Abstract

Methanol content of burukutu made from different sorghum varieties was studied using Response Surface Methodology. A three-level three-factorial Box-Behnken experimental design was adopted to study the effects of storage conditions and chemical properties on burukutu produced from different sorghum varieties. The methanol content was determined and results obtained were analyzed statistically using the response surface approach. Results showed a significant difference (p<0.05) on the effects of storage time, storage temperature and their interactions on the physicochemical parameters (methanol, pH) of burukutu. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) due to different sorghum varieties. Increase in storage time showed a significant decrease in pH (6.21-2.88). The R2 obtained from the statistical analysis of burukutu were all higher than 0.75 (75%) which depicts that the model used adequately fits the relationship between the variables under consideration. Exposure to high concentration of methanol has numerous health consequences.