Browsing by Author "Ayelegun, Tope Alfred"

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    Evaluation of Quality Gari Produced in Southwestern States of Nigeria
    (Obafemi Awolowo University, 2015) Ayelegun, Tope Alfred
    The study investigated the different processing methods adopted by gari processors in Southwestern Nigeria. It also evaluated the samples of gari in the region for nutritive values in terms of quality parameters and determined the appropriate technology profile for each area. This was with a view to ensuring that gari produced in the study area is suitable for consumption. A multistage random sampling was used to identify gari processing centers in the study area. Visits were made to the Ministry of Agriculture of the five states,viz; Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo and Ogun to find out the renowned areas for mass production of gari. The information obtained were corroborated by gari sellers from the major markets of those states. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information about different processing methods of gari from cassava tubers in Southwestern Nigeria. During the course of administration of questionnaires, gari samples were collected laboratory analysis for the determination of quality parameters. From the field survey, sixty samples of gari were collected and sixty flow charts adopted for processing of gari were obtained. These were later grouped into five flow charts based on their similarities, and these represented the five processing methods of gari adopted by the Southwestern processors. In the laboratory analysis, seven quality parameters viz moisture content, ash content, crude fibre content, cyanide content, total titratable acidity, swell index and particle size were assessed. The analysis of field survey revealed that the largest percentage (75.56) of processing industries were owned by individuals with various degrees of staff strength and educational level. The processing stages such as peeling, washing, sieving, roasting with fuelwood as source of heat and packaging were still 100 % manual while grating, dewatering, and pulverization stages were mechanized with the percentages of mechanization as 96.1%, 85.0%, and 44.5%, respectively. The results of the quality parameters revealed that the values of moisture content of gari ranged between 5.59% and 17.09%, ash content ranged between 0.48% and 2.59%, crude fibre ranges between 0.27% and 5.14%, Cyanide content ranged between 0.016 mg/kg and 0.075 mg/kg, total acidity ranges between 0.003% and 0.220%, while the swelling index and particle size ranged between 2.04 and 2.80, 0.343 mm and 0.577 mm, respectively. On comparing the quality parameters obtained with the Codex Alimentarius Standard for gari, the result showed that only nine out of sixty samples of gari conformed with the standard in terms of moisture, ash, crude fibre, cyanide and total acidity. However, all the samples conformed with the standard in terms of cyanide and total acidity which are the two critical parameters in terms of suitability for consumption. The classification of gari using codex Alimentarius standard revealed that 88.3% of the samples were classified as ungraded gari, while the remaining 11.7% was found to be coarse grain gari. On the other hand, using the Nigerian Industrial standard, it was found that 68.3% of the samples were coarse (medium) grain gari, while the remaining 31.7% samples were classified as fine grain gari. The study concluded that processing methods have influence on the quality of gari production and the result of the quality parameters revealed that the samples of gari produced in the study area met the stipulated values of relevant standards (Examples; Codex Alimentarius, Nigerian Industrial Standards) recommended for gari consumption.