YAM PROCESSING (YAM FLOUR)

Welcome to foodvalueaddblogspot.com. I will be sharing ideas on how to add value to agricultural products and various business potential that abound with each food products.

Our first article will be on yam. Why yam first you may ask, may be because pounded yam is my best food or may be Nigeria is the largestest producer of yam in the world, anyways let’s move on to business.

YAM (Dioscorea spp).

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

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

Yam Flour (Elubo), Instant pounded yam flour (Poundo yam flour), Yam fries are major food products that can be gotten from processed yam.

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.

Yam known as Ikokoro and white yam are the major raw material used in yam flour production. Physically damage yams can also be used to prevent food wastage/food loss.

Equipment used for yam flour processing are: Slicing Machine, Per-boilers, Dryers (Cabinet/Flash), milling machine (Hammer mill with cyclone), sifting machines, sealers, packaging machines,  bowls, knives, scoops and  weighing scale.

 YAM FLOUR PROCESS 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 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 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

Your packaged yam flour can be sold to individuals, supermarkets, schools, restaurants, hotels, and caterers. Yam flour can also be exported to other countries.

HAPPY DEMOCRACY DAY NIGERIA!!!