Dynamics of Consumption, Perception, and Commercialization of Ntuba ekōn : Addressing Technological Vulnerability and Cultural Resilience in Cameroon’s Local Food Systems

Abstract This study aimed to characterise consumer profiles, consumption practices, recalled sensory perceptions, preservation strategies, and commercialisation constraints associated with Ntuba ekōn, a traditional Cameroonian food prepared from pounded plantain, across five urban areas. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 678 participants; after excluding incomplete questionnaires, 673 active responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, association tests, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), and Hierarchical Ascending Clustering (HAC). Most respondents (89%) reported consuming Ntuba ekōn. Consumption was primarily motivated by product liking (41%), cultural identity (31%), and perceived satiety (16%), and occurred predominantly at home (84%). Among non-consumers (11%), 41% reported aversion, whereas 32% indicated that they did not know how to prepare the product, with non-consumption strongly concentrated among young urban students in the Littoral region (22.3% non-consumers in Cluster 3). Respondents associated the preferred product with a tender consistency (69.39%), smooth texture (66.43%), yellow or light-yellow colour (85.90%), and slightly sweet taste (76.52%); 81.74% rated its overall sensory image as good or excellent. Preservation was a major constraint, with refrigeration (31%) and regular reheating (28%) being the most frequently reported household practices. Commercialisation was limited (8.41% of respondents sold the product), although 86.54% of vendors reported perceived profitability, structured into three operational typologies dominated by mature informal women custodians (42.1%). Vendors identified preservation (35.29%), manual pounding (17.65%), and input costs (17.65%) as the principal operational constraints. Overall, Ntuba ekōn retains a favourable consumer image and strong cultural relevance, but labour-intensive processing, preservation concerns, and limited commercial scale constrain its wider urban-market development.