User preferences and consumer acceptability of boiled plantain in rural and urban localities in Cameroon

Abstract

BackgroundUnderstanding the preferences of different stakeholders in the plantain value chain in rural and urban segments in Cameroon is critical for the selection and adoption of new plantain cultivars. Boiled plantain is one of the most consumed food product from this crop in Cameroon. A gendered food mapping and consumer testing with two plantain landraces (Batard and Big ebanga) and a plantain‐like hybrid (CARBAP K74) were carried out in rural and urban areas in the West and Littoral regions of Cameroon.ResultsIn these two regions, plantain users are categorised into producers, traders, processors and consumers. Raw plantain should bear long and large fruits, with a heavy bunch, and an orange pulp color, while boiled plantain should present yellow color, soft and mealy pulp, with a good plantain aroma. Batard and Big ebanga were liked moderately by consumers, while CARBAP K74 was liked slightly. CARBAP K74 was on par with Batard and Big ebanga for some attributes, except for color and sweetness.ConclusionMore emphasis should be given to attributes such as color, firmness and taste for the development of new plantain clones to be adopted by end‐users consuming boiled green plantain.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Relation between quantitative descriptive analysis and textural analysis of boiled plantain

“…The protocol used was the one developed by Ngoh Newilah & Kendine Vepowo. 23 For this, fully cooked plantain pulps were drained and kept in a thermos box.…”