Quality assessment of gari produced using a garifrying machine

Abstract

Gari is a major cassava-based food product widely consumed in West Africa. In gari processing, the garification stage is critical because it largely determines the quality of the final product, and this operation has recently been mechanized. This study evaluated the quality characteristics of gari produced using a garifrying machine and compared them with gari produced using the traditional manual garification method. Proximate composition, chemical composition, functional properties, and sensory attributes of the gari samples were determined. Results showed significant differences (p<0.05) in ash and moisture contents between the samples. The pH and total titratable acidity values ranged from 3.70–3.82 and 1.36–1.50%, respectively. Hydrogen cyanide contents ranged from 0.12–0.28 mg/kg and differed significantly (p<0.05) between the processing methods, although all values were within safe limits for consumption. No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in the functional properties, including swelling index, water absorption capacity, and bulk density, which ranged from 4.16–4.23, 5.05–5.62, and 0.69–0.74 g/cm³, respectively. Sensory evaluation of dried gari, soaked gari, and eba showed that machine-produced gari had comparable sensory acceptability to traditionally processed gari, with improved appearance and overall product uniformity. The study demonstrates that garification can be successfully mechanized without adverse effects on gari quality, and the garifrying machine shows potential for efficient large-scale gari production.