UK) technique (AOAC, 2010).
Each extracted group was dried in a forced air oven
at 105 °C for 24 h (to constant mass), cooled in
a desiccator and then weighed to obtain the dry
solid content. The oil uptake was determined by
deducting the oil content of the sample from that
of the blend from which the sample was obtained.
The moisture content was obtained from the
difference between the original weight and the
dry solids plus the oil content. Moisture loss was
reported on a dry basis and was calculated from the
difference between the original moisture content
of the disc before frying and the moisture content
of the fried snack.
2.4.2 Evaluation of shrinkage
The shrinkage (decrease in size) was determined
by measuring the area of the coated fish fillets
before and after frying with planimeter. As the fish
 Effectiveness of Green Plantain Peel and Pulp Flour Blends as Coating on the Textural Properties and Oil Uptake ... Ajayi et al.
fillets were uneven in hap and relatively uniform in
size, area of coated fried fish fillets on all surfaces
(each piece was placed on different sides and area
marked for the same pieces at each side) and area
was averaged. Average surface area of coated and/
or fried fish fillets was considered for calculation of
shrinkage (%) as per the following equation:
Shrinkage (%) =
A1 – A2
# 100
A1
Where, A1 is area of raw coated fish fillet and A2 is
area of fried fish fillet.
2.4.3 Determination coating pick-up
Coating pick-up was calculated from the difference
between coated weight and non-coated weight of
raw fish fillet. It can be formulated as in equation
below (Parinyasiri et al., 1991):
% Coating pickup = (F – I)
Where: F = Weight of raw coated fish fillets
I = Initial weight of raw non-coated fish
fillets
2.4.5 Determination frying yield
Percentage of frying yield was obtained by
considering the weight of the fried fish fillets and
the raw fish fillets after coating (Parinyasiriet al.,
1991).
2.4.6 Evaluation of colour attributes
The colour of fish fillet samples was measured
with a Lovibond (Lovibond CAM-system, England
500). The parameters determined were L* is
approximate of lightness between black and white
within the range 0-100, redness (+a*) or greenness
(-a*) and yellowness (b+) or blueness (-b*) (Fagan
et al., 2003).
2.4.7 Texture analysis
A puncture test was performed on the fried fish
fillets coated with different flour blends using a
texture analyzer TA.XT (Stable Micro System,
Surrey, UK). This method had also been used by
DaSilva and Moreira (2008).
127
2.5 Sensory analysis
Acceptance test was performed using the method
described by Ihekenronye and Ngoddy (1986).
A total of 50 panelists made up of staff and
students of the Federal University of Agriculture,
Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria evaluated the
appearance, colour, texture, oiliness, taste and
overall acceptability of fried fishes coated with
plantain peel and pulp flour blends on a 9 point
Hedonic scale (Gokealp et al., 1999).
2.6 Statistical analysis
Data obtained for proximate, functional, physico-
chemical and sensory analysis were statistically
analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) of
SPSS version 16. Duncan’s multiple range test
was applied to estimate the significant differences
among the means at 95% confidence level.
3.0 Results and Discussion
3.1 Effects of plantain peel and pulp flour
blends as coating on oil uptake
The effects of plantain peel and pulp flour blends
as coating on oil uptake of deep-fat fried fish fillets
are shown in Figure 1. The mean values of oil uptake
ranged between 9.63% and 11.68%, respectively.
All the samples coated with plantain peel and pulp
flour absorbed lower amount of oil than the ones
coated with wheat flour and uncoated samples. Oil
uptake of fried fish fillets reduced as peel flour
inclusion increased, this may be as a result of the
presence of high fibre in the peel flour. These
observations were similar to the findings of García
et al. (2002) and Abdul-Hamid and Luan (2000)
who reported that the addition of dietary fibres
(specifically fibrex and pectin) in coating mixtures
significantly reduced the amount of oil uptake in
samples. The ability of fibre materials to reduce
oil uptake during frying is more or less a function
of its water absorbing character (Ang and Miller,
1991). During frying, the water molecules occupy
the fibre pores, thereby significantly inhibiting oil
absorption and improving the crispiness of the
fried product (Yadav and Rajan, 2012).
128 Nigerian Food Journal Vol. 36 No. 1, 2018

Fig. 1: Oil uptake of fried fish fillet coated with different blends of plantain peel and pulp flour and the
controls
a= 100% pulp flour; b= 100% peel flour; c= 95% pulp flour, 5% peel flour; d= 90% pulp flour, 10% peel flour; e=
85% pulp flour, 15% peel flour; f= 80% pulp flour, 20% peel flour; g= 75% pulp flour, 25% peel flour; h= 70%
pulp flour, 30% peel flour; i= 60% pulp flour, 40% peel flour; j= 50% pulp flour, 50% peel flour; k= wheat flour; l=
uncoated sample.

