Samuel Adelani Babarinde, Grace Oluwakemi Babarinde, Adeola Foluso Odewole, Olubukola Omotoyosi Alagbe
Abstract
A survey was carried out between March and August 2010 to identify insect pests of stored yam chips in Ogbomoso Metropolis, Nigeria.
Dried yam chips were randomly obtained from old stocks in 6 local markets within the metropolis on monthly basis.
There was a significant (P < 0.05) difference in insect abundance based on month of sampling and insect species.
Dinoderus porcellus (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae) was the most abundant species. Other species encountered were Araecerus fasciculatus (Degeer)
(Coleoptera: Anthribidae), Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).
When chips were infested with Dinoderus porcellus and stored for 3 months, reconstituted thick paste (amala) was made from the flour
and was evaluated for consumers’ acceptability. Sensory characteristics such as odour, colour, texture, appearance, taste and overall
acceptability were significantly (P < 0.05) affected when compared with the paste prepared from the uninfested chips.
Key words:
Yam chips; insect pests; amala; market survey; Dinoderus porcellus; Ogbomoso