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SP24-18
Characterization of traditional food processes for gari
production in Benin
Andrés Escobar1, Alexandre Bouniol2,*, Thierry Tran2,4, Dominique Dufour1,2, Laurent
Adinsi3, Noel Akissoe3, and Geneviève Fliedel2
1) CIAT, International Center for Tropical Agriculture, AA6713, Cali, Colombia
2) CIRAD (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement), Persyst
Department, UMR Qualisud, 34398 Montpellier, France
3) Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526 Cotonou, Benin
4) Cassava and Starch Technology Research Unit (CSTRU), National Center for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology (BIOTEC), Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
* Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]
Gari, a cassava traditional product, is a key staple food in several western African countries.
It is a type of dried particle semolina made through successive operations such as peeling,
grating/rasping, fermentation/pressing, sieving, and roasting (cooking/drying). In Benin,
there is a large variability of gari products, defined by a large range of particle sizes,
homogeneity, colour, sour taste, and texture (crispiness and swelling), depending on the
process. Rasping, fermentation, pressing and roasting operations were identified as key
steps on technological and sensory properties of gari. Five main types of garis (Sohia,
Ahayoe, Sohui, Missé, Djeffa) made with variable processes were identified. In this study,
the process, and its variants according to the gari type, was precisely described. Data were
collected for each unit operation, in view of assessing process efficiency and consequently,
the potential to improve sustainability of gari processing.
Production capacity was limited by the peeling operation, which was carried out manually
(30 kg of roots/hour/worker). Cooking was the second slowest operation, also involving
drudgery with exposure to heat and smoke. Energy use for cooking/drying was high, with
0.9-1.0 kg of wood/kg of gari, i.e. 13-16 MJ/kg of gari. Significant losses occurred during
peeling and pressing operations (25-35% and 20-30% of root dry matter respectively). Mass
balances pointed out low process yields, with only 15-25% (d.b.) of cassava roots ending in
the final gari product. Losses of raw materials and energy were significant and might impact
on both production costs and the environment.
Moisture contents of garis ranged between 3 and 8%, which ensures a long product shelflife. Average particle size varied from 0.5 to 0.8 mm. Particle size distribution was a key
factor related to consumption way and consumer preferences in the different regions of the
study.
Keywords: Cassava food product, gari, traditional process, rasping, cooking, processing
efficiency