The control samples coated with wheat flour had
the highest oil uptake value. The reason for this
according to Bagdan et al. (2006) is that due to the
unique visco-elastic properties of gluten, the major
protein in wheat flour causes expansion during
heat application. This permits oil absorption of the
sample. Waszkowaik et al. (2001) who worked with
meatballs that contained wheat dietary fibre also
reported the same trend of oil absorption during
frying.
3.2 Effects of plantain peel and pulp flour
blends as coating on moisture content
The moisture content of the fried fish fillets
increased with increasing levels of plantain peel
flour across the blends (Figure 2). During deep-fat
frying, moisture retention is an important factor
in determining the properties of the fried product
(Yazdan et al., 2009). There was significant decrease
in the loss of water during frying among the
flour blends with the control samples. The coated
samples showed improved moisture retention in
comparison to that of control. The fried fish fillets
coated with 100% plantain peel flour had the least
amount of moisture loss, while the maximum
amount of moisture loss was observed in uncoated
samples. Samples coated with plantain pulp flour
and plantain peel flour at different blends did not
show much significant (p>0.05) difference from
each other in the study probably because of the
nature of coating materials used which influences
the moisture retention in the fried fish fillets. Water
retention capacity of fibre varies between 2-5%
depending on the fibre source (Esposito et al., 2005;
Figuerola et al., 2008). The fibre forms a matrix on
the samples and thereby preventing the loss of
moisture from the sample and does not permit the
entry of oil in the fried samples. Samples coated
with 100% plantain pulp flour had higher value for
moisture loss when compared to samples coated
with 100% plantain peel flour. The difference in
moisture loss in the samples prior to frying was
possibly due to variations in the particle size of
the flour. Moisture migrates from the samples due
to its small particle size. It had been reported that
 Effectiveness of Green Plantain Peel and Pulp Flour Blends as Coating on the Textural Properties and Oil Uptake ... Ajayi et al. 129

Fig. 2: Moisture loss of fried fish fillets coated with different blends of plantain peels and pulp flour and the
controls
a = 100% pulp flour; b= 100% peel flour; c= 95% pulp flour, 5% peel flour; d = 90% pulp flour, 10% peel flour; e
= 85% pulp flour, 15% peel flour; f = 80% pulp flour, 20% peel flour; g = 75% pulp flour, 25% peel flour; h= 70%
pulp flour, 30% peel flour; i = 60% pulp flour, 40% peel flour; j = 50% pulp flour, 50% peel flour; k = wheat flour;
l = uncoated sample

the rate of moisture absorption for a breading
particle depended, among other factors, on the
particle size of the coating materials (Dyson, 1992).
However, Mohamad and William (2003) reported
that coatings made from small particle breading
had higher moisture content than those made from
medium or large particle.
3.3 Colour
There were significant differences (p<0.05) in
colour parameters (L*, a* and b* values) among
the samples (Table 2). The values observed for
lightness varied between 66.83 and 29.54. The
lowest value was obtained for the fried fish fillets
coated with 100% plantain peel flour, while the
highest value was observed in samples coated
with wheat flour (control). Uncoated and samples
coated with wheat flour that served as the control
had significantly higher L* value than the fried fish
fillets coated with blends of plantain peel and flour.
The a* value ranged from 5.49 to 15.29 with the
lowest value in samples with 100% plantain peel
flour and highest in samples coated with 95%
plantain pulp and 5% plantain peel flour blends.
The b* value ranged from 7.55 to 37.59. Samples
coated with wheat flour had the highest value while
the samples coated with 100% plantain peel flour
had the highest value.
The entire difference in colour, which consists
of the L*, a* and b* values are the colourimetric
parameter that is broadly used during processing of
food to describe the differences in colour (Ozgur
et al., 2011). In this study, the inclusion of plantain
pulp flour in the flour blends improved the colour
of the coated fried fish fillets. Samples coated
with plantain peel and pulp flour blends were
darker than samples coated with 100% pulp flour,
wheat flour and uncoated samples respectively, as
evidenced by the reduction in L* and b* values.
130 Nigerian Food Journal Vol. 36 No. 1, 2018

