Some quality characteristics of Gari as influenced by roasting methods

In this study, the effect of mechanized roasting on some properties and proximate composition of gari was investigated. Pulverized and sifted cassava mash was roasted by conductive rotary drying and traditional manual method. Products from the two methods were compared using the students’ t-test and the results showed that bulk density and coefficient of uniformity of mechanically roasted gari of 469.89 kg/m3 and 2.89, respectively, were not significantly different (p˃0.05) from those of manually roasted gari of 472.74 kg/m3 and 2.53, respectively. The swelling indices of the two products were 3.29 and 3.69, respectively, which were significantly different (p ˂ 0.05) and greater than the recommended swelling index of 3.0 required for high quality gari. The proximate composition of gari obtained from the two roasting methods were not significantly different (p˃0.05) and in conformity with quality specifications recommended by Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON). Sensory evaluation showed that consumers preferred the colour, taste and texture of the mechanically roasted gari. The quality characteristics of gari produced by conductive rotary drying were better than those of gari produced by manual method. This provides a strong basis for industrializing gari production at a commercial scale