Carotenoids retention in biofortified yellow cassava processed with traditional African methods

BACKGROUND: Biofortified yellow cassava is being cultivated in countries with high cassava consumption to improve its population's vitamin A status. The carotenoid retention in biofortified cassava when processed as boiled, fufu, and chikwangue was evaluated in this study. Commercial biofortified varieties Kindisa and Vuvu and the experimental genotypes MVZ2011B/360 and MVZ2012/044 were used. Fresh cassava roots were processed as boiled, fufu, and chikwangue. Provitamin A carotenoids (pVACs) content of fresh and processed cassava was measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography, and total carotenoids was measured by spectrophotometer. RESULTS: pVACs content of fresh peeled cassava was 1.79–6.65 µg g(−1) on a fresh weight basis, whereas in boiled cassava, fufu, and chikwangue the pVACs content was 1.71–6.91 µg g(−1), 0.04–0.37 µg g(−1), and 0.52–1.75 µg g(−1) respectively. True retention of carotenoids after cooking was 93.2–96.8%, 0.8–3.1%, and 4.0–18.1% for boiled cassava, fufu, and chikwangue respectively. Significant total carotenoids loss was observed during storage. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that biofortified boiled cassava could be an effective food product to improve pVACs intake in areas where vitamin A deficiency exists, and processing of chikwangue and fufu should be improved before promoting biofortified cassava in vitamin‐A‐deficient areas with high cassava consumption. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.