1.0 INTRODUCTION

Onion (Allium cepa) is a popular vegetable with most of the world

population. It is valued for it’s distinctive pungent or mild flavour and

constitute an essential ingredient for cuisines if many regions (Proctor

et al. 1999).

Onions are valued as food largely because of their flavor and texture

in them (Bankole et al. 2001). Their strong and appetizing taste

makes a particular welcome in addition to cereals diets even though

from a purely nutritional point of view onion rank relatively low

among other foods because of the large proportion of water which

they contain.

Commercially prepared onion products include dehydrated flaked and

onion powder. Dried onion products are mostly used in the food

processing industry common onion are normally available in three (3)

colors yellow red and white. Yellow onions (Allium fistulosum) also

called brown onions are full – flavored and are available for cooking

almost every type of food. Onions are also available in fresh frozen

canned caramelized pickled powdered chopped and dehydrated

forms. Frozen onion products include rings and small whole bulbs.

In some parts of west – Africa fermented preparations are made from

crushed or ground green onion leaves. These products are used to

flavor food at times when fresh onion are not available onion scale

may be sun dried for the same purpose (Brewster et al. 1994). Onion

ranks second only to tomatoes among vegetable on a world scale

(Mccollum et al. 1985).

In Nigeria the major onion producing area are the Northern part which

account for over 70% (Hui 1991) of the onion produced in a year.

Since it doesn’t thrive well in other parts of the country there is need

to make it available in these places. The fact that market cannot

absorb supplies of large quantities of onions and the stability of

demand through out the year has led to the development of processes

in which onion can be preserved. It is therefore important to processes

onion bulbs into a more convenient form that will make it available all

through the year.

Against the above back drop the study was carried out with the

following aim and objectives.

1.2 Aim

To produce and carry out acceptability study of onion powder.

1.3 Specific Objectives

1. To produced onion powder from locally available onion bulbs.

2. To carry out sensory evaluation of onion powder produced from

locally available onion bulbs.