GROUP NAME: TEAM C

GROUP TOPIC:

GROUP LEADER:

GROUP MEMBERS:

YAM (DIOSCOREA SPP).

Yam, as we may already know, is root and tuber. Yam is a rich source of water, Carbohydrate, vitamin
B complex, vitamin C, Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Manganese, Essential amino acid such as
Phenylalanine and b.

Yam a raw material to other food products can be sourced in large quantities from the following
states in Nigeria: Benue, Niger, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kogi, Oyo, Ondo,and Delta.

is a multi-species crop that originated principally from Africa and Asia before spreading to other
parts of the world (Hahn et al.,1987). It belongs to the family of dioscoreae within the genus
dioscorea and serves as a staple crop in west Africa.(Asiedu et al., 1992). There are many cultivars of
yam, though only six are important as staple foods in the tropics.

Yam tubers which is the most important part of the plants can be stored longer than other root and
tuber crops. This ensures food security even in times of general scarcity. Yam is the third most
important tropical root and tuber crop after cassava and sweet potato (fu et al., 2005). West Africa is
the leading producer of yam and grows over 90% of the worldwide production (40 tonnes fresh
tuber/year) followed by the west Indians where Jamaica is the leading producer (FAOSTAT,2004).
Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of yams followed by Ghana, ivorycoast and togo (FAO,2003).
Both fresh tubers and yam flour are now exported from Ghana and Nigeria to developed countries
such as united kingdom and united states of America.

Yams are high in vitamin C, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese; while being low in
saturated fat and sodium.

Worldwide yam production in 2007 amounted to 52 million tons, of which Africa produced 96%.
Most of the world’s production comes from West Africa representing 94%, with Nigeria alone
producing 71%, equaling more than 37 million tons. Though yams can be stored up to six months
without refrigeration most of the yearly production is lost through spoilage because of lack of post-
harvest facility in the country.

There are various varieties of yam, the popular species in Nigeria are:

White yam (Dioscorea rotundata)

Water yam (Dioscorea alata)

Yellow yam (Dioscorea cayensis)

Bitter yam(Dioscorea dumetorum).

YAM FLOUR
Yam flour (off-white fine flour) also known as Elubo is used to prepare Amala. Amala is mostly
consumed by the Yoruba people from the south-west of Nigeria. Ikokoro and white yam are the
major varieties of yam used in yam flour production. Physically damaged yams

can also be used to prevent food wastage/food loss.

Yam flour is produced by grinding dried yams into powder. A yam is hearty tuber does not have the
sweet taste of sweet potato, but instead may have flavors that range from bland to earthly, slightly
smoky in taste, or nutty and only moderately sweet. 3

The machinery and equipment needed to process yam flour can be sourced locally or from abroad,
and they include;

(a) Yam Peeler (could be done manually)

(b) Boiler

(c) Dryer

(d) International Standard Scale

(e) Automatic Sealing Machine

(g) Packaging Machine

The machinery and equipment required for production can be sourced locally or from abroad, and
they include;

All the above machines and processing technology can be obtained locally. The machines can as well
be imported. The addresses of where to obtain both locally made machines and imported ones will
be given to prospective investors on reaching to the writer.

THE PRODUCTION PROCESS IS HIGHLIGHTED BELOW;

Yam selection: fresh harvested yam gotten from the farm are sorted to select whole-some tubers
that are suitable for the production of instant pounded yam flour. Usually the mature white varieties
of yam are most suitable.

Weighing; the selected yam are weighed properly

Washing; the yam tubers are washed properly in order to get rid of sand and other extraneous
materials.
Peeling and slicing; the washed yam tubers are peeled and then sliced to desired thickness.

Parboiling; the sliced yam are then put into boiling water over a period of time depending on the
thickness of the slices.

Drying; the parboiled yam slices are dried in a dryer at a specified drying temperature and time.

Milling; the dried yam slices are milled directly into flour of uniform particle size.

Packaging; the instant pounded yam flour is the finally packaged in moisture proof nylon bags.

YAM FLOUR PRODUCTION FLOW CHART

Cleaning: Clean to remove sand and dirt

Peeling: Peel manually using knives

Slicing: Slice peeled yam tubers into uniform size chips. This is to enable the chips to dry faster at the
same time and temperature.

Cleaning: Clean/Rinse chips with water

Drying: Dry yam chips in a cabinet dryer. Ensure yam chips are properly dried.

Milling: Mill dried chips into a fine flour using a hammer mill

Cooling: Cool milled flour before packaging to reduce the heat generated as a result of milling

Sieving: Sieve to remove particles

Packaging: Package yam flour in different sizes (1kg, 2kg, 5kg, and 10kg) seal and label
 MARKET FOR YAM FLOUR

The market is both local and international. The later should be targeted where there is
preponderance of inhabitants of Africans in Europe, America and Asian countries. Based on research,
some marketing points internationally have been established and would be given to prospective
investors.