Quality of gari from selected processing zones in Ghana

Gari, the most commercialized cassava product in Ghana continues to increase in production due to the increasing urban demand and export market potential. Therefore, many small scale processors are involved in the production of gari with the potential for quality variation. Studies were carried out on gari samples from selected gari processing centres within three regions in Ghana. Physical parameters such as colour, extraneous matter, particle size and swelling capacity and, chemical factors such as moisture, crude fibre, ash content, pH and total acidity were measured. The results showed that the quality of the gari samples from the selected centres was good and many of the samples met both the international and national specification for good quality gari processing. The moisture content was found to be low (4.39–7.44%) with an appreciable total acidity (TTA, 0.63–1.55% and pH, 3.60–4.47). Almost all the samples were found to have very good swelling capacity (>3.0), low level of extraneous matter (0.03–0.09%) and appreciable level of crude fibre content (1.47–2.50%) with a creamy/yellow colour which is acceptable to consumers. Although the ash content was very low (0.72–1.96%), particle size was quite good (0.63–1.02 mm). There were some variations in sample quality which may be attributed to method of processing and variety of cassava.