Development and Quality Evaluation of a Non-Alcoholic Beverage from Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium and Colocasia esculenta)

Cocoyam tubers were processed into non-alcoholic beverage, flavoured with 0.5% and 1.0% extracts of ginger and alligator pepper respectively. Two varieties of cocoyam, namely Colocasia esculenta and Xanthosoma sagittifolium were used. The purpose of this study is to develop an acceptable flavoured non alcoholic beverage from cocoyam and thereby increase the utilization of this under-utilized crop. The proximate, vitamins C and A, mineral content, microbial and sensory evaluation were conducted on the products to assess the highest preference. Values for pH ranged from 3.00 to 3.86 and the total titratable acidity (TTA) from 0.50 – 0.82 with ginger flavoured samples rated higher than that of alligator pepper. Total solids varied significantly and ranged from 5.00 – 6.02% with alligator pepper samples being higher than ginger. Vitamin C content ranged from 1.02 – 1.98 × 10⁻⁴ mg/100 g while vitamin A content ranged from 6.04 to 14.41 μg/100 g with ginger flavoured samples having higher vitamin C and A than the alligator flavoured ones. The minerals evaluated showed a decreasing trends with increase in the concentration of each spice. The sensory results showed that significant differences (p < 0.05) existed between the different flavoured samples and not between varieties. The microbial analysis showed that the cocoyam non-alcoholic beverage is safe for human consumption. Generally, the beverage had good consumer preference with the 0.5% ginger flavoured being the most preferred.