Table 2: Quality attributes of fried fish fillets coated with plantain peel and pulp flour blends
Sample L* a* b* Shrinkage% Coating pick up% Frying yield (%)
PF100P0 43.38±0.02i 9.76±0.14ef 21.29±0.09e 8.89±0.12c 22.27±0.15h 99.88±0.13b
PF0P100 29.54±0.04a 5.49±0.04a 7.55±0.05a -6.67±0.32b 9.94±0.29a 87.87±0.12a
PF95P5 42.70±0.18h 15.29±0.19i 21.13±0.43e 16.40±0.20g 17.08±0.08f 106.91±0.09h
PF90P10 39.60±0.15g 9.27±0.03d 20.18±0.01e 16.54±0.20g 17.69±0.54h 105.55±0.44g
PF85P15 38.83±1.36f 10.06±0.75fg 18.24±1.11d 12.27±0.18e 11.14±0.13c 103.95±0.27f
PF80P20 37.93±0.09e 12.46±0.04h 17.90±0.06d 12.68±0.13f 10.64±0.18b 102.48±0.07d
PF75P25 36.34±0.08d 10.31±0.41g 18.14±2.20d 17.39±0.03h 10.21±0.11a 109.49±0.49i
PF70P30 35.57±0.02c 9.75±0.01ef 16.30±0.01c 9.92±0.52e 12.85±0.07e 110.49±0.47j
PF60P40 31.05±0.02b 8.64±0.01c 10.05±0.04b 8.35±0.17d 11.17±0.16c 120.76±0.19k
PF50P50 30.54±0.12b 7.45±0.29b 10.43±0.06b 2.27±0.18c 12.33±0.32d 100.56±0.42c
WF 66.83±0.01j 9.54±0.02de 37.59±0.02g 22.96±0.06a 17.64±0.22g 103.37±0.27e
UC 43.50±0.04i 10.38±0.01g 25.62±0.06f 39.51±0.49j - -
Values are means of triplicate determination ± standard deviation.
Mean values with different superscripts within column were significantly different (p<0.05).
PF= Plantain pulp flour, P= Plantain peel flour, WF= Wheat flour, UC= Uncoated fish fillet; L*= Lightness, a*= Redness, b*=
Yellowness

These observations were similar to the findings
of Akubor and Ishiwu (2103) who reported that
cakes containing plantain peel flour appeared dark
than the other cakes produced. The dark colour
observed in processed peel flour could be ascribed
to the presence of residual tannic substances
(Ahenkoro et al., 1996).
3.4 Shrinkage
The degree of shrinkage is related to the water
loss, reduction of pores, oil uptake and protein
denaturation. It was observed that the uncoated
samples and samples coated with peel flour and
pulp flour blends shrank, irrespective of the
flour composition; except for samples coated
with PF0P100 and wheat flour expanded. From
the results obtained, it was observed that samples
coated with wheat flour (control sample) had the
highest expansion (22%) due to the fact that wheat
flour contains gluten that will support maximum
expansion. Gazmuri and Bouchon (2009) and
Sobukola et al. (2013) while working on fabricated
matrices from wheat starch and vital gluten
reported that products containing high amount of
gluten and water tend to expand during frying with
the gluten content of the matrix developing an
elastic structure that traps water vapour producing
an expanded product. Fried fish fillets coated
with 100% expanded (6.67%) minimal and this
may be attributed to the reaction of fibre physical
characteristics with heat and entraps the frying oil
in its pores. These fibres contain mostly cellulose
that has high swelling power which increases the
fibre length and size increases.
Coatings are used in deep-fat frying so as to
improve appearance, flavour and texture reducing
dehydration, aiding browning and also give a crisp
texture to the fried parts. Coating pick up is the
amount of coating that is placed on the sample
when immersed in the solution (Mahajan et al.,
2014). The different coating pickups are given
in Table 2. It shows that the coating pick up of
100% pulp flour is the maximum at 22.27%, where
the least was observed in 100% peel flour which
is 9.94%. It can be seen from the table that with
the increase in the concentration of pulp flour, the
coating pick up percentage increased. This may be
attributed to the ability of plantain pulp flour to
bind to the fish fillets due to its high starch content,
hence, for the adhesion. The yield percentages of
the fried fish fillets coated with plantain peel and
 Effectiveness of Green Plantain Peel and Pulp Flour Blends as Coating on the Textural Properties and Oil Uptake ... Ajayi et al. 131

