Effect of Milling Machines and Sieve Sizes on Cooked Cassava Flour Quality

ABSTRACTCassava flour has a wide range of uses and its product stability is a major advantage in exploiting its potentials for opening into new markets beyond the normal use of fresh roots and traditional food products. This study therefore examined appropriate processing methods to meet consumer needs. Dry cassava chips were obtained from the cassava breeding unit of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria. 1 kg sample of chips was milled in each of pin, hammer, attrition and mortar mills. The flour recovered from each mill was weighed and sieved with 0.55 mm and 0.05 mm sieve apertures to compare the level of losses and final recovery percentage for each mill. The flour obtained, using the sieves for the different mills, was cooked for 5 min by mixing 200 ml of cassava flour with 400 ml of water. Sensory evaluation was conducted to assess the taste, texture, colour, plasticity and general acceptability of the cooked flours. The percentage flour recoveries were 96, 87, 75 and 62 respectively for pin, hammer, attrition and mortar mills. The results from sensory evaluation showed preference for the quality of cooked cassava flour from pin mill followed by those from hammer, attrition and mortar mills. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the quality of the cassava flour from the various milling machines. These results therefore suggest that products from the pin mill may be a better alternative to the popular hammer mill.