Exploring the Ethnobotanical Properties of Bombax buonopozense and Evaluating Sauces Made with its Calyces in the District of Bas-Sassandra, Côte d'Ivoire, through Sensory Evaluation
Comoé Amadou Fatou
Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing, Department of Food Science and Technology, Université Nangui Abrogoua, P.O. Box 801, Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
Digbeu Dogoré Yolande
Laboratory of Nutrition and Food Safety, Department of Food Science and Technology, P.O. Box 801, Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
Kouadio Benal Kouassi
Laboratory of Food Biochemistry and Technology of Tropical Products, Department of Food Science and Technology, Université Nangui Abrogoua, P.O. Box 801, Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire and Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, Sustainable Agriculture and Nutrition Research Axis; 01 P.O. Box 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire.
Tano Olivia Taki
Laboratory of Nutrition and Food Safety, Department of Food Science and Technology, P.O. Box 801, Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
Dué Ahipo Edmond *
Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing, Department of Food Science and Technology, Université Nangui Abrogoua, P.O. Box 801, Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study examined ethnobotanical knowledge of Bombax buonopozense and the sensory characteristics and acceptability of sauces prepared from its calyces in the District of Bas-Sassandra, Côte d'Ivoire. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted from March to April 2024 in the departments of Divo, Lakota and Guéyo, with 384 respondents selected in locations where the species was reported to be abundant. Information was collected on knowledge of the tree, calyx acquisition, uses, consumption, conservation and marketing, together with respondents' socio-demographic characteristics. Fresh flowers were collected in Guéyo, and calyces were separated, washed and used either fresh or after oven drying, grinding and sieving. Sauces prepared from fresh and dried calyces were assessed by 12 trained panellists for sensory profiling and by 60 untrained panellists for acceptability using a 9-point hedonic scale. All respondents knew Bombax buonopozense and reported its presence in the study localities. Calyces were mainly collected fresh under trees (98.8%) and were used for food (65.63%), children's play (33.75%) and, to a lesser extent, medicine (0.63%). Sauce was the only reported food form, and stickiness was identified as its desirable attribute. The calyces were mainly preserved by drying (91.50%). Sensory profiling showed that the sauces had a dark colour, lumpy appearance, bland taste, leafy aroma, no aftertaste, lumpy texture, sticky adhesiveness and leafy odour. Dried-calyx sauce was darker and less elastic than fresh-calyx sauce. In the acceptability test, fresh-calyx sauce received a higher overall appreciation score (6.183/9) than dried-calyx sauce (5.55/9). The findings indicate that Bombax buonopozense calyces are locally known and used, and that fresh-calyx sauce was more acceptable to the panel.
Keywords: Bombax buonopozense, calyces, ethnobotany, sensory evaluation, sauce, Bas-Sassandra, Côte d'Ivoire, wild food plants, acceptability, traditional foods