Consumer testing of attieke in rural and urban areas in Côte d'Ivoire. Understanding the drivers of trait preferences and the development of multi-user RTB product profiles, WP1, Step 4

Attieke has become one of the most consumed side dish in Côte d'Ivoire, and even beyond. Although it is processed in different forms (Agbodjama, attieke adjoukrou, garba, etc), the sensory quality of attieke is linked to the variety of cassava used and is an important factor in the acceptance of this variety by farmers, processors and consumers. In order to understand consumer requirements for Attieke, and to obtain relevant information for WP2, a consumer test was carried out in the Bouake region, in the center of Côte d'Ivoire..Six (6) varieties of cassava, traditional and improved (Yace, Yavo, Bocou 2, I083774, Agbable and Bocou4), harvested at 15 months of age at the CNRA experimental plot in Bouake, were used for the preparation of attieke and tested by a total of 164 consumers. Consumer testing was performed using hedonic, JAR and CATA tests. The overall liking of attieke varied between a score of 5.5 (neither like nor dislike) to 7.4 (like moderately to like very much) for Bocou4 and Yace, respectively. Attieke from the Yacé variety was liked by the majority of consumers, regardless of location. The Yacé variety scored more than 75% JAR for the four attributes tested. High quality attieke has rounded and slightly cohesive grains, is bright in color and moldable, not too sour, with a fresh attieke odor. On the other hand, low quality characteristics include: over-fermented, hard grains, sour taste, non-cohesive and heterogeneous grains, and fibrous.