Establishing the linkage between eba's instrumental and sensory descriptive profiles and their correlation with consumer preferences: implications for cassava breeding

Abstract

BACKGROUNDGari and eba, forms of cassava semolina, are mainly consumed in Nigeria and other West African countries. This study aimed to define the critical quality traits of gari and eba, to measure their heritability, to define medium and high throughput instrumental methods for use by breeders, and to link the traits with consumer preferences. The definition of a food product's profiles, including its biophysical, sensory, and textural qualities, and the identification of the characteristics that determine its acceptability, are important if new genotypes are to be adopted successfully.RESULTSEighty cassava genotypes and varieties (three different sets) from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) research farm were used for the study. Participatory processing and consumer testing data on different types of gari and eba products were integrated to prioritize the traits preferred by processors and consumers. The color, sensory, and instrumental textural properties of these products were determined using standard analytical methods, and standard operating protocols (SOPs) developed by the RTBfoods project (Breeding Roots, Tubers, and Banana Products for End‐user Preferences, https://rtbfoods.cirad.fr). There were significant (P < 0.05) correlations between instrumental hardness and sensory hardness and between adhesiveness and sensory moldability. Principal component analysis showed broad discrimination amongst the cassava genotypes and the association of the genotypes concerning the color and textural properties.CONCLUSIONSThe color properties of gari and eba, together with instrumental measures of hardness and cohesiveness, are important quantitative discriminants of cassava genotypes. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Drivers of consumer acceptability of cassava gari‐eba food products across cultural and environmental settings using the triadic comparison of technologies approach (tricot)

“…This again confirms the major importance of color and texture. 6,33 In Cameroon, Game Changer competed well with the local varieties (Fig. 3) and performed comparable to those in Nigeria, only losing out a little on mainly stretchability.…”

“…However, further research is recommended to establish the exact underlying causes of the results observed. Alamu et al 33 analyzed the consumer testing data for Nigeria separately and found a similar divide in how laboratory parameters were related to the overall liking by consumers equally, pointing mainly to differences in the degree of fermentation. They related the tricot consumer testing overall liking of eba in Osun and Benue states to the color and texture, as determined by laboratory parameters, as well as solubility, swelling power and other functional properties such as the water absorption capacity of the gari.…”

“…However, other social covariates were significant when only considering the Nigerian data. 32,33 Alamu et al reported that consumers in cities are less diverse in their choice, and all see eba from TMS6 as the best. A specific intersectional subgroup of Igede and Tiv ethnic groups in small towns and villages (rural areas) that were involved in farming particularly liked Obasanjo-2, whereas those same ethnic groups that were not involved in farming-related activities resembled the consumers in the city with regard to taste preferences.…”

A case of transdisciplinarity and collaborative decision making: the co‐construction of Gendered Food Product Profiles

“…See for example, Emmanuel et al where such attempts are made with regards to the gari-eba food product from cassava. 37 The GFPP draws on and adapts tools and guidance from Excellence in Breeding (EiB), Demand-Led Breeding, that support the development of product profiles and draws on tools that guide the analysis of the gender implications of traits using the G+ tools (CGIAR RTB CRP). 38 The adaption of the G+ tools by the RTBfood BOX 2.…”

Review of instrumental texture measurements as phenotypic tool to assess textural diversity of root, tuber and banana food products

“…Sensory traits can thus be quantitatively predicted based on instrumental measurements. [9][10][11][12] In addition, thresholds of texture attributes of RTB foods can be provided to breeders when textural data are juxtaposed with consumer surveys, thereby linking texture from raw product to controlled processing and to consumer preferences.…”