NUTRITIONAL, PHYSICOCHEMICAL, AND SENSORY ASSESSMENT OF SOYBEAN-FORTIFIED GARI

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of soy (curd and residue) enrichment on chemical, physicochemical properties and consumer acceptability of gari. The soy (curd and residue) enriched gari was prepared from matured cassava tubers and soybean. Gari with 10% enrichment and control samples were evaluated for proximate composition and physico-chemical properties. Reconstituted thick paste “Eba” prepared from all the samples were evaluated for consumer acceptability. The proximate composition of gari samples ranged from 2.06 - 15.24% (crude protein), 1.66 - 11.02% (crude fat), 1.67 to 3.06% (total ash) while the carbohydrate decreased from 89.01 to 75.43% with enrichment. The packed bulk density (PBD), wettability (W) and water absorption capacity (WAC) increased with enrichment while swelling capacity (WC) and oil absorption capacity (OAC) decreased with enrichment. While the pH and average particle size increase with enrichment, the titratable acidity, decreased. Though higher sensory acceptability was obtained for the control sample, this study showed the possibility of enriching “gari” with soy curd or residue.