Assessment of heavy metals and microbial contamination of gari from Liberia

Abstract

Cassava is a staple mostly eaten in the form of gari, after rice in Liberia. The local method of gari processing often leads to product contamination, thus, a study was done to assess the heavy metals and microbial contamination of gari in eight counties of the country. A total of sixty‐one gari samples were collected and packaged in an airtight polyethylene bag for analyses, using standard methods. Results depict that the mean of the heavy metals in the gari samples is iron (Fe) 43.87 ppm, copper (Cu) 0.94 ppm, zinc (Zn) 5.49 ppm and aluminum (Al) 257.45 ppm. Yellow gari had the highest Fe (64.90 ppm), Cu (1.25 ppm) and Zn (7.85 ppm) content, but with the least Al content (87.15 ppm). The Fe content was lower in groundnut‐fortified gari (42.93 ppm), and the Cu (0.70 ppm) and Zn (3.50 ppm) content were lower in groundnut‐moringa‐fortified gari. The samples and counties have no significant statistical effect (p > .05) on the heavy metals composition of the products. No microbial growth was observed in groundnut‐fortified and groundnut‐moringa‐fortified gari but with coconut‐fortified gari having the highest total fungi count of 800 CFU/g. The major fungi identified in the gari samples are Penicillium and Aspergillus spps., but with their counts within the regulated level. Therefore, the gari consumed in Liberia are safe except for the high Fe and Al content, which needs to be addressed with the use of unpainted stainless steel materials as food contact surfaces.

Quality attributes of fufu in South‐East Nigeria: guide for cassava breeders

“…This was attributed to lower tannin content in the peeled roots. Colour, according to Awoyale et al (2018), is a major trait that drives visual appeal and acceptance of cassava products by consumers. This suggests that selection of 'easy to peel' cassava varieties by end users may be due to increased efficiency during manual peeling of such varieties, which invariably reduces tannin and phenol content, resulting in the production of intermediate and final fufu with desirable colour attribute.…”

Assessment of the chemical and trace metal composition of dried cassava products from Nigeria

“…The Zn content was higher in lafun and lower in fufu powder (Table 3). Awoyale et al (2018) (2016) for fermented cassava mash dried along the roadside. Furthermore, the Zn content of the tapioca (5 mg/kg) reported in this study is lower compared to that of the sundried locally produced fermented cassava mash reported by Bolade (2016).…”

Biochar from Cassava Waste: A Paradigm Shift from Waste to Wealth

“…Meanwhile, Thailand, the second-largest producer of cassava, considered the crop more of a cash crop than a staple food with the vast majority of the root being processed and exported [31][32][33]. Currently, Thailand is the world's leading country in the exportation of cassava-based products (Figure 3).…”