Assessment of the chemical and trace metal composition of dried cassava products from Nigeria

The chemical and trace metal composition of six groups of commercial dried cassava products in Nigeria (gari, starch, tapioca, fufu, lafun and high-quality cassava flour) were evaluated to ascertain quality standard compliance and safety for human consumption. In total, 340 samples of the dried products collected based on their popularity in the Humid forest (92), Derived savannah (234) and Southern Guinea savannah (14) agroecologies were analysed using standard analytical methods. The moisture, cyanogenic potential (CNP), ash and crude fibre content of the samples were significantly different (P<0.05). Product type or agroecology of the products did not have a significant influence on the acidity, pH or trace metal (copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn)) content. Samples from the Humid forest exhibited the highest average moisture (12.80%), pH (6.62), Zn (5.01 mg/kg) and Cu (3.16 mg/kg) content; Southern Guinea savannah samples had the highest CNP (9.06 mg/kg), ash (2.03%) and Fe (35.38 mg/kg) content, wh...