Abstract
Gari, a fermented granular cassava food product, continues to play a major role in the diets of West Africans. The white cassava commonly used for this product is devoid of provitamin A but may have a significant concentration of cyanogenic compounds. The physicochemical and functional properties of partial substitution of cassava with orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) to process gari were investigated. Two commonly consumed products “eba” and “soaked gari” were prepared from the various formulations and sensorially assessed. Cassava OFSP composite gari (77% cassava:23% OFSP, 75% cassava:25% OFSP, and 73% cassava:27% OFSP) did not significantly (p > 0.05) influence the moisture content (3.39%−5.42%, p = 0.38), water absorption capacity (589–671 mL/g, p = 0.22), and swelling index (3.75–4.17, p = 0.08) compared with that of 100% cassava gari. Expectedly, increasing the levels of OFSP incorporation significantly (p < 0.001) resulted in color change from white (L* = 83.99, a* = 0.93, b* = 16.35) to orange (L* = 69.26, a* = 7.74, b* = 28.62). For β-carotene, the 73% cassava:27% sample was ~5.2 times more than the level in 100% cassava gari. Also, it had lower residual cyanogenic compounds (0.37 vs. 1.71 mg/kg, p < 0.001, measured as hydrogen cyanide) compared with cassava-only gari. The sensory scores by the 100 panelists using a five-point hedonic scale (1 = dislike extremely to 5 = like extremely) exceeded the minimum threshold (3) for acceptance. Within the limits of this study, OFSP can be composited with cassava up to 27% to process gari that has similar physicochemical properties and sensorial preference as that of cassava only. Furthermore, the OFSP-composited gari contains a significant amount of provitamin A and have a reduced residual cyanogenic compound. Thus, the composited gari could play a significant role in addressing vitamin A deficiency in Ghana compared to the 100% cassava only.
Highlights
Gari is one of the most widely and frequently consumed food staples in many parts of Africa, including Ghana [1,2,3]
orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) can be composited with cassava up to 27% incorporation to process gari
This composited sample has similar physicochemical characteristics and sensorial properties compared to the 100% cassava only except for the color for “eba,” which was ranked higher than the composited gari
Summary
Gari is one of the most widely and frequently consumed food staples in many parts of Africa, including Ghana [1,2,3]. Gari is reported to constitute close to 70% of all cassava products and to be the most consumed cassava product in Ghana [7, 8]. Duah et al [7] found that the younger age groups (18–39 years) in their study consumed gari most frequently as compared to the older age groups. Gari is a major staple among households and all classes of pupils or students [8], of which children younger than 5 years may be inclusive, those from poor households. The raw material for cassava grits, cassava, is a major source of residual cyanogenic compounds, measured as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) [9]
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