INFLUENCE OF PASTEURISATION ON THE BIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SWEET PEA MILK (CYPERUS ESCULENTUS) GROWN IN KORHOGO (CÔTE D’IVOIRE)

Côte d'Ivoire is a country rich in significant agri-food resources, some of which are underutilized. This is the case with Cyperus esculentus L. (tiger nut, sweet pea). To better utilize its value, its nutritional potential should be understood through its milk. To this end, tiger nut milk was produced and divided into four parts. Three parts were pasteurized at 70°C for 10 minutes (LP10), 15 minutes (LP15), 20 minutes (LP20), and 25 minutes (LP25), and the remaining part was unpasteurized (LNP). Standard procedures were used to evaluate the nutritional characteristics of tiger nut milk. The results of this study revealed that tiger nut milk is rich in nutrients. The results of this study revealed that tiger nut milk contains carbohydrates (2.84 to 3.95%), lipids (1.76 to 2.64%), proteins (1.02 to 1.13%) and fibers (0.29%). Tiger nut milk also contains several minerals, the most prominent of which are potassium (154.47 to 398.70 mg/100g), phosphorus (158.31 to 341.32 mg/100g), magnesium (74.55 to 98.30 mg/100g), calcium (51.65 to 99.31 mg/100g), and sodium (24.26 to 88.70 mg/100g). Analysis of the results also showed that pasteurization time influenced the milk's properties. Generally, all parameters decreased after 20 minutes of pasteurization. This work paves the way for the potential use of tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus).