Acceptability and textural quality of Sri Pontian cassava nuggets using Response Surface Methodology

The effects of boiling time of cassava (5-10 min) and mixing time of the (7.5-27.5 s) on the sensory attributes and texture (hardness, g) of Sri Ponti an cassava nuggets were evaluated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The experimental work was based on 22 central composite design (CCD) using 10 samples of cassava nuggets. Both boiling time and mixing time significantly influenced the overall acceptability, degree of liking (DOL) of softness and the hardness of cassava nugget (p 0.05). Results indicated that medium boiling time (7.55-8.54 min) of cassava followed by mixing of dough for 21.77-23.47 s produced optimum acceptance of DOL of softness and overall acceptability of product. In terms of texture, on the average, the panel preferred the slightly soft cassava nugget with hardness ranging from 146.72 g to 154.61 g.