Consumer acceptability of seventeen popcorn maize (Zea mays L.) varieties in Nigeria

Pop corn (Zea mays Everta) which is grown solely for human consumption in the developed countries is now becoming popular in Nigeria. The production and utilization of popcorn enhances the availability of the field corn for livestock and for other industrial uses. Due to the ban on importation of grains including maize and popcorn in Nigeria, efforts were geared towards the development and cultivation of popcorn in Nigeria. The consumerʹs preferences for taste of popped grains of popcorn maize prepared from 17 genotypes developed and cultivated in Nigeria were compared. Seventeen popcorn maize (Z. mays Everta) genotypes (unimproved Local varieties, improved open pollinated varieties, composites and re-cycled popcorn varieties) were compared using a scale of 1 - 5 for taste when eaten as popped grains. Significant differences were obtained between and within genotypic groups. Differences within the open-pollinated, composites and the re-cycled popcorn were highly significant. The use of imported popcorn for confections in form of snacks at amusement parks, motion picture theaters or around family televisions among others has greatly increased in Nigeria. The result of this study indicates that using mean score ratings as an index for selection, three genotypes - Ashland popcorn, Yellow-composite and Pearl shaped popcorn were identified as having the best taste (comparable with snacks obtained from imported popcorn), with mean scores of 3.6, 4.1 and 3.5 respectively.