Journal of Applied Biosciences (J. Appl. Biosci.) [ISSN 1997 - 5902]
Volume 20: 1203 - 1214. Published August 7, 2009.
Characterization of yam land races in Côte d’Ivoire with respect to food quality and end uses
DIGBEU Dogore Yolande*, DUE Ahipo Edmond**, BROU Kouakou*, KOUAKOU Amani Michel***, NEMLIN Gnopo Jean*** and DAGO Gnakri*
*Laboratoire de Nutrition et de Sécurité Alimentaire, et; **Laboratoire de Biochimie et Technologie des Aliments de l’Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences et Technologie des Aliments de l’Université d’Abobo-Adjamé, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire ; 3Centre National de Recherche Agronomique.01 BP 1740 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire
^Autor correspondant e-mail : Ahipoedmond@yahoo.fr, Tel : (225) – 05-62-02-61/ 20 30 42 90
ABSTRACT
Objective: To characterize the nutritional value of local varieties of yam and to evaluate their traditional modes of transformation.
Methodology and results: Yam tubers were sampled from 210 producers in thirty-four villages in seven areas of Côte d’Ivoire. A total of 123 different local yam varieties were indexed in the seven areas of the project. The areas of Bondoukou-Tanda and Abengourou-Bongouanou have a rather high varietal diversity with 85 local varieties being listed in these areas against only 38 in the other localities (Gagnoa, Oumé, Daloa, Yamoussoukro, Toumodi, Me Bahiakro, Adzopé and Agboville). In general, the indigenous technology of yam transformation in the study areas is not very developed. Yam is mainly consumed in the forms of foutou (crushed form), akpessi or ngbô (boiled), stewed, mashed (fluid form) and roasted yam. Flour is produced and is used for the preparation of yam couscous in Bondoukou, through wetting and agitation of flour. Wassa wassa, a traditional food starting from yam peelings, is also produced in Bondoukou. In the visited localities, foufou (boiled yam, crushed and usually mixed with red palm oil, then shaped into a ball) is a speciality in the Bongouanou area. The technology for transforming yam into cossettes, which involves cutting yam into fragments followed by drying for better storage, is not known in the study areas. The physicochemical analyses carried out on 50 yam samples showed a soil effect on the chemical and nutritional composition of the tubers for each variety. For all the samples analyzed, dry matter content of the flour was higher than 90%. Concerning proteins, content below 10% was noted in general, except for the oulégni variety grown in Bondoukou which contains more than 16%, Kouassikro variety in Abengourou (10.36%) and Bete bete variety in Daloa (11.56%). Technological transformation and culinary preparations of these local varieties into more nourishing and better quality forms is important for acceptability of new products derived from yam. These results improve the available knowledge of the physicochemical characteristics of yam and the different modes of transformation.
Key words: Côte d’Ivoire, indigenous transformation, nutritional quality,yam
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