Madidi, a thick gruel food product commonly consumed as a snack or meal, is referred to by different names across Nigeria, including Eko in the Southwest, Agidi in the Southeast, and Madidi in the Northern and Central regions. Traditionally, the production of Madidi has relied heavily on millet, despite the underutilization of other locally available cereal grains. Therefore, there is a pressing need to explore and incorporate alternative cereals in Madidi production. This study investigates the preparation of Madidi from millet, sorghum, rice, and acha flour/grains using the local production method, evaluating the quality of the products through standard analytical techniques. The results revealed significant differences (p=0.05) in the quality parameters based on the cereal source. The water absorption, oil absorption, bulk density, foam capacity, and swelling capacity of the Madidi samples ranged from 35.50 to 113.50%, 30.55 to 57.35%, 0.36 to 0.46 g/ml, 20.50 to 50.50%, and 33.55 to 135.95%, respectively. The moisture, ash, crude fiber, crude lipids, crude protein, carbohydrate, and energy content varied from 19.98 to 25.58%, 0.06 to 0.22%, 4.76 to 6.25%, 0.64 to 2.71%, 5.25 to 11.81%, 53.67 to 67.47%, and 285.67 to 313.82 kcal, respectively. Additionally, the mineral content of Madidi produced from the different cereals was assessed, with iron ranging from 0.00 to 0.70 ppm, calcium from 0.00 to 3.78 ppm, potassium from 0.00 to 10.10 ppm, magnesium from 0.00 to 0.11 ppm, manganese from 0.00 to 0.44 ppm, and phosphorus from 0.00 to 3.97 ppm.
The weight, volume, and volume index of the Madidi varied between 244.55 to 273.35 g, 61.50 to 102.50 ml, and 0.25 to 0.42, respectively. Sensory evaluations showed that the Madidi produced from all four cereals was generally acceptable, with mean scores ranging from 6.65 to 8.00 for taste, 6.65 to 8.00 for color, 6.85 to 7.55 for aroma, 6.55 to 7.95 for appearance, 6.60 to 7.35 for mouthfeel, and 7.65 to 8.00 for general acceptability. Among the samples, the Madidi made from millet received the highest preference (8.00). This research demonstrates that high-quality and acceptable Madidi can be produced from millet, sorghum, rice, and acha, offering a potential for diversifying ingredients and improving the nutritional and sensory characteristics of the product.
