Cassava Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato Composite Gari: A Potential Source of Dietary Vitamin A

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.

Filling the Protein Gap in Ghana: The Role of Soy

“…The brownish colour of gari could be directly related to the increase in fibre content (Kassahun and Gebremicheal, 2019) as well as caramelisation and Maillard reactions, as the protein contributed by okara may have reacted with sugar during the roasting process. Similar findings have been reported on declined colour scores with increased okara enrichment in bread (Kassahun and Gebremicheal, 2019), cassava-orange fleshed sweetpotato gari, "eba" (Atuna et al, 2021), and okara-enriched biscuits (Grizotto et al, 2010).…”

“…Therefore, blending protein-rich okara with cassava could significantly bridge the protein and some micronutrient deficiency gaps among the vulnerable in Ghana. Due to gari's low nutritive value, there have been attempts to improve its nutrition using FFSF or okara (Sanni and Sobamiwa, 1994), defatted soybean flour (Twum et al, 2021), and orange-fleshed sweetpotato (Ojo and Akande, 2013;Abano et al, 2020;Atuna et al, 2021). However, the beany flavour associated with FFSF affects the consumer acceptability of products containing FFSF (Iwuoha and Umunnakwe, 1997).…”

Quality Evaluation and Consumers' Acceptability of Gari Produced from Provitamin A Cassava (Manihot esculenta) and Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranean)

“…The crude fat content for all the samples was significantly different (p<0.05). The sample results were lower than those reported for gari, which could be due to varietal differences (Atuna et al, 2021). The carbohydrate content of the samples ranged from 80.42% to 86.01%.…”

“…The total hydrogen cyanide content, the total titratable acidity and pH of provitamin A gari were determined by AOAC (2005). was determined by Onyeagba et al, (2004) method.…”

Physicochemical, thermal, and functional properties of gari (fermented‐cassava product) enriched with cowpea hull at different stages of production

“…There was significant differences (p < 0.05) in the lightness of the control sample G 100 (100% gari) which had the highest value (82.16) and G 93 CF 7 (93% gari: 7% cowpea hull added before fermentation) with the lowest value (70.83). The value obtained is not significantly different from 69.26 −83.99 reported by Atuna et al (2021) for gari enriched with sweet potato. Colour (lightness) is important parameters for the acceptability of gari.…”