ANALYSIS ON FERMENTATION EFFECTS ON CASSAVA-BASED FUFU NUTRITION

ANALYSIS ON FERMENTATION EFFECTS ON CASSAVA-BASED FUFU NUTRITION

Abstract:

This study assessed the nutritional attributes of fufu derived from three distinct fermentation techniques: traditional, brine, and backslopping. In the traditional method, cassava roots were soaked in water (1:4 kg/L) for 96 hours, while the backslopping approach employed fermented cassava liquor (10% w/v) to initiate fermentation. The brine fermentation method involved a two-stage process, comprising fermentation and grating. The resulting “wet fufu” samples were subsequently dried at 65°C in a cabinet dryer and mechanically milled into flour. The analysis encompassed the evaluation of hydrogen cyanide levels, proximate composition, functional properties, mineral contents, and sensory attributes of the flour samples.

Throughout the fermentations, lactic acid bacteria populations consistently represented more than 95% of the total viable bacteria, while coliforms and molds declined as fermentation progressed. Notably, Lactobacillus plantarum, L. buchnerii, and L. casei were identified in the brine fermentation. Hydrogen cyanide levels observed after fermentation and processing were 15.67 ± 0.63 mg/kg for traditional, 13.29 ± 0.68 mg/kg for brine, and 12.07 ± 0.32 mg/kg for backslopping-fermented samples. Moisture content ranged from 10.61 ± 0.15% (backslopping-fermented) to 12.69 ± 0.34% (traditional-fermented), with ash and carbohydrate contents ranging from 0.76 ± 0.23% to 0.92 ± 0.27%, and 82.57 ± 0.56% to 84.03 ± 0.58%, respectively. Higher protein content was observed in brine (2.25 ± 0.19%) and backslopping (2.32 ± 0.13%) fermentations, while the lowest crude fiber content (0.84 ± 0.43%) was found in the brine-fermented sample. Functional properties exhibited similar trends, with brine and backslopping fermentations resulting in lighter “fufu” flours and dough, as indicated by lower swelling index (3.16 ± 0.09 g/g and 2.66 ± 0.18 g/g, respectively) and bulk density (0.65 ± 0.03 g/mL and 0.57 ± 0.03 g/mL, respectively). The traditional fermentation had the highest water absorption capacity (4.89 ± 0.06%).

Furthermore, brine fermentation significantly increased the calcium (0.235 ± 0.004 mg/kg), sodium (0.555 ± 0.055 mg/kg), and potassium (0.504 ± 0.009 mg/kg) contents of fufu flour compared to traditional fermentation, which yielded values of 0.162 ± 0.003 mg/kg, 0.0097 ± 0.011 mg/kg, and 0.151 ± 0.003 mg/kg, respectively. Sensory evaluation scores indicated a preference for fufu produced through brine fermentation over traditional methods.

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