The challenges of food security, particularly in developing countries, justify the initiatives of public authorities, research institutes and international organizations for the development of local natural resources for the markets. This is the case with cassava, one of the major staple foods in tropical countries. The development of new high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties is one of the priority areas of work for breeders. However, their adoption remains relatively limited, because they do not always meet the expectations of actors and users of the value chain. This is why the cassava promotion initiative, as part of the RTBfoods project, has included in its challenges, taking into account the uses and quality expectations of these actors in the choice of cassava varieties for production, processing and consumption. The definition of these expectations being intended to carry a targeted approach in the development of new varieties of cassava. In this logic, a study was carried out in Cameroon and Nigeria on the identification of the quality characteristics and preferences of end users of the value chain from cassava to gari - eba, one of the major forms of cassava processing and consumption in this part of sub-Saharan Africa.

The possibility of using cassava root in various food transformations (fufu, gari, chikwangue, etc.) constitutes the first argument for the involvement of actors in its culture. While this argument is supported by almost all cassava varieties, production and processing yields appear to be the discriminating factor between the varieties available. In this respect, varieties which produce a high number of roots per plant will have a better chance of being adopted. In terms of processing and consumption, the roots of interesting varieties should: i) have a brightly colored pulp, ii) be edible (preferably sweet and not bitter), iii) not contain too much water, which means having a high dry matter, a necessary condition for a high yield in processing. It is important to note here that, if the low water content in water is an important argument for the processing yield, it nevertheless presents a limit when peeling the roots, because the higher the water content of the root, the more difficult it is to peel, which imposes on the actors a targeted management of this factor. Varieties with high moisture content, which are easier to peel, are suitable for roots for direct household consumption, while roots rich in dry matter remain preferred for processing into products for the market.

The transformation of cassava roots into gari goes through different technological variants leading to a gari whose desired characteristics are: i) its appearance (shiny / attractive, uniform and not powdery granules, without lumps, white or yellow color depending on whether or not palm oil was used during roasting; low presence of visible fibers), ii) its texture to the hand (dry granules) and in the mouth (easy swelling, little resistance to chewing), iii) its taste (sweet or sour, depending on the level of fermentation). The prevalence of taste characteristics is variable according to the production area), and iv) its characteristic aroma, inherent in the fermentation conditions of the root during the manufacturing process.

Gari is eaten either by moistening it in water with sugar, or by frying in oil with various ingredients, or in the form of a cooked dough (Eba). Eba, the main form of gari consumption in Cameroon and Nigeria, is appreciated mainly by its textural properties: smoothness, firmness, stickiness, stretchability. The relative importance of these characteristics may vary from place to place, depending on the eating styles of consumers.

Taking into account these quality characteristics of cassava and gari in the varietal selection of the root, implies coordinated work between breeders and food scientists, so as to identify, for a given variety, its ability to meet the requirements of end users according to the technical practices implemented in its transformation into gari.