Space Apps Challenge 2017

We are showcasing the features of Garri as a Sustainable food. Garri requires no preservative to stay in good form for almost a year. Garri (also known as Gari, Garry, Gali, "cassava flakes" or occasionally tapioca) is a popular West African food made from cassava tubers. The spelling 'Garri' is mainly used in Cameroon, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin, Togo and 'gari' in Ghana. Garri is a grain like food substance that has been dried and processed from starchy plants called cassava. It is a rich source of carbohydrate which is helpful to hard working people.

To get the substance Garri, below are the processes involved:

• Harvest cassava tubers
• Peel off the back of the cassava tubers
• Cut the cassava tubers into smaller sizes and wash Grind the cassava into paste
• Pack the grinded cassava into sacks and drill to dryness
• When dry, sieve off to remove sharfs
• After sieving, pack a reasonable quantity into a fying pan and place on low heat fire till it gets dry.

For red Garri: Add palm oil before frying and...

For white Garri don’t bother adding anything.

When processing Garri, cleanliness needs to be observed strictly to avoid bacteria contaminating the substance.

THE FERMENTATION PROCESS

Fermentation is a process whereby the sugars and starches are eaten up and converted to produce lactic acid and carbon-dioxide. The longer the fermentation process the lower the dietary carbohydrate present in the food. This is the reason why fermented foods are often advocated amongst diabetics or those looking for how to control blood sugar levels and lose weight. There is a principle that fermentation reduces carbohydrate count also fermentation improves the ascorbic acid/vitamin c content of foods and given the sour taste of Garri (which suggest the presence of ascorbic acid/vitamin c)

THE VALUE/BENEFIT

Cassava product like Garri has served as a healthy choice of food for many people especially Nigerians. Here are the nutritional facts.

- FIBER

By far, cassava (Garri) has one of the highest amount of fiber compared to other sources of food. This means that eating cassava (Garri) can help your digestion, burn fat and give you more energy. High fiber foods are also known to make you get full very quickly and help reduce the risk of obesity. The fiber in cassava (Garri) can also help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as help you control your blood sugar.

- LOW FAT

Foods that contain a high amount of trans fats can put you at risk of many health issues including heart problems, strokes and hypertension. One way to fight this is to eat foods like cassava (Garri), which has very low fat. In addition to that, cassava (Garri) also has a higher amount of protein when compared to other tropical foods like potatoes and yam. Also, cassava (Garri) is free of gluten, which makes it an excellent choice for food preparation meant for people with celiac disease.

- VITAMIN A

Recently, the Nigerian government released a type of cassava (Garri) known as ‘yellow cassava (Garri)’ that contains vitamin A. this means that consuming yellow cassava (Garri) has very high health benefits including good eye sight. This type of cassava (Garri) will be very useful for areas (space) that have very limited access to food supplements or artificial nutritional drug. Apart from vitamin A, cassava (Garri) also contains moderate amount of vitamin B, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folates and pyridoxine. In addition to that, it also contains minerals like manganese, iron, and zinc.

- COPPER AND MAGNESIUM

Cassava (Garri) has a very high amount of copper and magnesium minerals. Consuming food high in magnesium helps to promote a healthy long life, by reducing your risk of contracting osteoporosis and at the same time lowering your blood pressure. While consuming a good amount of copper will help a functional and healthy nervous system.

PACKAGING AND STORAGE

This product (Garri) is hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture from air ) and should be packed in air tight and moisture-proof bags, especially in areas of high humidity, to prevent mold growth

The dry nature of Garri, makes it suit to last up to a year serving humans no matter the season. It is a cheap and delicious substance that bridges the gap between the poor and the rich since anyone can take it not minding his/her social class.People sometimes neglect Garri saying its just filled with carbohydrates forgetting that most food attain their complete nutritions due to other food classes combined. Same can be applied to Garri, and that is the future of our project.

Garri can be eaten with most food varieties that our minds can't picture the food combination can fit in.

Instead of making boiled molded Garri for vegetables, just mixing a cup of cripsy Garri, a cube of suger and water will fit in. Same goes with rice,beans,noodles,coconut,avocado barbecue etc. Garri can also be used to bake cake. This Fabulous food can be easily imported/Exported with less damages. In fact there is nothing as food waste when it comes to Garri,because this handy food those not only serve as human food but extends its wings to animals.

Garri is Economical and will rescue the world this recession, reducing expenditure in other high cost carbohydrates.