pulp flour and control samples are given in Table
2. From the data obtained, it was obtained that the
highest frying yield is the sample coated with 60%
pulp flour and 40% peel flour, while the lowest
frying yield was that of samples coated with 100%
peel flour.
3.5 Textural properties
Table 3 shows the textural properties of fried
fish fillets with and without coatings. Coating
significantly (p<0.05) modified the texture of the
fried products. Samples coated with 100% peel
flour had the least hardness value (0.08±0.10 N),
while uncoated samples had the highest value (2.66
±0.030 N). Coated fried fish fillets contained higher
moisture content, suggesting that the difference in
hardness may be in part attributed to difference
in moisture content. All samples coated were
significantly softer than uncoated samples, which
contributed to the softness of samples; this is due
to the same mechanism of water retention and oil
uptake being responsible for decrease in hardness.
Uncoated fried fish fillets had the maximum
hardness (2.66N). This could be attributed to its
high fat and low moisture content. The coated
samples had the minimum value for chewiness than
uncoated fried fish fillets. The coating materials
caused the interior of fried fish fillets to be less
tough, which in turn required less energy. This
findings is similar to the findings of Sven et al.
(2013) which reported that all samples coated with
dietary fibres are significantly softer than control
sample.
Cohesiveness values ranged from 0.19±0.17 to
0.43±0.00 as shown in Table 3. Cohesiveness
were not significantly (p<0.05) among fried fish
fillets coated with the blends of plantain peel and

Table 3: Textural properties of fried fish fillets coated with plantain peel and pulp flour blends
Sample AD CW CH GM HD SPR STR
PF100P0 1.28±1.18 0.30±0.26 0.28±0.20 0.30±0.25 0.91±0.24 0.92±0.09 4.24±0.66abcd
ab ab ab a ab d

PF0P100 2.88±0.32cd 0.16±0.07a 0.33±0.03ab 0.27±0.06a 0.80±0.10a 0.57±0.13a 4.50±0.11bcd

PF95P5 2.33±0.31bc 0.26±0.05ab 0.33±0.04ab 0.34±0.06a 1.05±0.31abc 0.78±0.02bcd 4.50±0.24bcd
PF90P10 1.30±0.06ab 0.55±0.05c 0.43±0.00b 0.61±0.00bc 1.44±0.00cd 0.89±0.09cd 3.88±0.04ab
PF85P15 2.38±0.84bc 0.26±0.19ab 0.29±0.16ab 0.32±0.21a 1.00±0.16ab 0.73±0.14b 4.36±0.33abcd
PF80P20 1.08±0.22a 0.43±0.11bc 0.39±0.05b 0.52±0.12ab 1.32±0.13bcd 0.83±0.02bcd 3.83±0.26a
PF75P25 3.53±0.79d 0.18±0.06a 0.26±0.11ab 0.25±0.09a 1.01±0.11ab 0.71±0.02b 4.78±0.11d
PF70P30 1.71±0.38ab 0.32±0.01abc 0.35±0.02ab 0.35±0.05ab 1.00±0.18ab 0.92±0.08d 4.36±0.37abcd
P60P40 2.82±0.74cd 0.45±0.10bc 0.40±0.03b 0.60±0.14ab 1.50±0.26d 0.75±0.01bc 4.05±0.16abc
P50P50 2.28±0.47bc 0.32±0.02abc 0.34±0.02ab 0.41±0.05ab 1.19±0.06abcd 0.78±0.04bcd 4.40±0.00abcd
WF 3.31±0.23cd 0.17±0.17a 0.19±0.17a 0.26±0.25a 0.95±0.44ab 0.55±0.11a 4.58±0.41cd
UC 1.60±0.12ab 0.90±0.14d 0.41±0.01b 1.08±0.16c 2.66±0.30e 0.83±0.01bcd 3.81±0.56a
*Values are means of triplicate determination ± standard deviation.
Mean values with different superscripts within the same column are significantly different at 5% level.
PF= Plantain pulp flour, P= Plantain peel flour, WF= Wheat flour, UC= Uncoated, AD= Adhesiveness, CW= Chewiness, CH=
Cohesiveness, GM= Gumminess, HD= Hardness, SPR= Springiness, STR= Stringiness

pulp flour. However, with increase in peel flour,
cohesiveness diminished. This might be due to
the fact that cohesiveness is also indicative of the
strength of the fried fish fillets like hardness, and
increase in peel flour across the blend resulted in
lower cohesiveness. The springiness of fried fish
fillets with the values ranged from 0.55±0.11-
0.92±0.08. The springiness first decreased and then
increased in the peel flour. Springiness is defined as
the extent to which a compressed food returns to its
original size when the load is removed (Rosenthal,
1999). Fried fish fillets coated with 100% peel flour
had the least value for springiness (0.57), hence,
springiness indirectly represents elasticity therefore,
as the hardness is decreased with increase in peel
flour, this led to decrease in springiness.
132 Nigerian Food Journal Vol. 36 No. 1, 2018

