Sweet potato is an important food security crop in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Côte d’Ivoire, the roots are widely consumed as supplementary staple food or secondary food. The present study is conducted to highlight the nutritive composition, antinutrients and β-carotene contents of local sweet potatoes consumed in Côte d’Ivoire. The nutritive properties and antinutritive factors of these sweet potatoes were investigated using standard methods. Results confirmed the energetic value (363±1.63-374.08±0.56 kcal/100 g DM) of whole sweet potato flour, mainly due to its high carbohydrate content (86.75±0.40%-90.87±0.12%). Whole flour recorded low contents of moisture (4.50±0.10-6.30±0.15%), lipids (0.63±0.08-1.94±0.95%) and proteins (0.94±0.36-1.91±0.15%). The antinutritive factors ranged from 55.84±0.13 to 70.52±0.07 mg/100 g DM and 52.30±5.81-92.44±11.10 mg/100 g DM for oxalates and phytates, respectively. The mineral contents were: magnesium (49.37±1.09-540.87±0.82 mg/100 g DM), calcium (50.28±1.14-110.53±0.79 mg/100 g DM), phosphorus (25.12±1.04-42.75±0.82 mg/100 g DM), potassium (906.25±0.33-1625±0.61 mg/100 g DM), and iron (5.62±0.84-26.89±0.76 mg/100 g DM). The sweet potato flours highlighted polyphenols and antioxidant activity varying from 92.80±98.20±1.72 to 224.46±0.86 mg GAE /100 g DM, and 31.03±0.52-58.63±0.60%, respectively. While β-carotene levels of flours varied from 0.19±0.08 to 22.71±0.67 µg/g DM for white to orange cultivars. At the whole, the orange fleshed sweet potato cultivars recorded an appreciable amount of minerals (magnesium, iron and calcium), polyphenols and greater antioxidant activity. This indicates that these sweet potato cultivars may present a potential asset for their using as natural antioxidants to prevent chronic diseases and undernourishment caused mineral deficiency. The results also showed that the orange-fleshed varieties may contribute for vitamin A deficiencies alleviation in children of rural areas of Côte d’Ivoire.

Objectives: This study investigates the acidification capacity under various culture conditions of high acetic acid producer AAB strains previously isolated from Ivoirian cocoa beans fermentation. Methodology and Results: Effect of culture conditions was studied in agar medium and acid production was monitored by measuring the clear halo diameter during incubation. All tested strains showed acetic acid production at 30, 35 and 40 °C. Moreover, at initial concentration 0.1-0.4 %, lactic and citric acids stimulated acidification capacity of these strains with increase rate ranged from 50 to 100 % while acetic acid reduced this capacity. In addition, maximum acetic acid production capacity was obtained for strains 123 D; 56 AB and 49 D at 8 % ethanol initial concentration. Conclusions and application of findings: This study shows that all tested strains are able to produce acetic acid under certain culture conditions similar to cocoa fermentation stress. However, cocoa fermentation assay is needed to better estimate the performance of selected strains.

The enzymatic and acid hydrolysis have converted eight new starches into a range of chain lengths mainly including glucose, maltose, and maltodextrins as observed on TLC plates, irrespective to the starch variety and treatment. Results of the enzymatic hydrolysis have highlighted the possibility of the use of V4 and V64, which can be labelled as “dietary fibres”, to enhance the organoleptic qualities of foods and for fibre fortification of low-calorie products. Concerning V66 and V69, they have much relevant in food, textile and pharmaceutical applications. The acid hydrolysis showed that V73 is the best starch in the chemical industry for making environment-friendly products such as plastics. Because starch is a natural component that degrade quickly in normal composting condition, the whole studied starches could be advised for various utilizations in the food, textile, paper, biofuel, pharmaceutical and plastic industries for sustainable development.

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Aims: This study evaluated the sensory properties and consumer acceptability of orange-fleshed sweet potato and local sweet potato among households of Central and Northern Côte d’Ivoire. Study Design: Selection of sweet potato cultivars, determination of nutritional properties, cooking process, and evaluation of hedonic testing and consumer acceptability. Place and Duration of Study: Bouake and Korhogo district in Central and Northern Côte d’Ivoire, for three years 2018, 2019, and 2020 (July to November). Methodology: Sensory evaluation and acceptability were performed using a nine-point hedonic scale. The relationships between the sensory attributes and the sweet potato cultivars were analyzed using a Principal Component Analysis plot. Biochemical standard methods were used to determine the dry matter, sugar, total carotenoid contents, and mineral composition of sweet potato cultivars tested by the sensory panel. Results: All twelve sweet potato cultivars were accepted based on sensory attributes with the different traits of preference. In Bouake district, white (Sanfo Figui 1 and Sanfo Figui 2) and yellow cultivars (Fatoni 2) were most preferred for their texture and yam-like taste, while in Korhogo locality, OFSP (Covington TIB-440060, CIP-199062-1 and Irene) and yellow cultivar (Gotchan) were most accepted because of their attractive appearance and their sweet taste. The OFSP cultivars recorded low dry matter and high sugar content compared to white and yellow varieties. Also, OFSP showed the highest content of carotenoid (181.70 to 351.47 µg/g dw), while local variety recorded low content. All the sweet potato cultivars tested contain mineral components. Conclusion: This study shows that the local and OFSP varieties were successfully accepted by the consumer with the different quality traits. The main quality traits that determine consumer preference are appearance, texture, and taste (none or sweet taste). Understanding consumer quality traits can increase the effectiveness of breeding programmes, increase yield and adoption of new varieties.