Quality of fermented cassava flour processed into <em>placali</em>

Abstract

Fermented cassava flour was obtained from Yace variety. Cassava roots were washed, peeled and ground. After adding cassava inoculums at 8% (m/m), the pulp was allowed to ferment for 72 hours at ambient temperature. The fermented dough was removed, squeezed and oven-dried for 48 hours at 55 °C. The dried product was ground and sieved with a 200 μm mesh sieve. Proximate composition and the ability of fermented flour to be processed into placali appreciated by consumers were evaluated. Moisture, protein, ash, fat, total sugars and cyanide contents were low while starch, total carbohydrate and energy contents were high. Minerals like phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc were available and well-balanced. The sensory evaluation test indicated a significant difference (P<0.05) between the different placali samples in terms of visual appearance, odour, taste, texture and global appreciation. It is a clear indication that reconstitution proportion affects all the hedonic appreciations evaluated. Placali prepared from fermented cassava flour were then highly appreciated when reconstitution proportion (flour to water ratio) was within 1:3.5 and 1:3.

Keywords: Proximate composition, cooking time, sensory analysis, reconstituted dough