3.6 Sensory attributes
The sensory properties of fried fish coated with
plantain peel and pulp flour blends and control
sample are shown in Table 4. Fried fish fillets
coated wheat flour were more preferred to the
other samples with respect to colour, taste, flavor,
texture, oiliness and overall acceptability. The
samples coated with 100% peel flour were rated
lowest with respect to other coated samples for all
sensory attributes assessed. Visually, the colour of
the fried fish fillets coated with 100% peel flour
was dark-brown, while the colour of the fried
fish fillets coated with wheat flour were golden-
brown. These results was similar to the findings
of Akubor and Ishiwu (2013) who reported that
cakes containing 100% of plantain peel flour

Table 4: Hedonic scores of sensory attributes of fried fish fillets coated with plantain peel and pulp flour
blends
Sample Colour Taste Flavour Texture Oiliness Overall acceptability
PF100P0 7.50±1.04 7.18±1.42 7.21±0.79 7.04±1.53 6.61±1.62 7.50±1.07d
d e fg cd cd

PF0P100 4.32±2.14a 4.75±2.43a 4.64±1.73a 4.46±2.03a 4.75±1.96a 4.96±2.01a

PF95P5 6.21±1.23c 6.21±1.29bcd 6.25±1.14cde 6.29±1.18bc 6.18±1.25bcd 6.46±0.96c
PF90P10 6.18±1.33c 6.29±1.78cd 5.93±1.18cde 6.14±1.18bc 5.86±1.51bc 6.43±1.89c
PF85P15 5.68±2.14bc 6.25±1.51cd 6.50±1.50def 6.14±1.90bc 6.54±1.88cd 6.25±1.14c
PF80P20 5.75±2.35bc 6.04±1.29bc 5.61±1.83bcd 5.86±1.88b 5.89±1.81bc 6.07±1.36bc
PF75P25 5.21±1.99bc 5.64±2.11abc 5.68±1.59bcd 6.11±1.57b 5.64±1.79abc 5.89±1.77bc
PF70P30 4.93±2.02ab 5.54±2.28abc 4.93±2.05ab 5.57±1.62b 5.46±1.82ab 5.86±1.96bc
PF60P40 4.86±2.29ab 5.46±1.86abc 6.11±1.85cde 5.93±1.59b 6.00±1.68bc 5.61±1.17bc
PF50P50 4.57±2.10a 5.11±2.25ab 5.32±2.11abc 5.61±2.01b 5.25±1.76ab 5.18±1.96ab
WF 7.86±1.38d 7.93±1.21e 7.79±1.07g 7.75±1.11d 7.61±1.13e 8.07±1.15d
UC 7.39±0.92d 6.07±2.21bc 6.79±1.81ef 7.18±0.86d 7.07±1.39de 7.29±1.49d
*Values are means of triplicate determination ± standard deviation.
Mean values with different superscripts within the same column are significantly different at 5% level.
PF= Plantain pulp flour, P= Plantain peel flour, WF= Wheat flour, UC= Uncoated

were rated lowest with respect to other cakes for
all sensory attributes assessed. The scores for all
the attributes decreased steadily as the level of
peel flour inclusion increased in the flour blends
due to the dull colour, this consequently affected
the score given by the panelists for the fried fish
fillets. The acceptance of the taste of fried fish
fillets decreased with increased level of peel flour
possibly due to the presence of tannins having
bitter taste in the peel flour (Izonfuo and Omuoru,
1990). The observed colour of the samples coated
with peel flour could be attributed to the presence
of residual tannic substances in the processed peel
flour (Ahenkoro et al, 1996). The samples coated
with wheat flour were best in overall acceptability.
Peel flour could therefore be included in pulp flour
up to 20% without affecting the sensory qualities.
4.0 Conclusion
The use of plantain peel and pulp flour blends as
coating materials had significant (p>0.05) effects
on the textural properties and oil uptake of fried
fish fillets. The samples coated with 100% plantain
peel flour had the least oil uptake compared to
control samples and other formulation, although it
had the least sensory qualities. Inclusion of 20%
peel flour in the formulation had no significant
negative effect on the sensory characteristics of
the fried fish fillets and the coated fish fillets were
acceptable by the panelists. Oil uptake decreased as
plantain peel inclusion increased. The formulation
of plantain peel and pulp flour exhibited significant
effect on the textural properties and oil uptake of
the deep-fried fish fillets.
 Effectiveness of Green Plantain Peel and Pulp Flour Blends as Coating on the Textural Properties and Oil Uptake ... Ajayi et al.
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