Handling practices, quality and loss estimation along the value chain of waragashi, a soft cheese from Benin

Waragashi is a soft cheese made from cow milk, widely marketed and consumed in Benin and in other African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Togo). However, the product is prone to deterioration, especially at ambient temperature (28–32°C) because of its high water activity, nutrients and neutral pH. The present study aimed at getting insight into the factors affecting the quality of waragashi and estimating losses along the value chain. The entire value chain was investigated (i) to determine the product handling conditions, and (ii) to determine stakeholders’ perceptions of related quality, and (iii) to estimate the product proportion and quality loss along the value chain. One hundred and ninety-nine (199) producers, 100 collectors, 156 wholesalers/retailers, and 326 consumers were randomly interviewed in the main Departments of Benin involved in this soft cheese value chain. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used as statistic tools for highlighting the relationships between variables. Significance was accepted at a P value of 0.05. The results showed that waragashi, produced and sold essentially by women (≥ 97%), is packed in bowls (78.9% of respondents) and plastic boxes (16.1% of respondents) as containers at the production stage and marketing. Daily boiling and soaking in water extract of dye sorghum panicle (traditional red biocolorant used to colour the product) were used as the main preservation methods. Waragashi was held mainly at ambient temperature (28–32°C) along the value chain. The priority quality attributes of the product were texture, colour, and taste for producers, whereas texture, odour and appearance were the desirable attributes for consumers. The quality deterioration linked to inappropriate handling conditions occurred mostly at wholesalers/retailers’ level. This leads to important financial losses on the product varying from partial (reduction of approximately 30% of the sale price in comparison to that of the fresh product) to total loss of sale price, meaning that the product cannot be sold. Therefore, there is a need to find appropriate solutions to ensure a better-quality management of waragashi along the value chain.