Gate/GTZ 
Interdev Agroalimentaire  

Preparation of cassava flour (recommended only for cassava varieties with a low cyanide content)

	Type de fiche	Techniques/Technologies
	Mise en œuvre	GATE / GTZ(Allemagne)
	
	Zone géographique	Afrique - Afrique de l'Ouest; Bénin; Ghana; Togo; 
	Mots clés	PRODUIT; FARINE; MANIOC

	Public(s) cible(s)	Food processing supplier

Contexte
Cassava is an important staple food in tropical Africa. More than half of the world's production by land area is located in sub-Sahara Africa, which accounts for over 40% of global production by volume. This quantity feeds nearly 200 million people. 
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Apart from traditional dishes, cassava flour also possesses a considerable and so far underexploited potential as an additive or even as a substitute to wheat, maize and other flours that are often imported. This experience describes how the production of cassava flour. 

Problématique / Objectifs

Constraints of Traditional Cassava Flour

Cassava flour has for a long time played a major role in food
preparation in the tropics. Frequently, however, traditional processing methods are not very efficient and flour quality is rather poor.

Description/Mise en oeuvre

- Peel freshly harvested cassava.  
- Wash the roots thoroughly
- Cut into thin chips (about 5 mm thick), or use a chipping machine 
- Spread thinly on a clean surface and allow to dry. A raised platform avoids contamination
- Mill finely  
- Sift the flour if it is lumpy

Enseignements

- Time traditional methods of flour production are rather tedious and time consuming. For example, peeling, soaking, cutting and pounding are performed manually using knives, cutlasses, mortars and other tools. The drying process is a long one, because chips are rather large and irregular in shape. Depending on the weather conditions, and especially during the raining season, drying may take up to three weeks as chips are simply left to dry on the ground. During rainfall the chips must be covered with a plastic sheet or collected and stored in a safe place. If the measure is neglected, chips may already deteriorate during the drying process. Furthermore, all this work is performed by women and is not very profitable.
- Quality
The traditional method of preparing cassava flour often results in poor quality. The most significant problem is the high moisture content that may persist inside the chips after drying. This may reduce the storability of the flour and even encourage mould development.

Drying on the ground also contaminates the product with soil and dirt and makes it prone to insect attack, in addition to the health hazards posed by bacteria and mycotoxins from mould. On the other hand, proper drying is important in order to maintain good quality, which influences the marketability and price of the product. The objectives of producing cassava flour using improved technologies are to reduce the workload of the women involved in the process.

Auteur : Carolin Bothe
Saisie le : 28/11/2000
Fiche validée 

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	Contact	GATE / GTZ, Geman Appropriate Technology Exchange 
Po B. 5180, 65726 , Eschborn
Tel.:++49 (0)6196 793093, Fax: ++49 (0)6196 797352, E-mail: gate-id@gtz.de
Site web: http://www.gtz.de/gate

	Références Bibliographiques	Bell, Henckes, Mueck .- La Préparation adéquate de la farine du manioc - Guides pour le Développement des Racines et Tubercules (3), 1999       .- 10

Bell, Henckes, Mueck .- Proper Preparation of Cassava Flour - Roots and Tubers Guides (3), Gate / GTZ, 1999       .- 10