Effect of post-harvest management on cassava production, processing and quality of starch produced during gari-making

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2015-07-12
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Abstract
Cassava is a major staple food crop characterized by its cultivation, processing and uses. The survey was to study the effect of post-harvest management on cassava production, factors affecting post-harvest management of cassava and quality acceptability of tapioca in different kinds of foods prepared from gari. Data of cassava yield and production were obtained from the District Department of Food and Agriculture and SRID-MoFA. Additional data were obtained by randomly selecting and interviewing 100 each of processors and consumers in 6 study zones of the district. Tapioca and gari were produced from the four common varieties of cassava for the analysis of gari: tapioca ratio and the acceptability of quality of different food kinds prepared from tapioca and gari. The results showed that the collapse of cassava processing factory in the district is causing a continuous decline in the annual cassava production, which can likely result into a localised food crisis in subsequent year(s). However, post-harvest processing of cassava mainly depended on the availability of cassava in the district, many years of experience of processors, acceptability of simple packaging and high consumer preference for ethnic-based products. The quantity of tapioca from starch suspensions, usually discarded during gari processing, is about one-eighth of the weight of gari. The new products (soakings of a mixture of tapioca and gari) have higher quality acceptability than eba from tapioca and/or gari.
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A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana in patial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Philosophy degree in Postharvest Technology.2015
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