Use of sensory and physico-chemical parameters to understand consumer perception of attiéké, a fermented cassava product

Background: Cassava breeding research programs focused initially on agronomic performance but in recent years they have con-sidered the processability and the organoleptic properties of the final product, to increase the adoption of new varieties. One important cassava foodstuff is attiéké, a fermented and granular product, so it is necessary to determine criteria used by attiéké processors to select raw cassava and the characteristics leading consumers to like this product. This study assessed the attiéké pro-duction process, the criteria associated with the quality of attiéké, the sensory drivers of consumer acceptance, and their thresholds. Results: The total processing yield of attiéké varied according to the cassava variety and depended primarily on the fermentation-pressing yield. However, it was not correlated either with the peeling yield or with morphological characteristics of cassava roots. The production of a ton of attiéké required about 150 h. Dry matter, organic acids, soluble sugars, total pectin, and the pH of raw material and attiéké varied depending on the cassava variety. Ten discriminating sensory attributes of attiéké were identified. Consumer testing showed that overall liking for attiéké was associated with sourness, texture, and brightness. Acceptable sensory score thresholds were 1.67–2.18 for sour odor, 4.75 to 6.3 for cohesiveness, and 5.4 to 6.3 for ‘mouth feel sensation’. Attiéké dry matter correlated positively with cohesiveness and moldability. Conclusions: Several potential solutions are discussed to improve the adoption of cassava varieties for attiéké production. How-ever, further studies need to be carried out to translate the sensory thresholds of texture attributes into robust instrumental methods because texture is an important attribute of attiéké in addition to sourness

Le manioc, entre culture alimentaire et filière agro-industrielle

The cassava-processing industry plays a key role in food safety and in the economies in the Global South, mainly in rural areas but increasingly in cities too. Climate change is expected to play an even greater role in world agriculture. This book brings together all of the available knowledge on cassava and highlights the agronomic and commercial issues surrounding this crop. It presents an overview of cassava production worldwide, covering all of the various aspects of the plant (botany, genetics), as well as its main forms of cultivation, its diseases and pests. It describes how to use, consume and process cassava

Assessment of low-input technologies to improve productivity of early harvested cassava in Côte d'Ivoire

In Cote d'Ivoire, smallholder farmers cultivate cassava on poor, highly weathered soils without improved varieties or fertilizer inputs. Land pressure combined with high demand result in premature harvests and low yields. Furthermore, subsistence agriculture limits the adoption of input-intensive technologies. This study aimed at identifying integrated soil fertility management systems for increasing cassava productivity and profitability in two locations in southern Cote d'Ivoire. The integrated technical interventions included improved cassava genotypes and modified spacing, legume intercropping, and application of fertilizer at moderate doses. Overall, an improved cassava variety (Yavo) generally out-yielded the other varieties at both sites. Legumes performed better at the higher soil fertility site and gave higher grain yield and biological nitrogen fixation in a 2x0.5m cassava spacing compared to 1x1m. The response of cassava to nutrient amendments varied between sites, suggesting the need for site-specific adaptations. Fertilizer application was essential to avoid cassava yield reduction upon legume intercropping as a result of competition for nutrients and N immobilization and delayed re-mineralization of legume residues. Growing legumes, however, substantially increased profitability. Hence, better synchronization of legume sowing, legume residue and fertilizer application in relation to cassava growth phases is needed