Cowpeas were prepared into flour by wet dehulling, wet milling into paste and
drying; wet dehulling, drying and milling; and wet dehulling, wet milling and foam mat
drying. Proximate chemical composition and functional properties (water and fat absorption
capacities, foaming capacity, foam stability, bulk density, gelation capacity and emulsification
capacity) of flours and of paste prepared by wet dehulling, wet milling and no drying, were
determined. Akara from fresh paste and pastes reconstituted from flours was organoleptically
evaluated. Reconstituted paste of flour from ground dry cotyledons produced the best quality
akara, compared with the control. Akara from reconstituted foam mat dried and ground dry
paste flours were less acceptable.