A cassava starch extraction machine was designed and fabricated to perform a quadruplet action of grating, washing, sieving and separation. The study was necessitated based on concerns that most locally manufactured cassava processing machines are without provision for the extraction of starch. Food processors mainly depend on the manual pressing of cassava to obtain starch and this has significantly increased the cost of the product in the local market. Materials for construction were locally sourced and the machine was powered by a 2 hp electric motor through a v-belt-pulley transmission system and operating at a speed of 547 rpm. Fresh cassava tubers were harvested from Ikot Akpaden, a rural community in Mkpat Enin, Akwa Ibom, South-South of Nigeria, and used for the experiment. Results from the experiment showed that the quantity of wet starch extracted increased from 0.64 to 1.48 kg as the volume of water mixed with 2 kg of the product increased from 1 to 5 Liters. The rate of water usage and throughput capacity increased from 0.0005 to 0.0025 m3/kg and 35.29 to 46.75 kg/h respectively as volume of water increased. The optimum machine efficiency was 74%. The machine was fabricated at a cost of N 150,200 (equivalent of $100). Minimal time consumption, ease of operation and low production cost were some of the features that made the machine economically viable when compared to other conventional methods of extracting starch from cassava.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the most fermented cassava food product is “attiéké”. Various microorganisms involved in this fermentation process. Bacillus spp. are well-known for their multi-potential enzymatic activities. In this study, Bacillus spp. strains were studied for their ability of growing in environmental stress as follow: NaCl (2 to 9%) and lactic acid (0.1 to 1%). The growth of the studied strains was inhibited at 5% (1 strain), 7% (2 strains) and 8% (7 strains) for NaCl and beyond 0.25% for lactic acid. The ability of the isolated Bacillus strains to ferment cassava dough for “attiéké” production was also tested. The results of sensory tests showed that “attiéké” produced with Bacillus spp. strains was quite similar to “attiéké” control (traditional “attiéké”) except for the brilliance and granulation for which the control obtained the highest scores. The present research indicated that cassava dough fermentation, initiated by the inoculation of Bacillus strains associated with or without lactic acid bacteria should be useful to improve and standardize the quality of “attiéké” produced in Côte d’Ivoire.

‘Lafun” was enriched with soy protein supplements (curd or residue) during the mashing before drying at 10%. The amino acid result indicated that enrichment improved the amino acids contents as well as the protein quality of the products. While enrichment generally improved the mineral element composition, enrichment with the residue significantly improved the mineral composition when compared to enrichment curd. That the products were hygienically produced was confirmed by the non-detection of heavy metals which may suggest it safety for human consumption. Condensed tannins, phytate, oxalate, hydrogen cyanide and trypsin inhibitor were tested as possible anti-nutritional factors in the product and the values obtained were within safe level and correlated with those reported in previous or similar studies. It was concluded that enrichment with soy curd/residue is a safe and viable means to improve the nutritional benefits derivable from “Lafun” especially for those that ‘Lafun” is a major staple.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of compost from chicken manure, NPK fertilizer and the mixture of both fertilizers on agronomic parameters of four varieties of cassava (Yacé, Bonoua, Six mois and Alleda agba) in Côte d’Ivoire. The field experiment was carried out under a randomized complete block design with three replicates on a ferralitic soil during two season-cycles. The results showed that the different fertilizers stimulated plants growth and tuberous roots production. The highest number of stems (3) and leaves (66) was obtained with the mixture of NPK and compost applied on the variety “Bonoua”. All varieties that received the compost mixed with NPK produced more leaves with a dominance of the Bonoua variety (65.57). The highest number of tuberous roots (5.58), the heaviest weight per root (6.13 kg) and the highest yield (61.37 t/ha) were obtained while using the mixture of compost and NPK as fertilizer and “Bonoua” as variety. Thus, mixing compost from chicken manure and NPK can be recommended to improve cassava productivity in Côte d'Ivoire on a ferralitic soil.

‘Lafun” was enriched with soy protein supplements (curd or residue) during the mashing before drying at 10%. The amino acid result indicated that enrichment improved the amino acids contents as well as the protein quality of the products. While enrichment generally improved the mineral element composition, enrichment with the residue significantly improved the mineral composition when compared to enrichment curd. That the products were hygienically produced was confirmed by the non-detection of heavy metals which may suggest it safety for human consumption. Condensed tannins, phytate, oxalate, hydrogen cyanide and trypsin inhibitor were tested as possible anti-nutritional factors in the product and the values obtained were within safe level and correlated with those reported in previous or similar studies. It was concluded that enrichment with soy curd/residue is a safe and viable means to improve the nutritional benefits derivable from “Lafun” especially for those that ‘Lafun” is a major staple.

Concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd) in cassava grown on farmlands along highways in Owerri, was investigated. Cassava leaves and root samples were harvested from cassava farms along three major roads with high traffic density and another rural road that served as control location. Standard laboratory procedures to determine the concentration of these metals were adopted using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The metal concentrations in mg/kg in cassava root showed high levels of Cu (6.29±0.0346), Zn (8.49±2.243), Pb (0.5267±0.3156) and Cd (0.1167±0.0833). The concentrations of the heavy metals in the cassava leaves were of the order: Zn > Cu >Pb> Ni > Cd. Soil plant transfer factor values for all the metals in all the sites indicated medium accumulation. Heavy metal concentrations in soil showed significant correlation with concentrations in cassava root with no significant statistical differences in bioaccumulation of heavy metals in different parts of cassava. The overall results showed evidence of some heavy metal pollution on the soils and cassava plant.