β‐Carotene‐fortified gari: Processing variables effect on nutritional and sensory qualities

Abstract

AbstractDifferent proportions of orange‐fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) were used to substitute cassava mash and fermented spontaneously to produce composite gari—a gritty‐crispy ready‐to‐eat food product. Both the amount of OFSP and the fermentation duration (FD) caused significant increases in the β‐carotene content of the composite gari. OFSP addition reduced the luminance while roasting made the composite gari yellower when compared with the cake used. Addition of OFSP negatively affected the swelling capacity of the gari although not significant. The taste, texture, flavor, and the overall preferences for the composite gari decreased due to the addition of the OFSP but FD improved them. The sample with 10% OFSP and FD of 1.81 days was found to produce the optimal gari. One portion of the optimal gari would contribute to 34.75, 23.2, 23.2, 27, 17, and 16% of vitamin A requirements among children, adolescent, adult males, adult females, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, respectively. The study demonstrated that partial substitution of cassava with OFSP for gari production would have the potential to fight the high prevalence rate of vitamin A deficiency among less developed regions of Africa.Practical applicationsGari is a major staple for Ghanaians and people in the West African subregion due to its affordability and swelling capacity. It is mainly eaten raw with water, sugar, groundnut, and milk as gari‐soakings or with hot water to prepare gelatinized food called gari‐kai in Ghana or “eba” among Nigerians. However, gari is limited in β‐carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. Orange‐fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is known to contain a large amount of β‐carotene, a vitamin A precursor. There is severe clinical vitamin A deficiency (VAD) prevalence among Ghanaians and many African countries. Therefore, addition of OFSP to gari would have the potential to fight the high prevalence rate of VAD among less developed regions of Africa.