Rheological and textural properties of lafun, a stiff dough, from improved cassava varieties

We studied the textural and rheological (viscoelastic) properties of fresh lafun dough, a fermented cassava product, and their changes during storage at 45 °C for 5 and 24 h, in order to determine after‐cooking storability. Lafun flours were produced from three types of cassava varieties: seven improved white‐fleshed varieties, seven improved provitamin A carotenoids (pVAC) varieties and two local white‐fleshed varieties; and processed into lafun doughs. Pasting properties of the flours were assessed. Flours from local varieties had pasting profiles with highest viscosities, while pVAC flours had the lowest. The three types of cassava varieties varied significantly in most of their pasting properties. Four promising improved varieties were identified, based on high peak viscosity (55.8–61.5 P) and stiffer texture than local varieties during storage. Undesirable varieties were also found, which softened during storage instead of hardening. Optimum texture of lafun dough was obtained after 5 h of storage

Understanding cassava varietal preferences through pairwise ranking of gari-eba and fufu prepared by local farmer-processors

Within communities in Osun and Imo States of Nigeria, farmer‐processors grew and processed a diverse set of improved and landrace cassava varieties into the locally popular foods, gari, eba and fufu. Local and 15 main varieties were grown in a 'mother and baby trials' design in each state. Mother trials with three replications were processed by farmer‐processors renown in their community for their processing skills. Baby trials were managed and processed by other farmer‐processors. The objective was to identify food quality criteria to inform demand‐led breeding to benefit users, especially women, given their key roles in processing. Farmer‐processors evaluated the overall quality of fresh roots and derived food products through pairwise comparisons. Improved varieties had higher fresh and dry root yield. Overall, landraces ranked first for quality of gari and eba, but several improved varieties were also appreciated for good quality. Landraces in Osun had higher gari yield and a higher swelling power compared to improved varieties. Colour (browning), bulk density, swelling power, solubility and water absorption capacity were the criteria most related to food product ranking by farmer‐processors. Evaluation of varieties under farmer‐processors' conditions is crucial for providing guidance to breeders on critical selection criteria

Drivers of consumer acceptability of cassava gari-eba food products across cultural and environmental settings using the Triadic Comparison of Technologies approach (tricot)

BACKGROUND: Nigeria and Cameroon are multi-ethnic countries with diverse preferences for food characteristics. The present study aimed to inform cassava breeders on consumer-prioritized eba quality traits. Consumer testing was carried out using the triadic compar ison of technologies (tricot). Diverse consumers in villages, towns and cities evaluated the overall acceptability of eba made from differ ent cassava genotypes. Data from both countries were combined and linked to laboratory analyses of eba and the gari used to make it. RESULTS: There is a strong preference for eba with higher cohesiveness and eba from gari with higher brightness and especially in Cameroon, with lower redness and yellowness. Relatively higher eba hardness and springiness values are preferred in the Nigerian locations, whereas lower values are preferred in Cameroon. Trends for solubility and swelling power of the gari differ between the two countries. The study also reveals that the older improved cassava genotype TMS30572 is a benchmark geno type with superior eba characteristics across different regions in Nigeria, whereas the recently released variety Game changer performs very well in Cameroon. In both locations, the recently released genotypes Obansanjo-2 and improved variety TM14F1278P0003 have good stability and overall acceptability for eba characteristics. CONCLUSION: The wide acceptance of a single genotype across diverse geographical and cultural conditions in Nigeria, as well as three acceptable new improved varieties in both locations, indicates that consumers' preferences are surprisingly homogeneous for eba. This would enhance breeding efforts to develop varieties with wider acceptability and expand potential target areas for released varieties

Clouds and Water Vapor

International audienceWater, in any of its states: vapor, liquid or ice, is a key component of our climate system. It is the coexistence of these three phases of water on Earth that makes it such a special planet. Water vapor is the most important natural greenhouse gas; it contributes up to 60% of the natural greenhouse effect! Thus, water vapor is the second heat source after the sun for heating Earth's surface. Passive sensors are by far the majority in the panorama, and the estimation of water vapor from their measurements is based on the use of the absorption band and the emission band. A cloud consists of droplets of liquid water and/or ice crystals suspended in saturated air aggregated around particles of various origins that promote condensation and are called “cloud condenstation nuclei”

Understanding Tropical Mesoscale Convective System Life Cycle through merged satellite observations

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Improvements to the parameterization of snow in AROME in the context of ice crystal icing

Ice crystal icing (ICI) poses a threat nowadays for airplane pilots crossing the anvils of tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). The use of fine-scale operational numerical weather predictions as provided by the French limited-area model AROME could help to better understand this phenomenon and to help its anticipation. To enable AROME to simulate ICI-prone conditions, modifications of its single-moment microphysical scheme Intercity-Express 3 (ICE3) are tested. Using a temperature-dependent snow particle distribution deeply impacts the organization and the ice phase of the simulated MCS. Notably, while the size of convective regions decreases, the size of anvil clouds increases and the low stratiform rain increases as well. As a result, by increasing the quantity of snow and decreasing the quantity of graupel, the simulation of ICI-prone conditions in the anvils of convective systems is enabled. Using this parametrization, further modifications fine-tune the representation of snow and further increase the size of the anvil cloud. The Marshall–Palmer snow distribution is replaced by a generalized gamma and the terminal fall velocities of snow hydrometeors are parametrized so that they are in closer agreement with observations

On the duration and life cycle of precipitating systems in the tropics

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