PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF FLOUR PRODUCED BY SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION OF CASSAVA ‘BONOUA 2’, ‘TMS 4(2)1425’ AND ‘BOCOU 2’ VARIETIES GROWN IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

Manihot esculenta is a key resource in the bakery, culinary and pharmaceutical sectors. In Côte d’Ivoire, cassava is the second most important food crop after yams in terms of production volume, with 5 million tonnes produced in 2019. Despite cassava’s importance for food security, the characteristics and chemical composition of its roots limit their effective use for food purposes due to their toxicity and limited shelf life. Consequently, in order to assess the quality of fermented flours derived from three cassava varieties ‘Bonoua 2’, ‘TMS 4(2)1425’ and ‘Bocou 2’, their physicochemical and functional properties were evaluated. The results showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the physicochemical and functional properties of these flours. Solid-state fermentation reduced the HCN content to below recommended levels and produced cassava flours suitable for human consumption, with physicochemical and functional properties conducive to their use in food preparation. fermented flour (TMS) would be more suitable for food products requiring the flour to absorb water, such as porridges, pasta and thickeners. Bonoua 2 fermented flour was classified according to its oil absorption capacity, viscosity, gel consistency, syneresis, pH, titratable acidity and chroma. This suggests that the fermented flour (Bonoua 2) would be more suitable for sausages, bakery products, meat substitutes, yoghurts, cheese, jam and gelatine-based desserts. Bocou 2 fermented flour correlates with water activity, foaming capacity, whiteness index, porosity, moisture content, dispersibility and bulk density. This suggests that fermented flour (Bocou 2) may be better suited to long-term storage, food safety, visual appeal and consumer acceptance.