Nutrient Composition and Acceptability of Soy Enriched Gari: Implications for Food Security in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Gari, granular flour is one of the major staple foods in Nigeria. It has a drawback with regard to its crude protein content which is as low as 1%. There is a need to enrich gari with local legumes to improve nutrient content and acceptability.
Objective: The study examined the nutrient composition and general acceptability of soy enriched gari products.
Method: Improved Cassava TMS 30575 and raw Soybean seeds were used. Cassava tubers were peeled, washed, milled, fermented spontaneously for five days and dewatered. Soybean seeds were boiled in 2.5% sodium bicarbonate for 20 minutes to remove beany taste, de-hulled, dried and milled into flour. Dewatered cassava mash was enriched with soybean flour at varying proportions to generate three samples at the ratio of 100g cassava mash:10g soybean flour (sample A), 100g cassava mash:20 soybean flour (sample B) and 100 cassava mash:30 soybean flour (sample C) to obtain soy-gari, while two other samples containing cassava mash only and cassava mash with 20ml palm oil served as controls. The effect of the enrichment on proximate content of the soy- samples and acceptability of the cooked paste (eba and fufu) and snack (soaked gari) were evaluated. Nutrient composition was determined following standard procedure, while. Sensory evaluation was carried out with a twenty-man panel using a nine – point hedonic scale. Data obtained were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to compare the means of the samples. Duncan's new multiple range was used for mean separation at 5% probability.
Result: The result showed that the strong acid taste of gari which is desirable was not affected by enrichment with soybean. The moisture content of the samples was considerably low and is capable of having long shelf life. The nutrient content of the samples improved with the addition of soybean flour in all the nutrients evaluated. Its consumption as Fufu was generally accepted.

Conclusion: The enrichment of gari with soybean flour improved its nutrient content and has potential to reduce malnutrition and food insecurity among the rural poor in Nigeria who depend on largely on gari as a major staple.