Germaine WAKEM

Résumé de la thèse

Cassava is an important food resource in the world, supporting the food needs of some 800 million people. It is now the second most important commodity after maize with 262 million tons. Africa is the world's largest cassava producer 149 million tons and the root plays a particularly important role as the main energy resource of these populations, with a major role in food security. In Africa, cassava is mainly consumed cooked or processed as gari, fufu, lufun or cassava Sticks to about 0.2 kg per capita per day. Quality traits of cassava processed product are strongly influence by the process technology used by also by the quality of the raw material.  Genetic background, environmental conditions of field production and post-harvest conservation are the main factors that strongly influence the fresh cassava root. Additionally, as living organ, cassava continues respire and develops sharply while undergoing physiological postharvest deterioration. Both phenomena result in the drastic reduction of root shelf-live to 2-5 days. Consequently, the postharvest period is a critical phase for cassava as it imparts the market value of the product throughout reduction of the market lifetime, source of postharvest losses and thus reduction of producer outcome as well as product quality. Cassava has benefited, as many other crops, from technological inputs in the area of breeding or new technologies including tissue culture, genetic transformation and molecular biology leading to creation of new cassava varieties. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of (i) environmental conditions of productions and (ii) adapted postharvest storage technologies on quality traits of cassava roots at harvest and that of their related processed-product. To this end, an integrated of biochemical and physicochemical approaches will undertake on a set of cassava varieties preselected in regard with consumer’s uses and preferences. This study will contribute to the full development of the new cassava hybrids throughout identifying the most suitable ones in regard with the consumer needs.