A significant crop in Ghana’s farming systems is cassava. For the majority of people who live in rural areas, it serves as a primary source of carbohydrates to meet daily nutritional demands. Cassava is widely used in Ghanaian dishes such as konkonte, Akple, banku, Yakeyake, gari, tapioca and fufu.
More than 22 million metric tonnes of cassava were produced in Ghana in the 2019 production season, accounting for 5.5% of the world’s total production and the second-largest producer in Africa. Cassava production today takes up over 1 million hectares and employs a lot of farmers in the country.
In Ghana, cassava grows well due to the favourable soil and climate. It is a robust crop that can withstand drought and some diseases. The crop can be grown for industrial use for the production of flour, starch, and alcohol. Popular cassava varieties in Ghana are Ampong, IFAD, Broni Bankye, and Sika Bankye.
Cleaning, washing, crushing, desanding, dehydration, and drying are all steps in the contemporary processing method used in Ghana to produce cassava flour. For the traditional method, it is grated, all the juice squeezed out, then dried into flour, and sifted.
With wheat prices spiralling, most individuals are experimenting with alternative ingredients for baked goods. The use of cassava flour in bread and pastry making is a laudable and convenient alternative for promoting the use of a local crop as well as reducing imports of wheat flour, promoting the production of high-quality cassava flour, and offering a substitute for the increase in prices of flour products. and developing biofortified and fortified foods.
Cassava flour has a neutral flavour and powdery texture that makes great gluten, grain, and nut-free substitute for baking ingredients. Because of these qualities, cassava flour is a great alternative to wheat flour in both commercial and household cooking. Depending on the cassava variety, you might find some with a subtle red or yellow hue, although it is primarily white.
It is a great choice for consumers looking for healthier flour options, Ghanaian cassava flour is produced using enhanced cassava varieties with low cyanide contents and low-chemical agricultural methods.
Cassava flour can also be used to make noodles in place of 25 to 50 per cent of the rice starch, giving the finished product a softer, more elastic texture. In the brewing sector, cassava flour is utilised to create popular beers like Ghana’s Root beer. Additionally, the HQCF is used as an adhesive to substitute maize starch in starch-based adhesives, as well as binding agents in the food and plywood industries.
To add to this, Cassava flour is healthy as its high resistant starch content, may aid weight loss, help improve gut health, and benefit metabolic markers, such as blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Although the substitution of cassava flour maybe unwelcoming by most bread and pastry lovers, the incorporation of additives or flours from other crops improves the nutritional value and bread-making quality of the baked foods.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has emphasised the importance of cassava flour production in Ghana. However, more regulations must be created to encourage the widespread use of high-quality cassava flour in the food business.
The introduction of cutting-edge modern cassava flour processing equipment has significantly increased the processing efficiency of Ghana’s cassava flour, which is why the production technology for cassava flour in Ghana is always being upgraded.
Several limitations may hinder the success of initiatives to promote the use of cassava flour in bread making. Among these include the costs and efficiency of processing technologies, standards of the quality of cassava flour, and lack of favourable policies.
Cassava is an extremely versatile ingredient and a high-quality industrial crop which has a huge potential to lead the flour market, however, it has not been exploited to a large extent.