Abstract:
ncorporating orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) into gari could increase the
nutritional value of gari. This work sought to improve the nutritional quality of
gari by incorporating OFSP into the gari. Multivariate response surface was
used for the optimization of the optimum amount of OFSP and the
fermentation duration required in producing a good quality gari. The results
showed that beta-carotene content increased with increasing fermentation
duration and increasing OFSP percentage. However, OFSP amount did not
affect the swelling capacity while a longer fermentation period reduced the
swelling capacity of the OFSP–cassava composite gari. Incorporation of OFSP
into gari lowered its sensory attributes, while attributes such as texture and
overall acceptability increased with fermentation duration. Furthermore, the
OFSP amount and fermentation duration affected the lightness (L*) and
redness (a*) of the gari, but did not influence the yellowness (b*) of the gari.
Producing gari by using 90% cassava and 10% OFSP (9:1 ratio of cassava to
OFSP) and fermenting for 2.21days gave the best quality gari based on the
beta-carotene content of 19.8 µg/ml, swelling capacity of 3.2 and sensory
attributes. Moreover, both storage conditions and storage durations influenced
the beta-carotene content of the gari but did not affect the swelling capacity,
bulk density and colour of OFSP–cassava composite gari significantly. The
profit on the OFSP–cassava composite gari was determined to be higher than
that of 100% cassava gari. Orange-fleshed sweet potato could therefore be
incorporated into gari to improve the vitamin A content of gari and thereby
improve the economic status of gari processors
