Effects of processing, cooking, and storage on β‐carotene retention and bioaccessibility in biofortified cassava ( Manihot esculenta ) (646.4)

Biofortification of cassava with β-carotene is currently being tested in African populations where cassava is a staple food and vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem. Measuring the impact of traditional African processing and cooking on β-carotene concentration and bioaccessibility of cassava-based foods can help direct plant breeding efforts and estimate the potential impact of biofortified cassava on vitamin A status. Biofortified cassava was processed and cooked to prepare the following traditional dishes: gari, eba, fermented and non-fermented fufu, and boiled cassava. Eba, non-fermented fufu, and gari retained the most β-carotene (43.6, 42.2, and 41.0%, respectively) while boiled cassava and fermented fufu retained the least (24.9, and 21.7%, respectively). Gari and boiled cassava bioaccessibility was 17- and 12-fold higher than raw cassava, respectively (P < 0.001), while increases in bioaccessible β-carotene concentrations in eba, and fufu products were not significant. Unfortunately, aft...