PHYTOCHEMICAL, MICROBIOLOGICAL AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF TIGER NUT (CYPERUS ESCULENTUS L.) MILK PASTEURIZED AT DIFFERENT TIMES

Cote dIvoire is a country rich in agri-food resources, some of which are underutilized. This is the case with Cyperus esculentus L. (tiger nut), an unconventional and under-exploited tuber despite its good nutritional value. The overall objective is to determine its phytochemical and microbiological composition after pasteurization. The milk produced was divided into four portions. Three portions were pasteurized at 70C for 10 min (LP10), 15 min (LP15), 20 min (LP20), and 25 min (LP25), and the remaining portion was unpasteurized (LNP). The phytochemical and microbiological characteristics were then determined. The results showed that pasteurization time did not influence the levels of polyphenols (5.90 to 7.33 mg GAE/100g) and flavonoids (0.15 to 0.21 mg QE/100g). However, the levels of vitamin C (26.67 to 66 mg/100g) and tannins (0.11 to 0.13 mg/100g) decreased with increasing pasteurization time. All microorganisms except Staphylococcus were counted at the LNP (GAM (2.8 x 103 CFU/mL); total coliforms (9.3 x 102 CFU/mL); yeasts and molds (5.6 x 102 CFU/mL)). Overall, the number of microorganisms decreased with increasing pasteurization time.Tiger nut milks were much appreciated by the panelists who indicated that all tiger nut-based drinks were good. This work paves the way for the valorization of tiger nuts.