Quality of ‘Abacha’ from Fresh Cassava Roots and Dried Chips

ABSTRACTThis study was undertaken to determine the possibility of producing acceptable ‘abacha’ from dried chips. The ‘abacha’ slices were processed from dried cassava chips and fresh roots of four cassava varieties, TMS 98/2101, NR/87184, TMS 97/4779 and NR87184. The proximate composition, chemical and sensory properties as affected by the processing method and variety were evaluated. The proximate composition of the ‘abacha’ (on dry basis) showed moisture content range of 9.53 – 10.48%, protein 1.07 – 1.66%, ash 2.06 – 2.56%, fibre 1.72 – 1.95, fat 0.39 – 0.58% and carbohydrate content of 83.59 – 85.05%. The chemical composition of the wet ‘abacha’ slices showed pH of 5.60 – 5.80, total titratable acidity (TTA) of 0.047 – 0.063, and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) value of 7.80 – 10.41 mg/100 g. Generally, the TTA of the ‘abacha’ samples was not significantly (p > 0.05) affected by the method of processing ‘abacha’ and the variety used. Drying the wet ‘abacha’ reduced the pH to 5.20 – 5.30, increased the TTA to 0.213 – 0.230% and further reduced the HCN content to 7.32 – 8.63 mg/100 g. The HCN of all the ‘abacha’ samples processed from dried chips were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than the HCN of ‘abacha’ processed from fresh cassava root in some of the varieties. The lower sensory scores for ‘abacha’ made from dried chips shows that they were inferior to the ones from fresh cassava, although they were also accepted by the consumers. It also compared favourably with the ‘abacha’ processed from fresh cassava root in chemical qualities. This shows that when the need arises ‘abacha’ slices can be processed from dried cassava chips.