EFFECT OF WATER FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES ON THE MINERAL AND ANTI-NUTRIENT CONTENT OF CASSAVA TUBERS FERMENTED FOR FUFU PRODUCTION

In these research, the mineral and antinutrient content of cassava tubers (Manihot esculenta crantz) steeped in water from different sources for fufu production was investigated. It involved fermentation which was done by steeping peeled cassava tuber in water from five different sources (well, boiled, distilled, stream, tap) for five days. There were variations in the mineral content of both the fermented tuber, the mash and the fufu made from the different water sources with respect to the following minerals iron, sodium, zinc and magnesium, The mineral analysis shows a decrease in the mineral content of the fermented cassava tubers compared with the fresh cassava tuber with the magnesium content of the fresh cassava tuber which reduced from 428.53ppm to 309.21ppm for tubers fermented with stream water, 230ppm for tubers fermented with tap water, 288.46ppm for tubers fermented with boiled water, 228.52ppm for tubers fermented with distilled water. The antinutrient content decreased after fermentation with the tubers fermented with tap, stream and boiled having the lowest cyanide content reducing from 4.07b±0.16 to (2.44Mg) while fufu made with tap water had the lowest cyanide content(1.90Mg), cassava tubers fermented with tap water had the lowest phytate content of 2.476ab±0.00. Sensory evaluation was conducted on the fufu with regards to the following parameters Taste, Aroma, Texture, Appearance, and it was observed that the fufu prepared with well, distilled and tap water were most preferred, with regards to taste, appearance and textures respectively while the fufu made with boiled water had the highest numbers of dislike with regards to appearance, taste, texture and aroma.Cassava tuber steeped in tap water retained more of the nutrients with minimal antinutrient content and is therefore recommended for fermentation of cassava tubers for fufu production.