Quantifying Dry Matter and Titratable Acidity of Fufu-Mash Using Portable Near-Infrared Spectrometer

— A traditional fermented paste from cassava is called Fufu. Lactic acid bacteria's activity during the fermentation of this product causes unique biochemical changes in cassava starch. The proper retting of the soaked cassava roots results from effective fermentation, which is influenced by the dry matter of the cassava roots and lactic acids. Measuring these traits in the lab takes a lot of time and money. Therefore, this study aimed to use near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to develop calibration models for dry matter and total titratable acidity. Eighty cassava genotypes were processed into Fufu mash. The Fufu mash samples were divided into two groups of seventy Fufu samples each for calibration, and ten Fufu samples for validation to create the calibration model. In addition, the lab analysis of the Fufu mash samples' dry matter content and total titratable acidity produced the reference data. The results showed good coefficients of determination in calibrations (R2cal) and cross-validation (R2cv) for dry matter and total titratable acidity, respectively, of 0.83, 0.65 and 0.93, and 0.57. Thus, enhancing the NIRS calibration models used in this study may be possible and using them as a quick screening tool for cassava breeding initiatives aimed at producing Fufu.