garri making machine

Cassava is a tuberous root that contains 60 to 70 percent moisture and has a shelf life of 2 to 3 days. Once harvested, it has to be either consumed immediately or processed into more stable product forms.

Garri is dry, crispy, creamy-white and granular. As a result, garri is the most commonly traded cassava product. The garri prices, therefore, are a reliable indication of the demand and supply of cassava. Other relevant processed cassava foods in the traditional (food) market include fufu, lafun and abacha

Traditional methods of processing cassava roots can result in poor quality products that contain unacceptable levels of cyanide, as well as being contaminated by foreign matter and disease-causing agents. If people eat these kinds of products, they can suffer from acute cyanide poisoning, goiter, and a nerve-damaging disorder that makes them unsteady and unable to walk properly.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

The basic processes involved in the production of Garri from cassava are:

1. Sorting: After harvest, some roots may be damaged or rotten. These are sorted to select the wholesome roots for processing; only healthy roots (without rot or other damage) should be processed.

2. Peeling and washing: Freshly harvested cassava roots are covered with soil and dirt and. The roots are peeled to remove the outer brown skin and inner thick cream layer and washed to remove stains and dirt. The water source should be checked regularly to ensure it is not dirty or contaminated.

 3. Grating: As part of the process to remove the cyanide and make the root safe to eat, the peeled cassava are grated into a mash or pulp.  Mechanized graters are needed to produce a sufficient quantity of cassava mash to meet market demands and standards.

4. De-watering and fermenting: This completes the process of removing cyanide from the cassava mash. The water content in the mash is reduced using hydraulic press. The bags are then left to drain and ferment for a few days.

5. Roasting: The grits are then roasted or fried in a hot frying tray or pan to form the final dry and crispy product. Garri is normally white or cream, but will be yellow when made from yellow cassava roots or when fried with palm oil. It is important to make sure the taste and smell is acceptable to local consumers. Yellow cassava roots and palm oil are rich in vitamin A and therefore make nutritious garri. The roasted garri are spread on a raised platform in the open air to cool and dry.

6. Sieving: The Garri is sieved to separate coarse particles, with a standard size sieve to produce fine granules. A grinder is used to break the large granules into smaller ones. The

7. Packaging: The garri are weighed and then packed for marketing.