Abstract

Burukutu was produced using three varieties of sorghum – CSR- 02, S- 17 and S- 44. The ethyl carbamate (EC) content of the burukutu was studied using Response Surface Methodology. A three-level three-factorial Box-Behnken experimental design was adopted to study the effects of storage conditions on the burukutu produced. The ethyl carbamate content was analyzed using standard methods 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 ethyl carbamate content of burukutu and thus the beverage variety type showed non-significant difference (p>0.05). When consumed in excess, ethyl carbamate has been implicated in various health complications, including gastroenteric hemorrhages, vomiting, cancer, among others. The EC contents of the beverage varieties ranged from 1.08µg/l to 8.50µg/l; which were within the safe limits set by USDA (125 µg/l) and Canada (150 µg/kg). The R2 obtained from the statistical analysis of burukutu were all higher than 0.75 (75%) which depicts that the model was best suggested or adequately fits the relationship between the variables under consideration.