Abstract
'Matooke' is a staple food made from Highland cooking bananas in the Great Lakes region of East Africa. Genetic improvement of these bananas for resistance to pests and diseases has been a priority breeding objective. However, there is insufficient information on fruit quality characteristics that different users prefer, resulting in sub-optimal adoption of new varieties. This study identified matooke characteristics preferred by farmers and traders, using survey data from 123 farmers, 14 focus group discussions and 40 traders. Gender differences were considered. The main characteristics that were found to drive variety preferences were agronomic (big bunch, big fruits) and quality (soft texture, good taste, good aroma, yellow food). There were minimal geographical and gender differences for trait preferences. Quality characteristics need to be defined in terms of physical-chemical underpinnings so that breeding programmes can apply accurate high-throughput systems, thereby improving adoption and impact of new banana varieties.
Highlights
The East African Highland Cooking Bananas (EAHCBs), known as’Matooke1’ bananas, support livelihoods of close to 30 million people, mainly smallholder rural farmers in the Great Lakes region of East Africa (Nyombi, 2013; NBRP, 2018)
With production estimated at 10 metric tonnes (MT) per year (FAO, 2001; Lusty and Smale, 2002), the crop is mainly grown by smallholder producers on an average of 0.3 hectares (Bagamba, 2007)
This study showed that famers and traders in the western Uganda food chain for matooke give priority to characteristics that influence market acceptance
Summary
The East African Highland Cooking Bananas (EAHCBs), known as’Matooke1’ bananas, support livelihoods of close to 30 million people, mainly smallholder rural farmers in the Great Lakes region of East Africa (Nyombi, 2013; NBRP, 2018). The fruits may be eaten directly after boiling or steaming (FAO, 2018; Marimo et al, 2019; Nowakunda et al, 2019). This is the most common food in Uganda and other areas in the Great Lakes region. Matooke is characterised by a unique flat taste and aroma, golden yellow colour and a soft texture. These characteristics constitute the unique quality described as ‘tookeness’ (NBRP, 2016), originating from the term ‘Matooke’. Consumers desire these attributes in new varieties (Akankwasa et al, 2013)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International journal of food science & technology
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
