Acceptability Assessment of Ugali Made from Blends of High Quality Cassava Flour and Cereal Flours in the Lake Zone, Tanzania

Abstract

Cassava is the most known hunger fighter crop in sub-Saharan African countries during drought and severe famine, its production has been limited to household’s consumption and not to commercialization. The aim of this study was to assess consumer acceptability and willingness to pay for blends of high quality cassava flour (HQCF) and refined maize (sembe) or unrefined maize (dona) or sorghum in Lake Zone. The HQCF was mixed with either sembe flour (20:80) or dona flour (80:20) or sorghum flour (80:20) separately. Ugali made at these ratios of the blends were fed to 129 people (Mwanza n = 60 and Bunda n = 69) and descriptively evaluated sensory properties. It was found that 65.9% of the consumers preferred ugali made from blends of HQCF. About 51.2% consumer preferred ugali made from blends of HQCF and Sorghum flour and for blends of HQCF and dona at (80:20). Consumers willing to pay price between TZS 1000/kg and TZS1500/kg for blends of HQCF: sembe was 62%, HQCF: sorghum was 61% and HQCF: dona was 46%. Marketing expansion opportunities for blends of HQCF and cereal flours are high suggesting the needs for interventions at production, processing and supply to the market.