Abstract

The underutilized crop Vigna vexillata (L.), is a legume related to cowpea and grown in the wild Sahel. The work aimed to contribute to the valorization of wild cowpeas for human consumption. The variety CS098 (Vigna unguiculata) was used as a comparison sample for nutritional, physical, and functional properties analyses. The sensory evaluation test was done by 15 semi-trained panelists. The SPSS was used to carry out the analysis of variance at the 5% significance. The results revealed that the wild variety (CS064) contains 21.89% proteins, 1.56% lipids, and 66.88% total carbohydrates, then the variety CS098 showed 25.61% proteins, 1.49±% lipids, and 62.13±% total carbohydrates. Substantial mineral contents found in the CS064 variety are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron with respectively 187.5, 417.04, 936.12, and 2.18 mg/100g dry matter, while CS098 accounted for 248.1, 298.1, 613.49, and 3.52 mg/100g dry matter. The water and oil absorption capacity and swelling index of the wild and control cowpea varieties grains flour are 1.58g/g, 0.68g/g, and 5.73g/g; then 1.78 g/g, 0.81 g/g, and 5.98 g/g respectively. The cooking test revealed a fairly long cooking time with the wild cowpea variety CS064 (59.28') and 46.17' for the CS098 variety. Sensory evaluation results showed broad differences in the sensory attributes. The general acceptability of the cooked cowpea using the word cloud technique revealed that the appreciation “HighlyAcceptable” was attributed to CS098 and the “Acceptable” to CS064. In conclusion, the wild cowpea variety revealed substantial nutritional values in its proximate analysis despite that is less popular than the control cowpea sample CS098. Therefore, the results might help to contribute to the promotion and consumption of V. vexillata in its grown environment and beyond.